Ultracycling

Herding cats.

But this kind of thing has worked in the past for Dunwich Dynamo, etc.

They're not importing the bikes though, they're transferring them for temporary use and returning them to the origin country.

Or is that not treated differently?

If I was going to set up a nice little VAT fraud business on importing new bikes to sell on, this is exactly how I would do it.

So I wouldn't be surprised if there's a little heightened scrutiny at the border on this kind of thing (Tho I might be assuming too much of our/continental boys in blue)

I guess I presumed they could link them to the riders transit somehow. Maybe I'm asking too much.

We did similar in the past for L2P - we all rode onto the ferry and one person basically waved a list of names and I don't think they even looked at passports. Presumed it was pre-registered to save time for tour groups and that kind of thing.

Why would EUs be buying UK bikes that presumably you've paid VAT on? Or you mean bringing bikes back from the EU, pretending to be part of a tour group?

we all rode onto the ferry

That's different - a group of people on their own bikes. Done that loads of times. Problem is taking other people's bikes on if they are not there.

Must have been pre-Brexit, they definitely look at passports now!

I first heard of it from someone to do with the HPV Championships who said they were having issues getting the bikes across the channel

Sure but is there no provision for touring groups shipping musical instruments, wind surfing stuff, surfboards, bikes, literally anything over for use during a holiday but in different vehicles?

I mean, Brexit is fucking stupid so I guess, suck it Britain. But you'd think there'd be something in place? How do bands travel over? What about sports teams that have bus full of athletes and a truck full of bikes? How does Tour of Britain work with the EU teams?

How do bands travel over

You have to do a carnet and its loads of paperwork, which is why we don't get as many smaller US/CA bands over when they do Europe

I see. Well, Brexit means Brexit, not "fun" so enjoy your new independence from those overbearing bureaucrats in Europe. :D

The obvious answer is to ride to the start and back.

I've given up on trains to get to Spain from Luxembourg for an event in April; I'm getting on a plane. The one in France later in the year I can get train or drive to, but spending two days there and two days back is a bit much compared to a 2 hour plane trip.

But but but! You don't even have to cross the channel you slacker!

Spain is quite hard by train, if it is any further than Barcelona

Hard how? There's fast trains from Barcelona to Madria, Valencia, Sevilla, etc

I still fly. Because I want to spend my holidays cycling, not sat on trains and since Brexit, the trains are fucked for bikes.

I've spent hours looking into it for events this year and next.

You can do London-Barcelona in a day but not any further.

Connections to Madrid are good but to the south are not great, eg only one train per day direct Barcelona to Cartegena, one per day from Algeciras to Madrid. Those are not special examples, they're the two journeys I've looked at booking.

Coming back, the first train from Madrid to Barcelona to connect with the TGV doesn't take bikes.

Can't get to France early from beyond Madrid to catch the sleeper trains so need to stay overnight.

Also it's next to impossible to book onto Spanish trains with an interrail pass in advance. Risk is you have to hope you're lucky at the station.

It's much easier to get to / from Italy, Croatia or Poland from London than southern Spain.

Sounds like you have very specific time frame? You can probably find more options using slower trains but, they're um slower. We've used the Regionale and/or MD trains to go from Barcelona down to Amposta for an MTB event. You can just wheel your bike on and off them.

Some parts are harder to get to then others, ie. France has trains into the Pyrenees but Spain doesn't really.

What's "the first train from Madrid to Barcelona to connect with the TGV doesn't take bikes."? You mean, doesn't take complete bikes, but what about bagging it?

I don't know what an interrail pass is. We just use renfe.com and maybe the French and DB train sites to book stuff.

Yes, the train works for me if I can do it in not much over 24 hours. If it takes two full days, that's too much time.

the first train from Madrid to Barcelona to connect with the TGV doesn't take bikes

It's a low cost Avlo train, 2nd class only, maximum luggage size is too small for a bagged bike. The first AVE that you can put a bagged bike on is too late to get you back to London that day.

Yeah but connections are a bit shit here... sleeper tickets seem to be released at random intervals which is not ideal if you're planning for an event. I can't get one of those I have to get a hotel in Barcelona, Valence or Paris for a night and still have about 18 hours on a train. I do like the idea of traveling by train tho...

Edit - Looks like there is one way to do it with a sleeper but it's still an arse ache. 3pm leave Luxembourg on TGV (so bike in a bag) for Paris, put wheels on and ride across Paris. 8pm sleeper from Paris to Montpellier (back in bag). 9:30am train to Tarragona. 6 hour wait there, then final train to Valencia arriving 9pm.

So total: 19 hours on trains, 10 hours either waiting in stations or going between them. Or a 2 hour flight. Only advantage of the train is I know where my bike is most of the time.

6 hour wait there, then final train to Valencia arriving 9pm

It's the lack of decent connections (much) beyond Barcelona that kills it. If you had an hour between trains you'd be there for tea time, 24 hours total.

https://youtu.be/_SDAIcyFNvY?si=e5nTeyw3MIoxvfJ2

What he says at the start about missing sunsets etc is very true.

When I was a young racer, one of the old racers at my club stopped competing and started doing Audax. I was chatting to him on a ride one day
And he said exactly the same thing, how his riding is so much more enjoyable. He would stop to look at a view, take a photo, sit down.

His words still resonate with me as on older (non-competitive) rider. You miss so much trying to get fit and smash out a ride, I am enjoying my riding now more than ever and am always happy to stop and take a photo.

Ahh, it's out! Nice one, will have a look at it later.

Not even looking at how much of a ball ache trying to sort out which trains and what stupid requirements they have, it's the price/time that kills it. It's why I fly most of the time. At least they're pretty consistently shit and I know how to work around it. Trains w/ bikes seem so random. The same journey you've taken one time - you take again but get a different train or different conductor and you're fucked.

I do like the idea of traveling by train tho...

I love train travel. But trains with bikes? Hard work just finding out what's possible, inconsistent, stressful when you're actually trying to use them, etc.

When you're touring and have endless time and don't give a shit if you get kicked off a train because blah blah they're great. But if you're trying to make a start time of an event with an immaculately prepared bike that you don't want some arsehole's suitcase thrown on...

Even calling SNCF leads to about 48 different variations of what might happen, how and when. I called about the Nice to Dignes railway line recently and was told, by the same person, on the same call that it it's open to trains as usual... but also it's closed for maintenance. Schroedingers Railway; travel on it and find out

Yeah, theres space for both, and I'll always have a love of pushing myelf, but I've a lot more space for just exploring and enjoying now.

Thanks, thoroughly enjoyed that. It's looked like an excellent event to ride!