Post by Mary on September 1, 2025
Michele and her wonderful family came to us in June for a custom biking and hiking trip. They were all so positive, happy and appreciative throughout the trip. Lovely people and fantastic guests. Here’s what Michele had to say about their alpine adventure.
- Why did you choose Ride the Alps for your mountain biking holiday this year?
Our family was attending a wedding in Provence in mid-June and we wanted to tack on a trip after the wedding. We are a family of 8 adults. Our group was interested in hiking and/or biking in the Dolomites or Chamonix area.
My daughter-in-law and I started contacting companies in the Dolomites and were struggling with logistics, cost, the right company/itinerary – all of it really. We moved on to Chamonix to keep things easier for moving a party of 8 without a car/van from Provence.
One morning, I fired off a dozen emails to companies that I found from general searches online that offer bike trips. Some I never heard back from while others responded with a list of rates, a link to a page of trips offered, but only one company replied with a genuine interest in knowing more about what we wanted. It was Ride the Alps.
2. Why did you decide on a customised trip?
Well, to be honest, it was really Mary who drove this for us. We didn’t really know what we wanted aside from an adventure with our kids and their partners. She hung in there with us as we vetted different ideas and itineraries all via email. She was so responsive and creative.
Our girls really wanted to hike and overnight to a refuge. Mary suggested the route, the refuge, things to carry in our packs and even stayed on top of us for making our reservation when it opened up online.
What started as a biking only trip turned into a biking/hiking custom combo trip thanks to Mary.
3. How would you describe your biking and hiking experience with Ride the Alps?
Well, if this is any indication of how much our group loved the trip, our sons told me repeatedly, “Mom, you’re never going to top this trip.”
With a variety of riding experience and ages in our group (ranging in age from 25-66), you worry that the biking could be too hard for some or too easy for others. Jamie was able to strike the balance for all riders! He pushed the 60-year-olds and added additional laps for our sons and their partners every day. I don’t know how he did it, but everyone in our group returned to the chalet happily tired and feeling accomplished!
And I must add, coming from the US to attend a wedding, then to bike and hike, we couldn’t bring everything with us. What we forgot or couldn’t fit in our bags, Jamie & Mary happily helped us with. One of my girls wore their son’s biking shoes, many borrowed knee pads, and all of us used their liners for our stay in the refuge.
4. What was your favourite day or element of the trip?
There’s no way I could ever pinpoint just one day or element. Here are just a few of my favorite memories:
• Meeting Jamie minutes after we arrived at our chalet in Samoens as he rolled out a huge map (for us to keep) with our biking and hiking trips highlighted. Our group cheering when Jamie announced he was taking us to Chamonix on day 2.
• A group shot of all 8 of us with Mont Blanc in the background on our first morning.
• Cycling by a local farmer’s home with my oldest son saying “Bonjour” and the farmer shouting “Bonjour” back while waving to our group.
• Lunch and a beer at a refuge with Chamonix as a backdrop.
• Swimming in several mountain lakes.
• Incredible dinners by Liz in our chalet, the list goes on and on.
5. How would you rate the quality of the trails you rode?
Excellent, challenging, dramatically gorgeous in every direction.
6. How would you rate the quality of the accommodation?
10 out of 10. Liz is a beautiful hostess, amazing chef, thoughtful and kind. She overheard that my daughter-in-law drinks decaffeinated coffee and every morning thereafter there was decaf coffee for her on the breakfast bar. The chalet’s location, floor plan, and amenities met our every need.
7. Would you recommend this kind of customised trip to other mountain bikers?
Without a doubt!
8. Would you book another holiday with Ride the Alps in the future?
We hope to be back in the winter.
9. Is there anything else you’d like to say about your trip?
I could cry thinking about our trip, it was that good. We’ve travelled a lot, but this one was special!
If you are interested in a custom biking and hiking or biking-only trip, get in touch to get the ball rolling. It brings us a lot of joy to curate special trips that stay in the hearts and memories of our guests for a lifetime.