First cycle holiday

[Surlydave]

Having only taken up serious cycling since 2012 and I now feel ready to tackle a cycling holiday. Any advice would be much appreciated. Hope to go on an organised trip to Europe. All ready have a decent bike, but not sure on what else is needed or required.
Many thanks,
Surlydave.

 

[CopperBrompton]

If you're going on an organised trip, the company will let you know what you need to take and what they provide. Personally, though, I think it's much more fun to plan your own trip. What you'll need then depends on where you're going and what type of touring you plan to do, from fully-autonomous camping through to credit card touring.

 

[Brandane]

Such a hard question to answer as cycle touring covers such a wide spectrum.
When I go, it tends to be France. Personal choice because I like the variety of terrain, the quality of the roads, the lack of traffic on all but the major roads, the respect given by drivers, the availability of reasonably priced accommodation, plus the fact that I can do some basic level of communication in French.
I take a tent and sleeping bag/self inflating mattress with me, just in case I get stuck for hotel accommodation which has been known to happen (well what did I expect going to Normandy during the 70th anniversary of D-Day!!).
I use 2 Ortlieb panniers on the rear rack, and sometimes 2 cheaper panniers on the front for weight distribution. If possible I prefer to get by with my Topeak handlebar bag on the front.

Obviously take as little as possible with you to keep the weight down. I take 3 changes of clothes - wear 1 set, and wash one set each night so hopefully it is dry in the morning for packing. The third set is in case you get rain and can't get clothes dry quickly enough. Take baby wipes for those unexpected moments out in the middle of nowhere! Take something to help navigate, whether it be maps, satnav or phone. Don't forget a method of charging any electronic toys if you plan on camping, or an adaptor if staying in hotels.

As trikeman says, plan your own trip rather than going on an organised one. Unless you don't mind sharing your holiday with people you don't know, and who might be a hit or a miss.

 

[TheDoctor]

Based on your location, I'd suggest the Netherlands, using the ferry from Harwich. Although France is a very good option too.

 

[ufkacbln]

The real question is how you feel

Personally I would suggest that you make your own mistakes before joining an organised trip

Try a couple of overnighters where you cycle to a destination, stay and then cycle back, then expand to a weekender where you extend the route

This will enable you to decide what kind of tourist you are!

I am a meanderer

I plan short days of about 30 - 40 miles, and then allow time for churches, historic sites, pubs, detours and investigating anything that amuses me

Some days are the planned route, others can be up to a 100 miles if I am enjoying a detour

The experience you gain will allow you to trim down your kit, add essentials that you have forgotten and just be more confident

 

[Cringles]

I went away for one night in September, just to test the waters, cycling with the extra weight, camping etc, & how I felt cycling two days in a row, with one day being 56 miles, & the next day 35. Never camped before either, plus I was on my own. So it was all very exciting. Defiantly have a urge for adventure.

It was a great learning experience, I now know I really need front panniers , too much weight on the back made it unstable when I was out of the saddle.
It took me around 8 hours to cycle the 56 miles, but I stopped various times, either for fuel, sight seeing, or more food.

I'm planning another few nights away, maybe 2 nights, then 3, before I really layout plans to do Malin Head to Mizen head.

If you can, worth doing a few nights away locally, just to get the idea, but its also exciting just do what you doing, plan a EU trip, & just go for it.

 

[andym]

I was going to say that if you're going on a supported/organised tour then there's not much you need beyond the relatively obvious: something to put your bike into for the flight, helmet and cycling clothes and shoes, glasses, clothes for the evenings, favourite hangover cure etc

But this article on the Saddle Skedaddle blog:

http://www.skedaddle.co.uk/blog/pack-it-in/

made me realise that there may be some things that might not be so obvious:

- chamois cream (my recommendation would be Assos, but there are different types that do different things);
- a small amount of Travelwash (get it from Boots) if you're going for longer than say a week;
- chain lube;
- Wet Wipes or similar (my vote would go for Tesco Baby Wipes) for cleaning your hands after fiddling with your bike;
- pump, inner tube, tyre levers and puncture repair kit (in theory the tour company guides will have these but it's best to be a little bit self-reliant);
- multi-tool for on-the-road adjustments and maybe re-assembling your bike after the flight;
- lights in case something goes wrong and you end up finishing after dark.

