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ALPS ALPS ALPS!
Up the Swiss-French side with a mouthful of cheesy croissant and down the Italian side with a pocketful of pizza!
(Poetic license: there will be mega ups and downs on all sides of the border!) This week will be filled with the stunning alpine views we’ve come to love - but you have to work hard to get them. On paper, this Alps week is a bit shorter than past years - but we don't ride on paper! We’re still hitting peaks over 2000m, so be ready for some serious saddle work! |
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SOLD OUT LAST TIME WE CHECKED, BUT WE SOMETIMES GET DROPOUTS SO...
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By coming on a week of the ride, you’re committing to fundraise a minimum of £500 for awesome grassroots refugee organisations.
Please note that this is a minimum target and the average amount raised by Thighs cyclists in 2019 was an amazing £1097 Together, we’re hoping to raise £80,000. Every penny of this will be given to projects that support refugees to move forward under exceptionally difficult circumstances. |
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Choose your own entry fee, depending on your own financial situation. For all options, you can pay in one transaction or two equal monthly instalments.
£570 is for you if you earn a good wage and your financial situation is comfortable - or you just want to give back to the thighs fam
🚲 Covers base costs of the ride: hostels, food, van, ferries, equipment, etc. 🧑🤝🧑 Directly subsidises our £160 solidarity discount for people who need it 💪 Makes our community strong and makes the ride less reliant on outside funding |
£410 is for you if you are employed or otherwise getting by financially
🚲 Covers base costs of the ride: hostels, food, van, ferries, equipment, etc. |
This discount is for you if you often worry about and sometimes struggle to meet your basic needs
💚 Also take this price if you spend 10+ hours of your working week doing migrant solidarity work 💚 No discrimination, no questions asked 💑 Directly subsidised by the community |
NOTE: Our entry fee only covers the base costs of the trip. See below for 'What this gets you' and 'What this doesn't get you'. The £500 minimum fundraising is separate and goes directly to support grassroots refugee projects.
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- 580km of downhills
- A bike. But we do have spare bikes available for hire for £70. Let us know in your sign up form if you need one
- A luxury holiday. It's gonna be messy, mucky and a heck of an adventure!
- A daily shower. More often than not we simply head for the nearest body of water, or tip a water bottle over our heads! We DO promise you a shower on the last night so you go home clean :))
- We usually have a quick break at a café, bakery or a shop so you can stock up on caffeine and carbs. For all of these, you'll pay your own bills
- Your journeys to the start and finish. Book travel ASAP to get a decent price
- A donation to the projects we support. The ticket price only covers ride costs. You'll fundraise separately to raise as much money as you possibly can
- Insurance for your body and bike
Stats are in the right ballpark, but don't hold us to account for every last inch! This is an adventure and the route is guaranteed to change for a million reasons we can't even imagine yet
SUNDAY 6 AUGUST
At 6pm we’ll all come together, have dinner and chat about the week ahead. Then rest our excited nervous heads! We suggest arriving a few hours early so that you have time to put your bike together after the journey. One of the thighs crew will be on hand to help you out with your bike if you need (and we have a whole van full of tools you can use!)
MONDAY 7 AUGUST
Get our legs spinning with the first day of the week as we leave Geneva along a fairly flat-ish route before we tackle our first col of the week - Colombière at 1618m above sea level since you ask! At some point, we'll camp, eat dinner and sleep.
TUESDAY 8 & WEDNESDAY 9 AUGUST
Two more punchy col climbing days as we skirt around the south of Mont Blanc, reaching a ridiculous 2,188m as we cross the border into Italy at the Colle del Piccolo San Bernado. Piccolo means 'small' in Italian. There ain't nothing small about it! At the top, we’ll celebrate with at least some of the following: photos, dancing, fireworks, marching band, medal presentation ceremony and all the sugary treats you’ve been saving for just this moment!
THURSDAY 10 AUGUST
The reward for all that work is... More mountains! But first: 100km of more or less downhill as we descend through the gorgeous Aosta Valley. Somewhere or other, we'll pitch our tents, eat food and rest our weary heads.
FRIDAY 11 AUGUST
The penultimate day of cycling! The end is near and we're sure to fuel up on some delicious pizza and coffee. We'll cycle cycle cycle, climb over our last mountain, have our last mountain lake swims and drop down to our camp for big carbs and dreamy sleep.
SATURDAY 12 AUGUST
Our thighs will be exhausted but must. keep. on. pushing… Until we hit the beautiful city of Milan! The plan will be to high five, laugh, cry, eat ice cream, unpeel sweaty Lycra, shower, devour a massive dinner, reflect on the madness and finally (finally!) rest our heads on the sweet pillow of success.
SUNDAY 13 AUGUST
Wake up, a mixture of tired and elated, wander around the city in a happy daze. Set off home with Thighs a little steelier.
* NB: All the above details are loosely collated from our route planning, the internet and our imagination. What we do know for sure is that this is a real adventure and that plans and itineraries mock you in retrospect.
At 6pm we’ll all come together, have dinner and chat about the week ahead. Then rest our excited nervous heads! We suggest arriving a few hours early so that you have time to put your bike together after the journey. One of the thighs crew will be on hand to help you out with your bike if you need (and we have a whole van full of tools you can use!)
MONDAY 7 AUGUST
Get our legs spinning with the first day of the week as we leave Geneva along a fairly flat-ish route before we tackle our first col of the week - Colombière at 1618m above sea level since you ask! At some point, we'll camp, eat dinner and sleep.
