Tag: bikepacking

Seeking a Great Company to Book Your First Bicycle Travel Trip? Choose Thomson Bike Tours

Image by Nicki Eliza Schinow from Unsplash.com

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

Image by Martin Magnemyr from Unsplash.com

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

Image by Yuri Kirillov from Unsplash.com

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.