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The 2018 Giro d’Italia route has been confirmed! Yesterday the event organisers of the Giro d’Italia hosted an opening ceremony in Milan to confirm the 101 st Giro d’Italia route for 2018. Our team are now very busy tailoring our trips to Italy so you can witness the fantastic atmosphere that the race provides. We are the only international tour operator who has official partnerships with the three Cycling Grand Tours and the five Monuments of Cycling. We provide an unrivaled offering of travel options to provide sports fans as well as the travelling amateur cyclist access to a whole host of amazing events throughout the year. We have been operating tours to major cycling events around the world for over 20 years and our team of drivers, bike mechanics, bike guides and tour hosts have unrivaled knowledge and expertise of this incredible event. Our partnership with the Giro d’Italia allows us to include exclusive VIP access into all our tours for cyclists and spectators to ensure our ...

At 10am Friday November 24th, the 2018 UKFast City of Salford 10k entry system officially opened! The race is one of the biggest and best 10k’s in the North West and due to the demand for race entries, Sports Tours International have been able to open up the online system early. With over 3,500 entrants for the 2017 edition, we expect even more in September 2018 and runners are encouraged to book now at the EARLY BIRD PRICE of just £16 and £14 for affiliated club runners. Enter Now! The post Entries open for 2018 UKFAST City of Salford 10k appeared first on Sports Tours . from Sports Tours http://ift.tt/2jVkPQS via IFTTT

It’s been a fantastic few days for our team at Sports Tours International. This is because we have beaten off competition from Thomas Cook Sport and Neilson Ski to scoop the award for the Best Sports Travel and Tourism Site in the TravelMole UK Awards 2017. Travelmole Web Awards 2017. Photo by Steve Dunlop steve@stevedunlop.com   The awards were rated on user experience from readers of the TravelMole website which is a travel industry community website that engages with people in the travel industry across the UK. The votes were based on four factors, content, layout, ease of navigation and innovation of the website. Chris Bird, Chief Executive here at Sports Tours International, emphasised that: “This is a great achievement, and a testament to our brand and everyone who has worked hard on our current website over the past two years. Our new website has been very successful commercially, and we’ve seen an increased level of customer engagement.” Since the launch of our new w...

Here at Sports Tours International we offer a wide selection of European amateur cycling events. Here is our list of the best put together by Alex de Waard, keen cyclist and our Head of International Operations. Our aim is to provide the best support in the business so you can focus on enjoying the event without having to worry about the (sometimes complicated) logistics that come with getting to and from the event and its start and finish. On our events single travellers can join our group and we provide a race briefing, additional food and assistance points along the course and various other additional race services. To give you an overview of what’s available and what each event has on offer in terms of distance, difficulty, entry availability and access we have put together the below list for you. Cyclo-Sportives and Gran Fondo The name Gran Fondo is often used in the US for cycling events. In Europe the name Cyclo-Sportive tends to be used more in France while Gran Fon...

Living “up North” in England I’ve ridden cobbles plenty of times, before I ever decided to attempt the Paris Roubaix. Most of my experience has been on cobbled climbs in or around Halifax. Trooper Lane in Halifax. More  Koppenberg, than Arenberg. Shibden Wall, Trooper Lane and Gibb lane are really more suited to practice for Flanders, rather than Paris-Roubaix. Climbing on slippy cobbles is definitely easier than riding slippy flat cobbles at time-trial speeds. So it was fair to say, that I was quite nervous the first time I hit the Paris – Roubaix Cobbles in 2016.I arrived in Roubaix a couple of days before the event, so rather then just spinning the legs I decided to take “the unknown” out of the event, by riding the cobbles beforehand. I planned a route on the normal roads straight to the Troupe d’ Arenberg so I could kick off with a five star sector. My rationale being, that if I could survive one of the hardest sectors, then I’d hopefully be able to survive the others. ...

Dozens of hills (‘bergs’) and cobblestone sections are what have made the Ronde Van Vlaanderen legendary.  Come to Flanders in spring time and you will see lots of amateur cyclists struggling, suffering and sometimes even falling off their bike on these bergs. We selected four of the most famous bergs (all cobbled): the most steep and/or dramatic ones, with the best photographic opportunities. Koppenberg When your legs explode and your arms go numb, you’ve arrived on the Koppenberg, a Flemish climb that has reduced pro bike racers to shuffling, broken survivors. For years, photographs have carried forward stories of the suffering on the Koppenberg and nearby hills that exact a toll during races in March and April. The plot: men in trouble, faces blank, eyes searching for an escape from pain as the race leader floats over a summit toward immortality. We can’t stop watching. “Koppen” is an abbreviation for “kinderkoppen”, literally “children’s heads” – an expression referring...

As the cold winter weather approaches and the nights seemingly get darker and darker people can be put off from exercising and put their training on hold until spring comes around. However, by waiting for the spring, crucial preparation months are lost. Moreover, your weight will definitely increase over the winter months if you enjoy too many turkey dinners and festive treats whilst putting your exercise routine on the back burner. According to the Association of UK Dietitians the average person in the UK could easily consume an extra 500 calories per day in December, resulting in a possible weight gain of around 5lb by the time January comes around. So what can you do to make the most of the winter months? Going indoors Hitting the gym throughout the winter months is a popular strategy amongst people in Britain. The opportunity to continue training whilst removing the risk of being exposed to the elements is a key factor in the popularity of why people use gym’s in winter. Howeve...

