Top training trips for your cycling holiday
Original post: Another World Adventures
Ensure you’re full prepared for your next cycling adventure with our top training trips for your cycling holiday.
Cycling adventures offer the chance to discover a new landscape at the perfect pace. Travel to a new destination and challenge yourself physically and mentally to end up with a wonderful sense of accomplishment.
Whether you’re taking a leisure cycling holiday, designed to give you a few hours a day paired with exciting itineraries, or you’re doing a road bike itinerary designed to cover as much ground as possible or accomplish a specific goal, it’s good to be as prepared as possible without overly worrying about how you’ll stack up.
Training is a pretty loaded word that can make you feel like you’ve got to quit your job and dedicate yourself full-time to cycling. But it’s simpler than that. It’s about logging time on the bike yes, but it’s also about preparation to make sure you’ll be able to fully enjoy your adventure.
If you book an adventure cycling holiday via Another World Adventures the operator will no doubt have some tour specific training advice as part of your trip notes. But as lovers of cycle trips ourselves here are our tips for training for your next cycling holiday.
It Starts with the Gear
If you’ve cycled before you’re no stranger to how good gear (or lack thereof) can make or break your trip. In order to maximize your comfort be sure you have
- A good fitting helmet
- Eyewear to protect you from insects, dust, and debris
- Fingerless padded gloves
- One pair padded cycling shorts
- A windbreaker for chilly mornings and long descents
- Something fun for your photos although Larissa’s cape (pictured) on the London to Paris ‘Great Fashion Cycle‘ for charity EJF isn’t compulsory!
Learn How to Fix a Flat Tyre
The bike you’ll use on your holiday may be serviced at the end of each day by the tour company that you’re travelling with (this depends a lot on the operator so always check your trip notes to see how responsible you are for your ride!). If they do, they’ll ensure it’s in the best condition for you – but that doesn’t prevent life from happening while you’re cycling. Punctures can strike at any time. To save yourself some time and possibly frustration, learning how to fix a flat is an invaluable skill. It will also make you popular with your fellow travellers who don’t have this skill. You Tube has an almost infinite number of videos to help you learn. Practice on your own bike before leaving.
Assess Your Fitness Two Months Out
At least two months prior to the start of your trip, it’s vital to make a frank assessment of your fitness level. Check to see if a fitness guide is available via your operator or create a mental scale to determine your fitness gap. Decide where you are currently (from one to ten) and where you need/want to be for your trip. The bigger the gap, the more cycling you’ll want to do to prepare.
Stick to the Plan
Because there are so many types of cycling holidays – ranging from moderate to intense, and the terrains will cover a wide spectrum – from rolling hills, steep pass, pave road, gravel, and more – it’s impossible to provide a once size fits all plan. But a few good rules of thumb:
- work up to back to back days (like a Saturday and Sunday) two weeks before you leave
- mimic the terrain of your trip as best you can
- schedule the same number of weekly rides that you’ll have on your trip
Your goal is to work toward riding the average daily distance that will be covered during your trip. You should feel comfortable at the end of these rides and it’s great if you can do it at least two days in a row.
Relax and Remember
If you’ve trained well, try to give yourself a relaxing week the week before you depart – there’s no point starting a trip already knackered. Remember, unless it’s a race, cycling holidays are not competitions! Aim for a speed that lets you have fun, take in your surrounds, enjoy great company. Don’t focus on the kilometres! Breathe deep and have a great ride.
Choose Your Next Cycle Adventure
If you’re looking for a new destination, check out some of these upcoming adventures.
