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The stars of men’s elite professional road cycling battle it out every year on the UCI WorldTour. In total there are 38 World Tour events taking place in 2017 in 16 different countries world wide. You can’t beat the excitement of a bike race, either as a cyclist or as a spectator. We offer a fantastic selection of exclusive hospitality access and VIP experiences on the 3 Grand Tours, the 5 Monuments of Cycling and some of the other big races on the 2017 UCI WorldTour cycling calendar. The biggest events on the professional cycling calendar are: The 3 Grand Tours – 3 week multi-day tours; Giro d’Italia , Tour de France , Vuelta a Espana The 5 Monuments of Cycling –  Milan San Remo ,   Tour of Flanders ,  Paris – Roubaix ,  Liege Bastogne Liege ,  and finally  Giro Lombardia 2017 UCI World Tour review March 2017 Making its debut on the UCI World Tour calendar is the  Strade Bianche   in Tuscany, Italy (March 4) . After this two big ...

Last night we welcomed a host of friends of the Tour of Tameside for what will become an annual ‘Talk of the Tour’ evening. Over 50 fans of the iconic running event descended upon the Grafton Centre in Hyde, to enjoy an evening of reminiscing running memories and reacquainting themselves with competitors that they have been shoulder to shoulder with over the years. Graham Jackson, Race Director for the Tour of Tameside and former Tour legend himself said “It brought back so many fond memories seeing and chatting to the runners from back in-the-day and also the past two years. The Tour of Tameside is such an important event on the calendar; we are delighted that it remains an important event for everyone in the borough”. Former four time winner Bashir Hussein along with the Tour of Tameside creator Dr Ron Hill MBE and Neil Atherton who forms part of the ‘Famous 4’ who ran every edition of the Tour since its inception had a chance to look through the magnificent photographic collectio...

Created in 1903 by a struggling French newspaper to try to sell more copies, the Tour de France is a race within a race. The overall final winner gets to wear the famed yellow jersey (le maillot jaune). But racers also fight for the daily stage victories, intermediate sprints for the green points jersey, plus the mountain points for the stand-out red polka-dot climber’s jersey. The white jersey is awarded to the best rider under 25, while the last placed rider overall becomes the winner of the lanterne rouge, the red light at the rear of the peloton. The arrival of the Tour on the Champs-Elysées in Paris is always a massive cheering event gathering thousands on an usually sunny Sunday. Tour de France – Paris grandstand and VIP hospitality The Tour de France’s support vehicles have not always been in the news in a positive light in recent years. The roads around the racers seem to be getting busier and busier with motorbikes and cars. All vehicles on the course fulfil very...

The Hyde-based micro-brewery who are on a mission to “re-invent the pint” by crafting unique, balanced and bold beers that rely on flavour, not fashion will be a familiar name to many in the area having recently scooped the prestigious ‘Pride of Tameside Start Up Business of the Year 2015’. Chris Bird, CEO of Sports Tours International, the organisers of the Tour of Tameside said; “The essence of the Tour of Tameside is to engage with local people, local charities and also local businesses to show off the very best of what the borough has to offer, and we are delighted to welcome Tweed Brewing Company on board. Anthony and Tracey are a prime example of a Tameside business that has worked tirelessly and are now reaping the rewards with a great reputation in the beer brewing industry”. Chris went on to say; “The pop-up bar provision that will be seen at the end of each stage of the event in June will provide runners and spectators that all important celebratory drink that is much needed...

As the leading specialist participation sports tour operator, here at Sports Tours International we are always on the look out for new events to present to our customers. 2017 is no exception and in fact we seem to have outdone ourselves with a massive selection of new events and services to choose from. Have a look at our round up below and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate and Contact Us New with Sports Tours International for 2017 Bike Rental We have massively expanded our bike rental offering for the 2017 cycling season. Many of our multi-day tours now offer the option to add bike rental. The bike will be available for you on arrival and then collected when you depart. All you need to bring is a helmet, pedals and cycling clothes. Overland bike transport from the UK As part of our collection of race and travel services for travelling cyclists, we offer a convenient overland bike transport service. We understand that not everyone is too keen on taking their bike...

