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Good idea, or expensive opening salvo in a divorce?
I really, really want to ride the Alps before I'm too old to do such a trip justice. Unfortunately, my regular riding buddies are becoming more and more flakey as time marches on so I'm thinking of planning a trip that involves my wife who doesn't ride. Am I insane? Is it realistic to head out early and ride in the mornings and then do couple stuff in the afternoon. I'd like to move around and do several venues over the course of a week/10 days.
Done it loads.
Entirely depends on how self sufficient and motivated your other half is. Mine will go running, for a walk, hiking etc while I'm out and we'll meet up whenever.
If she's sitting in a hotel or chalet with no idea what to do with herself then it's not going to be fun for her
Personally I wouldn't but you know your other half
I think I'd probably just be booking a single spot with somebody like white room, the more I go on the more I see solo people turning up for exactly the same reason as you either friends who have stopped riding or solo riders.
It does depend massively on your partner and whether they're in to hiking etc. or whether your partner is just going to want to sit on a beach and do nothing.
She's not a sit a beach and do nothing kind of person but she's also not that likely act independently while I'm off enjoying myself. She'll happily go on a hike with me but is unlikely to do so solo.
What we do is head to the Alps for the week, I ride then when I get back, we go for a hike or whatever. I try and make sure I cook or we go out for food.
The following week we head south to the beach for a more traditional holiday.
It works pretty well, but takes a lot of effort to do stuff after riding.
You know her best!
I do uk trips with my OH.
But we both quite happily book trips independantly. Been on a few abroad trips with groups and folk from here. She then does the same with her intersts.
Maybe im slightly different but your not one entity.
the question I’d ask myself is, “does my wife have any interest in a mountain holiday?”
if the answer isnt a yes, then I’d go alone.
My wife suggested we go to Chatel for a week.
I asked if she would be happy with a week of me riding/ talking about riding/ staring at the mountains and wishing I was riding instead of doing anything with her.
We went somewhere else.
I went with my wife and son (who don’t ride) this summer staying a few miles down the road from Morzine. Everyone had a great time, going again next year! The whole area is stunning, can’t see how anyone could not like it.
I went with my wife and son (who don’t ride) this summer staying a few miles down the road from Morzine. Everyone had a great time, going again next year! The whole area is stunning, can’t see how anyone could not like it.
The issue isn’t the location, it’s one being abandoned whilst the other goes off and rides bikes all day I suspect.
We've kind of done that for the past two years. Les Deux Alpes last year, Let Gets this year.
I'd say the biggest limited factors in riding in the morning are the opening times of the lifts (generally 9) and the size of the queues. In L2A, you could hit the lifts a 9 and get around eight or nine runs in by lunchtime as the queues were short. In Morzine and Let Gets, the queues were long, and you could be in them for half an hour. I found that really frustrating as getting eight or nine runs in really meant a full day on the mountain, getting back late afternoon. I ended up doing a day on, day off.
On the bike days, my wife went out for a few guided walks and a couple of outdoor yoga sessions in the hills - she doesn't have a lot of yoga experience, but loved it. She's an incredibly capable person, way more so than me, but she's not confident or experienced out on the hills alone but because the routes are so well signposted, and there are generally a lot of people about on the paths within 5km of the villages, she ended up doing a few walks by herself and loved it.
All that said, if we did it again, it would have to be L2A or similar, where its less busy and I could just escape for the morning.
I tend to ride every other day, and on alternate days do stuff together.
the question I’d ask myself is, “does my wife have any interest in a mountain holiday?”
if the answer isnt a yes, then I’d go alone.
This.
I think you could both end up frustrated.
I think you could get more satisfying riding time on a solo 5 day trip where you set your own schedule and ride for as long as you like, versus a 10 day couple trip where your riding opportunities are more constrained.
the question I’d ask myself is, “does my wife have any interest in a mountain holiday?”
This is the key IMO.
My other half loves mountains, hiking and open water swimming so we're going out there next year.
I won't be riding every day though.
I have to say that I disagree that you would both inevitably be frustrated. I’ve holidayed in the Alps almost every years for about 20 years. With kids and without (but with my wife). I do agree that it’s essential that your partner enjoys the mountains. But many places have plenty of sunbathing, swimming, horse riding, hiking, zip lines, etc. So as long as you’re not aiming to a Costa del Sol holiday, I would have thought it shouldn’t be a problem.
Can't think of anything worse than dragging myself off a mountain at lunchtime after an ace morning riding and not going back out after lunch.
Just go on your own but do a short week/long weekend. Easy enough to do if you fly into Geneva and bus to one of the resorts...
not sure i would want to go and ride in the Alps on my own.
A lot of scope for having a big off, or a significant mechanical which you wouldnt want to have to deal with on your own.
I think youre better off getting your mates to get their acts together. Book it, and they will come.
not sure i would want to go and ride in the Alps on my own.
I've done a few solo alps trips. Absolutely glorious. Unless you're riding back country stuff far from the crowds it'll be fine. Banging out laps in Morzine, there will be someone along soon after you have an off. If anything, it's likely safer as riding with mates tends to be more frantic and competitive than solo rides
not sure i would want to go and ride in the Alps on my own.
