FAQs

In general, the climbs on our holidays are not particularly steep (compared to many of the hills in the UK, for example) but they are often long. It is best to make sure that your bike will be suitable for your level of strength and fitness. Those looking at taking on the Alto de l’Angliru (an optional extra on our Picos de Europa tour) will certainly need a low gear - it is the steepest climb in pro cycling!

For most people, a compact chainset, with a 34-tooth small ring on the front, together with a 30 or 32 cassette on the rear, is a good choice. It is usually possible to fit your bike with a larger cassette, using a rear hanger extender such as the WolfTooth RoadLink.

If this all sounds too complicated then we do have a limited number of titanium-framed bikes for hire, which are fitted with SRAM 50-34 at the front and 11-speed, 11-36 (yes 36!) cassettes.

Yes! We recommend that your bike is serviced before your trip, to make sure that everything is in good working order and to reduce the likelihood of a mechanical failure interfering with your holiday riding. 

Several days of mountain riding naturally causes quite a bit of wear to brake pads, tyres and bearings, so we’d recommend that these are checked and renewed if necessary before you leave home. Spare parts are often impossible to source at short-notice during your holiday.

One or both of the guides will be available during bike assembly, together with an extensive tool kit. Obviously, they’re not able to put 20 bikes together, but they’re there to advise and help you if you get stuck. In reality, we find that there are usually lots of cyclists within the group who are happy to help others with their bike assembly.

Absolutely. On our point-to-point tours, your empty bike box will be put inside or on top of one of our support vans (protected nicely in tarpaulin!). On tours where we start and end at the same hotel, we’ll usually leave the bike boxes at that hotel. There is no access to bike boxes/bags during any tour, even if they are in one of our vans, as they will be securely packed. Therefore, nothing should be left inside them that you might need during the week.

No, we can transport or store all types of bike boxes or bags.

Yes, our vans carry a stock of threaded CO2 canisters for sale. Please bring your own valve adapter. We’re happy to refund any unused canisters at the end of your holiday.

Yes, but only if they have disc brakes. If you have rim brakes on your carbon wheels then we definitely do NOT recommend you bring them - this is because we have witnessed several cases of sudden and catastrophic delamination of these wheels on mountain descents. We have seen this occur on carbon wheels with both aluminium and carbon braking surfaces. As you can imagine, the consequences of this type of wheel failure can be very serious. 

Whilst we appreciate that rim-brake carbon wheels have distinct advantages in terms of weight, for the kind of mountainous riding you’ll be doing on a Marmot Tours holiday, we would recommend that you bring sturdier wheels.

We get lots of riders using tubeless tyres, and most of the time, there are no issues. Both our support vans have regular track pumps, and one carries an Airshot Inflation System (pump-operated, not electric). Tubeless tyres are harder to get on and off, so putting a tube in on the roadside can be tricky and messy. We carry some spare sealant for emergencies, but it is better to bring your own that is the same as is already in your tyres.

Yes. Whether they are needed for tunnels or poor weather conditions, we consider them essential for safe riding. Please also bring your own bike lights if you are hiring a bike. (We do carry additional small LED lights in our vans for emergencies, but they are for being seen rather than for seeing!)

On your holiday pages on The Link you’ll find a kit list, which details all the clothing as well as bike spares you need to bring. 

If you’re bringing your own bike, then please also bring:

• bike lights
• a pump
• tyre levers
• inner tubes
• brake pads
• a chain link
• a spare rear derailleur hanger.

Tools for bike assembly are not required as Marmot Tours has them available (including a torque wrench) for you to use on arrival.

If you’re hiring a bike from us, please bring your own:

• bike lights
• pedals
• saddle (a saddle is supplied but you may prefer to use your own)
• GPS navigation device and handlebar mount

In fine weather, we recommend you carry your phone, some cash and a bank card, emergency contact details, any preferred snacks or gels, water, arm or leg warmers, and a gilet. If the weather is not so fine, then you should carry an extra warm and waterproof jacket with you. You will periodically have access to your day bag which will be travelling in our support vehicles, so you can keep some of these items in your bag, and access them when you see the van.

