So, you’ve got a bicycle. Check. You’ve picked out a country. Check. You’ve even got the maps. Now what?
Planning a bicycle tour is a daunting task the first time around and you may be disappointed to hear that in some ways it doesn’t get easier, no matter how much you tour. The age-old dilemma of ‘what if this road to the left is nicer than the one to the right?’ never really disappears and the more you plan the more you realise how easy it is to get off track on tour. Sometimes that’s a good thing.
Rule 1 of route planning is to mark out your trip, noting any key attractions along the way and, if you’re going abroad, any visas or other paperwork you might need to fill out. Once on the road, remain willing to go with the flow. If the road is blocked, if someone invites you to stay a night or if you’re just standing at a junction thinking that road to the left does look nicer, revel in the serendipity of bicycle touring.
Rule 2 is learn to read a map. By this, we don’t mean figuring out that to get from city A to city B you have to take a certain road. We mean you should learn to read a map for clues to the landscape. You’ll want to look for smaller roads, of course, to limit traffic. Also consider any clues to elevation. The altitude of mountains may be marked and many hills will mean planning a shorter day. Different colours can indicate topography as can water sources. Streams flow out of mountains so if you’re following a river to its source you’re probably going uphill. For wild campers, routes near forests and with thinly spread population are good. Vineyards tend to indicate heavily cultivated land and steep slopes.
Rule 3 is to take it easy. Don’t plan a trip with such vast distances that you feel pressured to pedal from dawn to dusk. We like to use a base distance of 60km per day when figuring out how long it will take us to get somewhere. Most days we cover more like 80km but counting on less works in space for rest days or lazy days with lots of stops at museums and other sights, not to mention unforeseen delays like a freak rain storm or a plethora of flat tires.
Rule 4 is ask the audience. It’s pretty hard these days to find a route or area that no other cyclist has passed through. Go onto bike chat forums and ask away. Contact local bike touring clubs. Email people based in the area you’re going who are part of cyclist-friendly groups like WarmShowers. You should get at least one expert opinion, if not dozens. You can also ask the locals when you’re on the road about what’s coming up but this is less reliable. Motorists are notorious for misjudging terrain and distance and they love to redirect you to main roads because the quieter ones are less direct or, in their opinion, too tough or dangerous for someone on a bicycle. There could be be language difficulties and you should take note that locals in many countries cannot read maps! Often they just like to stare at them.
Rule 5 is to read the guidebooks and travel magazines for the area you’d like to go. Whether or not you carry a guidebook on tour is a matter of some debate (they are heavy and often don’t cover areas cyclists go through) but pre-tour they can give a good overview to an area’s culture, landscape and attractions. Don’t stick just to traditional guides. Look online for other accounts of cycling through your destination. Some trip journals are practical, others are works of literary art. All are useful for sparking your travel juices.
