A sacrifice of your joy and happiness on a bicycle trip can happen. It’s made if you book that dream cycling excursion, then you don’t get to choose the roads you like to ride, you can’t stop and linger amidst scenery because the daily rides are on a schedule, or you end up with a group of people or a guide you don’t gel with.
Putting your trip in the hands of a travel company that sees your trip as a task versus a vacation is not great, especially when you are paying out lots of money to even do it. ideally, a self-guided trip where you could ride with who you want and the way you want is best, and that’s what Love Velo hopes will be enough to persuade you to book a trip with them.
Who Is Love Velo and What Is Its Mission?
Unlike the other staff members of Love Velo who are dedicated cyclists, the man who started the company had no background in active travel. He wasn’t even a former pro, someone who worked in or owned a bike shop, or someone who had a connection to the cycling industry. Lee Bibring was a corporate attorney who loved cycling and wanted to reinvent what a cycling holiday could be.
The mission of Love Velo is for each guest to “Ride Further,” which means that the company views cycling as a positive influence on your life. In fact, the company states, unequivocally, that “We believe that cycling can challenge, inspire, and empower everyone to ride further in all aspects of cycling and life. This is why we build experiences that are tailor-made for each and every customer.”
While Love Velo offers all types of tours, even group tours, its specialty is self-guided road cycling tours where guests can push themselves at their own pace and ride great roads while taking on challenging climbs. Love Velo’s only involvement is handling logistics like luggage transfers, accommodations, and meals.
Types of Tours Love Velo Offers and Perks Included
Self-guided tours are where Love Velo believes it succeeds the most, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t open to creating trips for other types of cycling and every kind of cyclist. It designs trips for E-Bike, Family, Gravel, Hybrid, and, of course, road cycling holidays.
The self-guided tours probably help the company keep its costs in control. That’s why it can offer a tour to its guests at an astoundingly lower price than other bicycle travel companies.
But lower prices doesn’t mean the company skimps on trip inclusions, which are the same for every trip, except for a few slight variations for whatever tour a guest might choose.
- Accommodations
- Breakfasts
- Curated routes
- Premium bikes
- Luggage transfers
- Airport transfers
- 24/ 7 rider support
- Exclusive rewards/ discounts from Love Velo’s partners in the cycling industry
- $50 off Le Col apparel
- One month free on Rouvy
Destinations and a Sample Trip
Since Love Velo is based in London, it makes sense that it sponsors trips in Europe, mostly in popular European cycling destinations with some other countries thrown in the mix.
- Austria
- Croatia
- France
- Holland
- Mallorca (Balearic Islands) and Tenerife (Canary Islands) both in Spain
- Portugal
- Slovenia
One unique destination where Love Velo hosts a trip is Sardinia, considered an autonomous region of Italy. That basically means the Italian constitution has granted Sardina the right to be a separate country but one that is governed by Italy. Called Road Cycling Tour in Sardinia, this is the most expensive trip Love Velo offers at $1,795. The dates and the duration of the trip are something you can discuss with the company.
Last Thoughts
If you probe the website, you’ll find positive comments about Love Velo. It’s clear it tries everything it can to motivate cyclists to book a trip. Self-guided rides are a seductive option. It would be like going for a ride in your town but instead following well-researched routes on new roads so you always know where you are.
If that’s not enough to convince you to book a trip with Love Velo, the incentives of earning discounts and a free month of Rouvy might. You can also book a trip to ride the Etape Tour de France challenge, Mallorca 312, and Maratona dles Dolomites and have your entry fees waived.
These incentives make Love Velo a standout among other bicycle travel companies. As a point of solid advice, book early for a trip you want to do because it seems every trip Love Velo offers is, indeed, enticing.
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