Many cyclists use apps like Strava and Garmin Connect to track their progress, training and to compare themselves to their peers. These apps make for great training tools and interesting post-ride analysis. However, there are obvious risks associated with competitive cycling styles, pushing yourself beyond your usual tolerance and focusing on live-feed information whilst on the bike. Therefore, we ask our clients to avoid such live segment features when cycling on a Marmot Tours holiday, especially while descending, and to focus on the road at all times.

We have a fleet of superbly maintained, custom-built, titanium-framed road bikes of various sizes, which have been designed and built specifically for long days of riding in the mountains. Please go to our Hire Bikes webpage to see the full spec (including gearing and types of brakes) and read about the advantages of hiring.

If you’re interested in hiring one of our bikes, it is important that you check availability at the time you make your booking enquiry. You can express your interest in hiring a bike when you click the ENQUIRE NOW button from the holiday webpage, or you can email us. We need to know your height and which holiday you are interested in, so we can see whether we have the right size bike available for you. 

Hire bikes are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis so it will depend on availability. It is always worth asking, as we may have had a cancellation.

No, please bring your own with you (and remember to take it off the bike again at the end of the trip!)

Yes, please bring your own pedals to be fitted to your hire bike, so that you can be confident with their compatibility with your own cleats or cycling shoes.

Our chosen hotels range from a comfortable 2* to 4* ones with greater facilities (please see the Essential Information of your holiday for more details).  We have selected the hotels on each tour for their location and their customer service towards cyclists.  You’ll be sharing a twin room with another cyclist (of the same gender) unless you book a single room for a supplement (contact cycle@marmot-tours.co.uk to check availability).  Each hotel has a garage/locked room to ensure that your bike has a comfortable night too.

Yes, as long as there is one available at all the hotels on your tour. Single rooms are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, for clients who have confirmed their reservation with a booking and deposit.  A supplementary cost is payable for a single room – you can find details in the Dates & Prices section on the specific holiday page on our website. 

We move on each night on most of our itineraries, so opportunities to use hotel laundry facilities (where they exist) are limited. However, we can help dry your hand-washed kit, so consider bringing some hand-wash detergent with you. Please see the packing list available on The Link for a full list of what kit to bring.

Yes, but don’t expect it to always be reliable! Some only have a signal in reception as opposed to in individual rooms. It is also worth considering that with Strava being as popular as it is, a lot of the hotels' Wi-Fi signals slow down in the evenings when everyone uploads their routes and the bandwidth is stretched.

Yes, the trip itinerary has locations for lunch and dinner

Breakfast

With very few exceptions, you can generally expect continental-style breakfasts with a range of cereals, bread, fruit, eggs, meats, and cheeses.

Lunches

You know best when it comes to what you like to eat when you’re cycling and it’s not likely to be the same as everyone else in the group! We don’t include lunches so there are no enforced group stops. However, we strongly advise that you stop to eat proper food at lunchtime (rather than rely on snacks).  Each day we recommend a suitable cafe or restaurant serving cyclist-friendly food, and the local businesses appreciate your custom. You will see one of our support vans at some stage during your lunch break so you can access your day bag and do a restock of anything you need to carry on the bike. 

Snacks

Your support vans will be well stocked with a variety of snacks: cereal bars, cakes, fresh fruit (bananas obviously!), crisps, nuts & jelly sweets are the staples. We suggest you bring your own favourite energy powders, gels or bars as these will not be easily available in all destinations. 

Dinner 

We eat as a group in the evening, either in the hotel or in a nearby restaurant.  Expect three courses (and generous portions) that are tailored to the needs of cyclists. We include wine, beer or soft drinks with dinner. Dinner will usually be served at 19:30 (20:30 on our Spanish itineraries), so it might be a good idea to bring a suitable recovery drink or snack to tide you over until then.

You can let us know about any special dietary requirements on the booking form or via email. The hotels we use can cater for most dietary needs and allergies if we know what these are well in advance. Each day, your guides will also double-check with the kitchen, to ensure they have something suitable planned for you.  

However, depending on which country you’re in, it’s not always as simple as that! Italian hotels are generally good at managing specific dietary requirements but despite education and endless perseverance from us, some of the French and Spanish hotels still struggle at times. They often lack imagination and across the week it is possible you may encounter some repetitive dishes. We advise you to let us know what kind of meals you eat after cycling and we’ll do our utmost to pass this on to the hotels, where they’re responsive to suggestions.

