Information
A-Z
At Over the Edge we make no assumptions but do our
best to treat you as an individual. We try to make
anything possible to ensure you have a fantastic
time when you ride with us. Simple.
Click on the titles below for more information
about how we do things at Over the Edge bike tours
A
Accommodation
We have handpicked all of our recommended
accommodation, ranging from 3* Apartments to 4* Wellness
Hotels so you get to choose how much you want to
spend. So, you simply choose from the accommodation
recommended on each tour and use our simple direct
online booking form to book your room direct with the hotel
of your choice. The hotel will make you an offer,
if you accept, your room’s booked and the hotel’s
normal booking conditions will apply. Easy. Take
a look at your chosen Tour for a link to our recommended
accommodation list.
Please note that since we do not offer package holidays
our accommodation recommendations are suggestions
only and you are obviously at liberty to make your
own accommodation arrangements should you wish. There
is also a link to a fantastic campsite for all Kaprun
based trips.
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B
Bike hire
To take the hassle, and risk, out of bringing
your own bike, why not pre-arrange the hire of one
of our top-quality hire bikes for your bike tour with
us? All bikes are equipped with quality components
such as Thomson, Easton and Shimano and always kept
in great condition. Take your pick from:
All our bikes have either Crank Brothers Mallet or Candy Pedals fitted. If you use Crank Brothers too, great, just bring your shoes. If you use another clipless pedal system you'll need to bring your pedals and your shoes or if you prefer to use flat pedals, just let us know, we have a couple of pairs here.
Bike Hire & Guiding costs can be found in our ‘Tours’ section.
Bike hire is on a first come first served basis.
Alternatively, particularly if you’re on one
of our cycle path tours we can suggest a means of
sourcing the perfect bike for your tour from one
of the superb local bike shops. Costs will vary depending
on tour location and the type of bike, please contact
us for details.
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Bike and Trailside repairs
Even the best cared for bikes sometimes break down
on the trail and we want to do our best to ensure
the ride can continue. For that reason we
successfully completed an intensive bespoke five-day
course based on the Cytech qualification.
On our Italy tours we’ll also carry some
common spare parts, just in case.
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Bringing your own bike
We know that many of you will bring your own bikes.
We’ll provide you with some guidelines on
how best to pack it for minimal risk from baggage
handling (below), but please remember your bike
is your responsibility and must be in good mechanical
order. If in doubt please ensure it is fully serviced
before you leave home. Should anything fail we
will try to repair it, point you in the direction
of the nearest pro-bike shop, lend you a spare
if possible or help you organise a replacement.
We’ve all heard horror stories about baggage
handlers. Although we’ve personally never suffered
at the hands of any of our preferred airlines we
thought we’d give you a few ideas on packing
your bike in your bike bag to make sure your pride
and joy arrives in the best possible condition.
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C
Child Care
During the 2008 season we are pleased to be able to recommend to our guests a qualified Childminder for those of you who want to bring your children AND ride. Contact us for details.
D
Daily distances
These obviously vary on our mountain bike tours
according to terrain, metres climbed, weather and the
ability of the group. In terms of miles covered, many
appear to be short rides but the terrain and altitude
can mean that 25km can often be plenty. Since
we always build in time for lunch, rests, the occasional
bike problem and those all important photo stops, an
early start is a must so most days we’ll meet
up after breakfast and be back at your hotel by around
5pm to give you time to relax before dinner. Daily
distances on the Cycle Path tours range from 40-60km. This might sound like a lot but the paths are
of such high quality and the terrain so undemanding
the miles seem to fly by. Again we stop as often as
we need to for photos, drinks and rests etc.
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Dog Minding
Our 2 dogs go to a first rate qualified petsitter when we're out and about all day, yours can join them this season. So, if you want to bring your dog, no problem. Contact us for details.
