When I signed up for my first cycling trip in Europe, I had no idea what to expect. To tell the truth, I felt intimidated by the prospect of riding with people who were stronger than me, by the fact there might be climbs I wouldn’t be able to do, or by the fact I would be in another country far from home.
Maybe I was also concerned that anything could happen (which means something horrendously bad). But all my concerns were greeted with optimism, smiles, and an attentive staff. Thomson Bike Tours exceeded all expectations I and made my first cycling trip in Europe so memorable that I became smitten with bicycle travel. That trip was what inspired this blog.
Who is Thomson Bike Tours?
The company was founded in 2001 by Peter Thomson out of a love of cycling. He’s tracked 200,000 kilometers (124,274 miles) on the bike. In fact, he rides all the roads and routes that eventually become Thomson Bike Tours trips. The other way he actively participates in the company is by working as a ride leader.
The company focuses on offering European race experiences to its guests, such as the major stage races and the Spring Classics. In fact, Thomson Bike Tours is the Official Premium Tour operator for the Tour de France. But the company not only offers trips in Europe but other places around the world.
As avid cyclists themselves, the goal of Thomson Bike Tours is to make memorable experiences by refreshing and updating its trips regularly. In fact, the company says: “We believe that the most important part of any trip is the ride and constantly refine our routes to make sure they’re the best they can be. We go again and again until they are.”
Types of Trips Offered by Thomson Bike Tours
The success of a bicycle travel company lies in the type of trips it offers and in distinguishing itself from other companies that offer similar things. Thomson Bike Tours prides itself in catering not only to the hardcore road cyclist but to cyclists with various levels of ability and interests.
The company, for instance, crafts trips for cyclists not interested in race experiences. It also keeps in mind those who don’t even ride a bike but may enjoy viewing an epic, pro-level race with their cycling enthusiast partner, specifically the Tour de France.
- Tour de France
- Race Trips
- Epic Trans-Challenges
- Trans-Challenges
- Cycling Camps
- E-Bike Trips
- Etape du Tour (152 kilometer one day ride of a stage from the Tour de France. In 2023, the route chosen was stage 14 of the race).
Destinations and Countries Covered by Thomson Bike Tours
Thomson Bike Tours has a large staff of 30 employees that consists of the office staff, several ride leaders/ guides, and support staff. That allows the company to cover many countries in Europe and places outside Europe: Colombia, Indonesia, and the United States.
- Belgium
- France
- Iceland
- Italy
- Morocco
- Portugal
- Scotland
- Spain
- Switzerland
With so many choices for trips, it may be difficult to decide on what trip to choose, especially if you are unsure of what type of experience you want to have. Thomson Bike Tours helps with this decision by offering trips it considers “Top Destinations” based on prior trip data from its guests.
- Algarve, Portugal
- Andalusia, Spain
- Canary Islands, Spain
- Dolomites, Italy (This is the trip I did)
- Flanders, Belgium
- French Alps
- French Pyrenees
- Girona, Spain
- Gran Canaria, Spain
- Italian Alps
- Mediterranean
Costs and What’s Included in a Thomson Bike Tours Trip
For some reason, I couldn’t find the specifics about what the company offers on its trips. However, they do mention it will be of high quality. I can attest to that fact based on my Dolomites trip from 2014. All meals (breakfast and dinner were buffet style) were included. Lunches usually were not. I remember staying at high-quality hotels and in lovely Italian towns as well.
My trip was sponsored (partially) by Bicycling Magazine. As a result, I was able to use a Pinarello road bike with disc brakes and SRAM drivetrain. I don’t know if Thomson Bike Tours has a stable of rental bikes as many of the cyclists on my trip shipped or flew with their bikes.
Browsing Thomson Bike Tour trip pages, the company’s trips start in the $3,000 range and go up from there. Trips seem to run 7 to 8 days unless you choose a cycling camp which runs for 9 days.
Last Thoughts
Thomson Bike Tours is a top-notch bicycle travel company. They go above and beyond to make sure every guest on one of their trips is satisfied. And, as is the case with many bicycle travel companies, hotels, meals, and routes were all planned out ahead of time. That removed any stress usually associated with international travel.
Plus, the fact a high-end bike was provided made my first European cycling vacation a real treat. All I had to do was show up each day and ride my bike, enjoy the scenery, eat great meals, sleep, and then repeat the same each day of the trip. That is the way a cycling trip should be.
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I just got back from a Thompson bike tour in France. Because you stay in a different hotel nearly every day they move your personal belongings. I was told that personal items like identification and money would be safe in the van. instead, my cash and passport were stolen and I had to leave the trip because I didn’t have a passport to get home. I talked to the organization and they denied any responsibility and offered no refund for actions that are clearly within their control. Don’t travel with this group. The ride might be nice, but you might be less stranded and they won’t give a shit.
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Hi there. Thanks for visiting my blog. I’m really sorry you had such a terrible experience with Thomson and that they made you feel like a worthless traveler. My experience was good, but my trip was also eleven years ago, so I’m sure the staff and trip organizers are all different, perhaps even the dynamic of the company has changed.
Still, that’s no excuse for their indifference toward you in trying to help you recover your passport and money. I lost my passport through thievery on my first trip to Europe as well as money in the 90s and it was a huge pain in the ass to have it all replaced while abroad. All I can say is there are several bicycle travel companies out there, so hopefully if you choose to do another bicycle trip in Europe with a different company, your experience will be better.
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I need to clarify the comment left on September 14. The cash and passport belonging to this guest were not stolen, they were found in his hotel room safe several days later by hotel staff – and were mailed to his home address. The manner in which this incident was handled by this particular guest was absolutely shocking and his allegations of theft against our staff caused an incredible amount of stress. Our staff take their jobs very seriously and always receive excellent feedback. In 23 years of business we have never had a single case of theft. Equally shocking was the guest’s refusal to apologise when his passport and cash were found in the safe in his hotel room. He should display a minimum amount of respect and dignity and re-visit the numerous false allegations that he has posted online and state the truth!
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Hello:
Please keep in mind that my post is just a survey of your company and about my experience of using your company. I found your staff wonderful, friendly, and the trip well organized. Yes, there was a lot of moving around and staying at various hotels during the trip.
The person who left a comment on my post seems biased and angry. I’m not supporting his view as being correct or incorrect, I just responded to his mood. If you read my response, I said nothing negative about Thomson other than responding to his emotional state, not seeing him as right or wrong.
All that said, I don’t want to be in the middle of an argument between you and this user of your service. Some people you just can’t make happy no matter what you do or how much you try. His comment won’t influence me to alter my post. Additionally, traveling with a company doesn’t excuse personal responsibility while on a trip. It sounds as if he forgot he left everything in a safe and misplaced the combination (or something along those lines). He just made an accusation and didn’t recount his steps for resolving his problem (or if he took any).
To me, it sounds like Thomson did all the right things to resolve this issue. But again, I don’t know all the details around this situation and what transpired.
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