Where are you planning to bike tour in 2018 - somewhere familiar or somewhere new?

[keithaitch]

How long are you thinking of taking over it, are you thinking of camping or hotels and how many kms a day roughly, so I could perhaps give pointers, but generally though it is flatter an inland route would be immensely quieter traffic wise.

 

[avsd]

It is a hotel trip. About a 100km per day but first few days are longer as someone in the group wants to visit the Ruins of Empúries. on the Med coast on the first day! Route is currently looking like

Start End Distance (km) Up (m) Down (m)
Girona Ceret 112km 877m, 776m, Hard climb at start 400m
Ceret Rennes les Bains 98km, 1427m, 1281m, Yep - hard day
Rennes les bains Carcassonne 50km, 574m, 782m, Climb early - long descent in Carcasonne
There are easier ways Carcassonne to reduce climbing
Carcassonne Bedarieux 105km, 1380m, 1265m Hard day
104km, 697m, 582m Easier route via D5 toward Bezier
Bedarieux Sommieres 96km, 716m, 908m, Hannibal's route not much different another 200m
Sommieres Carpentras 109km, 519m, 461m

Carpentras ​

Ventoux to Avigon 92km, 1945m, 2006m Hard day out of the office

 

[keithaitch]

It is a hotel trip. About a 100km per day but first few days are longer as someone in the group wants to visit the Ruins of Empúries. on the Med coast on the first day! Route is currently looking like

Start End Distance (km) Up (m) Down (m)
Girona Ceret 112km 877m, 776m, Hard climb at start 400m
Ceret Rennes les Bains 98km, 1427m, 1281m, Yep - hard day
Rennes les bains Carcassonne 50km, 574m, 782m, Climb early - long descent in Carcasonne
There are easier ways Carcassonne to reduce climbing
Carcassonne Bedarieux 105km, 1380m, 1265m Hard day
104km, 697m, 582m Easier route via D5 toward Bezier
Bedarieux Sommieres 96km, 716m, 908m, Hannibal's route not much different another 200m
Sommieres Carpentras 109km, 519m, 461m

Carpentras ​

Ventoux to Avigon 92km, 1945m, 2006m Hard day out of the office

I think I can help as my host is near Bedariuex and I have lots of experience in the area from ceret to Ventoux via Carcassonne. The ruins at empuria Brava are not great! IMHO! On tour I normally ride about 150kms and 2500m of climb, but I will take your requirements into account with any route suggestions.

 

[ORrecumbent1]

Well, new to riding plus having a disability, do you consider a 1-3 day ride a tour? If so, I plan to make my first near the beginning of summer somewhere here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Going to stay in the valley for my first few as there are really no serious hills to tackle 'til I get my endurance up.

 

[tallliman]

I'd define a tour as a multi-day ride so yep!

 

[jay clock]

I'm hoping to take a ferry to Santander, and then maybe head to Lisbon. http://cycle.travel/map/journey/52061 Something like this is my ambition for next year... but not sure about all the hills :/

I have done much of that route and it is lovely. I gave up camping in Spain for various reasons as the Hostals (B&B) are so good and so cheap see here https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1p6&doc_id=11271&v=P1

 

[jay clock]

I'm hoping to ride the Med to the Channel.

@User482 I have done that and loads of options. Here was my version https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1p6&doc_id=17453&v=DE

 

[jay clock]

I'm leaving Portsmouth 25th June to St Malo then travelling down to Santander for the boat back to Portsmouth. Over 2 weeks, First ever long tour and its solo.
Will be camping, up for any advice read a few blogs etc on here!

@The Lone Rider I did that route . Lovely! see here https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1p6&doc_id=11271&v=P1

 

[jay clock]

Doing the same trip st Malo to Santander leaving 30 September but taking it
Easy over 3 weeks so no chance of catching you up

@mike chadwick leaving then, do do a bit of research about campsites (if camping). Many places 15 September is the limit.

 

[jay clock]

OK, so in answer to the OP, I have managed to book up to do one of my bucket list rides. California to Florida (southern tier). Fully blogged here www.usacycle2018.com

 

[tyreon]

Toff and Txx Rxx country. Am I allowed to say this? Am using R. Gervais humour. And can I use TR as I would include my class as TR.

Southwold is toff country. Plan to go for 5 days walkabout and cycle to look-c at class country,towns and villages an country,taking in delicatessens,coffee shops and how refined Britains work-and-play. Hoping for sunshine. And toffs

Sometime later(another 5 days),down to Essex and the coast to look-c how forgotten Britain works. There can be hidden gems along these parts,but going through scrap Britain makes interesting capital and story. I associate this part of GB with Dickens,tho I know Dickens more associated with N Kent. There can be some charm in some of the country,and a troubled voyeuristic confirmation of what's happening in GB of late. (I'd rather like to cycle about Detroit to see how its been destroyed)

Dockyards,scrap towns,make informed debate. Sociological touring if you will. I also like low-road architecture

Am hoping to tour around on my folder.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Family an work commitments mean day tours only for the foreseeable future. Fortunately we live in a great region for cycling.

For the last few years I've cycled up local valleys or to such places as Tübingen which is a relatively easy day away. I also made Ludwigsburg with the Elder Son who occasionally can be persuaded to come with me.

I have long wanted to ride up the hills which we can see in the far distance from our balcony, which happen to mark the Rhine/Danube watershed, and I even planned out a route and followed most of it, but keep putting it off because of college/family/laziness.

Maybe I can get my backside into gear this year...

 

[TheDoctor]

I still plan to do a wind-assisted Calais - Ypres - Bruges - Hook tour at some point.
The weekend in Derbyshire doing the Tissington, High Peak, Monsale Head and Manifold trails was pretty good, both for and so I might do that again this year.
I'd like to get to the Alps in the summer, or Provence / Pyrenees in the Autumn, but that might be tricker.

 

[MarkF]

OK, so in answer to the OP, I have managed to book up to do one of my bucket list rides. California to Florida (southern tier). Fully blogged here www.usacycle2018.com
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I'll follow this with interest, health permitting then 2019 will my year for a trans USA trip.

2018 it's looking like a Baltic June trip for me and my cousin, never been there and the World Cup is on in Kaliningrad. I have short solo tour around Alicante in January too.

 

[Dave Davenport]

We've just settled on a central Europe circular tour, starting & finishing in Vienna. Rough plan is to follow Eurovelo 6 to Budapest, then head south west through Hungary before turning north through the Austrian alps, back up to the Danube and follow EV6 back to Vienna. Will be over about four weeks.