Travel insurance

It is important to be correctly insured when embarking on a cycling holiday. We recommend checking the details of your travel insurance (if you have one) and, if necessary, subscribing to our contract below. Please note that France Bike Trips is simply an intermediary between you and the insurance company.

You can choose between these travel insurance contracts while completing your booking form:

• I subscribe to the "comprehensive multi-risk" insurance cover (4.5%), minimum premium of 15 €:
  This contract covers assistance, repatriation, lost or stolen luggage, holiday interruption and cancellation. To see the full contract, click here.
• I purchase the "cancellation only" insurance cover (2.5%), minimum premium of 10 €:
  This policy covers cancellation only. To see the full contract, click here.
• I purchase the "repatriation & assistance" insurance cover (1.6%), minimum premium of 10 €:
  This policy covers assistance, repatriation, lost or stolen luggage and holiday interruption. To see the full contract, click here.

Car sharing

If you sign up for a guided tour, we offer you the opportunity to see if you can carpool with other participants to get to the point of departure. To do this, go to "Car sharing" in our website. By entering the complete reference and the date of departure of the tour (available on the registration confirmation that we have sent you), you have access to route details and emails of other participants who wish to carpool.

Accommodation

We favour comfortable accommodation with warm hospitality. For more details, please see the "Costs and services" section.

For private groups and self-guided tours it is possible to choose alternative accommodation (upgrade) depending on availability.

Baggage

During the day you carry only a daypack for additional clothing, water, food, camera, etc. The rest of your baggage is transferred each day to the following nights accommodation.

Our / Your state of mind

- A "group" tour: If you join a guided tour, you will be part of a group for several days. This is a superb opportunity to meet new people and share some magical moments. However, a group tour requires that each person show friendliness, openness and mutual respect for their fellow travellers.

- An "adventure" tour: despite the most careful preparation, adventure tours can present unforeseen events. Accepting these risks will help you enjoy your trip to the full, in the knowledge that your guide, our local partners and the entire France Bike Trips team will offer you the most suitable solutions to any given situation.

Your equipment

Material provided by France Bike Trips (guided version only):

• A group first aid kit
• A repair kit and tools

Personal equipment to bring:

Luggage

All your luggage must fit in two bags: a daypack and a travel bag.

1/ Daypack

This is the bag you will keep with you each day whilst riding. This bag should not be too large (up to 30 litres).

It will contain: a picnic lunch, camera, waterproof, extra clothing, sunglasses...

Each day, your guide will advise you on what to bring in your bag according to the route and the weather.

2/ Travel bag

This is the bag that will be transported from one accommodation to the next by vehicle. It should contain all the belongings you will not use during the day.

Please note: Your luggage transported from one accommodation to the next must fit in a single bag and must not exceed 20kg maximum - or less if stated otherwise in the included services).

List of equipment to pack:

For your head

• A cap or other head protection against the sun
• A hat or headband
• A mountain bike helmet (COMPULSORY).

For your upper body

• Two cycling jerseys (made of synthetic or natural breathable fabrics)
• A warm shirt or a sweatshirt
• A fleece
• A waterproof jacket

For your legs

• Two good quality cycling shorts with chamois
• Trousers
• Casual short
• A swimsuit
• Waterproof trousers (recommended for our alpine tours)

For your feet

• Mountain bike shoes (“multi-activity / outdoor” type with grippy soles or clipless biking shoes)
• Sports socks (+ warm wool socks for our alpine tours)
• Sandals (not compulsory, but nice during breaks...).

For your mountain bike

If you rent your MTB from France Bike Trips, this material is not necessary.

• If you have tires with tubes: 2 spare tubes + puncture repair kit
• If you have tubeless tires: sealant, a tube with presta valve (just in case), a spare tire
• If you have V-brakes: 2 sets of replacement brake pads
• If you have disc brakes: 2 sets of replacement pads
• A rear derailleur cable + 1 rear brake cable
• Chain lube
• A pump
• A high pressure pump for your suspension  (optional, your guide will have one).
• VERY IMPORTANT: A spare derailleur hanger  (only if your rear derailleur is not integral to the frame).

Various

• A pair of MTB gloves (+ warm waterproof gloves for our alpine tours)
• A bike lock
• A head torch with batteries
• A pair of spare laces
• A toiletry kit and towel
• 2 bike bottles 75 cl (or camelbak)
• A pocket knife
• Some plastic bags to protect your equipment
• A needle and thread
• A small individual pharmacy: sunscreen (face and lips); band aids + double skin; Immodium; pain killers, earplugs, other personal medication.

Costs and services self-guided tour

Price per person for a group of:

Single-room supplement will be automatically charged in the case of odd-numbered groups.

The price includes:

• 5 nights in gites or guest houses in double rooms (DR) with en-suite facilities
• 5 breakfasts
• 5 dinners (3 to 4 course menu)
• Daily baggage transfers
• Detailed travel documents, highlighted maps and GPS tracks

What is not included:

• International flights
• Your transfer to the meeting place (see paragraph below)
• All services mentioned in extensions
• Insurance, assistance
• Drinks at the accommodation
• Visits to museums, monuments and sites not covered by the programme
• Additional travel related to change in the programme due to bad weather
• All personal expenses
• Everything not mentioned under  “the price includes".

GPS tracks

If you choose to book a self-guided tour, we provide the GPS tracks of the route. You will be able to download the GPX type files from your France Bike Trips user account once you receive our travel documents by email. They are compatible with all current GPS software applications and editors.

Accuracy

These tracks have been created using professional mapping software. There may be slight differences between the GPS track and the reality on the terrain. The GPS tracks should thus be considered a "plus" to help you find your way. However, they are by no means a substitute for orientation with the help of the highlighted map material.

The distances and altitude gain in the tour's programme remain the reference. Indeed, real-world altitude and mileages can be different and vary significantly from the data shown in GPS software applications.

Data privacy

We ask you not to publish these GPS tracks on any website, social network or anywhere else. Their elaboration required many hours of hard work, both to create the track in the field, but also in our software applications. The non-respect of this ethic would force us to remove these valuable tool from our offer.

Self-guided tour "user guide"

Active autonomy: what you need to know for our self-guided tours

In order to achieve the planned tour programme, you must:

• Guide yourself with the highlighted maps and road book;
• Choose suitable start times adapted to the lengths of the daily stages as well as your own riding pace, and leave an adequate safety margin of time;
• Obtain daily weather forecasts from your hosts, and take into account the weather conditions when planning journey times;
• Arrive at the booked guest houses and hotels listed in the programme on the given dates; 
• Bring the necessary personal equipment to carry out the tour. France Bike Trips equipment list constitutes the necessary minimum;
• Carry insurance policies and emergency telephone numbers with you at all times;
• Be familiar with basic first-aid steps;
• In the event of any problems during your trip, contact France Bike Trips (contact information in your travel documents). Possession of a mobile phone that works in France is strongly recommended.

Self-guided tours are undertaken without a guide and at your own risk. France Bike Trips cannot be held liable for any route error, misconduct, personal imprudence, inadequate planning or inappropriate reactions in the event of incidents.

Any programme change of your own initiative is under your responsibility and at your expense. 

Having said this, with our advice and good preparation, you should be able to look forward to a wonderful, trouble free holiday. Enjoy your trip!