Please see the following articles written by
Marmot Tours Raiders (external websites): Glasgow nightingales blog, Raid Pyrenean, June 2009
I just
wanted to reiterate what I said last week about our trip: it
was superbly organised and run. Your attention to detail was
excellent. Thank you. I would certainly recommend
Marmot to others
I'd just
like to mention that both Nathan and Terry were top
boys.....supported and looked after us all really well.
Thanks v
much
Thank you
so much for a wonderful week and for going beyond the call of
duty (especially with my shirts Cathy). I was unbelievable
impressed with Marmot Tours and more importantly with you
guys. We would all like to look at the Alps trip and would
love to do it with you, if we can.
I really enjoyed it and a huge part of that was having you and
Nathan as part of the team.
Amazingly not feeling too tired this week although feel
EXTREMELY hungry and not having banana & walnut loaf on tap
has obviously been a huge disappointment.
Many thanks to
all of you at Marmot Tours for a great week. The attention to
detail, organisation, and general good cheer from 6 in the morning
to 10 at night was exceptional. Lots of nice touches like your home
made cakes ( can I have the recipe for the chocolate brownies
please? ) and bags in the rooms in the evening. Would
definitely like to do something with Marmot Tours again and would
have no hesitation in recommending yourselves to fellow cyclists. Thanks for such a great week on
the raid. Your attention to detail was fantastic and I really cannot
think of any area in which you were lacking. It was particularly
nice, as the lanterne rouge, to get support all the way to
the finish each day and I was lucky to have Nathan's support
throughout, when at times I felt like jacking it in. Thanks
also to Tez for stopping me falling over at the end of a couple of
days when I was too knackered to unclip! The good news is that
I'm feeling really good and strong up these Dorset hills and even
thinking of the next challenge. I just wanted to thank you for a
great holiday. It was outstanding for many reasons - the weather
was superb (if not a little hot!), the route offered everything (day
3 was just to die for) and the accommodation was spot on (basic,
comfortable and lots of good food). I'd only make one suggestion to
your instructions - use a compact chainset with an 11/28 cassette or
larger! However my biggest thanks go to Nathan and Terry who were
just awesome. They made the holiday. I'm sure they worked
incredibly hard behind the scenes but looked serene. Their customer
service and attention to detail was first rate.
In short, to say that we all found the trip to be excellent,
made all the more so by the organisation that you, Cathy and
Alan have put into it. Your approach, humour, overall
demeanour and personal approach/style all made for a great mix
between the professional, highly organised ride experience
that is made to feel genuinely informal and friendly. I know
it was also no accident that you guys happened to appear at
the right spots on the road/climbs and it was certainly no
accident that you always have a full van full of bananas,
snacks and home baking!! May I thank you for such
tremendous support last week as I completed the raid. It really was
an epic experience and although challenging, will be a holiday I
remember for a life-time. Your continuous hard work, smiles and
uncanny habit of appearing in the van when most needed were very
much appreciated. I would always and wholeheartedly recommend
Marmot tours to anyone thinking of such a challenge.
Thanks for organising such a great
trip - you guys have really got it sorted. The vision of
seeing a white van when you are absolutely hanging will
probably remain with me for the rest of my life! I'm sure
we'll be looking to do another trip with you in the future
-Get sorting the Raid Alpine!
Cathy and James: Thankyou for your
excellent organisation and lovely personalities that made the
trip so enjoyable. Keep up the good work.
James, I just wanted to say
thankyou for the Raid trip last week. It was superbly
organised and the support from you and Alan was much
appreciated. All in all, couldn't have been run better.
Thank you for organising a
fantastic week's biking - Chris and I thoroughly enjoyed it
and your service was nothing short of excellent.
James and Cathy: Thank you so much
for your excellent work in hosting the Raid. The personal,
high level of service exceeded expectations from the first
email to the last transfer. Your efforts promoted and
ensured success. Jack: just being so damn cute was
appreciated!
Many thanks for fantastic
experience last week (yes, I do mean it!!!). The organisation,
support and encouragement, hotels, food and friendliness all
made the PAIN worthwhile. There were definitely moments when
I thought I had bitten more than I could chew but I had
nothing but positive support from yourselves, the peerless
Dunfermline club riders, the 'RAF' and Mike (who gave me water
and a gel on the corniche before Cerbere). What a fantastic
bunch of people to spend time with. Your personalities,
knowledge and sense of humour really helped make this a trip
to remember and I have no hesitation in recommending you to
others thinking of taking on the challenge. Very best wishes
for the future with baby and Marmot Tours.
I have to say that your own and
Cathy’s support during the event was exceptional – it is
difficult to see how either of you could have done more to
make the event a success. I have already pointed some cycling
friends to your website, and hopefully they’ll be persuaded to
give the Raid (or another of your trips) a go.
I have nothing but praise and thanks for all
that you did. The preparation, support, personal touch and
interest were way beyond what I expected. I don’t think we
could have asked for better support than that which you
provided, so thanks ever so much for what was a truly
memorable venture. The smoothness of your organisation,
sometimes in the face of very difficult circumstances,
provided a very powerful foundation for our Raid. It enabled
us to concentrate on the event and to have some great times,
free of the worry of whether or not you would be there to
provide the necessary support and high quality food and
accommodation.
Had a fantastic time thanks in no
small part to you guys. No hesitation in singing your praises
to anyone vaguely interested in cycling. Many thanks for a great week. It was superbly organized. Food and hotels were spot on and the back up throughout each day was excellent. And, of course, I think we all really appreciated the encouragement as we reached the end of a hard climb. A nice relaxed atmosphere both on and off the bike. I’ll certainly put in a word with my fellow club members." Nick Gurmin, Raid Pyrenean, June 2007 The Raid Pyrenean
certainly has to rank amongst the best possible weeks of
cycling anywhere in the world. Thanks once again for your
personal touch during the week, it was very heart warming for
us all to have your support along the way and I was
particularly grateful for the effort and care that you so
diligently applied to our holiday. You will certainly be my
first port of call should I want to (or indeed be capable
of!) doing any more biking down that way. |
