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Trans Europa Scouting Trip Complete!




The scouting of the Along the Riviera and Iberian Crossing sections of the Trans Europa from Venice to Lisbon is now complete.  Our experienced scouting team of Cristiano and Gergo are safe and sound in Toronto and Budapest respectively.  The scout photos are on our website and we’re itching to start the Tour in July.   

It’s starting to sink in just what an amazing Tour this will be.  We will pass through an extraordinary 14 countries on our route, hear 13 distinct languages, have a chance to taste nearly 20 regional cuisines, visit 9 capitol cities, meet fellow riders and staff from 6 countries, and of course cycle across the entire European continent as no Tour has ever done before!

Our first rest day on the Along The Riviera section is in Genoa, a city famed for it’s maritime traders of old, and now for it’s culinary and cultural scene…

http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/travel/30hours.html  



Our next rest day is in Cannes.  Everyone knows the film festival but on our Tour you’ll have the chance to taste this divine regional specialty…

http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2008/03/provencalfishsoup

There is no way to describe how amazing this soup is until you’ve tried it, especially after a hard day of cycling! 



Barcelona is the final destination of the Along the Riviera section and the beginning of the final section of the Tour; the Iberian Crossing.  We’ll have 2 rest days there to enjoy the city and rest from all the hills of the Mediterranean.  Since we seem to be discussing the amazing restaurants and food along our route, we should mention the most famous market in Barcelona…

http://www.boqueria.info/index.php

Here you can explore the wonders of Catalan cuisine.



Two capital cities await, Madrid and Lisbon.  Madrid has endless eating possibilities but the morning after you’ve satiated yourself on incredible tapas; why not check out this museum…

http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html

The great works of Picasso to the contemporary artists from Spain and beyond.   



Finally Lisbon.  After parking the bike and saying farewells to your trans-continental compatriots, explore the majestic city and take in the most amazing views…

http://www.lisbonlux.com/magazine/lisbons-10-most-beautiful-views/  

Posted April 22, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Trans - Europa Scouting Photos: Madrid - Lisbon




New photos from the scout of the Trans-Europa:Madrid - Lisbon.

Check them out here.

Posted April 22, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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More Trans-Europa Scouting pictures




We have more Trans-Europa scouting photos from the new Venice - Barcelona section. Check them out!

Posted April 02, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Trans-Europa Scouting




The trusty TDA Van and our fearless Tour leaders Cristiano and Gergo are now more than halfway through the scout of the Venice to Lisbon stretch of the Trans Europa.  They left Barcelona yesterday and are now venturing across the Iberian Peninsula.



As you can see from the stunning images the scout is going well!  It’s an incredibly beautiful part of Europe and the highlights come one after the next.



You’ll notice from some of the photos that the route does not lack a few hills  The road along the Mediterranean is squeezed between sea and mountains and if you’ve ever seen one of those old James Bond movies where they have car chases on crazy switchback roads heading down to the sea, well… when you’re flying down the hill on your bike this summer that will be you!  After huffing and puffing up the hill of course.



Gergo and Cristiano will have numerous adventures to tell when the scout wraps up, already they’ve been tasting some of the finest oysters on the coast and having a grand time trying to drive our big blue van down some of the many bike paths that will be a part of the route.



If you’re enticed to join us you can sign up for either the whole Trans Europa or if these roads are for you then sign up for either the Along the Riviera section or the Iberian Crossing…


Posted April 01, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Go Big or Go Home.




Tour d'Afrique Doubles the Length of Its European Bike Tour and Creates the Longest Organized Tour of Europe - 14 Countries, 80 days, 6255 km

From Mother Russia to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, the new cycle tour traverses the European continent from North to South and East to West. A truly epic summer adventure.

Great Friends and Great Views!

For the Summer of 2012 we have created a one of a kind bicycle-touring event that crosses Europe from North to South and East to West: the Trans Europa Bike Tour.

The Tour begins from the gates of the famous Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg, Russia and, during the first six weeks, visits an impressive list of historic cities in Eastern Europe that lie along the historic Amber Route.



Tallin, Riga, Vilnius, Krakow and Ljubljana are just of few of the great old cities the tour visits on its way to the halfway point in Venice, Italy.

