Tassie East Coast Gravel Adventure FAQ's
With the Après Vélo Cycle Tour, you will always have at least one ride guide on the road with the group. Depending upon the group size, there may be two ride guides. We understand that everyone has different levels of fitness and therefore we often break into two groups, with a ride guide leading each group. Our rides are further enhanced with a support vehicle to provide mechanical help as and when needed, provide hydration and nutrition or just a cosy place to rest up in case of that dreaded bonk.
We ask all customers to pay the required deposit when they book, which confirms their reservation. The balance is due 120 days before departure. If you book less than 120 days before departure, we will ask you to pay the full price upfront.
Cancellations may occur. However, the boutique nature of our tour keeps our groups small, so this is unlikely. If we do have to cancel the tour due to insufficient participants, Covid-19 or for some other unforeseen circumstances, we will naturally provide you with prior notice and refund monies paid to date. However, we will not be liable for any flight or insurance costs you have incurred, as well as any other incidental bookings / reservations you have made. Therefore, it's a requirement that you arrange travel insurance, and we recommend you do this as soon as you have booked your trip.
It is a requirement that insurance is taken out for your tour of Tasmania at the time of booking, as this should then cover you immediately, should anything occur between the time you book and departure/return.
100%. We cherish the opportunity of designing bespoke tours for groups of friends, corporate clients, teams and families. Anything is possible in terms of the amount of riding you want to do, to the amount of post ride activity you’re interested in, accommodation style and any budget restraints you may have – whatever your timing and interests, please talk to us.
We will be riding on a mixture of gravel surfaces as well as bitumen. A gravel bike is required for this tour. We recommend as a minimum, 40mm tubeless Gravel or MTB tyres to minimise punctures throughout your journey. Bikes should also be disc brake equipped.
Après Vélo and Beardy worked together for many years whilst he was living in Sydney. Beardy relocated to Tasmania in 2018.
Beardy is a cycling photographer that has captured the worlds highest profile cycling races such as the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia which he has documented via his website beardyscaravan.com.
As a keen cyclist,Beardy carries a camera along to photograph his daily rides. His aim is to portray the beauty of cycling from the places it takes you to the people you meet along the way. Beardy is now based in Hobart Tasmania. The region inspires him with some of the best cycling roads and trails in Australia set amongst the wild beauty of Tassie.
We know Beardy as a kind of larrikin who takes you on the journey with him, telling the stories behind the photos, and bringing to life the vibrancy and colour, that makes cycling the most beautiful sport in the world.
We know you will enjoy living the ride with him as much as we have.
The Mt Barrow climb. At 15.5km with a 6.3% average gradient.
Day 2 - 94km with 1878m of elevation. See our Itinerary for our daily agenda.
The Tassie East Coast Gravel Adventure is not a smash-fest. We are here to Live the Ride safely and take in the beauty that Tasmania has to offer. The rides are not 'flat' nor smooth so expect climbing, undulations and loose gravel on each ride.
This is not a tour for beginners. Riders should be able to back up +100km days. If need be, we will split the rides into two groups, to cater for different speeds.
We also expect that riders can ride safely in a bunch situation and on gravel surfaces.
Weather in Tasmania can be unpredictable and plays a big part with each ride.
Therefore each rider must be prepared for rainy weather and colder temperatures. Tasmania can have four seasons in a day.
Our recommendations for packing are set out below:
- 3-5 sets of cycling clothing.
- Hardshell helmet
- Gilet
- Long sleeve thermal jacket- waterproof and windproof
- Full finger winter gloves
- Thermal overshoes
- Leg warmers/arm warmers
- For dinners - there is no dress code. Jeans, t-shirt and sneakers are suitable.
The easier the better! It’s better to have too many gears than not enough. For 1x, a large ratio cassette such as a 11-50T is ideal with a small front chainring 34T or smaller. For 2x, a Semi Compact 32/48T or Compact 34/50T with an 11-34T cassette.
Wheels designed for gravel riding are best with a higher spoke count and wider profile. Alloy are more durable and easier to fix on the go. However gravel specific carbon wheels are okay.
