Jon

I'm interested in riding in Europe, both on and off-road, and was wondering if anyone has had much experience with either.

As far as road riding goes, I'd like to find some routes that are off the beaten path and a bit rough, ie; gravel, cobble, old roads, maybe even ones that are closed to car traffic. Mountains are good. There are a plethora of touring operations available, ranging from very expensive to pretty reasonable, but aside from the ease of operation aspect, I think I'd rather just find a small group of riders in decent shape with similar ideas. I'm planning on this summer, not August though. I should mention beer-drinking will come in a close second to cycling on the priority list.

Mtn biking seems to be a little easier to organize, mainly because one could just pick an area and stay there while doing day-rides. There was someone who advertised an operation in Switzerland last year on the OBRA list, and it looks like a good deal. I can't recall the name of it, but staying in a chalet high in the Alpes with some of the best riding on the continent at your doorstep sounds pretty appealing to me!

If anyone is interested in organizing an excursion, or just has some advice/recommendations, please fell free to contact me.
Thanks- Jonathan Smith