How can I get in touch with HiRides.com? How do I contact you to ask questions about a trip?
At info@hirides.com and sales@hirides.com or on our website www.hirides.com you can write to us whenever you want.
We will be very happy to talk with you about travel, food, wine, culture and many other topics that interest you.

Where I can find the tour calendar?
You can find the tours date at www.hirides.com.   Our tours include:  6 days / 5 nights / 5 rides   —   Starts on Sunday / Ends on Friday

How many Guests are on a single tour?
We offer tours with the following number of paying guests: from 6, up to 14

• From 6 to 8 pedaling guests tours: 1 mechanic / 1 guide /   1 daily itinerary
• From 9 to 14 pedaling guests tours: 1 mechanic / 2 guides / 2 daily itineraries

For smaller or largest group please ASK US to sales@hirides.com

Are non-riding Guests / Partners welcome?
Sure, the single Cultural Guests are welcome, for self-guided non riding Guests we can prepare some itineraries that show the best of the region off the bike, only as example may  will include city visits, shopping, hiking, art, wine/food and local culture, hotel pools and spas before re-joining the rest of the group for cocktails and dinner each evening.
When in the tour there are 6 or more Cultural Guests, we may create a guided custom itinerary, including guided sightseeing in the historical towns, cooking classes, hotel pools and spas, food and wine tasting and guided shopping with fashion assistant.

What the tour includes?
Please download and read the Terms & Conditions document at www.hirides.com where there are detailed every aspect of tours.

How do I book a tour?
You can book your favorite hirides.com tour by clicking the “Book Now!” button available on each tour page.
You can book your tour with a deposit of $1,800.00, which guarantees the price of your tour. Your deposit is fully refundable up to 2 weeks.
Of course, you can also write to us to book your trip or ask any questions, we are here to help you organize the trip that best suits you.

Is my money safe?
At all stages your payment is safe and your holiday is guaranteed, firstly by our cancellation and change policies, secondly by the guarantee policies of the credit card companies we are members of.

Is my deposit refundable?  /  Can I cancel my tour reservation?  /  Can I cancel my tour payment?
We recommend that you consult the Terms&Conditions document found on www.hirides.com in the chapter “Booking, Cancellation and Tour Change Policies”.    In appendix you find the cancellation time line.

Can I transfer my tour to another tour?  /  Can I reschedule my tour?  /  Can I transfer my tour rights to another guest?
We recommend that you consult the Terms&Conditions document found on www.hirides.com in the chapter “Booking, Cancellation and Tour Change Policies”.   In appendix you find the transfer time line.

What payment methods are accepted?
Booking with deposits and balance payments can be paid in US dollars via major credit cards or bank transfer.
If final payment is not received by the due date, we reserve the right to cancel your booking. In appendix you find the payment time line.

Which tour are right for me?  /  How do you manage different riding abilities?
Every day you have two different ride itineraries, with a different difficulty, for a wide rider level of preparation.   You may mix the rides day by day to compose your personal bike vacation.  In the APPENDIX, at the end of this document, you find the CYCLING SKILL LEGENDA who explains to you what preparation is required for the single tour.  In the grid below the necessary skill for the single tour.

How should I train for the tour?
In the tour detail pages, you may find the tour rider level in term of preparation and level of effort requested for every daily ride.
To provide you the exact idea of how much and what kind of riding to expect on tour, please see the preparation features of the individual levels on the right.

Calendar Tour vs Private Tour?
If you don’t find the tour you’re interested in among those on the calendar, no problem, we can organize a PRIVATE TOUR just for you and your friends. The tour will be customized based on your needs that we will define together, every detail of the tour will be customized for you.

The most common customizations requested are:

• Destination of the tour or specific bicycle itineraries
• Period of the tour
• Number of participants of the tour
• Difficulty of the bicycle itineraries
• Guided holiday for non-cyclist guests

Write to us at info@hirides.com and we will give you all the information you need to make your choice.

Are there any off-the-bike activities?
All our trips include some off-the-bike activities, we believe they are a big part of the trip fun, these activities enrich the travel experience and are the only way to get to know and fully appreciate the Italian regions and culture.
Wine, oil and truffle tastings, cooking classes, tasting of local artisan foods can bring you closer to the local culture and historical experiences, in every tour we want you to make these experiences, we are sure, you will be conquered.
In all our hotels, you can spend your free time with massages, visits to spas, therapeutic pools and saunas.
Not to forget the cultural activities (museums, art exhibitions, lyrics operas, musical concerts) that every Italian city offers in the summer, if you still have the energy after the daily rides…
Please see the tour detail at www.hirides.com 

Do I need medical and travel insurance?
Every tour provides the basic health insurance to access treatment in Italian local hospitals during the tour days.  This insurance covers the following sanitary support:

• Civil Liability Insurance.
• Access to Italian health facilities.
• Transport from the place of the injury to the healthcare facility.
• Until the Guest is released, for a period not exceeding 30 days the insurance covers the hospital stay, for a maximum daily 300.00 USD hospitalization cost fee.
• This insurance doesn’t cover any surgery and repatriation services.

We suggest our Guest to signup for a Travel Protection Plan to protect your travel investment, your health, your belongings, and your flights.

Do I need a medical certificate?
When the Guest signs the Hirides.com tour participation agreement, it is understood that there are no particular physical impediments to cycling, especially in relation to the tours chosen by the Guest.

Hirides.com expect the Guest to communicate any physical limitations prior to joining and pay the tour.

