On booking the London to Paris Cycling Challenge, you’ll receive all the exciting trip info via our free mobile travel app. You’ll have access to your itinerary, training guide, countdowns, live updates, contact info, weather forecasts, kit lists and much more at the touch of a button 24/7 via your mobile phone. No more unnecessary use of reams of paper and the need of carrying around documents with you. The app is free to download and all info is customary to your cycling trip ahead. A’ppy days.

With being a small family business we pride ourselves with providing personal, professional and friendly service for your London to Paris Cycling Challenge. We appreciate that everyone has different levels of experience and reasons for wishing to embark on this adventure and therefore require varying levels of support and guidance. We’re here to help you every step of the way from the moment you join the team all the way through to completing the challenge and beyond. Jim and Sue’s knowledge and expertise stems from dozens of years of travelling and their love of cycling in order to fully support you in the lead up to your cycling trip.

Adventurous Ewe puts the safety and well-being of you, our leaders & crew and the communities we visit at the centre of all our operations, always. Your safety and well-being is our top priority. Our London to Paris Cycling Challenge is designed to take you out of your every-day comfort zone and achieve something great with undertaking this self-powered journey. Rest assured we have a thorough Safety Management System, indepth risk assessments and risk management systems in place. Your crew will be equipped with communication devices (eg phones and radios) and medical kit. 

Here are a couple of important points for your consideration:

• The terrain on the challenge is often undulating, especially in the UK from Kent through to Dover. Once you reach France the terrain is more gradual with a few steady climbs.
• The weather during the challenge can be unpredictable so we would recommend checking the weather forecast beforehand and pack the appropriate clothing.
• You will be expected to adhere to the Highway Code during the challenge and respecting the traffic laws. Once you arrive into France you will be required to cycle on the right hand side of the road, and it is a legal requirement that you have a bell on your bike.
• 8 hours of cycling is long time to spend in the saddle, so please ensure your prepare accordingly and that you fuel your body correctly at the water stops and during breakfast and lunch. There will be plenty of water stops to fill up your water bottles during the challenge.

You will be accompanied by certified Adventurous Ewe Cycling Leader/s, Bike Mechanics and Crew. Our Leaders are first aid qualified and have extensive experience in leading cycling trips. They will be ultimately responsible for the running of the itinerary and the safety of your group.

Leaders and Crew will carrying full safety equipment and first aid kits with larger first aid kits located in the support vehicles. Please note, these kits are for emergencies only so please come prepared with your own personal first aid items. The Leaders and Crew will also be in constant radio communication with the vehicle drivers throughout your adventure.

The number of crew and support vehicles looking after you will depend on the final size of your group, but the team will be looking after every aspect of your trip whether that’s transporting your luggage, helping you with GPX route files, a friendly & supportive face at checkpoints and sorting out any mechanical problems. Support vehicle/s are with the group all of the time, and carry all luggage and spares.

The London to Paris Cycling Challenge is a team adventure and not designed to be an individual competitive race. You will receive a GPX file of the route and main turning points will be highlighted with route markers. There will be a Cycling Leader towards the front of the group together with cycling crew dispersed throughout the group. There will be a support vehicle accompanying the group as well and this usually travels at the rear of the pack. We encourage team spirit and support of each other to ensure everyone has the best opportunity to complete the challenge and enjoy the journey along the way too.

These adventures are a fantastic way to meet like-minded people and share an incredible journey whilst being accompanied and supported by friendly and experienced Adventurous Ewe Leaders and Crew.

All luggage, bike spares including spare bikes will be carried in the support vehicle and will be on hand to help with any mechanical problems. 

The London to Paris bike ride is graded as moderate to tough. It is a strenuous challenge which will allow people to push themselves out of their comfort zone.

Our challenges attract people of all levels of experience, fitness and ability as well as all ages and backgrounds. We design our challenges so that everyone can go at their own pace: it’s not a race. If you have concerns about your fitness or if you have reduced mobility please do contact us for a confidential chat about whether this challenge is appropriate for you.

For logistical and safety reasons we sometimes need to re-group, so the front-cyclists may find themselves waiting for the slower ones. Please relax, and remember that this is a team effort that enables people to achieve their personal goals.

Some key points for your consideration:

• Cycling from around 8 hours each day
• Covering roughly 300 miles over 4 days of cycling
• Ascending over 800m each day
• Cycling into Paris on quiet roads before finishing at the iconic Eiffel Tower

A bespoke cycling training programme will be provided when join the team to help you with your preparations. This challenge is suitable for all levels, as it is guided, however, the more you are prepared, the more you will enjoy the challenge.