F
Fitness
The most frequently asked question is “how fit
do I need to be?” The easy answer is as long
as you know you are at home on a mountain bike and
you choose a tour with a grade appropriate to your
ability there should be no problem. Obviously the fitter
you are and the more preparation you do, the more you’ll
enjoy the rides. Andrea is a qualified and experienced
personal trainer and will be more than happy to give
advice on preparing for your chosen tour. Any doubts
or questions just get in touch.
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Flights
You should book your own flight, aiming to arrive
at an airport appropriate to your chosen tour:
Salzburg is the most appropriate airport for the
following tours : MTB week, World Games of MTB, No
Limits Freeride Dreams/Slopestyle and Cycle Path
Experience.
Airlines serving Salzburg Airport from the UK are: Ryanair, Thomson
Fly, Austrian
Airlines.
Verona (Brescia) is generally the most appropriate airport
for Over the Edge in Italy & Nicolai owners weeks but it'll depend on your trip date as Salzburg is another option and closer to OUR base, so please check with us BEFORE you book your flight.
The Airline serving Verona (Brescia) Airport from
the UK is: Ryanair
Please note that the above information cannot be
guaranteed to be 100% accurate due to airline route
changes and should only be used as a guide to help
you plan your bike tour with us. Since we do not
organise package holidays we cannot organise flights
for you.
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G
Grading
We keep our tour grading very
simple:
 |
Easy
Suitable for anyone with a reasonable
level of health and fitness. You’ll need
to do a little preparation to get you ready for
several hours in the saddle, but on the whole the
terrain will be easy and the pace comfortable. |
 |
Moderate
If you’re a regular off road cyclist
you’ll be fine on our moderate tours. Some
tough climbs but not impossible with some loose,
steep, rocky, rooty terrain but nothing too radical.
Grin rather than grimace! |
 |
Hard
A hard rating means you’ll probably have
to do some extra preparation for this one. Long
days in the saddle, sustained off road climbs,
tough, steep, rocky, rooty terrain, sometimes
on edges. |
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Group size
At Over the Edge we believe that smaller groups
are both safer and much more fun for everyone. On our
mountain bike tours our group sizes are no larger than
eight, often smaller, and you’ll frequently have
2 guides per group. Our cycle path tours can easily
accommodate a larger group but we’re keeping
numbers down to a maximum of 12, again often with 2
guides.
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Guiding
As Over the Edge guides we’re fully qualified
and licensed, have knowledge of technical bike maintenance
and a full Rescue Emergency Care first aid certificate.
We also have a good working knowledge of the tours
we guide, do our utmost to be friendly, helpful and
encouraging, and have a genuine desire to make sure
each person gets the most from each day while remaining
safe. On tours where we have 2 guides one of us will
stay towards the front and the other at the rear, making
sure no-one gets lost or into difficulties.
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I
Insurance
Please ensure that you have adequate travel insurance
appropriate to your trip. In the event of an accident
in the mountains you may be required to prove your
insurance status before the Rescue services come to
your aid. It is a pre-requisite of our public liability
insurance to ensure this is the case so please bring
your documents with you (along with your UK European
Health Insurance Card). See Snowcard for comprehensive
biking insurance.
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N
Non-cyclists
If your partner/friend is a non-cyclist, don’t
worry. With a little notice and an idea of their interests
we will be happy to suggest alternatives so that they
have just as good a time as you and you simply meet
up again in the evenings. Problem solved.
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S
Safety
We take your safety seriously and each day we’ll
assess the weather (see weather section below) and
run through a bike safety check before setting out.
We also believe in a one guide to maximum of eight
riders ratio. On some of our tours you’ll have
the benefit of two guides even when numbers are below
eight riders. We both have a recognised first aid qualification
and will carry a first aid kit on all
rides. Our routes have been risk assessed by us and
we ride them as often as we can in an attempt to make
sure they remain safe and fun to ride. There may be instances where we insist you walk certain dangerous sections, please listen to your guide !
