Everyone has a different way to relax on vacation. For some it’s basking in the warm sun on the beach, for others it’s experiencing other cultures in exotic destinations, exploring nature while hiking, canoeing, or fishing on a quiet lake. Still others prefer a quiet staycation at home. Me? A proper vacation is a week or two cycling through quiet countryside in my velomobile.
This summer will be my tenth summer going on tour. I’ve now cycled all over Germany, Austria, Italy, a tiny bit of Switzerland, and the US. These general tips are based off what I’ve learned so far:
- Learn what makes touring fun for you
Just like different people have different ideas of what a fun vacation is, people have different ideas of what makes a cycle tour fun. I’ve tried different touring approaches ranging from day trips from centralized locations to tours focused solely on riding longer distances in a big loop. While both approaches work for me, I’ve learned to cut back on how much I try to take in each day so I can relax and enjoy the ride.
- Your destination doesn’t have to be exotic
While touring in foreign countries and exotic locations is definitely fun, you don’t have to travel far from home to have an epic adventure. Even here in the US there are plenty of places to tour including networks of long-distance rail trails. In many states you can easily plan a multi-week tour without ever leaving the state.
- Planning the ideal route
For me planning is part of the fun of a tour. I love studying maps for route options and dreaming about the adventures I’ll have. I’ve used a variety of online mapping sites like Strava and Plotaroute, Komoot, Garmin Connect, and now RidewithGPS. All of these show officially designated cycle routes using the OSM maps option. Many will also label if the surface is paved or gravel. An ideal route for me is paved cycle paths or quiet roads occasionally passing through small towns with services such as grocery stores and bakeries where I can also find a restroom. I also use google earth to verify it’s paved and to look for possible impediments such as awkward street crossings or bridges with stairs to avoid, especially when touring with my velomobile.
- Know your limits
Nothing takes the fun out of a cycle tour like biting off more than you can chew. When planning I try to take into account things like total elevation for the day, the extra time it takes to pass through large metropolitan areas, sights I might like to take in, and the need for the occasional lighter day for recovery. Last summer my friend Tom and I decided to try riding 170 miles from Minneaoplis to Duluth in one day. I misjudged how long it would take by several hours. We arrived around 9pm with the light fading fast. Fortunately we had lights, but we planned our day of riding a lot better the following day and arrived back home before dark.
- Find the right bike
While you can tour with any bike, you’ll be spending a lot of time riding, so you’ll want a bike that fits you well and can handle the conditions you’ll be riding in. Most bikes can be packed up in a cardboard bike box, but of course having a suitcase and a folding bike means no extra airline charges for a bike box and much easier transport of it from the airport to your hotel. Tire choice is also critical. While a fast slick tire is great for covering long distances on pavement, it is a terrible choice for gravel. Be sure to take into account the surface of your route and your willingness to sacrifice speed for flat prevention and good grip. You’ll also want to know basic maintenance for your bike and how to find help when you need it. If you’re planning to buy a new touring bike, find a shop that specializes in this type of bike with knowledgeable staff who will help you with fit and setup.
If you’re considering a velomobile for touring, Northland Velo is here to help. Contact us to get an order started for you new velomobile.
- Finding accommodations
While it’s possible to book hotels on the fly, I learned early on that calling around mid-afternoon for a hotel added too much stress. These days I pre-book my hotels since I generally know how far I can go each day. Services like booking.com or the local Tourist Info office can help you find hotels at your destination. I make sure to pick hotels that I can cancel and that have a secure place to store my bike. When I tour here in the US, I tend to camp more often due to high hotel costs. Since camping in state parks tends to get booked many months in advance, I end up looking for private campgrounds. Others use services like Warmshowers, or even airbnb to find accommodations.
- The right gear
Just like choosing the right bike, having the right gear can make all the difference. I normally have a variety of clothing for warm, cold, and wet conditions, all of which can dry quickly. I carry camera gear to record my adventure for posterity, and of course tools including spare tubes, tire levers, pocket knife, bike multi-tool, patch kit, 10mm wrench, spare chain links, spoke tool, and a pair of rubber gloves. I also carry a raincoat, or if riding a non-faired bike, full rain gear. Of course there are also the various chargers for my phone, camera, and GPS.
- Preparing to travel with your bike
When I first started touring I packed my bike in a cardboard bike box. These can be pretty easily sourced from local bike shops. I would then stash it at a hotel near the airport. I reinforced the bottom of the box and grab handles with duct tape and often taped pieces of a second box to the bottom.The hassle of transporting the box to and from the airport was why I bought a folding bike and suitcase for later trips. For local tours it’s much easier since I either start at home, or drive to my location to avoid packing altogether. Overseas velomobile tours are a lot more challenging. Your best option is to acquire a velomobile in the country you’ll be touring in and sell it after the tour.
- Weather
We’d all like to think our tour will be nothing but blue skies. I’ve had many tours disrupted by weather ranging from heat, to torrential rain, to snow. My tour last summer involved multiple days with heavy rain storms and even one day where it snowed on the mountain pass I needed to cross leading to an unintended rest day for me. This is where having good rain gear and a variety of clothing becomes essential and brings me to my last tip.
- Be prepared to change plans
The majority of my tours have not gone as planned. Weather, mechanical issues, and biting off more than we can chew happen to most of us that tour. Be prepared to be flexible. That means booking hotels that can be cancelled without penalty, having tools to fix most mechanical issues on the fly, knowing how and where to get medical help, and being ready to go with the flow. After all, it’s a vacation, not a race!
While these tips are pretty general in nature and each could easily be their own dedicatedpost, I hope they give you a useful starting point for planning your tour.
