Bringing your bike

No, but most athletes do: a week of long rides is a week you want on your own position. If you would rather not fly it, road bike rental is available as an extra. Contact us for details.

It depends on the airline and on the fare, not on us. Some airlines count a boxed bike as one of your checked bags, inside your weight or piece allowance; others charge a sports-equipment fee on top, per flight. Check it before you choose the flight, not at the check-in desk: between two otherwise similar tickets, the bike can be the biggest difference in price.

Most airlines want the bike declared in advance. Vietnam Airlines, for example, asks for it to be booked at least 24 hours before departure, and on flights to or from Europe or Australia accepts no single piece over 32 kg.

Look for “sports equipment” or “bicycles” on your airline's baggage page. The fees change often enough that we do not copy them here: the airline's own page is the only figure that holds.

The Quy Nhon and Da Lat camps are reached through a connection in Saigon or Hanoi. On a single ticket, the bike is normally checked through to your final airport. On two separate tickets, you collect it, check it in again and pay the second airline's own fee, and low-cost domestic fares include little or no checked baggage. Book one ticket where you can.

A hard case protects best and is the hardest to fit into a car. A padded soft bag is lighter and easier to move. A cardboard box from a bike shop costs nothing and most airlines accept it.

Whatever you choose, the airline will expect the bike partly dismantled. Vietnam Airlines, for instance, asks for the handlebars turned along the frame, the pedals removed and the tyres deflated. Take the rear derailleur off its hanger and tape it inside the frame, and put a spacer between the dropouts.

Airport transfers are not included in the camp price, but we book yours for you. A standard car will not take a bike box, so once your flight is booked, send it to us and we reserve a 7-seat car to meet you at the airport; you pay the driver on the day. Each camp page gives the airport and the transfer time to the base.

Nothing is trained on arrival day. The Friday is for landing, building the bike and meeting the group, so there is time to check that everything works before the first ride on Saturday morning.

Open the box at the airport, before you leave the baggage hall. If anything is broken, report it to the airline's baggage desk there and then, and leave with a written damage report (usually called a PIR). For damage to checked baggage, the airline must receive your written complaint within seven days.

Before you fly, photograph the bike and the box. And check whether your travel insurance covers the bike, and up to what amount: many policies cap sports equipment well below what a race bike is worth.