It's a philosophy of both Paul Hughes and Bridget Evans that has evolved over many years of adventures around the world from their love of cycling both on and off the bike, and the sheer joy of meeting and sharing this passion with other people who have a similar joy for cycling and life.
A philosophy that they wish to share with you, with your own cycling holiday "escapism".
They ask themselves the question; What is it about cycling and travel that is both enjoyable and also not so enjoyable... ?
... experience the difference with a "practicebicycle.com" cycling holiday:
Knowledge & Experience: with over 45 years of high level cycling experience at various age and gender categories, competition, coaching and management in numerous countries of the world, we have the extensive local knowledge for your ideal cycling holiday.
Personal: highly developed personal social skills and understanding of the individual needs of our busy guests to tailor our cycling holidays with a personalised service approach.
One Location: with time your most valuable commodity, we believe that accommodating our guests in the one ideal Hotel for the duration of your stay, removes the need for any unnecessary time and stress of any additional daily travel, if you're not enjoying superb riding then you are enjoying quality relaxation.
Small Group: our high quality small group approach to your bike tour with 4 - 8 cyclists ensures that we facilitate a variety of superb carefully planned tailored rides each day. With the highest degree of emphasis placed on safety and suitability for the abilities and experience of our guests on any particular tour. We believe everyone can practicebicycle......with your choice to ride as much or as little as you wish.
Balance: our extensive local knowledge and highly experienced understanding of both cycling and living in the most idyllic areas to practicebicycle ensures that we expertly design your cycling holiday to combine both riding and relaxing. The balance that is so difficult to find with everyday life we bring to you with a perfect holiday bike tour.
Quality: all facets of your cycling holiday are brought to you with quality, meticulous planning, thorough research and attention to detail to the needs of our valued guests which gives you the highest of quality cycling holiday experience.
The Story:
In 1996 Bridget an Australian female racing cyclist started a racing career on the East coast of Australia, participating in all of the major national competitions. The vast distances and also the noticeable differences between these Australian cities had an immediate effect. The desire to experience and discover quality cycling in different locations. It was only 2 years later that Bridget accompanied Paul a professional cycling coach on a short 6 week racing trip to Europe. Part of this trip included a training camp at the ski station Col de Merdassier in the Haute Savoie Region of the French Alps, the same region as other world famous cycling Cols (mountain pass), Aravis, Croix-Fry, Colombiere, Forclaz and many more.
It was a return to one of the many cycling locations that Paul had first discovered on a previous cycling holiday to see the Tour de France several years before. The trip was a great success and many more visits followed as over the next few years as they pathed a career as International racing cyclist and professional cycling coach in both Australia and France.
Their partnership of international athlete and coach, have taken them to many countries throughout the world and they have competed in most of the major international cycle races for Women, including the one day World Cups and the major stage races of the Tour de France Feminine, Giro d’Italia Donna, Tour de Suisse Feminine and The Hewlett Packard in America.
Often their time in Europe was shared between the roads around the northern lakes of Italy and Annecy in the French Alps. With Annecy and it's amazing variety of terrain and network of quite roads becoming the European base each racing season. They discovered to their great pleasure that they had found the perfect location Annecy in the French Alps to "practicebicycle".
On returning to the Australian Summer and the friendly relaxed attitude of home, the period was frequently divided between the sub-tropical climate of Queensland and that remarkable feeling of rides by the Gold Coast beach and a time of preparation with the tranqillity and isolation of the Australian high country, riding in the Snowy Mountains. Both special, unique and intriguing locations to "practicebicycle" in Australia.
These experiences and skills of the practicebicycle team are now available to you with some fantastic opportunities to "practicebicycle" in the most idyllic environment possible in both Australia and the French Alps.
We look forward to the opportunity to "practicebicycle" together soon.
The "practicebicycle" Name:
The word practicebicycle was heard for the very first time many years ago, it was on one of our early discovery rides on the roads of the French Alps whilst in Annecy. Typically at the end of a ride we would stop to take a coffee or visit the local bike shop all part of the fascination of cycling in a foreign country. The bike shop became intrigued by our regular visits and on one of these visits our arrival was met with a friendly "salu" (Hi), this was followed with the strange but typical French gestures of a conversation that we translated into "what are these strangers from a far away world doing on the doorstep of our bike shop". A small bike shop, steeped in history and tradition of the "velo" world of France.
Our simple answer was "we have been training", which was received by a blank and confused look! We elaborated further with the typical foreigner strange hand motions and in our poor French continued to try and describe the route of our great bike ride. Into the countryside, heading in that direction and along small quite country road before turning in that direction, followed by a "Col" etc. The genuinely friendly and impressed response from our new intrigued French friends was "Ahh..... you go practice bicycle...." With a little smile we replied "yes exactly"!
So from that day on we practicebicycle!