Tasmanian Loop Stage 1 (East)

This Stage 1 tour is 12 days long with 8 days being cycling days, however, on the 2 rest days you can cycle if you wish.

The tour takes place on sealed roads and the terrain is undulating with some hills with an average distance of 80km per day. The difficulty rating is 7/10 (if cycling full distance) with a few days around 100km and some decent hills. This tour is for cyclists looks for a challenging ride with great scenery.

You really need to be a reasonably keen cyclist –not necessarily fast, but consistent. Try to sit on an average speed of at least 20-25 km/hr on the flat and build your kilometre total distance in training to be out on the bike for a number of hours for two days straight. Aim to ride close to the average daily distance of your chosen tour on each of the days if you can. This will usually put you in a good position to be ready for your tour. There is a training schedule specific to each ride which is sent to you after you place your deposit, however the tour operator is more than happy to send this to you earlier when you are considering the tour –just ask for a copy and it will be sent to you.

The tour operator is happy to accommodate non-riding partners and part-timers who only want to ride part of each day or only certain days. They will generally try to allocate pickup points along the route every day. The entry price will be the same for part-time riders and usually non-riders as well depending on their tour plan.

The support bus is there to support the tour and also pick up riders who need to jump in for any reason. The bus is also some-times used for part-time riders who only ride certain sections of each day – these are often partners of someone else on the ride. This vehicle can be quite popular on some days – especially long days or days with big hills! There is no shame in riding in this bus so if you are considering a tour and are ‘in the ball-park’ in terms of your fitness and preparedness, but not 100% sure if you will be up to it on the toughest days, just go for it – the vehicle and staff will be there to help out. It’s better to give it a try than to miss out altogether.

If you don't want to bring your own bike then it's possible to hire a bike. Whilst the tour operator doesn't have their own bikes to hire, they can put you in touch with their local bike shop and you can pay them directly for bike hire. The tour operator can pick up the hire bike for you the day before the tour and drop it off after the tour as well (they don't charge for the pick up/drop off service).

A comfortable road bike with a good seat and puncture-resistant road tyres, such as Continental Gatorskins. A touring bike or gravel bike is also possible if you are comfortable riding the daily distances and average speed of the tour, however these bikes can be slower than a road bike.

Ebikes are always welcome on the tours and there are special bike racks that can accommodate their unique size and weight, keeping your bike safe when we need to transport it. The racks (and staff) can lift bikes weighing up to a maximum 25kg (battery removed). The racks carry the bike in a vertical position with the front wheel nestled in a cradle, meaning that any front wheel/fork accessories such as pack racks, panniers or mudguards must be removed prior to coming on tour.

Yes. Please contact us if you are interested in booking both Stages and we can give you the discount amount based on if you are interested in twin-share or single occupancy.

Yes, guests can avail of their own private rooms by paying a Single Supplement fee. On very rare occasions while travelling through small towns or there's limited accommodation options, those who availed of the single supplement may share a larger unit/house/lodge with other single travellers of the same gender. You will have your own room but not necessarily your own ensuite.