Please note that we request you stick to your dietary preference for the entire trip, as it’s very complicated for the hotels (and guides) if an individual has dietary requirements for some meals and not for others. 

No. We’ve made a conscious decision not to do so because there is such a wide variety of products on the market.  Every cyclist has personal favourites (brand, format or flavour), meaning it’s impossible to cater to everyone’s preferences. For this reason, we ask you to bring your own energy gels, powders and electrolyte tablets. We offer a great selection of sweet and savoury snacks from our support vans, including cereal bars, salty crisps and nuts, fresh fruit, jelly sweets and cakes.

1. Click on the ENQUIRE NOW button from the tour webpage and let us know which holidays and departure dates you are interested in. Remember to also ask about single-room availability and bike hire if they are your preference.
2. Reserve your place with a provisional booking for a week or so, while you look into flights and get planning.
3. Login or register with our online booking system The Link to make your holiday booking.  
4. After receiving your confirmation email, pay the £400 deposit online by bank transfer or by card in the Money & Invoices section of The Link.  
5. Confirmed single-room supplements and bike hire are added manually to your balance invoices, so may take a day or two to appear. We’ll post regular holiday information and updates on The Link (you’ll receive an email notification).

Travel insurance is essential for all Marmot Tours holidays and anyone without insurance is not able to take part in the tour. 

Please arrange your insurance cover at the time of booking, as this will ensure you are covered if you incur an injury during training and are unable to go on your holiday. We have a high cancellation rate so we are unable to deviate from our cancellation policy.

Your travel insurance needs to cover you for non-competitive road cycling (cycle touring) at an altitude appropriate to your holiday location, with the following standard inclusions:

• Medical expenses
• Repatriation expenses

We would also advise you have cover for the following optional items:

• Cancellation cover
• Cover for loss or damage to your bike

NB if you are hiring a bike from us, insurance for the bike is included in the fee so you will not need additional cover. 

Once you have arranged your travel insurance, please add the relevant details to the Before you go… section of your holiday on The Link. Unlike your passport details, you will need to complete your insurance details for every tour you are taking with us. This ensures we have your most up-to-date insurance information and can assist you in case you require medical care during your holiday.

If you are a UK resident, you need to have a valid EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) or GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) when travelling to Europe. GHIC has replaced the EHIC, but if your EHIC is still in date, it is still valid.

A UK EHIC/GHIC entitles you to emergency medical care in the same manner as citizens of the country that you are in, so if they pay for a service (such as hospitalisation, medication, or ambulances), you must also pay. A UK GHIC does not include medical evacuation coverage, which is why you will also need to have travel insurance in place.

Applying for a GHIC is free and easy via the official website but please make sure you apply in good time as the card can take 2-3 weeks to arrive. Any websites which include a charging fee to process the GHIC application are in no way affiliated with the official NHSBSA GHIC service. 

Yes, even if you have an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) or GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card), you are still recommended to have additional travel insurance when travelling to Europe. With a GHIC or EHIC, you can access state-provided emergency healthcare services in the EU and Switzerland. However, you will not be covered for private healthcare, nor will you receive any reimbursement for medical treatment that you have to pay for. Any repatriation costs would also not be covered. Therefore, it is always a good idea to have comprehensive travel insurance, in addition to your GHIC/EHIC, when travelling to Europe or any other destination.

The first thing to do is contact us by email to explain the situation, as we require written confirmation of all cancellations. Please read our Terms and Conditions (sections 7 and 8) for details of our cancellation policy. We strongly advise that at the time of booking you take out travel insurance which includes cancellation cover, as cancellation due to incurring an injury while training is not uncommon. 

HELEN - doesn't ABTOT now offer financial protection, not ABTA?

Marmot Tours is a member of ABTA, the UK Association of British Travel Agents. ABTA and ABTA members help holidaymakers get the most from their travel and assist them when things do not go according to plan. 

