Having raced all over the world in his day, Sean Kelly's latest favoured destination is the Greek island of Rhodes. The former world No 1 and 'King of the Classics' will be on the island as the star turn, and guide, on a cycling holiday trip later this year.
Kelly, now best known as a Eurosport-GCN commentator, has teamed up with RC Travel, a cycling holiday operator based on Rhodes. With a population of just 115,000 - half of whom live in the island's main city - Kelly said when he went to the island last year he found it was ideal for cycling as there is a vast network of roads with very little traffic.
"I think it's somewhere that probably a lot of people have gone on holidays to, but the actual cycling terrain is not as well known as some of the other European islands," he told stickybottle. "There's a great combination of coastal routes and climbs if you want to do a bit of climbing. But if you want a more leisurely time of it, the flatter coastal routes are perfect, it's a stunning place really."
Advertisement
Kelly said he initially went with two groups of cyclists from Ireland last year and the trip was a great success so he's going back again this year, with that trip planned for October.
"It will be a week-long trip and we split everyone's week into two halves so to speak," he explained. "The first few days are based around the Mitis Maris beach five star hotel."
Related News
The cost of the trip includes all meals, snacks, drinks of all kinds and even sun beds and umbrellas on the beach at the Mitis Maris Hotel. The riders are split into two of three groups based on ability and each group is accompanied on their daily ride by a guide and a support vehicle.
"Some of the roads we were on last year reminded me of the lower slopes of Mont Ventoux and then there are other rolly routes where you have small villages with olive groves, like Tuscany really. It's great cycling terrain and it's a really relaxed place."
The second part of each riders' week begins on Wednesday with a ride from the Mitis Maris Beach Hotel to Rhodes City, where another five star hotel - the Mitsis Grand - is home for the rest of the trip. It's on the coast and right beside the Old Town, with the Acropolis UNESCO World heritage site.
Kelly said last year many of the riders took one day away from the bike to explore the sites in Rhodes City and the Old Town.
Cycling holidays to Rhodes can be booked through RC Travel who offer the complete package including bike hire and airport transfers. Sean Kelly will be there himself to ride with you from October 14th to 28th and for more details follow this link.