We advise that you start training at least 4 – 5 months ahead of your cycling challenge to get used to being on a bike for consecutive days (especially for the sake of your fitness and getting your butt used to being in the saddle). By 3 months prior to departure, you should be able to take on longer rides, up to 40-50miles in a day. If you live in a flat area it is well worth getting out and finding some hills, the more of these you do the more enjoyable you will find the ride and the rest of your training. Within a month prior to your departure we recommend that you have done at least one 2-day ride. This will be the best indication of how well you are doing and mentally prepare you for the 4 day cycling journey to Paris. Ideally you want to be aiming for a steady average speed of 9 – 10 miles per hour as a minimum. 

Our motto is: Train hard, smile harder and enjoy the journey!

A full kit list will be provided when you join the team for the London to Paris Cycling Challenge. Good kit can make the difference between a fantastic two-wheeled and an uncomfortable one.

We strongly recommend that you use a road bike in the first instance or hybrid bike for this trip. Hire bikes and helmets are available for an additional cost of £285 for the 4 days including bike delivery, collection and transfers. Rest assured any equipment that we supply will be serviced hygienically cleaned.

If you are bringing your own bike, we strongly recommend that the bike is serviced the week before your challenge to ensure that the brake and gear cables along with brake pads haven’t been to worn out during your pre-challenge training.

Whilst we plan our trips around the optimal weather conditions, you could still be exposed to wet & windy or hot & humind weather at any time. It is important that you are prepared for all conditions.

Bikes can be packed into a bike box if you wish, but please notify us beforehand so that we can ensure there is enough room for the box in our vehicles. You will be expected to have the necessary tools with you to construct and deconstruct your bike. Once you have completed the challenge we will transport your bikes back to London by van so that you can collect them at St Pancras International Station.

To help you get the very best from your London to Paris Cycling Challenge we will provide you with an exclusive Adventurous Ewe discount code to use in independent UK outdoor retailers both in store and online.

Despite this trip being held over the Spring and Summer months, the weather can change rapidly so it is essential that you are prepared for all conditions including rain, wind and heat. In the week leading up to your trip we recommend monitoring the weather forecast and you will also receive weather updates via our mobile travel app, Vamoos.

Please note, the Leader/s reserve the right to change the itinerary at any time should the conditions require it as your safety and wellbeing is our top priority at all times.  In these circumstances we will make the best alternative arrangements possible that maintain the integrity of the original itinerary.

We usually stay in hotels or lodges of a 2-3* star hotels or equivalent. Standards may vary between the hotels but they are generally comfortable and convenient for our route. Hotels are often on the outskirts of towns to minimise unnecessary extra mileage and avoid traffic.

Rooms will be used on a twin share basis & all rooms will have their own bathroom. If you are travelling with a friend or partner who you wish to share with, please indicate this where appropriate during the booking process or email jim@adventurousewe.co.uk well in advance of your challenge.

If you don’t know anyone else in the group don’t worry, we always pair you up with someone of the same gender, and a similar age where possible. We do not charge a single supplement if you are a solo traveller in a shared room.

There may be a limited number of single rooms subject to request, on a first-come first-served basis, after you have booked. Extra charges will apply.

Your two-wheeled journey will begin in either Greenwich or Twickenham. We will confirm the exact location of your starting point at no later than 1 month prior to the start of the challenge. Please ensure that you have breakfast beforehand, because breakfast is not provided for on the first day.

On completion of your London to Paris Cycling Challenge, you will have a free morning in Paris to either explore this beautiful city or sit back in a cafe and watch the world go by. You will need to make your own way to Gare du Nord, officially Paris-Nord, one of the mainline railway station termini in Paris allowing plenty of time to check in ahead of your Eurostar train journey to London St Pancras International Station. Economy tickets are included in your package.

Bikes can be packed into a bike box if you wish, but please notify us beforehand so that we can ensure there is enough room for the box in our vehicles. You will be expected to have the necessary tools with you to deconstruct your bike. We will transport your bikes back to London by van so that you can collect them at St Pancras International Station.

We like to support local businesses and will source food locally. Lunches will be in restaurants along the route or picnic style and dinners are usually eaten at the hotel or a nearby restaurant. Do make sure you eat enough to give you the energy for your exertions. The hotels in which you will be staying will have a continental breakfast buffet (please note that breakfast is not included on departure in London).

Water and snacks will be provided during your cycle journey at checkpoints enroute. 

If you have any dietary requirements or allergies, please let us know via the booking process or via the ‘Personal Details’ link we will send you via Vamoos. 

We also recommend you bring your own energy filled snacks and electrolytes for the cycle.

Travel Insurance is an important part of any booking. It is compulsory that everyone who travels with us has taken out adequate travel insurance which includes, among other things, cover for the full value of your trip, medical (emergency, evacuation and repatriation) arrangements, personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage and personal effects and pandemic travel cover.

For UK residents we have partnered with Campbell & Irvine Direct to provide you with a travel insurance. If you would like to obtain cover for your trip please feel free to contact specialist Insurance Brokers, Campbell Irvine Direct for a quote.

We also recommend you have sufficient bike insurance for your bicycle.

You must send your Travel Insurance Policy to Adventurous Ewe no less than one month prior to departure.