The wonderful world of Disney surprises runners at every corner, not only are they spectacular running events, they also offer lots of opportunity to get your hands on the desired runDisney Medals. We have mentioned many of the medals available, but did you know, if you complete a half marathon distance at Disneyland Paris and at the Disneyland Resort in California or a half marathon or marathon at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida , in the same calendar year, then you will receive an additional Castle to Chteau commemorative medal. We have travel packages available for both the 2017 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna in Orlando, and the 2017 Disneyland Paris Val d Europe Half-Marathon weekend, so not only would you run these 2 magical events and enjoy all that is on offer, you will also get your hands on the very special Castle to Chteau medal. For the first chance to qualify for this medal in 2017, you will need to enter the Walt Disney World Marathon Wee...

Widely regarded as one of the best and friendliest 10k’s in the North West, the UKFast sponsored City of Salford 10k returns to the spectacular MediaCityUK ON Sunday 3rd of September 2017. Following the success of over 3,500 runners in September of this year, the race will again start and finish in the Piazza where runners and spectators will be surrounded by the impressive BBC and ITV Studio buildings, before heading out on closed roads on a route that will provided runners with a number of key local landmarks for their view. Sports Tours International Race Director Graham Jackson said, “We are delighted to be retuning to the magnificent MediaCityUK for the UKFast City of Salford 10k. In 2016 we welcomed so many runners from all parts of the region and beyond – we are expecting even more for 2017!”. Graham went on to say “Many of those who take part do so for that sense of achievement which is great credit to them and we encourage all standard and abilities to come and be a part of...

As part of our collection of race and travel services for travelling cyclists, we offer a convenient overland bike transport service. We understand that not everyone is too keen on taking their bike on a flight, either because they have had a bad experience or they do not want to take any risks with potential damage or loss. We therefore offer a door to door overland bike transport service for fully assembled bikes so no need for a bike box. Watch our VIDEO here on how it works Prices We offer our overland bike transport service to be booked as a stand alone service or alongside our travel packages to the following events: Gran Fondo Milan San Remo – Sunday June 11, 2017 – £175 per bike Gran Fondo Stelvio – Sunday June 11, 2017 – £175 per bike Marmotte Gran Fondo Alps – Sunday July 2, 2017 – £150 per bike Maratona dles Dolomites – Sunday July 2, 2017 – £175 per bike Etape du Tour – Sunday July 16, 2017 – £150 per bike EARLY BOOKING DEAL – BOOK BEFORE 31 DECEM...

Financial security of your booking with us Sports Tours International is one of the largest independent sports tour operators. We have not only been in business for over 40 years but we are also part of the Done Brothers group of companies which also include the companies Betfred and Peninsula Business services. Because we are firm believers in putting our customers first and in doing business responsibly we are members of all the leading tourism industry organisations like ABTA, IATA and ATOL. All the moneys paid by our customers to us for their travel packages are covered under ABTA’s bonding scheme*. Before you book your holiday we advise you to look out for the membership of these organisations so you know you are dealing with a reputable company. *A travel package consists of a combination of at least two of the following components: Transport. Accommodation. Quality control and health and safety We operate a stringent supplier selection process and all our hotels, t...

The best 2017 cycling Ride and Watch events The ideal weekend for cycling fans; ride on the same roads as the riders of the professional peloton before watching how it is done the day after or in some cases the day before. Not a cyclist? Have a look at our comprehensive collection of VIP days and hospitality experiences during all the best cycling races in 2017. Cyclo-Sportive, Gran Fondo and Cyclo-Touristique In France and Belgium it is not allowed to have several competitive events in the same weekend. To get round this the amateur event which usually takes place either the day before or the day after is classed as a non-competitive event or ‘Cyclo-Touristique’. The main difference between Cyclo- Sportives, Gran Fondo events and Cyclo Touristiques is the competitive element. Touristiques tend to be non-timed, on open roads to the traffic without a winner and without the need to have a medical certificate. The challenge remains however as some of these are very tough and you a...