January 25th, 2012
Finally a fresh dive in the Gulf of Guinea
The Tour through West-Africa was a unique and intense bicycle adventure through one of the poorest and least travelled regions in the world.
Except for a few worth while national parks, we haven’t been at touristy places. Not at all. We camped at villages where we have been the first white visitors, we shared our basic Xmas dinner together with 60 locals in Burkina Faso, Didier parked the truck next to a mosque to make camp, we pitched the tents between the little thatched huts, locals started to dance in front of our dinner tables, we stayed at settlements where they did only speak their native language, we were having breakfast at the schoolyard in Togo while the students line up to enter the classroom, we camped below the baobab trees in Mali and we celebrated Newyears eve in a vibrating church in the middle of Benin. All unique, unforgettable and very special moments.
The whole route we were welcomed by thousands and thousands of curious adults, and a factor ten or hundred times more yelling enthusiastic kids. Unbelievable and unstoppable. In one word : unforgettable.
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November 19th, 2011
Start of the Tour through West-Africa
The period between the finish of Tour d'Olympia in Athens and the start in Dakar was very hectic and full of troubles : a broken collarbone, strikes in Greece, closed borders,
unwilling embassies, a broken starter of the truck, 3.400 extra kilometers to bring spare materials, transfer boxes without oil, extra flights, everlasting custom controls, and a lot more.
Didier and Richard just arrived on time with the support vehicles at Lac
Rose in Senegal.
All participants had their own adventure to organize the needed visa for a handful of countries.
Everyone was happy and eager to start at the shores of a sunny Lac Rose. Let's roll...
The West-African adventure starts…
You can follow us the next 10 weeks via the website, although we will
not always have easy access to the world wide web.
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"La Grande Boucle des Pyrénées 2012" fully booked
A new RECORD !!!
3 months after publication and 8 months before the start we can let you know that the first edition of "La Grande Boucle des Pyrénées" is fully booked.
You can still register at the website if you definitely want to join the tour in 2012. We put your name at a waiting list and we inform you as someone else cancels their participation.
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October 14th-16th, 2011
Bike Motion Benelux
Dates : October 14-16, 2011
Location : Jaarbeurs - Utrecht, The Netherlands
Stand : Hall 09, number A084
You get 3 euro discount if you buy your ticket online.
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First edition of Tour d'Olympia finished
After 30 days of challenging cycling on the Greek mainland and the Peloponnese we arrived finally back in Athens. 29 days of sun and warm - even hot - temperatures; only the last day into Athens was horrendous: extreme wind, pouring rain ( the rims 2 inches under water ) and with 6 degrees the temperature was 30 degrees colder than 30 days ago when we left Athens.
All in all it was a great tour with excellent cycling conditions and very friendly Greek people.
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Giro d'Italia 2012 finishes on Passo dello Stelvio
The Giro d'Italia finishes on the top of the Passo dello Stelvio of 2.757 meter, the second highest pass in the Alps.
The finish is planned on May 26th; one day before the finish of the Giro d'Italia in Milano.
You can not only experience the legendary uphill, but also the spectacular downhill. Five days later, on May 31st, the 5th edition of La Bella Italia passes this impressive pass.
Check out :
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Tour d'Olympia started in a hot Athens
The first edition of Tour d'Olympia started in front of the National Museum in the centre of Athens. It was HOT; literally as well as figuratively. 30+ celsius literally; figuratively in terms of riots against the Greek government.
You could feel the tension in the streets around the hotel and at every corner the military police was alert for rioters.
Fortunately we could leave the capital in the early morning without problems, and could enjoy the peaceful Greek countryside after a marathon of cycling.
You can get a first impression with some photos. More photos and little stories will follow in the next few weeks when we make our loop through the cradle of Western Civilization.
We make sure that we pay our bills and buy some extra cold Greek beers to stimulate the local economy and resist the hot conditions.
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La Grande Boucle des Pyrénées 2012
What do you do when you arrive in Nice after a great bike ride through the Alps?
You take a rest, relax on a terrace and watch the waves of the Mediterranean. Soon you realize... you want more! More mountains, more amazing scenery and more challenge.
Check out our new tour "La Grande Boucle des Pyrénées" for the European summer of 2012.
You can read everything about the new tour in the Brochure.
La Grande Boucle des Pyrénées starts June 18th, 2012 in Nice and finishes July 7th, 2012 in Barcelona.
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Finish at the boulevard in Nice
The 3rd edition of “Les Dix Alpes” was ridden under a sunny
Italian, Swiss and French sky. The conditions were excellent and the participants
enjoyed the scenery in optima forma.
At the end of the day we saw a lot of tired, but fulfilled, faces. The
comment "it was hard" was soon replaced by "it was
fantastic!!" Almost everyone managed to overcome all famous cols and
all participants arrived happy and healthy at the Promenade de Anglais
in Nice.
Next year a new "Les Dix Alpes". Registration is open. The first riders already signed up.
More news will follow soon...
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Finish of La Bella Italia
The "La Bella Italia"-riders arrived in Como after a challenging tour from Sicily, through the Dolomites and over the epic Passo dello Stelvio.
The heavy rain showers over Lake Como on the last day were not ideal for a pleasant arrival. It was also that one of the support vehicles got a problem 35 kilometers before the finish line in Como. 3000 kilometers is too much for a Fiat Ducato, but not for 36 determined cyclists.
That's why we continue Monday over 10 magical Alps to Nice. In the meantime the Fiat will be fixed, so that also the luggage arrives every day at camp.
Another "La Bella Italia" in 2012. Registration is open.
Everyone made over the epic Passo dello Stelvio
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La Bella Italia 2011 rolling...
A group of 33 cyclists - some a bit nervous - left this morning 30 kilometres south Palermo to start their own Giro d’Italia. The weather conditions were ideal for a pleasant start : 22 degrees, a bright sun and almost no wind. Excellent.
A first stage of 103 kilometers to Santo Stefano Quisquina in the heart of Sicily. A nice hotel at the top of a steep hill is waiting which overlooks the beautiful Sicilian country side. Rob, Blake, Jaap, Kirsten, Richard and Laurens will take care that everything runs smoothly, so that the participants can enjoy Italy in all her aspects.
More news will follow soon in the Gazetta.
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Registration for La Bella Italia and Les Dix Alpes 2012 is open.
The 5th edition of "La Bella Italia" starts Saturday April 28th in Palermo and finishes Friday June 1st in Como.
The 4th edition of "Les Dix Alpes" starts Monday June 4th in Como and finishes Friday June 15th in Nice.
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The Timbuktu Tour - New Route
We
have changed the route and stay in the southern part of Mali which is not affected by a negative travel advice. This means that we don’t cycle to
Timbuktu. The extra time which we win with cancellation of the Timbuktu-loop, gives us the opportunity to make an extra loop in Benin and
Togo, and to visit national parks along the way.
The
new route is
nine
days longer.
We
have decided to keep the same price for the full tour. The sections
Bamako-Ouagadougou and Ouagadougou-Accra have been changed in terms of
dates and prices.
The renewed route will still give you the feeling that you are in the deep heart of Africa, although Timbuktu stays an imaginary destination.
You can download the renewed brochure of the Timbuktu Tour.
( click to enlarge
and to see the new highlights )