You may need/want to take your pedals off for the flight. Definitely, definitely don't wait until the night before your flight before checking you can undo the pedals. It's worth considering pedals that you can attach/detach with an allen key as opposed to a pedal spanner (although, again the tour company should have these).

Skedaddle also have this article:

https://www.skedaddle.co.uk/page/Travel_Tips/287/view.rails

(Skedaddle would be a good choice for a first cycling holiday).

 

[furball]

Decide whether you want to move on every day or a centre based holiday. Insurance is cheaper for centre based.

 

[Paul Campbell]

So many options out there, specially in the Alps and Pyrenees. You may want to also check in Spain either the Mediterranean coast or up North where the most iconic La Vuelta stages take place (Los Lagos de Covadonga, Angliru, Farrapona).
It every much depends what you want to do; guided or self guided; going on your own, with a group of friends or your family; luxury hotel or self-catering. I personally like the idea of self guided tours, but don't mind to contact local cycling tour companies for advice or provision of pre-planned routes that you can then do on your own. A good company with extensive local knowledge should be able to design routes adapted to your level of fitness and provide all the advice necessary avoiding that way to pay loads of money for a cycling guide.
Good luck with the search.

 

[robing]

I'd go for a fully supported organised tour for my first one. You don't need to take carry much, you've got all the back up and camaraderie of your group. It is pretty expensive though. Do a couple of these and you'll be raring to set off on your own adventures! That's what I did.

 

[StuartG]

Join a cycle club. Join the right one and you will find people who have similar speed and endurance, who prefer beer or cathedrals or both. And are great to have around when a spoke or tyre goes. You may find they organise short tours at home or abroad formally or informally. What you will find for the price of a beer is the greatest memory bank of great rides and all the collateral info you can use whether you go with them or not.

Cycling is good. Cycling with friends is even better. Cycle tours together is heaven.

 

[Cypher]

Earlier this year i was determined to just pack up & ride for a couple of days. This was the first time I had camped with my bike, first time I had ridden two days in a row. I love the moors more than the sea so I chose a route with a few hills to challenge myself.
I rode 35 miles to Kirkby Stephen & called into campsite. That evening another lad arrived on his bike who surprisingly was on his first ride/camp, so the next morning we rode together over Tan Hill to Richmond about 40 miles, we camped near Catterick had a pint & chat & made our own way home the next day.
As others on here have said, I would try local first & I enjoyed setting my own pace (very steady) but so glad I did it. Planning more trips this year.
Good Luck.

 

[Camerabag]

Also what distance have you done on your bike? Have you already done any long trips? Whether you start with organised trips or DIY - you need to know you can sit in the saddle for hours and hours and get up and do it again the next day! So a few day trips/weekends will tell you a lot before you book.

We did our first cycle tour this summer - just under 10 days! So it's still fresh! I took two pairs of cycle shorts and shirts which I could wash and rotate, and some walking trousers that you can zip off the legs to wear on top, a rain jacket, sandals and shoes and socks. And a couple of shirts to wear in the evenings when we went for meals. It was August so we expected it to be really hot but it was FREEZING and it rained and rained! I didn't have waterproof trousers and needed them. I decanted my toiletries into travel bottles and had a basic sponge bag, and a microfibre towel bought from a camping shop which was brilliant! Dried really quickly and packed up tiny to go in my sponge bag.

And a camera!

Also - snacks! Lots - I had one very very wobbly day where my husband and our Bavarian friend virtually held me down and forced chocolate into my mouth! I must have looked grey! After that I stole bread rolls every day at breakfast and carried them in my handlebar bag to top up in the mornings. Our friend had a bag full of chocolate and bananas.

You can carry much more than you realise I found - I could have taken another change of clothes easily.

We're planning some local excursions and possibly a "Dutch Dash" as we call it (hopping over on North Sea Ferries) with our tent to see how we manage on our own.

 

[memoman]

As you're in Ipswich, the ferry to Rotterdam from Harwich seems the best choice.

I did my first tour in the summer, getting the Channel Tunnel bike service over to Calais, then cycling around France and Belgium for a week. It was great fun and pretty flat, though perhaps too flat in Belgium!

I'd definitely recommend planning your own tour, as that's half the fun.