Route Planning
Preparation for an ebike tour is key to its success. Route planning can make or break the whole experience. Can you imagine you have a picture in your head of what you are going to see, only to find that you are not seeing anything like what you thought?
Do you want to do your own Route Planning?
Like me, you can spend hours pouring over maps, books and internet sites. Then check Google Maps and Komoot as to whether the route is possible and whether you can manage any height gain each day.
OR you can ….
You can buy a route book and follow it. Click the link below for the best bike tour books.
https://www.esterbauer.com/db_detail.php?buecher_code=DRAU
OR you can….
You can contact a reputable tour operator who will do all the heavy lifting for you, including taking your bags to the next stop, booking all your hotels and providing the bike and panniers that you need. I have heard good things about this company right here in Austria.
OR you can….
Contact the Tourist Office for that region, and they will be able to help you. Many of them will be able to organise a lot of the accommodation and bike rental for you. Click the link for the Drau bike route in Austria.
https://www.drauradweg.com/de/
DIY Route Planning?
If you decide to do more of a DIY package, then make sure you pick a signposted route and buy a book. There are loads to choose from, I use Bikeline books a lot, and they are up to date, have clear directions, plus there are suggested accommodations to contact along the route. Many of their books are in English just check before you buy them. https://www.esterbauer.com/bikeline-produkte/bikeline-radtourenbuecher/
Then you need to make some decisions:
- Is it an endurance race where you want to go to the finish line as fast as you can? Or are you on holiday to enjoy the scenery and do some sightseeing along the way?
- How many km do you think you can do each day? Remember, by day 3, your legs will ache, and you might have a sore bottom from sitting on a bike saddle.
- How much uphill will there be? If you pick a route with hills, will you really be able to do 90 km and 700m of uphill?
- Would you like to see some of the countryside and some of the sights? Then go for a smaller mileage and stop for coffee and cake along the way. Make sure you have time to take pictures and arrive at your overnight stop with enough energy to explore your surroundings.
- If you are carrying your panniers with you, remember to calculate the weight of those along with your bike and yourself. This way, you will be able to be more accurate with how far you want to go each day.
Remember overnight stops and charging batteries
- Where are the overnight stops going to be along the route? You might decide to do 40 km per day, but there is nowhere to stop overnight after 40 km.
- Depending on your ebike, the distance you are going and your weight. You may need to top up your battery along the way, so look out for ebike charging stations. There are many more than there used to be; https://bike-energy.com/en/ have an interactive map of charging stations in Austria. They are bringing out an app later this year, making things much easier.
- Don’t get caught short with no battery as most ebikes weigh between 20kgs – 28kgs, plus your bags, yourself and pushing that weight. It might not be such a fun day.
- One last thing – how are you going to get your bags and your ebikes to the starting point? And back again?
It’s quite a lot to consider if you want to plan a tour yourself. So if time is tight or you have never done anything like this before, I would suggest either contacting an ebike tour operator or the country tourist office and asking them to help.
Happy planning
