Torino - Nice Rally

well i'm embarrassed -

Ha.. Nah, not like there's a fanfare intro due as I comment on a TNR thread.

Mail list is open for 2018 .. https://torino-nice.weebly.com/updates-and-news.html

I’m doing it 😀
Can’t wait.

Can anyone who's ridden this before recommend a bike shop in Nice that will box up a bike ready for the plane flight home?

Get the train back - TGV to Lille, Eurostar to London. Takes about 8 hours.

Good shout but, flights were booked a while back. Just wondering if anyone had used anywhere in particular really to grab a box (or 4)...

https://www.google.com/maps/search/nice,+france+bike+shops/@43.6865746,7.2281189,13z/data=!3m1!4b1

Hit each one until you score a box.

Oooof!

Yeah, we've just got quite a quick turn around and don't really wanna spend our day in Nice hunting for 4 bike boxes when someone might know a place that's super nice and happy to arrange in advance. Anyway, have emailed a few shops...

Most shops throw them out as soon as they've unpacked them so your best bet is trying to get them secured in advance like you're doing or hit all of them. You could also do the shrink wrap thing at the airport.

I dumpster-dived for cardboard, buy 2 rolls of tape and all's good. The shops in Nice are small mostly and they were out of boxes by the time I could be arsed to pack up my bike last year. I intend to tip off the shops in the area to hold onto a stock this year for 6-15th Sept, and say that they should expect beer or croissants in return for boxes : )

Nice airport sell boxes for 20E at the baggage services are, far right end of departures. Be warned, they're thin with no hand holds. Big though. ie, a PITA to move around but you can ride to the airport then box it up and go. Take your own tape or buy there. Book in advance ideally also, though I haven't in the 3 times I used them.

Yeah I did the same, just went to the back of a big supermarket and got a enough large area of boxes to cover the bike

Has anyone managed to get a train from Nice or Ventimiglia to Turin please?
I cannot find any that allow bikes :(

Last year we used sendbike to post out one bike box stuffed with three others and a load of packing material to our hotel to be waiting for us on arrival. Worked a treat and didn't cost too much when we shared the price of postage. Also chucked in some clean clothes for the 2 days we had in Nice!

Pack the bike down well Rinko-style, cover it in bin bags, worked OK for me in the past. Had to pay extra for it once.

Allegedly it is perfectly possible to take bicycles on ‘regional’ trains in Italy so I will keep digging as I really would like to not have to pack the bike up or box it up.
The service from Ventimiglia to Turin via Cuneo use two regional trains so things should be OK, at least in theory.
I will report back with progress.

That's what I've been told re Italian trains yes - more here, 27th May '17 update - https://torino-nice.weebly.com/updates-and-news.html - info from our man in Turin:

"This is the official page of Trenitalia for bike transport (english
version) - trenitalia.com/tcom-en/Services/Travelling-with-your-bike
The Italian page explain better -
trenitalia.com/tcom/Offerte-e-servizi/FAQ-Bici - but in few words:

• any train “Regionale” have a bike section near head or tail of the train; to store you bike here you must buy, over your personal ticket,
  a daily ticket of 3,50€ for each bike (I do this habitually on my
  one-way trip)
  
• in others train you must wheel off your bikes and packing them ​ I haven’t experience of the French side (Nice-Ventimiglia). In Italian
  side you can travel from Ventimiglia to Cuneo via Valle Roya - Limone
  with a very nice (and slow) train “Regionale” and then from Cuneo to
  Torino with another Regionale. So, no problems to transport the bike.
  Other way is Ventimiglia - Savona and then Savona - Torino via train
  Regionale (about 4.30h) and here also no problem.
  
  

Faster solution via Intercity or international train could need to
transport the bike as extra luggage and this could be expensive and
complicated. My personal suggestion is to reach Ventimiglia in some
way (by bike?) and then take the Valle Roya train. Otherwise you can
get the Train des Merveilles tendemerveilles.com/train-des-merveilles
until the Col Tende and then continue to Limone - Cuneo - Torino via
treni Regionali. It seems a bit complicated but it could be done in a
day…"

And some follow-up train tips from rider replies to the mail out -

RE getting a train from Ventimigila (near Nice) to Turin, "Trains
between Nice and Ventimiglia are frequent and accept bikes free of
charge (in TER), so no use going to Ventimiglia by bike (unless for
the pleasure of wandering along the coast). The Nice - Breil line is
another option to reach Breil where the two lines (the one from
Ventimiglia and the one from Nice) connect."

• Robert C
  
  

RE booking 'inter city' trains to/from Turin (possibly Nice also),
"..my recent experience has been that to formally book a bike on a
fast train eg Geneva to Milan, or Milan to Turin then it isn't
possible to do online via any of the major websites. I have had to
call Trenitalia (v good service in English) and book seat and bike.
cost £6.00 from the UK but cheapest way to do it to guarantee a seat
and accompanying bike. Info on bikes see link
http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en/Services/Travelling-with-your-bike"

• Neal H
  

Wow, thank you, that saves me a lot of research, top information, I a very much obliged to you.

No probs - there's probably answers to most questions about the ride in the updates section there, just needs a trawl through. Format's not great so I'll look at getting a search function added but tbh there's never been any intent to spoon-feed anyone here. Seek>find etc. Endless googling of train info though, best avoided..

https://torino-nice.weebly.com/updates-and-news.html

Cheap fix Search facility added, check it out

For what it is worth, it seems to me after a bit more digging that the Ventimiglia-Savona-Torino option is slightly better because it offers a higher frequency of available departures and connections than the route via Cuneo. The Cuneo option is quicker though, if that matters to anyone.

Anyone knows if the Torino-Nice Rally Riders page on facebook is already accesible? I can´t find it!!!
Thanks a lot for the information, hope to see you all in september!!!

It's not an open group in order to stay a bit more 'hidden', it's run by a chap called David so maybe you need to get onto the page and mssg him to join. Sorry I'm not of more help, my only FB presence/use is the odd post on that page so I'm not 100% sure how it works. I think any member can add you though?

Ok, thanks James, let's see if anyone could send me the link, so i can ask for adding me...
Hugs!!

I'm looking for the Torino-Nice facebook page as well. Could someone send me a link please.
Cheers