Preparation for a cycling holiday
As with anything in life, preparation is the key to success and, ultimately, enjoyment. If you prepare for your cycling holiday, you are more likely to enjoy it and get more from the whole experience. There are many facets, but I will look at some key ones in this article.
Find the right cycling holiday for you.
The first main point is picking a cycling holiday suitable for you, so if you haven’t done it before, look for something appropriate for a beginner. Tour Operators offer many tours that will fit a complete beginner to an expert leisure cyclist. Think about a country you would like to visit; Central Europe provides a wide range of cycling with various scenery and places.
Benefits of a Tour Operator
Tour Operators make it easy for you by doing all the organising for you. From your bike to the hotels, route maps, and support if anything goes awry. This means you can focus on enjoying yourself and cycling each day through the beautiful countryside and taking photos of the scenery. Remember to look at each tour’s different difficulty levels and read the descriptions carefully when researching. I would suggest making a list of things you want to include to help you choose. Such as a specific sight in a city or wine tasting on a vineyard, or local food in a mountain hut! This way, you can tailor your holiday to your needs.
How I choose where to go
I make a list of what we want to do and see, how hard the cycling should be, which country and anything special we want to do. A couple of years ago, we wanted to visit the city of Graz and the wine area of Austria to eat local food produced in a vineyard. So, we decided on the Mur Bike Path. This takes you from the mountains of Salzburgerland through Steiermark, the “Green Heart of Austria”, to the Slovenian border at Bad Radkersburg.
This route fulfilled our requirements and started in a beautiful mountain area, travelling through amazing countryside, vineyards and farming land where everything imaginable is grown. You can taste the wine of the region, but also the famous pumpkin seed oil of Steiermark. We stopped at a “Buschenschank” or two, an entirely memorable experience to taste their produce and sample their wine. This is my blog on the tour which I adjusted slightly to make it fully work for us. https://ebike-europe.com/routes/mur-bike-path-austria-european-bike-paths/
Physical preparation
Once you have a tour in mind, the main point is being physically prepared. This doesn’t mean you have to set a tortuous fitness regime, but maybe set yourself a target of doing a few weekly rides. It’s a good idea for some of those rides to be on concurrent days. Try to cycle the distance you would ride on the tour (c.a. 50 kilometres per day). This way, you know how it will feel to ride the distances and how your body will feel the day after. Doing it this way also has the advantage of starting the cycling holiday knowing you can cover the distances.
Comfort preparation
A key area is the comfort of your posterior. If you have a sore bum, the whole experience will be impacted and the fun factor will be dramatically reduced. Therefore with a bit of careful thought beforehand, this potential problem can be removed. Saddles are probably the most important, take 5 mins to read my article on the subject, and I will explain points to consider; https://ebike-europe.com/new-to-ebiking-ebike-europe/built-for-comfort-not-speed/. My top tip would be to buy proper cycling shorts that keep chafing to a minimum and are a good fit for you. Consider purchasing breathable shirts, jackets and comfortable shoes. Rainwear might also be a point to consider depending on the climate where you are going.
Route preparation
It is also good to acquaint yourself with the tour route to know how long the days are, where the hilly sections might be, and the interesting points along the way. There might be historical or cultural areas you should take more time to look at. I particularly enjoy this part as it starts the excitement and anticipation of how the holiday will be. Making yourself aware of the rules of the road and general things to be mindful of in the country you are travelling to will help you avoid any issues on your first couple of days while settling into your tour.
For instance, in Croatia, I didn’t realise there are many nudist beaches where the bike path goes through the centre. I stopped to take photos and suddenly realised I had naked people in my photos. In Europe, we ride on the right-hand side of the road, which means no one will be surprised when riding around a corner. We use our bell to let other cyclists and walkers know we are there. Remember, many cycling paths are shared with walkers; respecting others is vital for everyone’s safety.
Small detail preparation
Finally, make a list of all the small but essential extras to take with you. For example, a water bottle, camera or mobile phone for taking pictures of those fantastic views. Sunglasses, energy bars, tissues, lip salve and sun cream are also a good idea. A wee purse for cash. Be aware that cards for smaller amounts are only sometimes accepted in cafes. Numerous small items will be personal to you but a nuisance if forgotten.
As I said at the start, a little time invested before you go will pay dividends on your cycling holiday. It also gets you into holiday mode and excited about what will come.