HOW FIT DO I HAVE TO BE TO CYCLE IN THE MOUNTAINS?

You don't have to be Lance Armstrong to take part in the Raid Pyrenean, the Spanish Raid or the Sirocco, but you do need to have a good level of fitness. If you can regularly cycle 50-60 miles (80-100 km) at a reasonable pace and still get out of bed the next morning, these should all be witin yor ability. Not many people are lucky enough to be able to train on mountains regularly, but stamina is more important than climbing ability.

It's worth pointing out that we have had clients who took one look at the terrain and almost lost their nerve the day before we started, but it was great to see their confidence grow as they realised that they could actually do it. Most mountains are actually a series of steps with fairly short climbs and then more level sections. Really steep segments usually have hairpins to make them more manageable. The important thing is to pace yourself. Don't feel pressured to keep up with a group that's riding faster than you want to. If you do, you'll burn out quickly and be unable to finish the day or be totally useless the next.

It's also worth remembering that riding with a group gives you that much more determination and support than you'd have if you were riding alone. Usually a larger group will break up naturally into two or three smaller groups according to ability, so you'll usually be with others that ride roughly at your pace. It always amazes us that people who didn't know each other when they arrived and have little else in common, naturally start to work together as a team, sharing those little experiences along the way and helping each other when the going gets tough. This is a great way to make friends.

Derek has been cycling these events for years and has developed his own training regime that works for him. After the end of the summer season, he does just enough training to keep him ticking over through the autumn and early winter, but from 1st January he starts his serious training again. He tries to get in at least three good training rides per week, 50-60 miles each, including some climbing now and again. Once the cyclosportive season starts, he rides as many as he can because they make great training exercises. Usually he'll complete four or five of the more demanding 100 mile plus cyclosportives to really give him a challenge and get him into condition before we start running our events.

For cycling mountains like the Pyrenees, we recommend a compact chain set with a 50/30 configuration or a triple chain set, unless you're extremely fit. Derek has ridden the Raid Pyrenean with normal road bike gears and he did survive, but you'd have to be a complete masochist to make it any harder than it has to be.

Most airlines will let you travel with a bike, provided it's packed in a box, but every airline has different conditions and prices. We strongly advise you to check with your airline before you book, because the costs can vary considerably. Many of the low cost carriers actually give better prices than the mainstream airlines, and you usually get a better deal if you arrange for the bike to travel when you book your ticket rather than leaving it until you get to the airport.

First you need to buy or rent a good bike box. We've known people turn up with their bike wrapped in cardboard, but they weren't the kind of people who were too fussed about their bikes (unlike Derek). We've also known someone who had his frame adapted so that it would break down and fit into an ordinary suitcase (they literally cut it in half), but that's probably a bit extreme.

Try not to change in Paris if you can help it. Sometimes there's just no other option, but the baggage handlers at Paris CDG must be among the most unreliable in the world and we've known many a cyclit who's arrived without luggage, or even worse, without their bike!

The nearest airport to our base in the Ariege is Toulouse. For events that start on the Mediterranean coast we pick up from Toulouse, Carcassonne and Perpignan and deliver back to Biarritz and Tolouse. For events that start on the Atlantic coast we pick up from Toulouse and Biarritz and drop back to Perpignan, Carcassonne and Toulouse.

There are a number of airlines that fly to these cities, including low cost carriers such as Ryanair, Easyjet and Flybe, but also Air France and Iberia.

We will be at the airport waiting for you when your flight arrives, and we'll get you back there when you finish, so you don't need to worry about any transport after you touch down.

There are cash dispensers in many towns, allowing you to withdraw money as you need it, so you don't need to bring lots of currency and you won't find yourself stranded without any money.

You only need enough cash to pay for your incidentals during the day. Virtually all shops will accept cards for larger purchases such as souvenirs or gifts and Visa is the most universally accepted card throughout Europe. Many shops and restaurants won't accept Amex because of the high processing costs.

All drinks, meals and snacks are included in the price of the event so you don’t need to buy lunches during the day. However, if you cycle past a little café and the smell of pizza or French fries is irresistible, you might want to splash out now and again. Otherwise there will be tons of food and drink in the van at all times.

The one thing you can rely on in the mountains is that the weather will be totally unpredictable. We've had unrelenting sun and 37 degrees and then a few hours later torrential rain and thunderstorms. Often it's quite warm in the valleys, but cold on the cols, and the windchill factor when you desend is considerable. The answer is to layer as much as you can.

In an ideal world, our advice would be to bring clean shorts and jerseys for every day of the ride, but if you can't do that, try to bring three of each - the old "one on, one off and one in the wash". It also pays to bring arm and leg warmers, a lightweight water/windproof jacket and perhaps a windproof gilet, and also a more heavy-duty rain jacket. If you rinse kit out in the evenings and dry them as best you can in the hotel overnight, we can string them up in the van during the day and dry them that way.

Whatever you do, don't wear your shorts for more than one day without washing them, or you're guaranteed to get saddle sores.

Derek likes to take a cap or a "Buff" to wear under his helmet if it's raining cats and dogs. He likes to take lightweight shoes because he finds his feet get really hot if the weather's warm, but he also takes shoe covers so that he can cover them up if it turns cold.

You shouldn't have to carry lots of kit around with you during the day as we'll be about with the support vehicles and we always try to make sure we're at the bottom of a climb so that you can strip off unnecessary layers and then at the top so you can cover up before the descent.