Last weekend some of Sports Tours International staff got cold, wet and really muddy all in the name of charity. The event that was held at Haigh Woodland Park, Wigan, was a 5k assault course that combined a range of obstacles that tested the competitor’s physical endurance. It was impossible to stay clean! Cross country running is very likely to be a muddy affair, that’s a given. However this course also included two separate plunges into freezing cold mud pools. Our staff finished the race absolutely covered in mud and grateful that they had brought a change of clothes. A physical challenge!   In addition to the 5k of cross country running, the route also had several obstacles that tested the upper body strength of our staff. These included military walls that required the competitors to show great team work to ensure everyone could climb them. The walls were tough to get over but provided a much needed break from running through mud. As the race neared the finish line the ...

Last weekend some of Sports Tours International staff got cold, wet and really muddy all in the name of charity. The event that was held at Haigh Woodland Park, Wigan, was a 5k assault course that combined a range of obstacles that tested the competitor’s physical endurance. It was impossible to stay clean! Cross country running is very likely to be a muddy affair, that’s a given. However this course also included two separate plunges into freezing cold mud pools. Our staff finished the race absolutely covered in mud and grateful that they had brought a change of clothes. A physical challenge!   In addition to the 5k of running, the route also had several obstacles that tested the upper body strength of our staff. These included military walls that required the competitors to show great team work to ensure everyone could climb them. The walls were tough to get over but provided a much needed break from running through mud. As the race neared the finish line the penultimate...

Our 2018 TCS New York City Marathon packages will be on sale shortly. Sign up to our wait list here In the meantime check out the stats from 2017 below. New york 2017 by Lewis Trice     The post Our TCS New York City Marathon 2017 infographic appeared first on Sports Tours . from Sports Tours http://ift.tt/2zussDS via IFTTT

by Darrel Glover,  Travel Rep, Tour Guide and Ride Guide for Sports Tours International. 2018 will be my eleventh year working for Sports Tours International, so I wanted to share some thoughts on our longstanding season opener, the Albir Gardens cycling training camp. This trip was my introduction to overseas cycling and became my spring cycling holiday before I started guiding. It taught me a great deal about what you are capable of with a little application and the correct mind set. Riding with like-minded others and without the pressures of a big event, it gives you an excellent environment to learn from. I know that by just doing the rides, and enjoying your time on the bike, you will benefit greatly and have fun. And the roads are great … Returning to Albir for my 17th year may seem a little sad with so many impressive cycling destinations, but at this time of year when we are getting ourselves ready to enjoy the next season, you really can’t beat it! With the Pro teams ...

Alongside our very popular UKFast City of Salford 10k in June , MediaCityUK will once again play host to our upcoming Jingle Bell Jog on the 3rd December. Previously known as the Santa Dash, hundreds are set to take to the streets of MediaCityUK dressed as Santa’s, Elf’s, Reindeers and all things festive! As it is such a fantastic location, which we can’t wait to join once again, we wanted to share some facts about MediaCityUK you may have not known! Check them out below: Over 2,000 people were involved in the construction of MediaCityUK, with more than 7.3 million man hours spent on site. The Peel Group has invested approximately £650 million into MediaCityUK to date, which has involved the transformation of what was once one of Britain’s busiest docks. The BBC has been established at MediaCityUK since 2011 and produces a wide range of broadcast and online content. Around 2,500 BBC employees work there, making a range of exciting content for BBC News, BBC Sport, 5Live, CBBC...

On Sunday October 29th, Heaton Park played host to the first ever Dreams Come True Halloween Fun Run, where over 450 runners and spectators dressed in spooky Halloween costumes were welcomed. UK Events & Sponsorship Manager at Sports Tours International, Kevin Harmer said: “This was our first ever event at Heaton Park and we are delighted with the feedback from those who took part, with so many people from Manchester and beyond coming together in support of the Dreams Come True Charity and helping us to celebrate Halloween.” The Dreams Come True Halloween Fun Run route took runners on a course which showcased all of the Park’s most interesting and spooky spaces, such as the start which was the ‘Safe’ zone before going through the Zombie Zone , Spooky Band , Ghost Tunnel and Haunted House , which collectively tested runners of all ability levels. Martin Neal, Head of Community Fundraising at the Dreams Come True Charity said; “The Dreams Come True Charity would like to thank the ...

Ride Alpe d’Huez with Sports Tours International during the All Mountains Tour of the 2018 Tour de France ,  Annecy to Alpe d’Huez of the 2018 Tour de France the Marmotte Alps Gran Fondo  and the Haute Route Alps . L’Alpe d’Huez is also called L’Ile au Soleil as it is south facing and sometimes in the winter the clouds hover in the valley above Bourg d’Oisans but you are in bright sunshine up in Alpe d’Huez. The resort is popular with cyclists and skiers throughout the world but mainly with Dutch, Danes and Brits. There are three different ways up to the purpose built ski resort which played host to the 1968 winter Olympics. The first and most well-known way up is the 21 hairpin bends from the village of Bourg d’Oisans up to the finish which is at the top of Alpe d’Huez near the Palais des Sports. Another way up is via the Col de Sarenne which was used in the 2013 Tour de France when the riders endured a double ascent of the Alpe and they descended down the Col de Sarenne....