After a short break in Venice for gondola rides, pasta and a nice Chianti, the tour passes through the Italian and French Rivieras, Genoa, Monaco, Cannes and Montpellier. Then it’s into Spain skirting the foothills of the towering Pyrenees to Barcelona where the tour spends 2 days to explore one of Europe's most impressive cities.



From Barcelona, the tour travels across the Iberian peninsula to the Spanish capital of Madrid, the medieval town of Caceres and finally the great Portuguese capital of Lisbon, where for centuries explorers have set sail on the Atlantic to discover the world.

The tour can be done as a whole or by participating in one or more of its 7 sections. Sections vary in length from 9 Days to 6 Weeks. One of the more popular sections is called Along the Riviera. Cyclist on this section travel from Venice, Italy to Barcelona, Spain over 14 days, cycling the famed switchbacks that overlook the Mediterranean and stopping in locales such as Genoa, Cannes, Nice and tiny Monaco.

The tour is fully supported and includes all accommodations, meals on riding days, vehicles for baggage and support and Tour d’Afrique staff. At 136 Euros per/day for the full tour it is certainly one of the most affordable bicycle tours in Europe.

To register or find out more information on the Trans Europa Bike Tour visit the companies website

A few details about this tour:

Tour Start: July 8th, 2012 in St. Petersburg, Russia
Tour Finish: September 25, 2012 in Lisbon Portugal
Distance Cycled (Full Tour Riders): 6255 km
62 Riding Days
18 Rest Days
Average of 105 km per day cycling

Related Links:

Pedal Pals - Lifetime Friends Made on Tour
Must See Attractions in Barcelona
Pierogis, Hot Beer & Trams : Explore Krakow

Posted March 29, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Pedal Pals




We’d like to introduce 3 participants from the upcoming Trans-Europa, the Pedal Pals!  They rode with us the Orient Express Tour in 2009 and the North American Epic in 2011 and they’re coming back to ride from St. Petersburg to Venice.   Daphne Tonellato, Shirley Davey and Walli Pagniello

We caught up with Walli and Daphne to ask some questions about the highlights of cycling and traveling with friends.

What's the best thing about cycling and traveling with others?

Walli:

The team spirit of a bicycle tour is amazing. Being the weakest link (slowest rider) on a tour has not affected my enthusiasm to be part of such an undertaking. The consideration and encouragement from fellow riders when in a tough spot is invaluable. Sharing adventures and sights not seen from the highway forms a lasting bond. The Amber Route Tour brings us into east bloc Countries usually not visited by tourists but well worth exploring.

Daphne:

Travelling by bicycle with a group is the very best way to visit just about anyplace.   Joining a group with a friend is an added bonus. You have someone to share all the adventures of the day with and you are assured that you will not be alone when a flat tire or worse occurs.  Meeting and sharing stories with other cyclist is always positive and with luck some of the new cyclists will become good friends.   Every year but one since 1992 I have shared a cycling trip with friends made while cycling across Canada.

Has anyone you've met on a bike tour inspired you?

Walli:

“Show me who your friends are and I tell you who you are!
My total inspiration for biking is Daphne's fault.  After she completed the Tour du Canada a small group of friends formed and I, by default of speaking German, initially became a support vehicle driver. I enjoyed the camaraderie immensely. But Daphne's persistence to get me on a bike was hard to turn down especially since she gave me one of her "old" bikes to use in 1999, and I have been biking ever since. As she took on tour challenges I was intrigued to find out if I could handle something sooo strenuous. In my retirement year 2009 I joined Tour d'Afrique's "Orient Express" in Vienna. Yes, it was tough in places.  My forte is down hill not up, but the feeling of accomplishment at the end inspires me to look for new challenges. 
You have got to move to keep moving!”

Daphne:

I would not say anyone inspired me but there is one person who returns to my thoughts whenever the travels through the ‘Navajo Nation’ are recalled.  Neil was an older man living alone in a desert area without any of the comforts we consider essential. His home was a very old trailer with recently repaired running water and plumbing.  It was obvious to all of us that Neil was living a very basic life but he was a man of thoughtfulness and generosity.   He moved our camp site to his yard beside his horses, a better choice than the field of desert dirt at the end of a long track. To the few females in the group he offered the very basic facilities of his home. He enjoyed our company and shared his culture and beliefs along with the challenges of life in his desert environment.  In such a short time this kind man stimulated many discussions among the group on culture, religion, politics, history, economics, agriculture and the environment.  We do not often meet one person who makes us stop and think like Neil did.


