THE MARMOT TOURS ANNUAL CYCLING SPECIAL

Marmot Tours has been running road cycling holidays in the Pyrenees since 2001 and has built up a reputation of offering an exceptional quality of service. In order to offer our loyal clients something new and exciting we have decided to run one special trip to  a mountain range other than the Pyrenees every year. Some years it will be a  challenge, such as the Raid, and other years a more leisurely 'holiday'. This year, due to popular demand we are heading to the Alps to do their Raid, which is of a similar level of difficulty but encompasses more climbing and less distance each day than its sister, the Raid Pyrenean. 

The Annual Specials will be different from Marmot Tours' other trips in some respects - they will be in mountain ranges that we know less well than our home ground in the Pyrenees, and will use hotels that we have not necessarily used before.  However, we feel that we know our product and what we need in order to run a good trip, and so know how to ensure that we get this from the providers we work with.   In terms of level of support for you as a rider, we will continue to offer the same standard of service as we do with our Pyrenean trips.

OVERVIEW

The Raid Alpine needs little introduction, it is a classic road cycling challenge of 703kms through the Southern Alps taking in most of the legendry Alpine climbs and some fantastic scenery and views.  It goes over an incredible 31 cols, 6 of which  are over 2000 metres high.  It averages 100kms distance a day though due to various route options being available, this varies depending on the exact routes chosen.

We will follow the 'amended' official route set out by the Cycle Club in Thonon Les Bains and for your efforts get awarded a badge on successful completion of the challenge. There are no time restrictions in terms of cycling hours, as there are with the Raid Pyrenean, but the route must be completed in  7 days or less. Part of the original route follows a military road, which has not been maintained and consequently has become unsuitable for road bikes, so for this reason we follow the 'amended route'.

As a new Marmot Tours trip, we had hoped to 'reccie' the route before the winter this year but for various reasons this wasn't possible, and so we are now going to be going to the Alps in the Spring. Until then, we are therefore not able to give exact details of the itinerary. Below is some idea of the route until then...

RAID ALPINE DATES 2010

Thursday 12th August - Friday 20th August 2010 (trip code RFI J33)

HOW MUCH DOES THE RAID ALPINE PACKAGE COST?

The Raid Alpine costs £980, starting at Geneva Airport and ending at Nice Airports. The price is higher than our Raid Pyrenean trip due to the costs involved in setting up a new trip, the fact that it is an 8 day challenge and that we are running it in high season in the more expensive area of the Alps.  

Flights are not included but can be picked up very cheaply if booked in advance. Allow about £60 for lunches and daytime drinks that are not included (outlined below). There is a supplement of £200 if you would like to have your own room for the trip, (please let us know on booking as there is limited availability). There are no other local payments or hidden costs. Please note that we offer a 5% discount if you book more than 3 months before the departure date. We also offer group and loyalty discounts.

This price includes:

WHERE DO WE STAY?

During the Raid Alpine we stay in a range of 2 star hotels with ensuite facilities. The hotels have been selected for their location and for their attitude to cyclists (and their stomachs!) Accommodation will be allocated on a twin share basic unless you book a single room (supplement of £200). There is a garage / locked room where we can store the bikes every night.

FOOD

Breakfast: Continental style breakfasts are provided by the hotels. We supplement these with cereals and fruit. 
Lunches: These are not included so you can choose your own diet while cycling. We recommend suitable places en route depending on individuals pace.
Dinner:  The 8 evenings meals will be taken together either at the hotel or a suitable restaurant in town. All the 3 or 4 course meals will be tailored to the requirement of cyclists and the portions are very generous.  Table wine and after dinner teas and coffees are also included.
Snacks: Cereal bars, cakes, banana's and other snacks for during the day are included in our Raid Alpine price and will be distributed by the 2  support vans. However we suggest you bring your own favourite energy powders/gels/bars with you as these will not be easily available en route.
Special diets: The hotels will provide meals for vegetarians and coeliacs.  Please contact us if you have any other special dietary requirements.

GUIDING AND INSTRUCTION

You are accompanied by a 2 experienced tour leaders, with mechanical and first-aid training. It is not expected that the group will stay together, so you will be given comprehensive notes, with directions, altitude profiles and details of the night's hotel. One tour leader will be driving the support vehicle near the rear of the group, offering support and lifts up (or down) the hills as needed, and the other will be at the front of the group and will ensure that all luggage is at the hotels before you arrive. You can expect to see a support vehicle between 5 and 10 times per day, so you do not need to carry much on your bike.

OUR RAID ALPINE GROUPS

There is a maximum of 16 people plus two support drivers / leaders on our Raid Alpine.  People booking alone will be paired up with someone of the same gender unless you opt for a single room (see above).

Am I fit enough for the Raid Alpine?

This is a concern for lots of people who are thinking about the Raid, whether it be the Pyrenean or the Alpine.  Certainly both are a challenge, and you do need to be a regular road cyclist in order to enjoy and get the most out of this trip. 

