French Pyrenees women only cycling tour

Planet

What better way to travel sustainably than by exploring an area by bicycle? Our tour across the Pyrenees will see riders pedal over 640 environmentally-friendly kilometres each. Travel to the start and end points of the tour by train is encouraged as a more energy efficient mode of transport compared to car/air travel. Although we will be providing a support van, we will choose one that is as fuel efficient as possible and ensure that the shortest routes are taken between destinations.

We have chosen to cycle along quiet roads so that the riders can experience the countryside and ride through authentic French villages. We will limit the group to 14 plus 2 crew to ensure we don’t overcrowd an area. Riders will be asked to observe wildlife from a distance and not to feed any animals or birds.

We will try to reduce waste by purchasing lunch items that have the least amount of packaging, and wrap individual picnics in paper, rather than plastic, bags. We will buy only free-range meat and dairy products. Riders will be asked to use refillable water bottles rather than disposable plastic ones, thus reducing plastics manufacturing and waste disposal. We will use local water fountains, hotels and cafes to refill water bottles rather than buy bottled water.

We will “leave no trace” and collect ALL rubbish (including items such as apple cores and banana skins, as although these are biodegradable they may not be native to the local environment). Rubbish will be disposed of responsibly in the correct bins/compost collection points.

We also try to minimise the environmental impact of running our office by: using paperless booking; communicating via email; printing stationery on recyclable paper; re-using and recycling paper; switching off our office equipment at night.

People

By cycling coast to coast across the Pyrenees our riders will experience changes in culture, scenery and climate as they journey through the regions of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Ariège and Pyrénées-Orientales.

We hope to promote the local economies of the areas we travel through by staying in small, independent hotels and B&Bs. Family run restaurants situated close to the hotels will be chosen for evening meals with a preference for those that use local produce thus helping to reduce the amount of food miles. Items for packed lunches will be purchased from village épiceries, boulangeries and bouchers. We will make good use of GPS guidance to help us find local cafes when stopping for espressos and patisseries.

Participants will be advised to ride in a responsible and friendly manner and encouraged to interact positively with local cyclists. Riders are encouraged to buy any gifts/souvenirs en-route rather than at the airport and we are happy to transport these for them to the final destination.

Safety of riders is paramount and all are advised to: take out adequate travel insurance that covers cycling as an activity; wear the correct clothing for the varying environments; wear a helmet and hi-viz clothing and use bright front and rear lights. All riders will be provided with maps and emergency numbers and fully briefed at the start of each day.