Brighton To Bruges Bike Challenge

Itinerary

Pre-Event Meet at agreed location for pre-event briefing 19:00

Day 1(Saturday) - Brighton to Calais (apx 90 miles).
Early departure from Brighton - approx 08:00 (You will need to arrive at the start location for around 07:15 sharp!). Our chosen route takes us along the south coast through the historic towns of Eastbourne, Hastings and Folkestone before we arrive at our channel crossing point Dover and then on board the ferry for dinner-time crossing to Calais. On disembarking the ferry there will be a short cycle to our Calais hotel. Hopefully, we'll be here in time to see the sun set over the English Channel.

Day 2 (Sunday) - Calais to Bruges (apx 80 miles)
It's a bright start from Calais to begin our way up this famous piece of coast via the historic town of Dunkirk. We soon cross the border into Belgium and head inland towards the pretty capital of the Flanders region and our final destination, Bruges.

Day 3 (Monday) - return to UK
After breakfast you will have time for one last coffee in the beautiful old town before making your way to the train station and your connection to Brussels. From Brussels you will join the Eurostar back to the UK. Your drop point is Ebbsfleet intl from where you will have your final coach connection back to Brighton.

Accommodation

We'll be using simple but clean hotels en-route - good enough to give you somewhere to get clean, and get a good nights sleep with planned eating stops along the way. Nothing palatial - but not too bad either!

What is a Level 3.0 Cycling Challenge Like?

These rides are typically multi day rides, with medium distances and undulating terrain. Level 3 rides suit riders who ride regularly, and are looking for something challenging but manageable. In the case of single day events, you can expect up to 8 hours of cycling with breaks. In the case of a multi day ride, you can expect a slightly lower daily duration - but of course - the effort is sustained over a longer period. You should be a competent rider, with regular training outings - both at the weekend and ideally with another session during the week. A 10 week training programme is available for our 3 star rides.

How Fit Do I need to be to join a Level 3.0 ‘Bike Ride’?

You need to have good endurance for these events. You must be used to doing long bike rides in the countryside of 5 hours + and distances of between 45 - 55 miles . You should be doing regular exercise - with some serious cycle training (at least twice per week in the run up to the event). Your typical comfortable cycling speed will be around 21-23 km/hr on flat and gently undulating terrain, and you should be able to cycle at higher speed for up to 1 hour or 25 km (on a road bike). You may also blend in other types of exercise - but for longer periods of time (ie sessions in excess of 1.5 hrs.) - however cycling is the best preparation (obviously!)

Medical Issues

Please note, it is extremely important for this physical challenge that you are in good health. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, please consider carefully whether you should be joining the challenge. Please ensure you fill in the booking form accurately and honestly, this is important. In the case of serious conditions (epilepsy, diabetes, heart conditions, recent illness or operations), please discuss the challenge with your GP. Please also ensure you notify us of any allergies or similar.

It requires stamina and good aerobic fitness - but good willpower will also come in handy! Failure to disclose medical conditions is a serious omission - that could have serious repercussions on any of our challenges.

Included In Trip

Experienced Cycle Leader.

Full Vehicle Support and Driver/Mechanic.

Qualified First Aider.

Pre-event briefing.

Ferry Crossing to Calais.

2 Nights Accommodation.

All meals (2 days).

Eurostar return to UK (Ebbsfleet Intl).

Coach return to Brighton from Ebbsfleet Intl.

Bike return to Brighton.

Excluded From Trip

Personal insurance cover. 

Equipment Required

Kit lists specific to your trip dates and location will be issued upon enquiry...below is our guide advice to give an idea of what you should bring on a multi--day ride in Europe

Bike Items
Road Bike / Hybrid Bike (with puncture resistant tyres) - please call us for guidance on type of bike on a trip by trip basis
2 X Water Bottles (bladder system/cycle water bottles)
Cycling Gloves, Bike Lock, Neck Scarf, Inner Tubes*, Multi-Tool (with allen keys)*
Day Bag for support vehicle, Small Holdall (for overnight gear)
Bike Lights (front and rear, head torch can be worn)
Saddle Bag (recommended - can be used to carry asterisk* items)
Puncture Repair Kit*, Spare parts for your bike (specialist parts and spokes), Pump (suitable for your valve type)

Helmet (compulsory)
Personal Medikit  Suncream, Plasters, Vaseline, Painkillers, Sunbloc, Insect Repellant

Washkit

Warm Clothing Medium Weight Softshell, Long sleeve Jersey / insulating layer Lightweight Gloves.

Cycle  Clothing
Padded Lycra Cycling Shorts, Cotton Shorts, or Long Cycling Trousers (Tights/Tracksuit Bottoms)
Short Sleeve Cycling T-Shirts (wicking type material) or Cycle Top with rear pockets
Cycling Shoes (approach shoes or sturdy traners suitable), 

Spare Shoes/Sandals for after ride

Casual Evening Wear - tracksuits, jeans, T shirts, fleece ...

Waterproof Clothing
1 Outer Fully Waterproof Jacket (gore-tex, e-vent) - comfortable to cycle in

Other
Travel Documents, EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) Credit Cards, Cash, Local Currency, Mobile Phone, chargers, EU plug adaptor, Sunglasses
Snacks for Cycling Days (dried fruits, nuts, flapjacks, cereal bars etc)
Travel insurance (not included), Passport

Important
Make sure you do not ‘over pack’ - bring only what is essential for the trip. It is advisable to check that your travel insurance covers the value of any expensive items of kit that you chose to bring along with you. 

A final kit list will be provided in your ‘Final Joining Instructions’ pre-departure

Safety Information

You must stay in contact with your leader at each stage of the ride. Briefings will be made each day. You must always wear your helmet. Your leader is First Aid Qualified - and will carry a full expedition first aid kit. There will also be a support vehicle available in case of emergency - but this is only useful if you are in contact with the vehicle / leader.

Weather

The weather is obviously dependent upon the time of year - but typically from April to September when we run these rides, you can expect reasonable weather. If we prepare for all conditions then we may be pleasantly surprised!
You should prepare for both the possibility of hot and cold weather - as it can be fairly unpredictable.

Notes on Cycling Events

This is our standard range of Cycling Challenges in the UK, Europe and further afield. However, we offer completely tailormade itineraries to your specification. Call us to discuss! Please note that for overseas point to point cycling challenges we can transport soft cases for bike transport - but not hard cases, due to space limitations on board our support vehicles. On all our cycling events, please pack sensibly and bring a reasonably sized soft holdall type bag. To participate in an overseas Adventure Cafe challenge - you must carry Travel Insurance (to be for the activity you are participating in, and to include repatriation to the UK). Please also note that you should have a good level of cycling experience and be competent to handle your bike. We ride on roads shared with other vehicles - and you need to be able to deal with this safely.

Adventure Cafe Booking Terms and Conditions

To Reserve Your Space on this Challenge