How to Plan Your Cycling Excursion

There’s lots to think about when considering a cycling vacation. With 40 years of vacation cycling, we know all the wrinkles to make you vacation with us awesome.

Below you’ll find our best tips on how to plan a bike trip – from deciding where to go to picking accommodation and deciding what to take.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, just drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you.

Part 1. Where, When, and How

Where to go?
Who’s going?
What kind of cycling?
When to go?
What kind of accommodation?

Part 2. Planning everything else

Cycling vacation travel insurance?
What about a bike?
What to take?
Do I need to train?
What routes will I ride when I get there?

Where to Go? Find your inspiration!

Gravel Excursions will take you to places you won’t easily find, the remote and wild places, the places where there is no traffic or very little, where the food is fresh and organic, and you are immersed in the regional cultures.

If you’re like us, we travel to see the world, to see places new and unfamiliar, interesting, and intriguing. In these places, we find catharsis.

We picked these destinations because we know them, they are safe, and the riding is top-shelf. We’ve seen the world change quickly, the population grows ever larger, but no one knows how long they will remain as they are. Climate change is already displacing plants, animals, and people. I’ve know riders while on a cycling vacation were cut-short from the smoke of forest fires 200 miles alway, and almost predictably so.

If you have a bucket list, add our destinations to it, and contact us to get started. Who do you know that’s ridden in Ukraine, Poland, Costa Brava in Spain, Tuscony in Italy, the Skalkaho and Jacko Canyon in Montana, Gibraltar Road and the Matilija in California?

Below are some factors to consider when picking from our cycling trip destinations.

How much time to you have?

It’s an obvious point, but bear in mind how long it’s going to take you to get to your destination. Also, realize the time difference: figure 8 to 10 hours if traveling to Europe.

Factor in things like the time you have to arrive before a flight and transfer times at both ends to make sure you’re getting a realistic idea of the overall time it’s going to take you. Also take into account any quarantine requirements in light of global pandemics! Contract us for the latest pandemic constraints.

Who's Going?

Family cycling holiday?

If it is a family cycling trip, will you all be riding, just the adults or just you?

Cycling holidays for families can be fantastic, but if everyone’s cycling, you’ll need to think carefully about the number of miles you’re riding each day, the terrain and places to stop en route. Depending on the age of the children, you will need to consider whether they’re up to riding their own bike and whether you’re happy on roads or would prefer bike paths.

From personal experience, cycling holidays with toddlers and young children are particularly age dependent. A cycling holiday with a sedate 2 year old who is happy to sit in a seat on the back of a bike is quite a different matter to a cycling holiday with a stubborn 4 year old who won’t go on the back of your bike but also can’t cycle more than a few kilometres.

If it’s just the grown-ups that are cycling, what will you do with the kids when you’re on your bikes? You’ll want an accommodation with a great kids’ club or be willing to hire a nanny/babysitter.

If you’re the only cyclist, make sure your other half is on board with how much riding you want to do and when! It won’t hurt to pick somewhere where there are lots of potential kid-friendly excursions too.

Group of cyclists?

If you’re part of a group of cyclists, your requirements are likely to be different again. For example, if your group is on the large size, 8 to 12 people, you might need a hotel that can offer lots of single rooms, or several 3 to 4 bedroom chalets.

Also, one of the major questions you’ll need to consider is the fitness of the cyclists within your group. Are you all at a similar fitness level?

What are your objectives? Do you want hard rides, or something more relaxed?

What speed will you ride at? Will you ride all day, every day?

Ideally, there’ll be at least a few of you of similar abilities so that you can ride together. You could also consider the option for renting electric bikes for those that are less fit; electric bike hire is becoming increasingly popular and available.

Gravel, MTB, Road, or a Variety?

How fit are you? This will decide the routes and bikes we plan for you. All our destinations require varying degrees of climbing from Cat 1 all the way to the Hors Category. Typically, you won’t find long gravel and MTB stretches that are categorized, but climbing is inherent in riding. Additionally, gravel roads in Ukraine and Poland are not like gravel roads in the states, or even Italy and Spain that are graded.

