FAQ - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Our tours are cycling tours and offer an experience of complete immersion in the culture of each region. The tours include high standard accommodation, a guide, a support vehicle, bikes, all snacks during the ride, meals in our curated restaurants, among other things.
- On a typical day you meet us at our shop at 8:50 to fill in the tour agreement form, get equipped and make the payment. We leave around 9:05 in a van to the mountains and start riding from the top. We ride until lunch time and then the group stops at a local restaurant (not included in tour price). After lunch we ride until around 16:00 and arrive around 16:30/17:00 to the shop/??.
- We will travel somewhere 40km to 130km per a day (depending on the tour) on quiet, pleasant roads.
- No, Some tours are self-guided
- The most important part of our work is mapping the best routs for each destination. We make a point of selecting routes that are safe, charming and not very busy. However, we can not guarantee that there won’t be any traffic. We’ll try to avoid it, but it can happen. The roads in Portugal and Spain are generally high quality and very well surfaced. In addition, European drivers are used to dealing with cyclists on the route and are, for the most part, very respectful.
- You are welcome to bring your own bike for the ride!
- We recommend that you bring the following:
- 1 suitcase per person
- General clothing
- Bathing suit and sandals
- Walking shoes/sandals
- Evening and casual wear
- Cycling Gear
- Cycling bib shorts
- Cycling jersey
- Cycling socks
- Cycling shoes and pedals – please inform us of your preference, so we can setup your bike in advance
- Cycling gloves
- Helmet – we provide our own helmets upon request, but you are welcome to bring your own
- Saddle – general saddle provided with the bike however we have a few different options to choose from range of saddles but you are welcome to bring your own
- Wind and rain Jacket
- Arm and leg warmers
- Transfers: Airport pick-ups to your first hotel and drop-offs at the end of the tour are included on our standard self-guided tours, just like your guided tours.
- Luggage transfers: Luggage transfers between hotels are included in our self-guided bike tours.
- Meals: Unless specifically requested, the only meal included in your self-guided bike tour is breakfast, at the hotel. All other meals are yours to choose from unless contracted previously. Portugal and Spain have plenty of options to stop to enjoy local food and drinks and it’s actually one of the best ways to get to know the local culture.
- Accommodation: On our self-guided bike tours, accommodations are previously arranged. We operate with some of the best hotels on the regions you chose to explore, and all of them have safe places to store bikes over night. Bikes and gear
- Bike rental: you can opt for a mountain, touring, road bike, gravel bike and several E-bikes to choose from (depending on the tour you have chosen), pedal systems can be arranged upon request, or we will deliver the bike with flat pedals, helmets included in the tour upon request. We offer the option for you to buy and keep a new helmet. Other gear you will have with your bike are water bottles, handlebar bas so you can carry your essentials ( you can choose to ride without them), saddle bags with multitool, tire levers, extra inner-tube, and a CO2 pack so you can tackle any problem you may encounter along the way.
- Private briefing and bike fit: At the start of your tour, you’ll be welcomed by a Pedalquest guide, who will provide you with a private briefing, detailing all the information you need to know before your tour: detailed itinerary, weather prediction, daily rides, suggested restaurants and points of interest along the way, emergency contacts, overall tips on cycling in Portugal and all the gear necessary for your tour will be handed out by the guide. You’ll also go through a bike fitting process, to make sure your height, saddle, pedals and everything else is fit accordingly, so you can safely enjoy your tour.
- GPS Routes: Bike routes are previously planned and designed from hotel to hotel. They are already uploaded on the Garmin GPS that we include with the self-guided tour, which is your main navigation system – just follow the daily tracks on your GPS to get around.
Our self-guided tours can be individuals so don’t count riding in a group – you’ll be riding in your own group or by yourself. It’s great if you value independence and choosing your own timing and pace.
- More independence = less support
Unlike guided bike tours, self-guided bike tours do not have vehicle support. This means that it’s your responsibility to get to the next hotel every day, even if you head into bad weather or just don’t feel like riding anymore. If you do run into trouble, though, call the emergency hotline, and the tour company will help as much as possible. So make sure you follow our packing list and bring all the gear necessary to prepare for weather changes.
- Self-Navigation and bike repair
You are expected to follow the tracks on your GPS which are your main navigation system so basic understanding or experience of GPS is a plus (we do, however, explain how to use the GPS’s on your private briefing). You’ll also be expected to fix your own flat tires. (If you don’t know how, ask your local bike mechanic to show you how to do it or ask your Live Love Ride guide during the private briefing). In the rare case of bike malfunction, we will send you the closest location to a bike shop that can fix the problem. Make sure you know how to change a flat and handle minor issues that may occur during your rides.
- We don’t recommend our tours for children, although if they are in their mid teens (15-17) and under parental supervision and prof of capability we allow them to join the group. We believe that the type of activity (roads, visits to wineries, gastronomic restaurants with long service) is not suitable for children, but if you want to provide this life experience to your teenager child we can make it work
- You go in a group if you are less than 7 riders. Our 9 seater vans can take up 7riders + driver + guide.
- We try to maintain an intimate and exclusive atmosphere in our groups, as this is the type of tourism we believe in. Our groups have 6 to 14 participants.
- Yes, you can schedule a private tour specifically for your group, or choose one of our pre-existent tours, making them private with a minimum of 6 guests. Please contact us through e-mail at hello@pedalquesttours.com with your requests!
- We have a bigger van that can take up to 16 riders + driver + guide.
- We need to know what type of tour you would like to book, for how many riders, riding level, if you need to rent a bike and if you do, we need your height and weight.
- You may use the booking form on our website or email us your request to hello@pedalquesttours.com.
- The details of the booking will be settled on the email conversations.
- To secure your reservation, you are required to make a bank transfer of 30‰ of the
total amount to our account. No bookings/reservations are secured without paying a
deposit.
- We don’t pick up riders as that would make us waste riding time.
- If your group is 7 riders we may pick up depending on the location.
- You can book accommodation anywhere on the island but keep in mind that you need to meet us at our shop at 8:50 on the riding days.
- No, we don’t do shuttle only. It’s always guided/shuttled tours.
- We invite you to customize your own travel itinerary in Portugal or Spain. Please email us at hello@pedalquesttours.com and we’ll then get in touch with you and plan your rides according to your needs!
- Most trails will be different but you may repeat 1 to 3 trails on a 5 days bike holiday.
- We don’t do half days.
- Yes, you can book only the guided tours and as many as you wish.
- You can also book only the tours + airport transfers.
- Yes. We host our guests in hotels that are mostly 5-star. We promote different gastronomic experiences and offer an exceptional support service. At the same time, we love to have you experience the contrast between authentic/local and truly exclusive experiences.
- The price varies according to the destination chosen. To find out how much each tour costs, simply access our catalogs available on this page. The prices vary between 750€ and 5000€ per person in double accommodation. This amount can be paid through Stripe on our page.
- Payments are made in Euros. We accept most credit cards.
- Our cancellation policy makes it as easy as possible to change your bike tour to different dates or destinations. Even in uncertain times, you can rely on us to provide flexibility so you can book your trip with confidence. Your trip payment is fully transferable up until 60 days before departure, and your payment on file can be used in the next 24 months.