"MORE, MORE, MORE! Looking for a holiday for you and your friends? This summer you can get more......

....than just a bike ride!

Cycling Country provides relaxing cycling holidays in the heart of Andalusia, with either small group tours for upto 10 people or customised options on offer. The company is run by Geoff (English) and Maggi (Canadian). They are a husband-and-wife team, who met back-packing in Israel in 1995. Their mode of travel moved on when they left behind their rucksacks and hopped on to bikes, and before long they were crossing continents and countries. They've visited Australia, Canada, Central America, and England, with one trip taking them from London to Istanbul, a journey that lasted three months and traversed 11 countries.

Geoff's love of cycling stems from his school days. Geoff was a member of the team that broke the British School's Touring Club record by cycling 251 miles in one day. After spending time in London, Geoff working as a consultant banker and Maggi as a freelance travel writer and photographer, they packed their panniers and headed to southern Spain, where they bought a run-down cortijo on the outskirts of Alhama de Granada.

Their enthusiasm for the venture is infectious: "The region offers a seriously wide scope for great cycling, allowing tours that range from easy to challenging," says Geoff. "You can glide through evocative landscapes as varied as rolling hills, olive groves, sparkling lakes, the great Sierras and national parks. There are spectacular coastal views, whitewashed farmhouse villages, awesome gorges and stunning scenery as you cycle through the flagship towns like Seville, Cordoba and Granada."

"We want people to enjoy cycling as much as we do," adds Maggi, "and so to encourage those not confident in their cycling abilities, all our tours are fully supported." This means that refreshments, assistance or a lift up that hill are all on hand if you should need them. The bikes provided are new 24-speed Treks, complete with Shimano gears.

It's a great holiday option - a healthy active break with a dose of culture and some tasty Andalusian food. When I gave it a go, despite it being my first time on a bike since childhood, I was soon freewheeling off into the sunset, leaving behind all the stresses of the city."