neshkah

Anyone done a self guided bike tour in Umbria? We're thinking five days on e-bikes using a UK company, Cycling for Softies. They set the itinerary, set up accommodations, and transport your luggage. The 5-day itinerary is Cortona to Montone, Montone to Gubbio, Gubbio to Assisi, Assisi to Cortona. Is this a good company to use or is there someone else we should consider? Also, is it difficult to bike up to the hill top towns?

J62

The answer to that depends entirely on your cycling fitness level. How many miles of rolling hills a week do you bike at home?

0.0 - yes, it is difficult
5 to 10 - it'll be hard, but if you increase your mileage training it'll get easier
50 or more. No. It'll be easy.
100 or more. What hill?

Jean

You wouldn't have to cycle up to the town centers unless you want to. You could leave your bikes at the bottom of the town and walk in/up just like people who arrive by car. But there are some climbs between the towns that could be a challenge to the less than fit. You can search the likely routes on maps.google.com. Search point to point in the "Cycling" mode of travel and then take note of the chart at the bottom left showing elevation changes.

My first question to the company would be "What on-road support, if any, do you provide?"

bilboburgler

Is it difficult to ride an ebike up a hill?

Cycling for softies, the clue is in the name.

indyhiker

I’ve not cycled in Umbria but I have spent plenty of time there and have extensive cycling experience. While the e bikes will get you up a hill, I still think you need to be pretty experienced at road riding to make this a safe and enjoyable option. Are you experienced cyclists?

Lexma90

To add to indyhiker's comments, I bike quite a bit at home but have chosen to NOT cycle in Europe on roads that have cars. Roads tend to be more narrow (then in the U.S., where I live) and not have much of a shoulder; I don't know if this will be the case where this tour would go, but you should ask. It will be your own decision about how comfortable you are about cycling on roads with cars.

bilboburgler

I didn't give more views because I have not cycled in Umbria

I have cycled in just about every other part of Italy but not Umbria (or any of the Islands)

Cycling in Italy is not as easy as Denmark or the Netherlands, but it is a great deal better than cycling in the US, UK, Poland etc
The routes that the companies will propose are made up of roads into towns (back roads and some town centres) very quiet roads, farm roads, "white roads" (strada bianca) which are basically gravel roads and the odd long distance cycle path of which EuroVelo are the most famous but there are other more local ones all over Europe.

With a battery you get a heavier bike than normal which can be a surprise (not much heavier and the weight tends to be low down rather than high up) and getting used to the drive process takes about 10 minutes all of which is spent just getting used to it not faffing around in frustration.

This sort of holiday is fantastic and as long as you can ride a bike you will find that the guides/coaches/bike fixers (it depends on what the service is the company offers) they will recognise any issues you have. The very least I'd expect from this service is, if you have enough riding for a day (tired, wet, hungry), they would pick up you and take you and your bike to your hotel.

When I've done these my biggest problem is a pain in my bottom or too much pain in my shoulders from a badly set up bike. Both can be fixed by bike modification or just shorter day rides which can often be arranged.