As part of our membership contract, we are obliged by ABTA's Code of Conduct to maintain a high standard of service to you: 

• In line with our ABTA membership (no. Y6184), we hold an insurance policy that gives UK customers full financial protection for all funds you pay us for your holiday
• We have full Tour Operators Professional and Public Liability Insurance with specialist brokers Campbell Irvine
• We carry out risk assessments on all aspects of our holidays to ensure we have thought through every detail to keep you safe
• We employ staff with appropriate experience and skills, and give them additional training, to ensure that you have a safe and fun trip

For further information about ABTA, the Code of Conduct, and the arbitration scheme available to you if you have a complaint, please contact ABTA at www.abta.com (30 Park St, London, SE1 9EQ; tel: 0203 117 0500).

Our holidays are cycling holidays (with a focus on cycling!), but you are welcome to have a lift in our vans during the day if you need one, for example if you are injured, exhausted, or unsure about riding in challenging weather conditions.

If you become ill or injured and are not planning to ride for the whole day (or if you would just like a day off the bike!), then we will normally recommend that you take a taxi directly to the next hotel. This will give you the maximum possible time to rest and recover at the hotel, or to enjoy other activities off the bike. 

Spending the whole day in one of our vans, while our guides are supporting those cycling, is a long and tedious day for a passenger. We prioritise keeping our van seats available for cyclists who may need a lift in an emergency during their ride.

We advise you to purchase a travel insurance policy that includes cover for illness and injury. If you do so, then any extra costs that you incur due to becoming ill/injured before or during your holiday (for example cancellation costs, or taxis or transport costs) should be refunded to you by your insurer, but check the details with your insurance provider. While we appreciate how disappointing it is to become ill while on holiday and not be able to ride your bike as planned, we regret that Marmot Tours can not be responsible for any extra costs that you incur due to your illness or injury, as it is a matter for your travel insurance.

If you become ill or injured and are not planning to ride for the whole day (or if you would just like a day off the bike!), then we will normally recommend that you take a taxi directly to the next hotel. This will give you the maximum possible time to rest and recover at the hotel, or to enjoy other activities off the bike. Spending the whole day in one of our vans, while our guides are supporting those cycling, is a long and tedious day for a passenger. We prioritise keeping our van seats free for cyclists who may need a lift in an emergency during their ride.

If you feel that your illness or injury is severe enough that you will not be able to ride for the rest of the trip, then you should consider making travel arrangements to return home early. Depending on the travel insurance that you have purchased, these extra costs may be refunded to you by your insurer.

If you cannot ride because you are ill with an infection that may be contagious, then you will need to do everything you can to reduce the chance of spreading the infection to others in the group. This includes:

Eating meals separately from the group (for example in your room).

Taking a taxi to the next hotel rather then requesting to travel in our vans.

Not socialising with others.

Maintaining strict hygiene protocols of hand washing, and respiratory hygiene etc.

If during the run-up to your holiday you develop an illness or injury that means you can’t cycle, then you should consider cancelling your holiday and claiming the costs from your travel insurance. 

We advise you to purchase a travel insurance policy that includes cover for illness and injury. If you do so, then any extra costs that you incur due to being ill/injured (for example taxis or transport costs) should be refunded to you by your insurer, but check the details with your insurance provider. While we appreciate how disappointing it is to become ill while on holiday and not be able to ride your bike as planned, we regret that Marmot Tours can not be responsible for any extra costs that you incur due to your illness or injury, as it is a matter for your travel insurance.

We provide you with detailed GPS navigation files which can be loaded onto your GPS device or smartphone app.

For our Raid challenge tours, bringing a GPS navigation device with you is essential. 

On our Classic, flexible-pace tours, there is no doubt that you will have a more relaxed experience if you have your own GPS or are cycling with someone who has a GPS. It removes the anxiety of getting lost and means you can concentrate on the scenery, the culture, and the cycling. Therefore, we highly recommend that you do borrow or buy a GPS for your holiday, or use your smartphone with the RideWithGPS App. A few weeks before departure we’ll post your GPS files in .gpx, and .tcx formats to your holiday pages on the Link with full instructions on how to download them to your GPS unit.

Our GPS tracks take you from hotel to hotel. In addition, we provide you with access to our Marmot Tours app which gives you lots of useful information about routes, hotels and sustenance throughout the day, as well as climb profiles for most of your major climbs. Last but not least, your guides will even aim to be at those ‘easy to miss’ junctions and you’ll see the van and guides regularly. 

