The cycling

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- How far do we cycle each day?

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It depends on the day and the tour you're on. Some days are designed to be shorter, either to offer active recovery after a hard ride day or to give us more time at an interesting project. But the average is about 55 miles or 90 km. You can see the various cycling grades and which tours are in those grades here.

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- Will I be able to do it?

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Absolutely. If you dive in, commit yourself to it and do the training, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

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- Do I need to be a lycra clad tour de buff or young gun to take part?

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Whilst you don’t need to be whipping the hairs off your legs just yet, you really need to make sure you've done some training before coming on the challenge.

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We attract a diverse bunch at Brake the Cycle with a mix of age ranges. Our eldest participant was 65 and our youngest 19, the average being 34.  

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- What bike should I get?

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We'd highly recommend a tourer, road bike or hybrid. 95% of our cycling will be on tarmac roads with the remaining 5% being dirt or gravel tracks to access projects. You can find out more about bikes and kit on our kit list page.

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- What training do I need to do?

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It depends on your current level and which challenge you're joining. Check out our sample training plans here.

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- Do you run any training weekends or rides?

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Yes we run weekend rides over the summer and tour taster weekends down in Dartmoor. Check out our facebook events to keep up to date with these and to book on.

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Travel

 

Do I need to get travel insurance?

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Yes you must have comprehensive travel insurance for your trip. Most travel insurers deem cycle touring to be a 'dangerous activity' or 'extreme sport', however there are a number of insurance packages available for cycle touring, we'd recommend World Nomads or SportsCover.

 

How do I get my bike to and from the tour?

 

If you choose to fly you can book your bike on your flight for around £50 each way with most airlines. You’ll need to box your bike up for the journey. We ask you not to bring the solid bike boxes as they’re difficult for us to bring with us on the tour. Our recommendation is to use a cardboard bike box available at most bike shops. Here is a video of how box up your bike.

 

Can I hire a bike?

 

Yes we offer bike hire on our trips, please contact us for more details.

 

How can I get to and from my tour without flying?

 

Flying is very damaging for the environment so if you’re looking into getting to your Brake the Cycle adventure without flying then we wanna support you. We have a PDF you can download here. If you have any other questions we’re only an email or a call away.

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​The accommodation​

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Where do we stay?

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As well as a physical challenge our trips are also a journey into green living. We stay at a mixture of inspirational eco communities and rustic organic farms with a dose of Airbnbs for luxury and the occasional campsite.

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What are the facilities like?

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As you would expect the facilities at Airbnb's and campsites are second to none. The facilities at some of the projects vary depending on how developed the project is. This means that we may occasionally sacrifice having access to a warm shower to see an interesting project.

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Do I need to bring a tent?

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Yes you'll need to bring a tent if your tour is a camping one. If you don't have one and you're up for sharing, we have a number of spares.

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Can I see an itinerary?

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Yes we have itineraries to download on each tours page. Please note that the itineraries are guides and we reserve the right to make changes as re our booking conditions.

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The food

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What do the meals consist of on tour?

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We provide 3 meals a day during the tour. Here is an example of what the food might look like on a given day:

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Breakfast: We rotated breakfast teams to cook/layout breakfast. This normally consists of porridge with various toppings of your choosing including honey, jam, chocolate spread, peanut butter, chai seeds, mixed seeds, chopped fruit (fresh and dried). Bread, rice cakes, muesli, teas, coffee.

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Lunch: We meet the van for a filling spread of dips, fresh fruit and quinoa or mix bean salad. All the right nutrition to keep you powered on the road.

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Dinner: In the evening we either eat a meal cooked for us by the community we’re staying at or we’ll cook ourselves. An evening meal could look like this: Aubergine and basil pasta with fresh tomato and garlic salad, followed by a glass of local rioja, cider or an organic hot chocolate.

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Who does the washing up?

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Along with sharing a bit of cooking and breakfast making, we have a rotata for the washing up also. We've found that rather than a chore, cooking and cleaning up together can be a really social activity, building community and sharing skills.

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Is it all vegetarian?

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Yes all our food is vegetarian. We've found that organic vegetarian wholefoods are a great way revitalise your body from the inside out. We can easily cater for vegans on our trips. Worried about not getting your meat fix? Well don’t worry you’re free to buy whatever snacks you want during your days ride. It’s also a great way to try local delicacies, be that Cornish pasties or chorizo.  

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Is it all organic?

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The large majority of our food is organic. We purchase large quantities of dried goods before the trip from a large organic wholesaler, purchasing fresh produce on the road or from the farms we visit.

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Do I have to be confident cooking for a large group?

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Whilst knowing your onions from your aubergines will be incredibly useful, being a great cook is by no means essential. We've created a recipe book for the tours with the aid of chefs and nutritionists to ensure its both delicious and nutritious, with all the correct quantities to cook plenty for even the hungriest cyclist

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The support

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What is the support vehicle?

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The support vehicle is a bespoke minibus and trailer turned adventure machine that will carry all our kit, bags and food on the trip.

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Who are the support team?

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Each trip has a core crew of between 2-4 people. They’re a passionate bunch who are well versed in bike mechanics, first aid and green living.

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Does the support vehicle drive behind us?

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Unfortunately the support van won't be driving behind nudging you up hills or handing mars bars out the window. You’ll see the van for lunch at the designated lunch spot but it will then head on to do any shopping necessary and head to that nights location.

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Can I ride in the support vehicle if I can't ride my bike?

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If you become injured or unwell but not to the extent that you need to head to a hospital, then the support vehicle will be there to give you a ride. Likewise if your bike needs mechanical assistance and can’t be fixed roadside or there are no bike shop close by, then the support van will come to the rescue.

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Group dynamics

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How many people come on a tour?

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The minimum we can have is 7 and the maximum is 16

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What's the gender split?

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About 45/55 with the slight majority female.

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The coaching

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Why the coaching?

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Going on a cycle tour can be a really transformational experience. Being on a Brake the Cycle tour can be a whirlwind of emotions, ideas and breakthroughs. The aim of the coaching is to help you make the most of your adventure, taking the lessons from the road into the rest of your life. 

 

What does it entail?

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You'll receive a number of tools before the trip, during and after including:
 

- The Brake the Cycle workbook - our bespoke workbook for the trip to help you capture memories, moments and learning from the road

- An hour long 1-2-1 Skype session with a professional life coach to help you set and focus an intention on the trip

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The money

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Tell us more about your prices?

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Brake the Cycle is a nonprofit business. That means that we run our tours at the most affordable price without compromising on the things which we know are essential to ensuring that the tours are safe, exciting and memorable - that’s why you’ve come to us, right? We highly recommend checking out other cycling companies and seeing what they charge in order to gauge where we sit within the cycle tour market. Hopefully you will see that not only do we come in considerably cheaper, but we also pack in a lot more. Putting on cycle tours such as ours involve various costs; there’s the staff time (all tours are staffed by our core team as well as extra crew members), organic food and drink, the running costs of the support vehicle, and the accommodation which includes paying a fair price to the communities who host us, which gives them a valuable source of income.

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Is it possible to pay in instalments?

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Yes. A deposit of £250 is required when booking on to one of our tours. You’ll need to have made your final payment at least 56 days before the start of the tour, but you’re free to make those payments in whatever manner suits you.

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Do you offer bursaries to students or low waged?

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Yes we can offer 1-2 bursary positions per trip at a 10% discount. You'll need to provide evidence that you are a full time student or that you earn under the personal tax allowance or that you are on benefits.  

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Can I get a refund if I cancel?

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The deposit is non refundable unless we cancel the tour. Check out our booking conditions for more information.   

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