Let's face it, winter in the UK can be a pretty dreary affair. Especially if you are a cyclist!
Luckily with the launch of software like TrainerRoad, Zwift, and the Bkool Simulator life on the trainer is getting better and better.
However, nothing beats getting some winter sunshine and riding with your friends. Especially when you have some form for once! ' Read how I turned myself from a blower to a leader here.
I'm lucky to have a terrific group of friends who I ride with and we try and get away at least once a year. The last three trips have been to a small village in Spain just near Denia and Xabia.
Two of the guys have apartments out there and we either stay with them or get one in the same complex. This normally works out around 30 per person per night so is an absolute bargain!
In terms of flights, we have used Monarch from Manchester which then flies into Alicante. Once there, we hire a minibus for all of us and the bikes.
Regarding bike transport, I use a Bike Box Alan Hardcase which has done me proud for over 5 years of use. These are as good as you can get, easy to pack and have rollers so great for pushing around airports!
Get out as much as possible
We tend to ride every day we are there and this year (as you can see from the video below), we had some excellent weather. It was mostly sunny and around 18-20 degrees, so arm warmers and leg warmers in the morning which soon came off.
We normally do some familiar routes, anything from 30 to 70 miles and a fair bit of climbing. The roads are generally excellent although not as good as Majorca. Most drivers are pretty good in terms of safety and sharing the road (certainly much better than in the UK sadly), which is always reassuring.
Expenses
The cost of food and drink has certainly increased over the past few years with the wonderful news of Brexit (the less said about that the better) and the falling pound. But, it is still good value.
We usually do at least one coffee and toast stop in the morning and a decent lunch. In the evening there are plenty of excellent restaurants in Xabia and Denia. The food really is an added bonus when getting away to places like Spain.
Is a cycling holiday for you?
I cannot recommend riding abroad enough ' it is a fantastic experience, especially in winter/spring when you can get some sunshine and miles in the legs. If you have a group of mates to ride with, it truly is a wonderful experience.
However, there are plenty of companies that organise specialist cycling holidays ' just Google 'cycling holidays Europe' and you will get the idea.
Enjoy the short film we put together! (PS we would REALLY appreciate it if you could subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Thanks very much!).