The majority of our Raid riders are club cyclists or have done cyclosportives or some longer distance rides, however by no means all of them have, and, as with the Raid we would expect to also have clients with less experience, but who have done some training, and who are taking on the Raid as a particular challenge or for a charity event.  

As with all long distance cycling challenges, we feel that the key is pacing yourself, and we are very keen to emphasize that you don't need  to be cycling fast in order to manage the daily routes.  The absolute worst thing is to push yourself to cycle beyond your normal pace on the cols, or early on in the trip, which ends up becoming very tiring and can cause problems on later days. With our 2 vehicles for support, we are happy for you to take as long as it takes to do each days route, and we will give you all the support and encouragement that you need.  All you need to do is eat, drink, cycle and sleep - we will do the rest!

We do recommend that people coming on Raid Alpine train prior to coming out, in order to make it as enjoyable as possible en route.  It can be difficult finding extended climbs for the training in the UK, but generally if you can build up your comfort in doing long daily distances, and your stamina, then you will really benefit when it comes to the Raid itself.

Why choose Marmot Tours for your Raid Alpine?

In a nutshell, we hope that you will come with us on the Raid Alpine because you have enjoyed our product elsewhere, and would like to take on a new challenge with the level of support you know you can expect from Marmot Tours.

As usual, we will be on hand to assist with travel arrangements and queries prior to the trip, and during the trip you can also expect the following:

• we cater for various dietary requirements and supplement your breakfasts with wholesome cereals and fruit to give you that kick start in the morning (continental breakfasts aren't always the best for cyclists!)
• we use small friendly and family run hotels that know us and our needs (particularly regarding cyclists), and who make every effort to make your trip comfortable and easy
• we  provide you with home made snacks en route - our banana and walnut bread (the walnuts are from our garden!) and chocolate brownies have a very good reputation!
• we will be limiting our group size to 16 so you get the benefits of being with enough other cyclists to find others who cycle at your pace and to have a good laugh en route, but also so that you are not just 'one' in a sea of faces who never get to know anyone else in the group, or your leaders.
• we always have 2 support vehicles, driven by James and one of the other Marmot Tours team (Cathy, Nathan or Alan).  The front van offers support to the speedier cyclists in the group, plus makes sure that everyone's bags are at the hotel before they arrive.  The back van stays on the road with the second half of the group ensuring that they have support for as long as it takes for them to complete the days ride.  This means that we can have a group with mixed cycling experience and different paces, and still offer everyone the same, high level of support.  It also means that in the case of any emergencies or mechanicals, a van is never far away.
• We provide comprehensive route cards with colour maps, altitude profiles, detailed directions, information of places to stop for food and the odd bit of local / historical information.
• James is an excellent bike mechanic so is always available to give you a hand with any problems en route (though it is helpful if you are independent as regards punctures).

Marmot Tours has been running road cycling holidays since its conception in 2001.  James has been in the leisure industry for even longer and so you can be sure that we will not overlook any aspect of your trip, from the riding, to the travel arrangements, to the accommodation.

Lastly, we would ask you to have a quick look at what some of our Pyrenean Raiders from the past couple of years have said, as it will help give you an idea of how we run our trips...  client comments

BIKE INFO

HOW DO I GET THERE?

We get people coming on our holidays from all over the world, so it is impossible to include all the information on our website. The notes below is tailored to travellers from the UK. People from other countries please contact us for advice.

We are offering free transfers from Geneva Airport to the start hotel on Thursday 12th August at 1135 and 1615 (1hr journey). At the end of the Raid we offering free transfers to Nice Airport on Friday 20th August for 0900 and 1400 (30mins Journey).

These transfers tie in with the following direct flights from the UK. There may be other options, but they are not listed below as they do not tie in with our transfers. Naturally it is possible to fly on different days and make your own transport arrangements.

Liverpool
12th August: Easy Jet - depart Liverpool 1325, arrive Geneva 1615
20th August: Easy Jet - depart Nice 1055, arrive Liverpool 1210

Bristol
12th August: Easy Jet - depart Bristol 0815, arrive Geneva 1050
20th August: Easy Jet - depart Nice 1035, arrive Bristol 1140

London Luton
12th August: Easy Jet - depart Luton 0735, arrive Geneva 1020
20th August: Easy Jet - depart Nice 1125, arrive Luton 1230

London Heathrow
12th August: British Airways - depart Heathrow 0820, arrive Geneva 1100
12th August: British Airways - depart Heathrow 1140, arrive Geneva 1425
20th August: British Airways - depart Nice 1155, arrive Heathrow 1255

Dublin
12th August: Air Lingus - depart Dublin 1155, arrive Geneva 1505
20th August: Air Lingus - depart Nice 1545, arrive Dublin 1725

Edinburgh
12th August: Easy Jet - depart Edinburgh 0820, arrive Geneva 1135
20th August: Flyglobespan - depart Nice 1805, arrive Edinburgh 1945