As the most well known bicycle race in the world, the Tour de France needs no introduction. Every year, for three weeks in July, millions of fans from across the globe travel to France or turn on their television to watch the action. Bike Basque is fortunate to be headquartered near the base of the Pyrenees, where some of the most famous Tour de France climbs can be found.   This year, we’ve got a special cycling tour planned to highlight some stages of the Tour de France in the beautiful Bearn region, our neighbor to the east. After, we’ll ride to Pau to watch the time trial action live ..read more

In the next three blogs, we’re going to compare the two main road-cycling adventures in France – the Raid Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Med and the Raid Alps starting up north and moving through the mountainous pass to the Cotes d’Azur.   Day 1 Raid Pyrenees: 130km distance, 2,300m elevation Starting from the magnificent city of Biarritz, this ride takes you 15 kilometres into the Spanish countryside, passing a number of traditional Basque towns (the only part of the Raid Pyrenees out of France). Even if at first glance the 3 climbs (Otxondo, Ispeguy & Osquich) don’t look so intim ..read more

Coming to France to ride your bike? Where do you want to go? For some, this is the hardest part: deciding which amazing location to pick. With options ranging from the mighty Pyrenees to the snow-capped Alps, rolling wine country of Burgundy or Bordeaux to tackling the Tour de France giants the same day as the professionals. Do you desire an easy day of pedaling or pushing your legs to the limit? Prefer a Mediterranean landscape or the deep green of the Basque Country ? Choosing the right bicycle tour is more than just picking a place on the map. In order to get the most out of your experience ..read more

Annual Recommended Training hours Firstly, let’s talk about training volumes based on time, not distance. The number of hours you train per year including off bike forms of exercise above recovery intensity is a fine balance, it is important to look back at where you have come from, how many hours you spend exercising per week and so per year to assess what would be appropriate. Training or exercise volumes should be increased by no more than 15% year on year. Setting an annual volume that is too high will probably result in some degree of overtraining, at the least, the resulting fatigue will ..read more

The essential physiological asset required to do well in most cycling events is a competitive threshold power to weight ratio coupled with the ability to endure. If you are capable of generating competitive watts at your threshold, you are likely to be a successful rider within your group or at your chosen event like the Raid Pyrenees or Raid Alps Competitive Threshold All competitive cyclists require both muscular and cardiovascular systems capable of delivering such threshold power. This coupled with the ability to endure, and an adequate supply of fuel and hydration will allow a rider to co ..read more

The good news is that we are well practiced at setting goals, in fact, our lives are run by the goals we set every day. These goals give us direction and purpose and motivate us to strive to improve our current positions. We set goals and sub-goals concerning every aspect of our lives often without even realizing it. So, we already know about goals, all we need to do is break down the process and apply it to our cycling ambitions and training. Having a goal is one thing but having a goal and a structured plan to achieve it is much better. In sport, the primary reason we set goals is to pr ..read more

Day 3 : Raid Pyrenees : 80km, 2.200m elevation Today you’ll battle against 2 legends which are the col du Tourmalet, the oldest pass of the Tour de France starting in 1910, and the frequently used col d’Aspin. First you’ll have an easy start for this ride followed by a long false flat getting you to the base of the Tourmalet. The Tourmalet is impressive on paper, with a length of 18.5km, climbing more than 1400 metres at a 7.4% average gradient. The first part takes you on wide routes that are not too steep, but after the ski station at « Grand Baréges », you’ll get to the ..read more

My research led me to Bike Basque, a tour operator based in Biarritz. Its one-week “Raid Pyrenees” itinerary takes cyclists from France’s Atlantic coast to its Mediterranean shores, tackling one of Europe’s great mountain ranges on the way. What it lacked in length (around 450 miles, compared with 874 for Land’s End to John O’Groats) it made up with steep slopes (16 major ascents and 40,000ft of climbing). A reasonable substitute. Read more on Telegraph.co.uk The post Cycling across France in the ride of my life first appeared on Bike Basque ..read more

Whether you’re riding through the Basque Country, the Raid Pyrenees, the Raid Alps or any other amazing adventure on two wheels, the best thing you can do to enjoy your time in the saddle is to make the proper preparations before you even take the first pedal stroke. In the last few blogs, we’ve offered some tips on preparing you and your bike for a cycling tour. This time, we’d like to talk something quite simple but very important: what to pack for a successful trip. Our first piece of advice about packing? Don’t leave it until the last minute! If you try to pack in a hurry, like right befor ..read more