For your safety and the safety of the group and others we reserve the right to refuse to guide anyone whom we believe is unfit to ride safely due to illness, injury or the affects of alcohol or drugs.
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T
Transfers
As with accommodation we can link you directly to a
reliable Airport Transfer service which can be booked
online in minutes. Full details and links are in your
chosen Tour guide.
Please note that since we do not
offer package holidays our Transfer recommendations
are suggestions only and you are obviously at liberty
to make your own arrangements should you wish.
W
Weather
You know what they say; you can book anything except the summer weather.
Austrian weather tends to be much more seasonally defined and consistent than
in the UK but occasionally we do have localised heavy rain and summer storms.
July and August are generally hot and sunny with many sunshine hours. September
is a lovely sunny month with temperatures in the mid 20's. In the Southern
Tyrol our tours are in April, June and October to take advantage of the milder
climate as summers there are very hot. We have tried hard to offer our tours
at times when the weather is appropriate to the activity but here’s how
we view bad weather in relation to each of our tours:
Mountain Biking is generally
not a fair weather sport and as such we would usually
carry on unless your safety would be seriously
compromised. Each day we will assess the forecast
and the ongoing current conditions and make a route
decision based on our altitude, terrain, distance,
escape route options etc. Please respect the fact
that the decision made by the guide will be final.
Better safe than sorry.
Cycle Path tours can
usually be carried out in all weathers as they
are never at high altitude and always close to
villages and towns, so if necessary we can get
out of any bad weather pretty quickly.
At the other end of the scale, Austrian summers
can be very hot and it’s easy to get burned
due to the higher altitude, so make sure you bring
a suitable, high-factor sun cream.
(view
local weather forecast)
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What
to bring (A guide not an exhaustive list)
Your usual Cycling Clothing which should include:
 |
Tubes |
|
Pump |
|
Brake pads x2 sets |
|
Chain tool and Links |
|
Multitool |
|
Shock pump |
|
Any specialist equipment
for your bike. |
Other:
|
Camelbak
or similar with bladder |
|
Comfy casual wear
for evenings |
|
Suncream and Aftersun |
|
Insect Repellant |
|
Your camera and battery
charger |
|
Your mobile and charger |
|
A whistle |
|
Bike Lock (your bike
remains your responsibility) |
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What’s included
|
All guiding
and activities as described on each Tour |
|
Qualified and knowledgeable
English Mountain Bike Leaders as your guides |
|
Tuition and technical
back up on all tours |
|
Trailhead Transfers |
|
Since we are both German speakers we offer help with any language difficulties for free, particularly useful on registration for events, ordering food etc. |
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What’s not included
|
Flights (separate contract – see
flights section) |
|
Accommodation – we
are very happy to recommend accommodation for
every budget on our tours and provide a very
easy to fill in form for you to book online direct
with the accommodation of your choice. (Separate
contract – see Accommodation section above) |
|
Airport Transfers – again
this is quick and easy to do online with one
of our recommended taxi service providers (separate
contract - see Transfers section above) |
|
Holiday insurance
(essential) |
|
Hire bikes (see Hire
Bike section above) |
|
Cable car costs |
|
Meals |
|
Spending money |
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Who
rides with us
In keeping with our desire to ensure everyone has
the best possible time, we offer Ladies Only, Beginners
and Family weeks on some of our Tours (see Tours
for details). In this way we can tailor our routes
specifically to the nature of the group, keeping
you together, keeping you safe, keeping you smiling.
All Tours (except those designated Family weeks)
are open to adults of all ages and we’ll do
our utmost to make everyone feel very welcome.
We believe mountain bikers and cyclists are one
breed and we very warmly welcome riders from all
areas of the world. Please be aware, that although
we speak German as well as our native English, all
tours are conducted in English. For your own safety
and enjoyment please make sure your English is of
a sufficient standard to fully understand all our
instructions.
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