TUESDAY 8 & WEDNESDAY 9 AUGUST
Two more punchy col climbing days as we skirt around the south of Mont Blanc, reaching a ridiculous 2,188m as we cross the border into Italy at the Colle del Piccolo San Bernado. Piccolo means 'small' in Italian. There ain't nothing small about it! At the top, we’ll celebrate with at least some of the following: photos, dancing, fireworks, marching band, medal presentation ceremony and all the sugary treats you’ve been saving for just this moment!
THURSDAY 10 AUGUST
The reward for all that work is... More mountains! But first: 100km of more or less downhill as we descend through the gorgeous Aosta Valley. Somewhere or other, we'll pitch our tents, eat food and rest our weary heads.
FRIDAY 11 AUGUST
The penultimate day of cycling! The end is near and we're sure to fuel up on some delicious pizza and coffee. We'll cycle cycle cycle, climb over our last mountain, have our last mountain lake swims and drop down to our camp for big carbs and dreamy sleep.
SATURDAY 12 AUGUST
Our thighs will be exhausted but must. keep. on. pushing… Until we hit the beautiful city of Milan! The plan will be to high five, laugh, cry, eat ice cream, unpeel sweaty Lycra, shower, devour a massive dinner, reflect on the madness and finally (finally!) rest our heads on the sweet pillow of success.
SUNDAY 13 AUGUST
Wake up, a mixture of tired and elated, wander around the city in a happy daze. Set off home with Thighs a little steelier.
* NB: All the above details are loosely collated from our route planning, the internet and our imagination. What we do know for sure is that this is a real adventure and that plans and itineraries mock you in retrospect.
1 WEEK NOT ENOUGH?
In past years, we have taken on a rare breed of steely cyclist who wanted (for some mad reason) to ride 2 weeks with us. However, places on this ride are highly coveted and we want as many people as possible to come along so we are limiting everyone to 1 week - at least at first. If (for some mad reason) you would still like to ride 2 weeks with us, please sign up for your favouritest one first and then email us to join the waiting list for any other weeks that you would like to join. If we have any available spaces after the first wave of signups, then we'll give you a buzz and hopefully you can still make it! NOTE: If you do end up joining us for 2 weeks, you’ll need to pay 2x the full entry fee and fundraise a minimum of £1000 (2x £500) HOW HARD IS THIS GONNA BE?!
WHAT WILL I NEED TO BRING?!
TRAVEL & LOGISTICS HELP!
We understand that travelling is a bit of a logistical puzzle sometimes - especially post-Brexit and Covid!
So... We've done loads of research and found the best overland ways to get to and from the different start and finish cities. We focus on overland routes because this is what we're always asked about, but all our destination cities have international airports and our Travel & Logistics page has some pointers on how to pack your bike for a safe flight. what about covid? do you offer refunds?!
REFUNDS
If for some awful reason we have to cancel the trip, then we will offer everyone a full refund. Our standard refund policy covers all other eventualities:
COVID VACCINATION / TESTING Thighs of Steel don't insist on vaccination or regular testing during the ride. However, we WILL be following the law in whatever country we're travelling through. It's up to you to make sure that you have all the necessary documents to enter the countries you'll be cycling in. We will also be operating in as Covid-secure manner as possible on a camping bike trip. In practice, this means daily cleaning, hand sanitiser and less sharing of utensils and tents than on past adventures! There is, of course, no guarantee and the whole bike trip is taken at your own risk. If you have any concerns or questions, please email us on hello@thighsofsteel.com CAN I COME ALONE / WITH FRIENDS?
Yes and yes! Most people on our tours come on their own and we LOVE them. We know it can be a bit scary coming alone, but the vibe is totally collaborative and you might be surprised how quickly you get sucked into the tight-knit biking community that we'll build together. We also get a lot of people who come with a friend or family member and that's totally cool. It's great to know you've got a buddy by your side and friends on previous tours have had phenomenal success by teaming up to fundraise as well. If you do want to come with a friend or family member, then MAKE SURE YOU BOTH BOOK ASAP. We wouldn't one of you to miss out. The other thing we would say about coming with friends is that you might not be riding with them every day. We won't split you up on Day 1 (unless you want to be!), but we do try our best to make sure that everyone rides with everyone else and that might mean you and your pal are in different groups for some of the time. Cycling is a great way to make awesome new friends so embrace the stranger danger! AM I TOO YOUNG / OLD?
If you're over 18 years old, then the answer is a big fat NO. For our rides, it's more about whether you're able to do the distances. And that comes down to training. So take a look at our How Hard?! page to get an idea of the daily distances and where you need to get your fitness. If you're under 18, then SORRY. Please stay in touch, maybe join a club ride in London and check back in a few years :)) BIKE-LESS BUT WANT TO JOIN US?
This year we have two spare bikes that you can borrow. The aim of the game is to make overland travel easier and encourage people who want to avoid flying - but we understand how hectic life is and welcome all-comers. The cost of hiring a bike is £70
You can reserve a bike during the sign up process. It's first come, first served.
worried about fundraising?
Fundraising can be scary, especially if you haven't done it before. Luckily, we've done it LOADS so we're here to help you make the biggest impact you can. Everyone fundraises in their own special way, but here are a load of ideas and tips from some of the few hundred Thighs cyclists who've fundraised with us on past rides. We're confident you won't find it too tough to raise at least £500, but we're always around to help you come up with new ideas - drop us a line if you’re worried. As motivation, read more about your incredible impact as a Thighs cyclists on The Reason page. MORE QUESTIONS??
Email us on hello@thighsofsteel.com and we'll do our best to help |
