If you don't ride your bike most weekends you'll hate these holidays but for the sports cyclist these are the holidays to sell your soul for.

The Gastrobiking 'Cycling Holidays From Hell' are for keen cyclists who don't necessarly take their cycling too seriously. They're based on a Cyclosportif at the end of the week so the preceding week is a programme of rides that will prime you up ready for the big day.

For 2008 we have the usual temptations with a new addition at the end of the season based in the aptly named town called Die. The Challange du Dauphine-Libere kicks off the mountain cyclosportive season with a two superb circuits in the Vercors. The Ardechoise offers a good choice of routes and a cycling festival atmosphere. The Vercors-Drome is a popular late summer sportive and the Raphael Poiree a new event in Drome-Provencale.

If you haven't done a 'Cyclosportif' before, the prospect of riding 130km or 160km with hundreds or even thousands of other cyclists may be a bit daunting especially on mountain roads. Our standard holidays are an excellent way to both improve your fitness and improve your climbing and descending skills.

Usually at least one or two of the riders will have ridden the event, and one or two of the others, previously.