A few weeks before your holiday you will be able to see your GPS files on the Link with full instructions on how to download them to your GPS unit. We highly recommend familiarising yourself with your GPS device and loading up the files before your trip, as this will help you get the most out of your GPS device, which will benefit you when you are cycling. However, your guides will be happy to help where they can, so if you have issues you cannot resolve, please speak to them on the first evening of your holiday.

We have a dedicated App called the Marmot Tours Route Buddy, which we ask you to download from the App Store or from the Google Play store in advance of your holiday. 

The App contains loads of important and useful information about each day’s ride, including safety notes and lunch and cafe info, so we ask you to look at it the week before your holiday, and each evening when on tour. There are maps of the routes, which also act as a useful navigation back-up if your Garmin fails or if you have trouble finding the hotel in town at the end of the day. There are also climb profiles so you can see what you’re up against next! You're able to select your route each day and see which other riders have selected the same route, so you know who you can hook up with at cafe or lunch stops. The App also has an optional tracking feature, which enables our guides to support you as a whole group better, and enables you to see the locations of the support vans.

You will be supported on holiday by two of our expert, approachable, and fun guides. Despite being passionate about cycling, both guides will be in support vans as this holiday is all about YOU and your needs. Between them, they’ll have knowledge of the area, the language, first aid, and bike mechanics.

Having two, fully customised support vehicles per group (regardless of the group size) allows us to offer you the freedom to cycle at your own pace with a level of independence. It also means that wherever you are on the route, you’ll have regular access to your personal kit, snacks, water, and any mechanical or first aid support. Please note that on some of our flexible-pace Classic tours, due to the distances involved, cyclists who choose the Challenge route may need to be more independent than those on the Classic route. Our guides are experts at advising you on the route options, including where you can expect to see the van, and what you might need to take with you.

In the event you need help with a mechanical issue, for example, one of the vans will be able to get to you with a full tool kit, spare wheels, and even a spare bike! We hope you won’t need us for anything serious but being prepared for all eventualities is what we do exceptionally well. 

As a rule, you can expect to see a support van with water, snacks, and your day bag 2 - 5 times a day, so you don’t need to carry much on your bike unless the weather is forecast to be extremely changeable! 

No, flights are not included in the cost of your holiday. Our holiday contract with you starts when we meet you at the airport (or hotel if you have opted to travel to the start hotel independently).  We will provide you with our transfer times from the airport and you are responsible for booking a flight that ties in with those times.  

If you’re travelling in a group of six or more, we may be able to offer you a customised transfer if you would like one, although we cannot guarantee this will be possible in all circumstances. 

It is important that your arrival and departure times fit in with our proposed airport transfers. If the transfer times for your trip are already displayed on The Link, then please go ahead and book your flights to fit in with the published transfer times. If you're keen to get your flights booked but transfer times are not yet available, please email us with your proposed flight details so we can check the likelihood of those flights fitting in with our included airport transfers. 

We plan our airport transfer times once all the major airlines have published their flight schedules and we aim to meet flights arriving from as many regional airports as possible, whilst also minimising overall waiting times at the airport. Depending on where you live, you may have to weigh up travel time within the UK with waiting time for a transfer on arrival.

Your guide (or a Marmot representative) will be at the airport to meet you if you book flights that fit with our airport transfers. They will be expecting you and are easily spotted, wearing Marmot Tours tops and carrying a Marmot Tours sign with them! In the week before your tour starts, we will send you precise details of where to meet your guide at the arrival airport.

If your flight is delayed we will consider your individual situation and will assist you as much as we can in joining the tour. However, any additional expenses required (e.g. a taxi fare to take you from the airport to the hotel) will need to be met by you and claimed back using your travel insurance, as Marmot Tours cannot be held liable for failures by airlines or travel disruption.

We’ll assist you as much as we can in getting reunited with your luggage and/or your own bike, or finding an alternative bike to ride. Often your own bike will be delivered on the next flight. Renting a bike locally may be an option and we also have a spare bike in our van (but we cannot guarantee this will be the right size for you). Any additional costs (e.g. a taxi fare to have your bike delivered from the airport to the hotel, or a rental fee for an alternative bike) will need to be met by you and claimed back using your travel insurance, as Marmot Tours is not liable for failures by airline services.