![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Lost and found
This year I'd decided I would take thoughtful notes during the bike trip, and brought along a brand new Moleskine notepad that I tucked in my pack. I scribbled in it faithfully all week, then it disappeared during the unpacking process. Luckily for me it turned up last night when I went looking for something else, so now I can refresh my memory and caption the remaining mystery photos.
When I tell people I'm taking a biking vacation, most people have a mental picture of a heavily laden bike, as I trek with all my luggage from inn to inn. And while there are hardcore cyclists who enjoy such self-sufficiency, I prefer to travel with minions. Or at the very least native guides.
Over the years I've taken a number of bike vacations with various tour companies, and they all follow the same basic template. The group assembles at a hotel in the starting city, where they are met by the guides. Most guests will choose to rent bikes rather than endure the hassle of bringing their own, so the first order of business is to make sure each rental bike is correctly fitted, and then we adjourn for dinner.
I've been on tours with as few as six guests and as many as sixteen, with an average size of around twelve to fourteen. It takes a certain type of person to want to go on an active vacation, so the people you'll be traveling with are (with few exceptions) interesting people and fun to hang out with.
Each morning starts with breakfast and then the guides review the route map for the day. They'll share information on local history, sights along the ride, and suggestions for places to stop. Depending on the tour you may have a choice of routes offering different levels of difficulty, total mileage, or optional activities.
After the briefing it's time to start riding. Everyone travels at their own pace so there's no pressure to keep up or to wait for slower riders. One of the guides will drive the support van, which will sweep up and down the route, stopping to offer snacks, water, mechanical assistance, etc. The other guide rides their bike, usually as a sweeper staying behind the slowest member of the group.
The van also offers lifts to anyone who feels tired, sick, or if the weather turns nasty. On some tours the van will shuttle riders up steep hills or over problematic terrain. On days when we're moving inns, the van brings your luggage so it's waiting for you in your room when you arrive.
Some bike tours cater to those who want to do a little biking, and then spend the rest of their time shopping, visiting museums, and exploring the towns along the way. Other tours are for hardcore cyclists who want to spend the entire day on the bike. Most tours I've taken fall somewhere in between the two extremes.
A day's ride can range anywhere from an easy 25 miles to a 120 mile grind, depending on the particular tour you've chosen and how ambitious you're feeling that day. You don't need to be in perfect shape to take a bike trip, but you do need to know your own limits. There's no point in injuring yourself on the first day and then spending the rest of the week riding in the van.
Tour companies have their own flavors--with some companies you'll stay at the finest hotels and be expected to dress for dinner. Other tour companies put you up at B&B's and merely suggest that you scrape the bike grease off before mixing with the general public.
If you're thinking of a bike tour start by searching the web and requesting catalogs from all the companies that you are interested in. Take a look at the various tours, paying close attention to the daily mileage and terrain descriptions. If you're a novice cyclist, consider a weekend trip rather than a ten day tour described as "challenging terrain." Look up the lodging choices to get a feel for whether or not these are the kind of places you'll feel comfortable staying.
Some tour companies offer unique tours, but for the most popular destinations you'll be able to choose between multiple tour companies. In August I took Timerline Adventures' Icefields Alpiner tour, but during the week we saw tour groups from Backroads, Bicycle Adventures, Trek and VBT all in the area. One of the most popular topics of conversation on a bike tour is to poll the other guests to find out which tours & tour companies they've traveled with in the past, and get their recommendations.
When I tell people I'm taking a biking vacation, most people have a mental picture of a heavily laden bike, as I trek with all my luggage from inn to inn. And while there are hardcore cyclists who enjoy such self-sufficiency, I prefer to travel with minions. Or at the very least native guides.
Over the years I've taken a number of bike vacations with various tour companies, and they all follow the same basic template. The group assembles at a hotel in the starting city, where they are met by the guides. Most guests will choose to rent bikes rather than endure the hassle of bringing their own, so the first order of business is to make sure each rental bike is correctly fitted, and then we adjourn for dinner.
I've been on tours with as few as six guests and as many as sixteen, with an average size of around twelve to fourteen. It takes a certain type of person to want to go on an active vacation, so the people you'll be traveling with are (with few exceptions) interesting people and fun to hang out with.
Each morning starts with breakfast and then the guides review the route map for the day. They'll share information on local history, sights along the ride, and suggestions for places to stop. Depending on the tour you may have a choice of routes offering different levels of difficulty, total mileage, or optional activities.
After the briefing it's time to start riding. Everyone travels at their own pace so there's no pressure to keep up or to wait for slower riders. One of the guides will drive the support van, which will sweep up and down the route, stopping to offer snacks, water, mechanical assistance, etc. The other guide rides their bike, usually as a sweeper staying behind the slowest member of the group.
The van also offers lifts to anyone who feels tired, sick, or if the weather turns nasty. On some tours the van will shuttle riders up steep hills or over problematic terrain. On days when we're moving inns, the van brings your luggage so it's waiting for you in your room when you arrive.
Some bike tours cater to those who want to do a little biking, and then spend the rest of their time shopping, visiting museums, and exploring the towns along the way. Other tours are for hardcore cyclists who want to spend the entire day on the bike. Most tours I've taken fall somewhere in between the two extremes.
A day's ride can range anywhere from an easy 25 miles to a 120 mile grind, depending on the particular tour you've chosen and how ambitious you're feeling that day. You don't need to be in perfect shape to take a bike trip, but you do need to know your own limits. There's no point in injuring yourself on the first day and then spending the rest of the week riding in the van.
Tour companies have their own flavors--with some companies you'll stay at the finest hotels and be expected to dress for dinner. Other tour companies put you up at B&B's and merely suggest that you scrape the bike grease off before mixing with the general public.
If you're thinking of a bike tour start by searching the web and requesting catalogs from all the companies that you are interested in. Take a look at the various tours, paying close attention to the daily mileage and terrain descriptions. If you're a novice cyclist, consider a weekend trip rather than a ten day tour described as "challenging terrain." Look up the lodging choices to get a feel for whether or not these are the kind of places you'll feel comfortable staying.
Some tour companies offer unique tours, but for the most popular destinations you'll be able to choose between multiple tour companies. In August I took Timerline Adventures' Icefields Alpiner tour, but during the week we saw tour groups from Backroads, Bicycle Adventures, Trek and VBT all in the area. One of the most popular topics of conversation on a bike tour is to poll the other guests to find out which tours & tour companies they've traveled with in the past, and get their recommendations.