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Here at Sports Tours International we are mad about the one day classics and we couldn’t wait for the cycling season to get on the way again in 2019. We came straight from the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Belgium to Tuscany for what we consider to be one of the highlights of the entire year, the fabulous Strade Bianche. 2019 UCI World Tour review Our Cycling Guides and Pro Mechanics Howard McAlpine and Ed Beckmann share their experience at the 2019 Strade Bianche Friday 8 th  March 19’ – Arrival Day As part of our service, we provide airport transfers from Pisa airport. Unfortunately as the week ahead of the event went on, it appeared that a national general strike was planned in Italy on 8 March which meant that air travel was disrupted. On the schedule today was a collection from Pisa airport and collect all our customers. We knew that today we’d be in a bit of bother as some of our customers were struggling to get their flights re-scheduled. Some quick thinking and liai...

Last December saw the launch of The Running Bee Foundation – a brand new initiative founded and supported by Sports Tours International which aims to make a difference in our local communities. The very first recipient of a grant was The Anthony Seddon Fund, a superb charity that works tirelessly to support those with mental health issue and their families in the Tameside area. We spoke to Donna Thomas from the Anthony Seddon fund who explained how that first grant is already starting to make a real difference… “Like many other mental health charities we rely on the generosity and support of total strangers to help make our services as widely available as possible. Without a financial cushion to fall on, many charities just like ours simply fade into nothingness. Luckily, we had The Running Bee Foundation on our side… Their £500 donation (the very first of its kind from the foundation) was gratefully accepted with the knowledge that we could put it to good use, helping people in ...

A brand new event for us this year and one that’s very different from anything else we offer. As it’s one massive climb, we couldn’t wait to hear what Simon Warren’s thought would be regarding this unique event. We all really enjoyed reading his article, however we still can’t decide if we’d actually want to line up on the start line! Over to Simon: “There really is no way of sugar coating it, this ride is a long way from a pootle around your local lanes. The Taiwan KOM is a challenge with a capital C , in fact it is challenge with a capital C H A L L E N G and E . Now I’m not here to scare people off, I’m just here to lay it all out, this will take some training to prepare for and some guts to complete, but hey, that’s what us cyclists love, right? It’s all about the challenge, of pushing ourselves further and higher, in this case, much higher, it’s what we live for. The event was first run in 2012 and right away grabbed cyclists attention as they learned what was involved. There we...

The iconic Tour of Tameside is returning for its fourth year and has partnered with local and nationwide organisations to support the North West’s newest charitable initiative. The 2019 tour will be a part of the newly announced charity, The Running Bee Foundation and alongside founders Sports Tours International , will be supported by national supermarket supplier Kerry Foods , national specialist running retailer Up & Running , North West housing provider Jigsaw Group , Tameside’s leisure facilities Active Tameside , Tameside’s local newspaper and radio Tameside Reporter and Tameside Radio , Oldham based O’Donnell solicitors , Glossop’s ale brewer’s Howard Town Brewery and local school equipment supplier Davies Sports . Kevin Harmer, UK Events & Sponsorship Manager at The Running Bee Foundation said; “We’re pleased to welcome past and new partners to the tour this year. It’s a big year for us as all our UK events are now part of The Running Bee Foundation, which wil...

As part of our collection of race and travel services for the travelling cyclist, 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 an overland bike transport service for fully assembled bikes so no need for a bike box! Our service is a cost-efficient way to transport just your bike and no bags or extra wheels without the need for a bike bag or box. Ideal if you want to fly and you don’t want worry about your bike. It will be waiting for you on arrival. The main features of the service We use a network of hubs in the Irish republic, Northern Ireland and in the UK. You select the hub that’s most convenient for you and you will have a period of a few days that you can make your way to the hub at your convenience to drop your bike off. No need for a bike bag or box. It’...

If you’re lacking a bit of motivation today and need some inspiration then look no further… we have just the lady for you. Meet Daphne Belt.  NOW is a good time to start! At the age of 50 there are probably some of you who might be thinking, it’s time I hang up my trainers, cycling shoes or goggles. I’m getting too old for this… however that was the furthest from the lips of Super Triathlete Daphne Belt who was just starting her career in Triathlon. It was a “Get back to fitness” push that inspired Daph to sign up for the Damp Dash in the Kingfisher at Kingston-Upon-Thames. It’s fair to say Daphne got the bug and has since gone on to be one of the UKs most successful amateur athletes. Now at 79 she has competed in over 380 triathlons including the Ironman World Championships in Kona. Daph is 32 times national triathlon age group champion over various distances but winning isn’t the only thing on her mind. Daph relentlessly raises money for a number of charities. In 2014 Daph ...

Each year International Women’s Day aims to highlight the struggles and promote the rights of women the world over. Many iterations of the day have existed for over 100 years now, but it wasn’t until 1975 that the event was formally recognised by the United Nations. The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #BalanceForBetter – the idea that a more gender balanced world will make for a better society while at the same time still celebrating all the things that make every International Women’s Day an essential date on our yearly calendar. At Sports Tours International and The Running Bee Foundation we’ve long been in the corner of gender equality, especially when it comes to sport-related issues. And nobody else embodies the fight to reach a gender balance in the world of sport better than our very own Community Ambassador Stacey Copeland. Last year, Stacey became the very first British woman to win a Commonwealth Boxing Championship. But her road to the title, and her j...

Here at Sports Tours International we love running and when we’re not out running ourselves, we love helping others achieve their dreams. The pinnacle of Marathon running are the World marathon Majors. At the end of February, 2019, the Tokyo Marathon heralded another year of the Majors with the first of the year, the Tokyo Marathon. Our guide to the 2019 World Marathon Majors Our Deputy Head of International Operations, Si Teasdale shares his experience. 28 th February 19’ – Arrival Day Arrival into Japan for the first time can seem a bit daunting but it this apprehension soon dispersed for our Sports Tours International Runners as they were met at Nirita airport by our running guides Ed and Peter, two of our most experienced running reps. Shortly after landing our two coaches, that were there and waiting, we’re on the way to the Koto area of Tokyo and the Marathon Expo. The journey take’s approximately one hour from the airport and is on route to our hotel, The Keio Plaza....