Cycle tour in Colombia: anyone been? Any experiences?

Hi; joined up because this seems like a good place to ask such a question.

I’ll be travelling to Colombia in November, with my bike, on a supported tour. Ride from place to place and all luggage is transported for you. travelling with a company called RedSpokes:

http://www.redspokes.co.uk/cycling_holidays/cycling_holiday.php?TOUR=colombia&ID=26

We’ve never been to South America before (might have to learn a bit of Spanish!) so really looking forward to it. was wondering if anyone on here had done similar, been to Colombia. What’s it like for cycling? Will a mtb be the right choice, or is a touring bike better? Was concerned mainly about poor road surfaces.

Any experiences/thoughts would be good to read about, thanks.

Paul.

Got friend recently back from Colombia and she says it was her favourite spot on her entire S America tour. I’ve never been, although I enjoyed a 2-month tour (not on bikes) of Central America. I’m sure you’ll have a great time. A few words of Spanish will make it even better. Enjoy yourself.

So, nobody else been to Colombia then?

Would be good to get some insight from people who’ve actually been there, and any tips you might have.

Was booked to go on the same tour but in July but there weren’t enough takers, so tour was cancelled. If its anything like Dermot’s other tours you’ll find a mountain bike fitted with puncture-resistant touring tyres (Schwalbe Marathon Extreme) will be fine. I’ve done the RedSpokes trips to Tajikistan, Peru/Bolivia, Laos and NW Vietnam – all have been really good experiences, and my Cotic Soda has coped well with anything that those country’s roads, tracks and trails have thrown at it.

Excellent! I think this Colombia tour is now fully booked up. Really excited about it. Heard great things abut RedSpokes, and unlike most other tour companies, they actually help with projects in many of the countries they visit. It’s far more than just a tourist trip.

Good tip re the tyres.

Does anyone have any tips/info regarding the best airlines etc? flights are not going to be cheap!