What's the silliest thing you've seen one of your fellow riders do?

Walli:

Stopping to take pictures of bear cubs in Transylvania .........   and then riding up the mountain pass with mama bear in pursuit. That's brawn versus brain. I would have booted it down hill!

Daphne:

Well I still cannot think of any really silly thing done by one rider.  But I do recall the outcome of a very stormy day in Kansas.   On arrival in camp with a major storm imminent everyone huddled under the shade awning.   After waiting in a warm dry place in town for the storm to pass Shirley and I arrived in camp, few tents were up and it was very crowded in the limited shelter.   It took a very few minutes to realize just how the time had been passed while the wind and rain made life very miserable.  There was no wine left but there was a rather happy group not worrying very much about anything and laughing about everything.

Posted February 21, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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And the Winner is...




We recently ran a competition with Essential Travel UK –  a virtual treasure hunt called ‘Live your Dream’ where participants had to follow clues and do some research to figure out what the prize was. 

Congratulations goes to Bea Swiatkowska from Haslemere in Surrey, UK who figured it out and won the prize - a section of our Trans Europa/Amber Route tour -  Alps to Adriatics  - an incredible 9 day cycling journey from Bratislava,Slovakia to Venice, Italy.

“I’m happy, excited and totally and utterly shocked to win!” said Bea. “It is amazing feeling and makes you believe that anything is possible. Life is magical again! Thank you Essential Travel and Tour d'Afrique.”

This will be Bea’s first long-distance cycling trip and while she knows it’s going to be challenging to cover 800km in 9 days, she’s looking forward to the experience of pushing herself beyond her comfort zones.

We asked Bea what she’s most excited about seeing on this section:

 “Seeing great cities with vibrant culture such as Venice and Bratislava, and beautiful countryside. I just know that I will be overwhelmed by the scenery of those places. I am very curious about Ljubljana. I do not know much about this city as well as the country and the Slovenian people, so it will be a truly enchanting and thrilling experience.”

We look forward to welcoming Bea onto the tour in Bratislava in August and celebrating her first ever long- distance cycling achievement when she reaches Venice, Italy.

Keen to join?



There are still a few spaces available on the Trans Europa/Amber Route  tour -a  spectacular eleven week journey through twelve countries.  Our itinerary initially follows the ancient amber trade route used by the Romans, from St. Petersburg, one of the world's most beautiful cities, to the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, then onwards through Poland and Slovakia,  Hungary and Slovenia, before the tour reaches its half way point in glorious Venice, Italy.



After a short break of gondola rides, pasta, and Chianti, we will cycle across Southern Europe to the Atlantic Ocean.  En route we will ride along the Italian and French Rivieras, visiting Genoa, Monaco, Cannes and Montpellier.  Then it’s into Spain skirting the foothills of the towering Pyrenees to Barcelona where we will have 2 days to explore another of Europe's most impressive cities. From there we head west across the Iberian peninsula to the Spanish capital of Madrid, the medieval town of Caceres and finally the great Portuguese capital of Lisbon, from where explorers like ourselves set sail to discover the world.

Posted January 17, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Introducing Trans-Europa




Trans Europa Extension Description

Sometimes plans are made to be broken.  Originally our schedule for 2012 did not include any new Tours.   However, just as our clients possess, we at TDA have a wanderlust that is not easily subdued.  For this reason we are announcing the inaugural Trans-Europa Tour.

The inspiration?  We already have 2 trans-continental tours in Europe, the Amber Route and the Orient Express; but we wanted to create a tour on a more epic scale, one that allows a cyclist to cross the entire breadth of Europe in one Tour; to ride from the northern lights of St. Petersburg, Russia to the rugged Atlantic coast of Lisbon, Portugal. 

It only takes a moment looking at a map of Europe to see the wondrous line this route draws, and along that thin line we will spend 11 weeks cycling through 12 stunning countries.

