Is this for me?
We have riders of all ages (over 18), shapes and sizes. Some are seasoned roadies who think little of a 100 miler ride, others are real tryers with very little cycling experience when they first sign up but who take the challenge head on. Of course, most of our riders are somewhere in between – which is a big range! We strongly maintain that if you take it seriously and put in the work, there’s a place for everyone on tour.
We’ve broken our riders down into 3 broad categories described below. Then we have case studies for each category below that. Read on and see where you fit in!
Which Category are you?
1. New to cycling – You have a bike (though it might not be a road bike) and enjoy going out for the occasional weekend ride with friends or family. You probably haven’t ever ridden a sportive and might not know your ultegra from your Shimano, but you’re up for a challenge and would love to experience the camaraderie of an event like this.
What we say: Go for it! We applaud your chutzpah! We recommend the Two Day Challenge or if you’re already pretty fit and light, the Alps Lite or Pyrenees Lite (though we’ve known riders sign up for every Loop, including the entire Grand Loop from this modest starting point … but we’d urge you to think very hard about the scale of the commitment needed to pull that off. Give us a call if you’re not sure).
2. New to multi-stage events – You ride your bike fairly regularly with mates and possibly in a club. You’ve probably ridden the odd sportive and enjoyed the training to prepare for those. On a sunny spring weekend you try to make sure that you get out for a ride, even if it’s only a couple of hours because nothing beats the feeling of the wind in your hair. You might have been on the odd cycling holiday too.
What we say: We think it’s time to up the ante! If you’ve never ridden in the big mountains of the Alps or Pyrenees (remember, you can take the Lite options), this could be your chance. If you really want a challenge and already have some experience of riding the odd col, then you might even consider our Mountains Week Loop, or the First/Second Half Loops. But if you’re short on time for training, consider the Barcelona Start, or Middle Mountains Loops. You’ll still experience the amazing atmosphere of the tour and the challenge of riding back-to-back big mileage stages! Check out the Loop options.
3. Seasoned cyclist looking for the next challenge: You LOVE riding your bike, and you try to keep riding it even through the tough winter months. You’ve probably ridden in the mountains before and possibly Mallorca or Girona. You’ve got your favourite sportive/s each year and are used to building up to a big event with big mileage. A 60+ miler on the weekend isn’t such a big deal, and you’ve probably ridden plenty of centuries. But this year you’re determined to ‘go large’ and are excited by the prospect of riding your bike A LOT for the next few months.
What we say: It sounds like you’re ready to ride either the First/Second Half Loops, Mountains Week or even ’the big one’ – the Grand Loop. But if you don’t have the time for a longer trip, you’ll still get a huge amount out of riding the Alps or Pyrenees Loops in style!
Now check out our Rider Profiles below …
New to cycling...
Roger Hobby
"For my first tour, at age 20, I certainly wasn't what you might consider a serious cyclist!"
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Melanie Johnson
"I had an original Raleigh Racer as a youngster (35 years ago!!) (but) I hadn’t really been on a bike for 15 years."
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Andy Smith
"When I got the confirmation I'd got my place to ride the Grand Loop, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry!"
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Russ Middleton
"I hadn’t done very much cycling at all really. Certainly not ridden any mountains, nor had I ever cycled outside of the south west."
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New to multi-stage events...
Bea Underwood
"I had pretty good base fitness but had never done anything on this scale"
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Rory Watson
"Before I signed up for Le Loop the first time, I had a road bike but I didn’t use it regularly."
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Katy Hebditch
"Unconfident but determined plodder, I tackled my first mountain in Tenerife just 2 months before I rode the Alpine TDF stages with Le Loop"
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Seasoned cyclist looking for the next challenge…
Chris Glazier
"I started riding (and squeezing into lycra!) at the grand old age of 50, essentially to keep fit"
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Jenn Brittain
"I have always defined myself as academic rather than sporty, so to have someone refer to me as an athlete still gives me goosebumps."
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Richard Lonsdale
"As a seasoned roadie, Le Loop allowed me to realise one of my few two-wheeled ambitions."
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