Road Cycling Holidays and Challenges
Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 October 2012 15:04
The French love road cycling, and it is not surprising, given the quiet roads, courteous drivers and breathtaking scenery. The cols and mountain roads of the Pyrenees and the Alps have been made famous by the Tour de France, and Marmot Tours would love to show you how much fabulous cycling there is to be done here.
For those of you who are looking for a road cycling 'holiday' rather than a 'challenge' per se, then our Classic Cols holidays (Pyrenean and Alpine) provide the perfect balance of cycling and scenery, with a manageable basic route and optional extras for those wanting a bit more. 
Every year we run a Tour de France Road Cycling Special holiday to watch the tour and ride a couple of the Pyrenean stages. In 2013 there is a stage finish on our back doorstep - Ax Bonascre and we will be there to cheer them on from our hospitality suite.
If you are looking for a cycling challenge then it is hard to beat a Raid! These are official long distance journeys taking in the highest cols en route. For your efforts you get awarded with a badge and a certificate. These challenges give some of the best cycling Europe has to offer and are an excellent goal for any regular and fit cyclist. The Raid Pyrenees is an epic cycle journey from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean in 100 hours. It is far from leisurely with 11000m of ascent and 720km distance. The Alpine chain is covered by the Raid Alpine and the Raid Dolomites - no need to say much more!. Whilst arguably the most beautiful of the challenges is the Raid Corsican which has been put together to take in most of the islands mountain climbs an most spectacular coastline.
In order to celebrate the Tour De France in the Pyrenees we have put together our most challenging trip giving people the opportunity to ride all Three Pyrenean Mountain Etapes, start to finish on consecutive days. Ouch!!!
Cyclosportives are becoming very popular and we run a trip that incorporates on of the most highly regarded in France - the Ariegeoise. Depending on its locations, we do also get involved in transport and accommodation packages for the Etape du Tour.
We understand that the pace of life in the UK is hectic and that pressures on your time and your annual leave are great. We don't see why you should miss out on the opportunity to climb some of these cols because of lack of holiday time, so we have also put together some Roadie Minibreaks which are a long weekend in the mountains (Fri - Mon) where we fit in 2 full days and 2 half days of riding. The perfect chance to escape from the durge of daily life and challenge yourself with the local cols in some stunning mountain scenery.
Most of our cycling holidays are one week long, but if you prefer to take a longer vacation then you can combine two trips back to back and we will offer you a £100 discount.
Marmot Tours and staff have been organizing and running successful road cycling holidays since 1998, giving us a wealth of experience. We know what makes a good holiday and understand the requirements of our clients. Our attention to detail ensures that you will have the best possible holiday. We have a large number of clients who come back every year - which we hope speaks volumes!
Please visit our About Us section or client review pages with each trip, for further information.
