Yorkshire to Paris Cycle Challenge Picture 1
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Best Time of Year: April - October
Yorkshire to Paris Cycle Challenge
Bike Adventure
Get set for three days of cycling visiting two of Europe's most surprising and fascinating cities - London and Brussels while stopping over in between at perhaps one of the most romantic - Bruges. You’ll be covering just over 200 miles - just enough to blow the cobwebs away - or stretch yourself to the limit - depending upon your fitness level! This is an ideal itinerary for those embarking on a first cycling challenge - as the hills are very few and far between!
Upon leaving the familiar sights of London, with fantastic views from Greenwich Park, we pass through England’s delightful Kent countryside, alongside the North Downs and to the White Cliffs of Dover. We’ll make a stop at the historic crossing point of the River Medway at Rochester for refreshments along the way. Dinner is taken on board our Ferry crossing before our first night’s rest in Calais.
Now the fun begins - we begin cycling the bike friendly countries of Europe... pedalling our way to the day's destination via Dunkirk we cross the border from France into Belgium and the capital of the Flanders region... Bruges.
After a night enjoying the romantic city of Brugge we now head out into the countryside and enjoy riding the pretty roads famous in this area down to the metropolitan city of Ghent, here we shall stop for lunch. Our final leg of our challenge takes us down to Brussels from Ghent and up over the first hill since leaving Calais before a gentle downhill hill into the political centre of Europe - Brussels.
Itinerary
Pre-Event Meet at agreed location for pre- event briefing 18:00
Day 1 London to Calais, approx 80 miles.
Early departure from Greenwich Park (Approx 08:00 You will need to arivethe at Observatory for around 07:30). Our chosen route takes us through the historic town of Rochester then it's onto Canterbury, 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 Calais to Bruges, approx 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, Brugge.
Day 3 Bruges to Brussels, approx 60 miles
It's the final day and we head out of the romantic town of Brugges to our final destination the political powerhouse city - Brussles. After a continental style lunch in the metropolitan city Ghent it's the final leg of our journey and be ready for the first hill of our trip since riding out of Calais on the approach road to Brussels. Finally into Brussels city centre and well earnt drink.
Day 4
Enjoy a morning in Brussels before your return by Eurostar to UK.
Accommodation
Three nights 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 Challenge Pack & Briefing.
Ferry Crossing to Calais.
3 nights B&B accommodation.
Eurostar return to London.
Bike return to London.
Excluded From Trip
Lunches and evening meals.
Travel to and from the start and finish.
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
By nature all activities contain an element of risk.Your leader will be first aid qualified and will carry the appropriate safety kit for the activity. Safety equipment carried will be appropriate to trip. The leader's primary role is to ensure your safety, but it is your responsibility to listen to their guidance and instructions.
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
By booking an event with Adventure Cafe, you agree to these standard terms of booking. Please ensure that you read the appropriate document for your type of event carefully.
Adventure Cafe Terms & Conditions - For all types of event
To Reserve Your Space on this Challenge
You should fill in the Google Form - linked here below, and then please call us on 01823 444 246 to advise of your payment method. We can accept card payments over the phone, or Bank Transfer.
Please note that your space is not confirmed until you have received your booking receipt.
CLICK HERE:
Adventure Cafe Challenge Booking Form - For Challenge Events