Ah…the Americans have arrived

I was looking for an off the beaten path bicycling holiday to mark a milestone birthday and my internet search took me to Mojacar! I researched the area and Baguet Bicycle Center caught my attention. “Sun, quiet roads, and mountains…” three of my favourite things.

I did hesitate about booking a cycling holiday in Mojacar at the Baguet Bicycle Center because I am from a small town in the mountains of Colorado and I had never heard of Mojacar. After exploring Baguet’s attractive website and description of the week, it sounded like it was exactly what I was looking for. Two of my cycling friends, also from Colorado, decided to join me.

From the moment we walked into the bike room at Baguet Bicycle Center in the Mojacar Alegria Palacio Hotel, Marnic one of the guides, greeted us with a friendly smile and said, “Ah…the Americans have arrived”. I had no idea that we were the first Americans to ever sign up for one of their cycling holidays but they made us feel so special and welcomed that I knew right away that this was going to be an incredible week.

I found my comfort zone in group C which was the ideal mix of good training, perfect pace, challenging segments, the most amazing guide, Dirk, and a group of Belgium people who were the kindest and most fun-loving group of fellow cyclists I have ever had the pleasure to ride with. They all hold a very special place in my heart and I will always cherish the memories we made on and off the bike. The distance and elevation challenged me, yet Dirk made every ride fun and interesting. We stopped at several spots to take pictures enjoy the beautiful vistas and to celebrate our strong efforts. On our last day of riding, which was a bit cooler, we even stopped for coffee at a cute café.

I truly loved everything about this cycling holiday but if I have to pick what I liked most, it must be the guides. They made each and every cyclist on this trip feel appreciated and welcomed no matter your riding level and genuinely cared about how you were doing each day. Their positive energy, enthusiasm, knowledge of the area and routes created a safe and enjoyable environment. I liked that there were three riding levels to choose from to accommodate different riding abilities.

I especially loved how the guides took so many pictures and videos of everyone. At our evening meeting each night Dirk presented a slide show of our day accompanied with upbeat music. The nightly meeting was very helpful because all the routes were carefully explained, (even though I didn’t speak Dutch/Flemish) Marnic did an excellent job of translating the important parts such as the distance, elevation, lunch stops, water stops, types of roads and terrain. We were not given GPS routes, and at first, I thought this odd, but when you have excellent guides who ride with you every day there is no need to be bothered with looking at your cycling computers all day and wondering if you are going the right way. Dirk made sure we all stayed together and he didn’t mind when anyone needed to stop for a bathroom break.

I also must mention the high-quality carbon bikes with Di2 shifting, disc brakes and great gearing ratios to get up the hills. The guides were helpful to make sure we had a good and comfortable fit. They were always willing to adjust anything that wasn’t quite right.

The hotel was very pleasant with nice amenities, spacious rooms and the food and wine were abundant. There were lots of choices and variety each meal to fit all dietary needs and desires. I really liked how all our meals were together as I think this helped build a sense of community and camaraderie amongst our group. And stopping into Pedro’s for refreshments after our rides was also a highlight.

I also appreciated the backpack and water bottles we were given and the laundry service to wash our kits were all nice touches and extremely helpful.

I highly recommend Baguet Bicycle Center if you are looking for an incredible week of cycling in a beautiful location and a welcoming environment for all level of cyclists. The guides go above and beyond to create a safe and fun atmosphere so all you have to do is ride your bike and enjoy each day. This cycling holiday is very affordable and provides high quality bikes, comfortable spacious accommodations, great food, and abundant wine.

I guarantee when the week is over you will leave with stronger legs and lots of cherished memories and photos.

Thank you again for making my cycling holiday such a wonderful experience. I have been on other cycling trips with well-known world-wide companies and I can truly say that Baguet is by far the best I have experienced. I hope to travel the roads of Mojacar again with Baguet Bicycle Center. Keep on doing what you are doing and if you ever want to open a cycling center in Colorado, I know some awesome routes.