• Support vehicle and driver/guide
• Baggage transfer between overnight stops
• All accommodation as detailed in the trip dossier
• Detailed 'Road Book' and GPS tracks and smartphone navigation app
• All meals except dinner on day of arrival at Thonon

• Travel Insurance
• Visas (if required)
• Tips for the guide and miscellaneous tips
• Miscellaneous personal expenses - drinks and souvenirs etc
• Geneva and Nice airport transfers
• Bike hire
• Bike Carriage on the flights - please contact your carrier for charges

TRAVEL TO YOUR DESTINATION

In some cases you may choose to take a ferry and/or train to your holiday start and end destination. Please see further information on Travelling by Train.

If flying from the UK there are low cost airlines available to the start and from the end of your holiday.

To benefit from full financial protection, ease your holiday planning, and avoid dealing with airlines, we can book scheduled flights from the UK as part of a flight inclusive package. Scheduled flights are usually more expensive than low cost alternatives, however potentially less stressful if your flight is cancelled or delayed. If you book flights through KE Adventure Travel we will offset the carbon of your flight.

Your holiday begins at the hotel in Thonon-les-Bains on the evening of Day 1 of the itinerary.

The initial rendezvous with the group and guide will be at 9 am on Day 2 outside the Thonon-les-Bains railway station (SNCF) just adjacent to the hotel.

Airport transfers from Geneva Airport on Day 1 and to Nice Airport on the final day of the itinerary are not included.

Transfers from Geneva Airport to Thonon can be booked at www.thetrainline.com. Enter Geneve Aeroport as your starting point and Thonon-les-Bains as the destination. The journey may involve both bus and train, costs as little as €10 and bikes are carried free.

Alternatively, private transfers from Geneva Airport to Thonon can be arranged through ABD Services 74. Email. abdservices74@gmail.com Tel. +33 6 24 80 01 55

Hotel contact details and an emergency number will be provided with your booking confirmation.

All meals are included in the trip price with the exception of dinner on Day 1, the day of arrival at the hotel in Thonon-les-Bains.

Water from the taps is perfectly drinkable on this holiday - please use this to fill your personal bottles for your daily activities. We do not encourage the purchase of single-use plastic bottles.

In France hotel breakfasts are usually continental buffet style. Lunches will be fresh and tasty picnics provided by the guide, either at the support vehicle at a designated location and time each day, or provided as a packed lunch (individual salad - carbohydrate and vegetable based, cold meats, cheese and fruit) carried in a small backpack or handlebar bag. A third option for those allergic to even a small backpack is to cycle with ‘racing food’ only (gels and energy bars) leaving you free to stop and eat when and where you choose (restaurant, bakery, grocery store...). Dinner will be taken at our accommodation. The hotels we frequent are used to feeding hungry cyclists and generally provide a 3 to 4-course evening meal with tasty and large portions of quality local cuisine. We pay very careful attention to the quality and the variety of your meals. Fresh and local products will be served wherever possible.

Throughout the tour, the accommodation is in comfortable and welcoming 2-star (and one 3-star) hotels and guesthouses. All accommodation is twin-share and with en-suite facilities. If you are travelling by yourself you will be paired up another single traveller of the same sex. Single room occupancy can be pre-booked at supplementary cost. If you propose to arrive early, additional nights can be booked at the group hotel in Thonon-les-Bains and, similarly, we can book extra hotel nights in Nice at the end of the tour.

The holiday will be led by an experienced English speaking guide who will drive the support vehicle.

This holiday involves going to moderately high altitude.  During the course of your trip you will reach altitudes in excess of 2500 metres.  Most people will have no difficulty with this level of altitude but before coming on the holiday, we recommend you read the advice on trekking at high altitude.  You can also talk to one of our trekking experts if you have any concerns about altitude.

We recommend that £150 (or equivalent in US dollars, Euros etc.) will be sufficient for miscellaneous expenses and should also cover your bar bills - beer, wine and soft drinks are available every night. By far the easiest way to obtain your travel cash is from ATM’s using a credit card or a debit card - there are ATM facilities at Geneva Airport as well as in the majority of the larger towns on our route.

Your bike should be fitted with a compact or triple chainset and we suggest that 25mm tyres will provide a bit more comfort on the variable road surfaces typically found on our Road Cycling holidays.

Since you are depending on your bike to transport you throughout your holiday, it’s important to ensure it is in good working order. If you are not mechanically minded, get your local bicycle dealer to service it for you.

Please contact us if you are unsure about the suitability of your bike.

