If you don’t yet have plans for Christmas, and would like to spend the week of December 23 to 30th on the beautiful Caribbean island of Grenada….we’ve got a fantastic bike adventure for you.

As you know, I’m now living on the island of Grenada and running a bicycle cafe, tour, and rental business.  Along with this, we also put on kick butt triathlon camps from time to time.  Our big one is taking place at the end of March, and I’ll have more details on that very soon, but today I wanted to tell you about a little cycling holiday opportunity that just came up.

We’ve got one person coming in for the week of December 23rd to do some mountain bike and open water swim training with us.  He’s getting ready for the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon and needs to put in some quality time on the bike and in the water.

We’ve set him up with a great package consisting of accommodations, bike rental, airport transfers, coaching (bike and swim), and a bunch of other good stuff.  It’s totally a last-minute thing, but we’d love to have you come join us as well.

Check American Airlines or Caribbean Airlines to get a flight, but the rest of it is all looked after by us……and you just have to know that you’ll be looked after beautifully.

Does spending the holidays on this amazing Caribbean island, riding bikes  and chilling out sound good to you?  Let’s do it.

Package Prices

The packages below include accommodations (7 nights including all taxes), airport transfers, Jamis Trail X2 Mountain Bike rental, Training (some just pointing you in the right direction, some with Darryl, some with Marc DeCaul and the Grenada Triathlon team), and more.  We can also set you up with good rates on tours or anything else you’d like to do while in Grenada.

(You’re also welcome to bring your personal road or mountain bike with you….take US$100 off the package price if you bring your own)

We have listed prices based on single and double occupancy (bring someone with you or get paired up in a room)

Option 1: Grenada Gold

2 Bedroom Apartment

Apartment has a fully equipped kitchen—stove, fridge, microwave, and all cooking and dining utensils—dining table and chairs, comfortable lounge area with sofa and coffee table. Care has been taken to provide comfortable beds from the IKEA deluxe range, as well as modern sun-block blinds. All bathrooms have a power shower. In the lounge is a flat-screen TV with over 25 cable channels. Each apartment has air-conditioned bedrooms and its own small verandah. Linens and towels are provided for you.

Total Package Price       – US$1,309.00 Single Occupancy

                                                  – US$789.00 per person Double Occupancy

Option 2: True Blue Resort

Standard Room

Includes balconies or patios facing the Bay and surrounded by gardens, these spacious rooms are decorated in Caribbean colors with teak furnishings and have fully equipped kitchenette, Cable TV, phone, ceiling fans and A/C. Option for king bed or two single beds.

Daily Continental breakfast buffet included

Total Package Price     – US$2,289.00 Single Occupancy

                                                – US$1,289.00 per person Double Occupancy

Option 2A: True Blue Resort 

Waterfront Suite

By the water’s edge, specially designed to bring the natural beauty of True Blue Bay into a room full of Caribbean comfort and leisure. Featuring tropical designed furnishing, indulgent fabrics and easy going colours, these two level suites have relaxing living room, kitchen, dining area and generous balcony with comfy furnishings on the lower floor. The upper level has a queen bed, ample bathroom with shower and an intimate veranda with cozy outdoor chairs to seat and enjoy the astounding panoramic view of the Bay.

Daily Continental breakfast buffet included

Total Package Price     – US$2,889.00 Single Occupancy

                                                – US$1,589.00 per person Double Occupancy

Christmas 2012 is going to be a whole lot of bikey fun and we’d sure love to spend it with you.  If you have any questions or would like to book your Grenada bike holiday, please contact me directly at darryl@lovingthebike.com.

As time has gone on and #bikeschool has grown in popularity, our online community has forged many friendships along the way. Due to these friendships and a shared passion some class members have been lucky enough to travel across States and Counties to meet up and even ride with one another. Although I have not personally been lucky enough to meet up with any of my fellow class mates, I believe that the opportunity this gives people to hang out and meet new people, potentially from all over the world, is the greatest achievement of #bikeschool. It has created connections, laughs, jokes, nicknames and a few internet phenoms!

So now is the time that we all need to come together… in mind and then hopefully in person. We’d like you all to discuss with us the demand and logistics for the first official #bikeschool vacation, preferably on planet Earth. Everyone will have their favourite destinations either based on previous experience, current location or a desire to see and ride a particular country or State. All we ask that people are open to others’ suggestions and all options are able to be discussed in a positive and adult manner. For instance, I would personally suggest a European venue… as I like in the UK and it would be much easier for me! But… I’m well aware of the traveling distance and cost implications that a Euro tweet-up would have on most of my North American colleagues. This discussion is aimed at finding the best vacation for as many #bikeschool classmates as possible. Of course, it’s entirely possible there could be more than one meet up… let’s discuss!

@StevieDexter starts his cycle across the ocean!

As it is almost June it is slightly unrealistic to think that we may be able to organise something for this summer as by now most people will have made other, less #bikeschool orientated plans! [ED - Did you see how I spelt organiSe with an S!? Spell checker hates it, you probably hate it... but this is the UK baby! That's how I roll!] Anyway…! We think that late December would be a good time to set off this firecracker of an idea and have the inaugural #bikeschool Tweetup, with a view to creating a summer vacation in 2012. This is truly open to discussion and we want to hear all of your ideas; from 20 class-mates sleeping on the floor of someones apartment in New York city and experiencing ‘city’ riding for the first time, to some bad-ass hill climbing in California, or even some winter bike riding madness through the snowy passes of Canada. This could be your vacation destination so make your views known!

If you are still not convinced that this is a good idea, take a look at this video and see how the Rapha Continental team do there vacations! If this doesn’t give you tingles in places that you shouldn’t get tingles, maybe you should stay at home!

Friends      Pain      Laughs      Sweat      Hills      Bikes      Smiles      Speed      Vistas      Ecstasy      Suffering

Please use the comments box below and the #bikeschool hashtag to discuss the class vacation. If there are any class-mates heading to Le Tour this July, I will be there for the first week so let me know!