A lot of scope for having a big off, or a significant mechanical which you wouldnt want to have to deal with on your own.
I think youre better off getting your mates to get their acts together. Book it, and they will come.
Riding on my own I'd be fine about. Going out on the beers afterwards would be less fun on your own though...
This post has two holidays written all over it;
1. You go to the Alps riding
and
2. Separate holiday for the two of you to wherever your spouse wants to
Ha. I guess I've scored a good one as MrsVlad is happy on her own. Just about every holiday we've had over 30+ years I've taken a bike (occasionally a road bike AND a MTB!). Generally, I'll ride every other day and she'll hike in the same sort of area as I'm riding.
Invariably, I'll do the planning but I make sure there's some options which appeal to her wherever we are heading. Sometimes Mrs Vlad will shuttle me - on a recent back country trip, she drove the forest roads as acted as my sag wagon and I rode my gravel bike and we kept in contact via walkie talkie!
Her only stipulations are (a) must be sunny, (b) must have great scenery or points of interest/history and (c) she has to have a book to read if she has any dead time. She's happy sitting in the sun, reading her book and looking at the scenery.
It helps that we have a dog as she's happier hiking if the dog is with her. On my non-riding days, we'll usually do bigger/more remote hikes together.
We both have Garmin's for live-tracking so we can monitor each other, if needed.
When she shuttles me, I try to arrange ride so she drops me off at the furthest point and then I make my own way back to our accommodation and she is free to do a hike or just go to beach/lake/mountain village/whatever she wants and we meet up again mid afternoon
That's crazy talk!It's a radical suggestion I know, but have you tried asking your wife about this?
She actually suggested it but I’m concerned there won’t be enough to keep her occupied so I'm asking for real world experience from people in a similar situation.
My second response on this thread, but I’d just like to say that my wife and kids loved their many non-biking alps holidays. Both Morzine and Les Gets have loads for non bikers. And Chamonix is totally wonderful. But, to be fair, they're all best if you also like hiking, at last a little.
Morning riding... in many places you can start the day with one big almighty (but cool) climb first thing, then descend, grab a coffee and stand outside the lift waiting for it to open. They'll often let you on before the "start" time anyway. The climb when it's quiet, still and the heat of the day hasn't hit can be a highlight rather than a chore. The bonus is you'll be more tired by lunchtime and ready to chill with your partner.
Oh... watch out for animals on the trails if you do get to descend before the lifts open.
Real world experience from me. Last year I went with wife and adult (early 20s) kids. We did a lot of hiking together and swimming in lakes type stuff. I had one day on the bike when the others just wanted to chill by the pool. We all loved it, was a fantastic holiday and it's genuinely interesting to explore the area as a non-biker having only been on MTB trips before.
i get myself in enough trouble going to a rock climbing area with my partner who also climbs just isn’t AS! Keen as me. Often we’re meant to be doing a variety of activities, walking swimming and a bit of climbing but when I get there and I’m surrounded by brilliant climbing all I want to do is climb so scope creep kicks in.
basically I’d say it would only work if you can be really boundried with your riding set out before you go how much you’ll do and when then stick to it, no trying to squeeze and extra morning or afternoon in around whatever else you’re doing.
the question I’d ask myself is, “does my wife have any interest in a mountain holiday?”
if the answer isnt a yes, then I’d go alone
This is really the only question that matters.
I've done it, albeit skiing and not cycling. Mrs Lunge will happily hike solo, take a chairlift to look at some views, mooch around the village and use the hotel facilities (we made sure we had a hotel with a spa and good facilities, and were based in a proper village not just a generic mountain resort). That meant I could go and ski all day safe in the knowledge she was happy doing what she wanted to do. We'd meet up for apres, and for some lunches too. She got a week relaxing in the mountains and I got a week skiing. Win win.
If she wasn't interested in that kind of thing I'd have either gone solo or not gone at all.
She actually suggested it but I’m concerned there won’t be enough to keep her occupied
So, is she a mountain-y person then?
She likes nice walks, scenery, spas and stuff like that. We’ll be taking the dog if we do go.
I have presented the idea to her today as a 2 week trip, week 1 in the mountains and week 2 by the sea. It hasn’t been dismissed out of hand but some serious planning is required.
Entirely depends on how self sufficient and motivated your other half is. Mine will go running, for a walk, hiking etc while I'm out and we'll meet up whenever.
If she's sitting in a hotel or chalet with no idea what to do with herself then it's not going to be fun for her
^^This^^
My other half is at the other end of the spectrum, if we're on holiday together then we do stuff together, not apart and she does not ride bicycles, certainly not for fun.
The suggestion of a Solo guided trip is a good one, Mate at work just did this as a gift to himself for his 40th, Had a great time, met new people didn't have to worry about rushing back each day to keep his missus happy. Has gotten me tempted to look at something similar in the next couple of years...
I guess I got lucky as my wife is usually more keen to ride in the Alps than I am (and usually pays for most of it) each year
It could work. I’d favor 2 different holidays. Less pressure, more fun.
Perhaps unflake a friend or two or acquire new ones for the holiday.
I think this is a conversation you need to have with your wife.
One thing to consider is what happens if you get a bad weather week.
You can still ride, but your wife may not have many options.