To create the Trans–Europa Tour we added 2 additional sections to the Amber Route; which will be run in 2012 at the same time as it has always been scheduled, from St. Petersburg to Venice, Italy.

The Amber Route has been improved with small route alterations and changes in some accommodations, but in essence it is the same Tour offered in 2010. To complete the Trans- Europa Tour we continue from Venice along the Riviera of Italy and France before heading to Barcelona, Spain.  From there we cross the Iberian Peninsula of Spain and Portugal to finish in Lisbon.

What highlights can we expect from Venice to Lisbon?  We’ll stop in cities like Genoa, Cannes, Montpellier, Barcelona, Madrid and Caceres.  We’ll indulge in Italian fare each night as we ride the foothills heading toward the Liguria coast.  We’ll cycle the famed winding roads of the Mediterranean through Italy and France.  We’ll sleep by the white sand beaches of Northeastern Spain.  We’ll challenge ourselves cycling 6 hilly days to Madrid and we’ll toast the cold Atlantic, where the sardines practically jump from the ocean onto seaside tables in beautiful Lisbon! 



Venice to Barcelona: Along the Riviera

August 21 – September 6 - 14 Riding Days, 3 Rest Days
Rest Days in Genoa, Cannes and Montpellier 



Barcelona to Lisbon: Iberian Crossing

September 9 – 25 - 14 Riding Days, 3 Rest Days
Rest Days in Madrid (x2) and Caceres  

Pricing: 

Full Trans Europa Tour St. Petersburg to Lisbon = 10 900 Euros
Along the Riviera Venice to Barcelona = 3100 Euros  
Iberian Crossing Barcelona to Lisbon = 3100 Euros    



Posted January 16, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Amber Route 2012 - Registration now open!




The warm weather is finally here in Canada but we are already thinking about next summer. July 2012 will see the return of the Amber Route Bicycle Expedition. This awesome cycling experience through some of Central Europe's most fascinating cities and some of the most undiscovered routes will be another challenging trans-continental journey for those who choose to take it on.

For inspiration, read through some of the posts from last year's tour, and start dreaming about St. Petersburg, Venice, Krakow, and Bratislava, and start learning about some lesser known gems like Tallinn, Birzai, Banska Stiavnica, and Ljubljana. More details on route, pricing and dates can be found here.

Registration is now open!

Posted June 24, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Neophytes on the Amber Route Bike Tour


The Back Nine Take a Break

Excitement and trepidation, these were the two emotions that best described how we felt cycling out of St. Petersburg 2200 kms ago.  Stella and I had not done any serious long distance cycling prior to signing up for two section of this Amber Route.  We hoped that our mountain climbing and multi-week hiking excursions would help but realized that just doing it was the only way to really know if we could manage the heat and the long days that a tour like this demanded.

We had hoped that there would be plenty of time to ‘stop and smell the roses’ as we cycled along but with an average of 100 kms a day that was not to be for those of us at the back of the pack.  What we did get was great camaraderie, assistance as needed by cyclists and staff, an overall feeling of accomplishment and the opportunity to visit 5 countries that, while worth visiting, were not high on our list of must see places.

Rest days were busy with laundry and internet and bike maintenance.  Our hotels were ideally located in the center of the ‘Old City’ in each of the historic towns we stayed in.  The old town in places like, Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius and Krakow offered lots of charm, history on culture.  Not to mention cold beer and great local cuisine.

For myself and several other cyclists the ride out of St. Petersburg represented a PB, a personal best, the longest distance we had ever ridden on a bike!  Between St. Petersburg and Krakow I continued to reach PBs, including riding back to back 145 kms days!  On tour is seemed there was never a time for complacency, the bar continued to be raised higher each week.  

Would I do it again?  Most Definitely!

Sally Holden
Vancouver, Canada


Sally joined the tour from St. Petersburg, Russia to Krakow, Poland.  She road every day with a smile on her face and was a pleasure to have on tour.  In addition to cycling over 2200 kms Sally also raised $2000 for the Tour d’Afrique Foundation.  Because of her efforts we will be able to donate an additional 20 bikes to healthcare organizations in Africa in 2011.  Thanks Sally! Paul McManus.

Paul

Posted August 10, 2010 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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