You get a very different view of things with Gusto Cycling, travelling by bike, at your own pace, there’s time to notice things you would miss from a car. You’ll get to know the place and absorb the sights, the smell of cooking and the atmosphere, in a way that you never could on an ordinary holiday.

Cycling gives the most scope for independent exploring, as you can follow any route you choose using our specially created GPS routes. Explore the heart of the Tuscany, in your own way and at your own pace, to discover the curiosities and splendours that make our holidays so interesting and so diverse.

No, not at all! You will need to have some basic fitness to be able to enhance your cycling experience, however, to make life easier, we recommend Electric bikes to make it even more pleasurable. There are longer route options if you’re feeling more energetic or require longer point-to-point routes.

We are members of the ABTOI (Association of British Travel to Italy) and joint partners with the Maratona dles cycling event and Eroica Britannia.

The simple answer is – you won’t need to! Our Gusto Team member will collect your luggage each morning just after you leave your hotel and transport it to your destination, so your bags are always waiting for your every evening.

Our suggested routes use as much as possible quiet country lanes or secondary roads, however, there will be some traffic when arriving or leaving some towns in the tour programme.

I include in the tour, programme places we think are most interesting and provide information for coffee stops, lunch options and wine tasting where appropriate.  All this information is included in the detailed route notes that you’ll receive in your pre-holiday pack.

To help you choose a holiday that best suits your level of fitness and interest in viewing Tuscany, I will personally curate a tour that matches your level of fitness.

All our bikes are cleaned and maintained by our bike suppliers, so we don’t expect any problems. If anything does go wrong which is very rare, we’ll come out to your hotel to fix it.

Cycling helmets are a legal requirement.

Absolutely, if you prefer to have a break and stay longer in one of the many scenic towns, we can arrange this.

Gusto Cycling uses WhatsApp to distribute updates, reminders and photographs of a Tour. Please download app should you not have it prior to arrival.

Tuscany offers so many cycling options to enjoy, I have produced 2 types of cycling holidays Tuscany to capture the atmosphere and adventure with Tuscany North emcompasing Pisa, Lucca , Montecatini Terme , Vinci and San Gimignano or Tuscany South from Siena to Chianti wine region and then the stunning countryside of Val d’Orcia (recognised by Unesco as a world heritage area ).

Here you have a mix of medieval towns and villages from Radda in Chianti, Pienza, Montepulciano and Montalcino where there are plenty of world-famous wine estates especially in the Montalcino area which is home to the world-famous Brunello Wine the king of Italian wine or visit the various cheese producers such as Percorino Cheese in Pienza.

Gusto Cycling offers a variety of bespoke services depending on whether it’s a full guided or self-guided tours which can include airport transfers,  cycle hire with a bike of your choice, daily luggage service, hand-picked accommodation, GPS routes to download and some dinners are included on some tours.

For cycle events such as Maratona dles Dolomites, Strade Bianche or L’Eroica, entrance fees to individual events and accommodation is provided. Trip-specific itineraries will provide more detail on inclusions.

Gusto Cycling offers an introduction to a variety of unique cycling experiences in Tuscany, be it a long weekend cycle event such as L’eroica , Strafe Bianche or Maratona dles Dolomite or a Tuscan Biking tour and enjoy an unforgettable holiday experience combined with culture, food, wine & amazing historical sights.

The ride events chosen offer a combination of testing yourself and your friends in a fantastic cycling environment and give you a sense of what it must be like to ride in a professional race. For L’Eroica you will experience the golden age of Italian cycling on the white gravel roads of Tuscany (Strade Bianche ) this event takes place in October (see details of the event).

On all Gusto Cycling events/tours you can do as much or as little cycling as you wish but our tours do require a minimum level of fitness to really get the most out of your tour.

If you are thinking of travelling with a non-cycling partner on one of our tours, we recommend that you contact Gusto Cycling to discuss your requirements. Some tours offer more interest to a non-cycling partner than others.

Armed with intimate local knowledge of all destinations, we are sure to have the information and insight to assist in planning your tour of a lifetime. If need be we can possibly obtain an electric bike to help with your cycle experience with the group.

To reserve your place on any of the cycling programme the lead person of the booking has to complete the booking form with details of your intended holiday package.
I will be able to provide a detailed package offering within a day or two.

if you have any questions about any aspect of our programme, please do not hesitate to contact marco@gustocycling.com . If you make a reservation before 90 days prior to the trip, a deposit (non-refundable) is due at the time of booking. If you reserve your trip less than 90 days prior to the departure, the full balance is due at the time of booking. Please see below for information on when to book and what to do if you need to cancel

It is best to book as early as possible to secure your place plus to ensure that you are able to book the air transportation of your choice at the most favourable rate. Equally it’s also important to reserve bikes early because the main cycling dates of May/June/September/October are the key touring months to cycle and bike shops generally run out of stock.

Gusto Cycling will detail the booking you wish to confirm, make sure it is clear and matches your enquiry. Please check the details and arrange the appropriate payment, an e –mail confirmation will be sent advising whether a deposit or full payment is required. A deposit is required (non-refundable) to secure the booking (full payment is required 90 days before travel).

If the balance is not fully paid at 90 days and a reminder has been sent and no response is given or provided Gusto Cycling have the right to cancel the booking and the deposit is lost.

For all cycling Holidays – Should you or any member of your party be forced to cancel your booking we must receive notice in writing or by email from the person making the original booking.

The cancellation will take effect from the date that such written notice is received.