Our destinations in Montana, Santa Barbara and Ventura and offer some world class climbs; our routes in Ukraine, Poland, Spain, and Italy contain Cat 1 to Cat 3 climbs. You have the option to cycle into the mountains or enjoy easier rides in flatter areas on quiet roads.

Regardless of all the possibilities, it comes down to your fitness level, your experience, and what kind of experience you want.

When to Go?

There are lots of factors to consider here:

When is the weather likely to be the best in the destination?
If you’re going somewhere mountainous, will the roads be open?
Are you limited by school holidays? If not, you might want to avoid them!
Are there any events at the destination that you either want to go to – or avoid!
Are there any cheaper times of year to travel?
Are you keen to stay in a particular hotel/town or eat somewhere particular? Bear in mind that many places close out of season, so check before you book!
Bear in mind the best accommodations fill up fast.

Where to Stay?

We are able to provide you with a wide variety of hotels, chalets, resorts, and housing. We’ve established relationships that can meet and exceed your expectations. But bear in mind that the best accommodations fill up fast.

If you are traveling with a group, we can offer a place or places together or separate. If you’re like us, we like to stay in places that serve breakfast, are close to a variety of restaurants, have exceptional quality, and are near excursions everyone can enjoy. We can also offer spa, wellness, and child friendly features.

Travel Insurance

If your destination is Montana or California, and you have medical insurance, you are almost certainly covered for any accidents. Flight cancellation is offered by your airline.

If your destination is Europe, you can purchase flight cancellation from the carrier or a travel insurance company. Medical insurance is almost always required when traveling to our European destinations and is often checked upon arrival as you go through Customs. In addition, cycling is considered an extreme sport, and not all travel insurance companies will cover your medical expenses should you need them.

Bring a Bike or Rent?

To bring or not to bring, that is the question.

If you’re like me and ride top Trek, Specialized, Scott and other bikes, you’ll want to spend the typically $300 to transport your bike. If you are an avid rider, you know and trust your bike, so it’s an easy decision. Perhaps you don’t want the hassle. Contact us for a list of available bikes to rent.

But suppose our tour is a side attraction to your extended vacation where you are traveling to other cities or countries. It makes sense to rent a bike. We may not be able to offer you a Specialized SWorks or Trek Fuel, but we can provide a good equivalent. Naturally, once you land at our destination, all your transportation needs for you and your bike can be arranged.

As a caveat, the price to rent can be as much as the shipping cost.

What to Take?

Top tip: allow enough time to pack, especially if this is your first trip. Make a list. Also, don’t assume there will be shops where you’re going that will stock everything you need; the more remote you are and the more specific the thing is that’s broken or been forgotten, the less likely you’ll find it when you’re there!

Packing for a cycling trip does require a bit of thought – fortunately we’ve done this many, many times and we’ve written down our list of what to take to help you out. You can find our ultimate cycling packing list here, together with reviews of some our favourite kit.

If you’ve decided to take your bike, allow time to service your bike before you leave. Nothing worse than arriving on holiday to find you’ve got to deal with bike mechanical problems… Also think about gearing – make sure you’ve got enough gears if you’re heading somewhere mountainous!

Do I Need to Train?

As a rule of thumb, the better shape you are in, the more enjoyment you will have. You will not have ridden any of these routes, and it makes sense to plan and train for the unexpected. As we design your vacation, we will create routes to your abilities and desires.

If you normally just do a few miles at the weekend, it’s worth doing a bit of training before you go away. Riding every day for a week, for hours and hours each day is very different to short Sunday morning rides at home.

Make sure your training matches the kind of terrain you’ll be riding. If you’re heading to the mountains, you may have to do repeated efforts up shorter local climbs to help you get ready.

If you’re planning to ride every day on holiday, it’s a good idea to at least try out riding back to back days at home. That way you’ll know how your body will respond.