For your protection, is important that you check your physical state with a medical check up to undertake prior to trip where you will be pushing your physical limits.

 

What kind of assistance can I expect on the road?
The assistance we provide on the road are:

• Expert bilingual guides, to manage two different level effort itinerary and constantly working to ensure comfort and safety.
• On the road the support SAG-VAN, that provides refreshments, mechanical support, extra clothing and a lift when you need it.
• Full WIFI cover on the road.

What’s the accommodation style?
All tours have high level accomodation in a Luxury Hotels or Historic Mansions usually with swimming pool and wellness center with SPA.
We are very passionate in cycling, but in the same way in the good food and good wine, at dinner we take you to our beloved restaurants where you will taste the best ITALIAN REGIONAL CUISINE, we absolutely want to impress you and make you remember your vacation for a long time.

Rooming, double occupancy vs single occupancy?

Regardless of whether the guest is a cyclist or not, the rooming policies are as follows:

• Two guests sharing room with 1 bed – pay the SHARED ACCOMODATION RATE
• Two guests sharing room with 2 beds – pay the SHARED ACCOMODATION RATE
• Single traveler alone (Traveling Solo) – pay the SINGLE ACCOMODATION RATE

What food and wine experiences are planned?
A very heartfelt topic, we could talk for days about the food and wine experiences we have kept for you.    We are VERY VERY PASSIONATE in cycling, but in the same way we are FANATIC of the good food and good wine, at dinner we take you to our beloved restaurants (GREAT ITALIAN TRATTORIA) where you will taste the best Italian regional cuisine, we absolutely want to impress you and make you remember your vacation for a long time.

Are Hirides.com tours only for athletically trained people?
Absolutely not. Our guests generally love cycling, but they are not necessarily competitive athletes.
In our catalog you will find tours suitable for a wide range of cyclists, check which category of cyclist you belong to on the Biker’s Levels page on www.hirides.com.

To make things easier for you, we have prepared a professional e-bike for you that will allow you to easily stay in a group and get to the end of the tour.   We also have a support VAN that allows you to return to the hotel if you are no longer motivated, or if you can skip a day preferring a glass of wine and a good book by the pool.

Can I ride with my bike?

SURE, we want that you ride the vacation with your own personal bike.
Hirides.com reimburse the costs to allow you to take the bike on tow with you on the flight.

If I don’t come with a bicycle, can you help me find one?

SURE, Hirides.com, included in the cost of the tour the bike rental, will let you find the bicycle you will use during the tour at the hotel.
You can choose between a professional e-bike (SUGGESTED) or a professional muscle bike.  After reservation, the tour preparation phase together will define the optimal bike size for you.

What happen if I break my bike?
The normal breakdowns of your bicycle can be repaired by the mechanic who follows you with the SAG-VAN during the daily rides.
If the fault cannot be repaired with the tools and spare parts present on the SAG VAN, you will be accompanied to our partner bike shop for the repair.    If the repair takes more days or is not possible, we will try to provide you with a courtesy bicycle to finish the week.
Given the critical situation of the bicycle and spare parts market, it may not be possible to find a suitable bicycle, Hirides.com and its partners will do everything possible to support the Guest.  All costs necessary to repair or rent the bicycles must be borne by the Guest himself.

How do you accommodate dietary restrictions?
In the vacation preparation phase we expect you to let us know your dietary needs, your restrictions, allergies, and preferences for restaurant meals, cooking classes, and other wine and culinary experiences.  With this information we are able to indicate what to prepare for you in restaurants so that your needs are taken care off.   For each of the dinners at our favorite Trattorias we define two menus (normal and vegetarian) that we share and direct with you, this eliminates unpleasant misunderstandings and unpleasant surprises at the dinner price.

Witch kind of clothing is need for the tour?
The tours are scheduled from April to November and the routes go from sea level to the high mountain passes, we always recommend packing something warm in case of cold weather and something waterproof in case of rain. In the preparation phase of the tour we will also talk about this topic.

How many cycling kits need for the week?
It depends on your habits (one kit for one day or two kits for one day), every day we provide a laundry service for your cycling clothes, but we recommend you to bring at least 4/5 complete cycling kits. For all tours we prepare for our guests a Hirides.com cycling kit (you can choose it on www.hirides.com), if you want more you will let us know during the preparation phase of the tour. PS: It is not nice to take photos for many days with the same cycling kit.

Is there a dressing code for after ride?
Casual clothing including jeans, khakis, polos, sport blazer and non sport sneakers are appropriate for all restaurants.  Casual shoes, sneakers or trail-shoes for walks in vineyards or around town are recommended.  A sweater or light jacket is recommended for evenings. In the mountain and in not full summer period a light down jacket is good.

Do you offer add-on packages before or after the trip?
SURE, through our partners, we are able to offer you the support for booking in the days preceding / following the tour, we can suggest you the best destinations, the best restaurants and provide you with a tour guide.
For more information, please contact us to info@hirides.com.

Can you help with travel arrangements?
SURE, from flights to accommodation, before and after the planned bike vacation, we can help with any aspect of your trip.
Please contact us to info@hirides.com and we will be happy to handle bookings for you or suggest you the best solution in Italy.

How much should I tip the guides?
Gratuities for our guides are much appreciated to thank them for service, support, and expertise.
Generally, most of our Guests find that about 3-5% of the cost of the trip is an appropriate amount. Unless you want to tip separately, guides and drivers will divide tips among themselves.