The following cancellation charges will apply if the total booking is to be cancelled. The charges are expressed as a percentage of the total holiday price:-

• 90 days or more prior to arrival loss of Deposit.
• 60 – 89 days prior to arrival: 75% of the total booking value.
• 59 – 31 days prior to arrival 85% of the total booking value.
• 30 days prior to arrival: 100% of the total booking value.
• If one person cancels as part of a shared room, then the other person(s) still travelling and staying in the same room will be responsible for paying for shortfall which was refunded.

Refund does not apply to any Registration Fees already paid for events such as L’eroica, Eroica Britannia , Strade Bianche or Maratona dles Dolomite as examples.

Clients who pay full payment in advance for Vintage bike rental – if client has to cancel the following refund policy applies.

Refund for vintage bike for L’eroica events – 50% refund applicable at 3 months before rental date, inside 3 months no refund is applicable.

Refund for hire of carbon bikes, hybrid bikes, mtb, all types of electric bikes, 50% refund is applicable outside 60 days, inside 59 days no refund is applicable.

If rental bikes are returned earlier then the rental period, booked and paid for in advance no refund is applicable.

If deposits are paid for a service and the client subsequently cancels no refund is applicable.

All refunds payable will be paid less any bank or service charge payable to Gusto Cycling.

It is important that you purchase adequate holiday insurance cover in order to cover your holiday payments in case of unforeseen circumstances where you have to cancel your holiday.

Gusto Cycling Adequate and valid travel insurance is compulsory for all our travellers and it is a condition of accepting your booking that you agree you will have obtained adequate and valid travel insurance. We recommend you take out insurance as soon as your booking is confirmed.

Airport Transfers are an extra service and can be arranged at the time of the request.

In the current financial climate it is re-assuring to know that all Gusto Cycling tours are covered in the event that we cease trading. Gusto Cycling hold a Tour Operator Failure Insurance Scheme taken out with James Hallam Insurance in compliance with the Package Holiday Regulations 1992.

In the unlikely event that we cease trading or go into administration, the full value of your holiday will be refunded. Should you be abroad at this time, the policy provides support for repatriation home.

Please note, this is not a substitute for adequate personal travel insurance.

A valid Passport is required to gain entry to Italy. If you need to apply for a new passport or for its renewal, make such an application at least eight weeks before departure. Foreign nationals are advised to contact their local embassy to check their visa requirements.

All tours are booked independently for you so all arrangements will be confirmed at the time the deposit is booked and will go ahead.

We have excellent contacts with a number of top quality bike shops in Tuscany and can arrange to have any bike of your choice at what ever level you require subject to a supplement. Please contact Gusto Cycling for more information.

Gusto Cycling prides itself in offering tailor made Tuscan breaks for groups. Perhaps you would like a cycling training week combined with culture, a gourmet food and wine tour or just something for a group of friends to have a cycling adventure.

With our contacts throughout the region I am sure I can come up with an idea to inspire you, that will suit both your experience, sense of adventure and your budget.

A range of good quality, carefully selected, family run (in most cases) 3/4 star hotels, farmhouse or agritourismo are chosen which have many amenities including areas to set up the bike on arrival, secure location of the bicycles during your stay, some have swimming pools & excellent local Tuscan cuisine.

The rooms are clean, comfortable and offer a good standard of accommodation where I would be happy to send my mother! You get all of this, without the overall tour price becoming prohibitively expensive.

Unless you have a racing license you will require a doctors note to confirm you are fit and healthy to take part in a cycling event for Strade Bianche , L’eroica and Maratona dles Dolomites, details will be sent to you once you have booked a pac age with Gusto Cycling.

• Hotel Tax at check out
• Flights
• Travel Insurances to include full medical cover
• Personal Hotel Expenses
• Pre- Or Post-Tour Accommodation
• Alcoholic drinks and soft drinks although it will be detailed when dinner and wine is included on some stop
• Insurance cover for any of your possessions – including, but not limited to, any sports equipment you take with you on your holiday

CYCLE WITH CONFIDENCE!
Gusto Cycling has over 10 years of experience delivering amazing adventures with the health, safety and comfort of our travellers at the heart of everything we do.

Ensuring we deliver safe cycling holidays has always been at the core of how we work, so in light of COVID-19, we have adapted and modified our procedures. Recognising that this is an ever-evolving situation, we continue to work closely with all our partners and suppliers to ensure that they are complying with COVID-19 related guidance locally while delivering an excellent experience for you.

In short, you can cycle with confidence, safe in the knowledge we have everything covered.

Gusto Cycling promise to you…

If you are personally impacted on Covid 19 you can cancel your holiday before your balance due date which is 60 days before travel and transfer free of charge to a future date, an alternative destination, or receive a credit note for the full value of your payment. We’ll only run tours that are safe and will always follow the most up-to-date government guidance. If FCDO advises against all but essential travel We will cancel the tour. In all cases we will work with you to look at alternative dates, rest assured you will not lose your money paid for the tour .

it’s essential that you…have appropriate travel insurance so that if you fall ill and test positive for COVID-19 prior to (or during) your tour, you will be financially covered for cancelling your trip.

You have the flexibility to change your date or destination right up to your balance payment date at 60 days.

We can’t wait to travel again and im sure you are as well! It’s been a difficult few months, we are feeling really hopeful that the situation is Italy will improve ready for the season to open and we can all look forward to a great summer of cycling in Tuscany.

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE AND PEACE OF MIND

The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for Gusto Cycling Ltd membership number 5459, and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for the following:

• non-flight packages

ABTOT cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled or repatriation if transportation was included in your package.  Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with Gusto Cycling Ltd.

In the unlikely event that you require assistance whilst abroad due to our financial failure, please call our 24/7 helpline on 01702 811397 and advise you are a customer of an ABTOT protected travel company.

You can access The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 here:  https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/contents/made

ABTOT provides protection for your booking as set out in of our booking conditions as set out in https://gustocycling.com/faqs/