Bike hire can be arranged through our local agent. Your choice of bike will be brought to the group’s first meeting outside the railway station in Thonon-les-Bains at 9 am on Day 2 of the holiday. The options are:

Standard: carbon frame and fork, disc brakes, Shimano Tiagra groupset, compact 50/34 chainset and 10-speed 11/32 cassette, aluminium wheelset, model Scott Addict or equivalent, roughly 9 kg: Hire cost - £290 for the week.

Premium: carbon frame and fork, disc brakes, Shimano Ultegra groupset, compact 50/34 chainset and 11-speed 11/32 cassette, aluminium wheelset, model Scott Addict 20 or equivalent, roughly 8.4 kg: Hire cost - £370 for the week.

Ultimate: carbon frame and fork, disc brakes, Shimano Ultegra groupset, compact 50/34 chainset and 11-speed 11/32 cassette, Mavic carbon wheelset, model Scott Addict 10 or equivalent, roughly 8 kg: Hire Cost - £485 for the week.

Electric: carbon frame and fork, model Orbea Gain M30 or equivalent, supplied with 1 x 248Wh battery (plus additional battery 210Wh):  Hire Cost - £685 for the week.

The bikes come with a repair kit (2 CO2 cartridges, patches, multi-tool, 1 inner tube, tyre levers) and 'consumables' (tyres, tubes, brake pads, cables) are included in the rental price. However, you will be liable for the cost of replacing your hire bike if it is stolen or lost, or if you damage it in a crash. If you tell us which bike you wish to hire and the size of bike you need we will reserve one for you and add the cost of bike hire to your final invoice. We must stress that your hire contract will be with the local hire company and that KE cannot be held responsible for any issues arising from bike hire. If you do hire a bike, we recommend that you take your own shoes and pedals (pedals can be provided without charge on request at least 2 weeks before departure - Look KEO easy, Shimano SPD SL or Shimano SPD) and possibly even your own saddle, which will go a long way towards making it feel like your own bike. You must also take your helmet, which will be worn at all times when on the bike.

Airlines require that you pack your bike properly for travel and for this holiday we recommend that you use a purpose-made soft and foldable bike bag. These can be relatively inexpensive. They are also light in weight, easy to handle and, most importantly, can be packed into a small space to allow easy transportation in the support vehicle. You will need to partially dismantle your bike to pack it in your bag.

If you propose to travel with your bike in a more rigid bag or box (which cannot be folded down to the size of typical hand-luggage - 56x45x25 cms) you will be charged £40 for the transport of this bag/box during the trip. This cost will be added to your final invoice.

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding travelling with your bike.

Throughout the trip the group will have the back up of a support vehicle which will be driven by the tour guide. After breakfast, the guide will pack your luggage in the van, distribute cereal/energy bars, and announce the time slot for lunch. The driver can also hand out picnics to any of the group who do not wish to stop at the designated picnic lunch stop.

Once all the cyclists have passed the picnic stop, the driver will transport your luggage directly to the following night’s accommodation, before returning to wait at the foot of the last climb of the day. He is then available to help any members of the group in difficulty or who encounter a mechanical problem. You'll usually meet the van driver several times during the day, offering the opportunity to fill up with water, change clothing, etc.

Each group member is free to ride at his or her own pace, using the road book, smartphone navigation app and GPS tracks to navigate during the day. However, the driver is equipped with a mobile phone, and can be reached at any time during the day if a particpant encounters a problem. The driver is also available throughout the trip to provide information and advice.

As well as carrying the group's baggage, the support vehicle can also carry a limited number of cyclists and their bikes. So if you want to opt out of a morning, afternoon or even a full day of cycling, it may be possible to travel in the vehicle.

You will receive an email 7-10 days before departure with the following navigation tools:

Phone App. Download the trip itinerary to your smartphone, view route maps and profiles, accommodation details, services and useful contacts, and use the integrated route guidance (visual and vocal) for navigation.

Detailed Road Book. Includes maps with highlighted routes, step-by-step route description and route profiles.

GPS Tracks. The tracks are in gpx format, compatible with all GPS devices/apps.

Apart from your bike in its bag (if you are taking your own bike), you should travel with one main item of luggage, such as a sturdy holdall or piece of wheeled luggage, and a small cycle-specific day pack. The day pack can be used to carry valuable items such as cameras and GPS devices whilst travelling and can also carry items on the rides if that's what you choose to do.

Your baggage allowance on the flights will depend on your airline. When choosing your flights, whether booking them directly or through KE, you will need to consider the cost of carrying your bike. These costs are your responsibility.

For each holiday there is a minimum number of participants required to enable it to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to run'. You can check the trip status for each departure in the ‘Dates and Prices’ table. Other than in exceptional circumstances, we will not cancel a trip once it has achieved this guaranteed to run status so you are free to proceed with your international flight booking and other travel arrangements.