Whether you’re a group of friends looking for a unique bonding experience or are searching for a suitably challenging fundraising trip, our Tailor Made cycle holidays could be for you! We asked regular Skedaddler Russ Cummings why he keeps coming back for more bespoke cycling tours with us…

Why do you keep coming back for tailor-made experiences?


The routes, the people and the picnics… Skedaddle have years of experience and their encyclopaedic knowledge of the best roads for cycling means they take us to wonderful places, quiet scenic and appropriately undulating.

The staff are fantastic, whether it is the team at HQ organising and taking bookings, or the team on the road. They treat us like friends, yet work tirelessly behind the scenes to make the event a success.

And the food… those picnics by the side of the road are legendary, fresh local produce in wonderful locations (or is it just that we are so hungry when we stop, we’d love anything they gave us!!)

Tell us about your experience organising these tours?

The planning is almost as much fun as the riding. Discussing routes and logistics adds to the anticipation.

Before we finish one trip we start planning the next (David has this knack of sowing the seeds of his favourite roads in Corsica, or unfinished business in the French Alps!). So the anticipation keeps us going throughout the winter. The admin staff are brilliant, helping coordinate everyone flying in from different places. 

And if I haven’t mentioned it before, those guys work so hard during the week itself! Rising before dawn to sort bikes, prep the route, provision the van, then last to bed (certainly keeping us company in the bar!). Nothing is too much trouble for the staff and they really know the formula to keep us all happy and together – not and easy task at times when tired and hungry!

What do you think is the best thing about the holidays you have experienced with Skedaddle?

The routes, the people and the picnics – plus we’ve been taken to some wonderful, memorable places off the beaten track.  Places with character, often with lovely views where cyclists are welcomed and well fed… if only they weren’t all on top of a hill!

Still not convinced? We have also asked another regular of Tailor Made trips Scott Brown about what he thinks makes a Skedaddle experience so unique and personal…

The Skedaddle team have a knack of judging the routes so they stretch and challenge us without turning a trip into an ordeal or tribulation and, as a result, we surprise ourselves by achieving something that truly feels like a real accomplishment and this brings immense satisfaction.

If you told me a few years ago that I would be climbing (and just as importantly descending!) Tourmalet, Ventoux, or Stelvio, I would have laughed. The Skedaddle team have shown us what we can do when we put our minds to it and are suitably motivated… and related to this there is a sense of camaraderie that forms during, and that lasts beyond, these memorable trips.’ Scott

What’s next?

Read more about our tailor made cycling holidays. It’s your chance to turn your dream cycling tour into reality!

Photos by Lighttrapper Photography

Russ Cummings

This article was written by Russ Cummings

Russ Cummings was born in Newcastle and raised in Hull, his love of cycling began with youth hostel adventures to Scarborough and the Yorkshire Moors. After relocating to Berkshire for work, he rediscovered cycling in his forties, organising multi-day rides along the Kennet & Avon Canal for his sons, friends and fellow dads. A demanding business career limited riding to weekends, but dreams of becoming a Saddle Skedaddle guide never faded. Instead, he became one of the company's most enthusiastic customers, enjoying tailor-made cycling trips across Europe. Now working part-time with Saddle Skedaddle, he combines business expertise with a passion for exploring the world by bike.

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