If you are someone who loves cycling, and you already practice urban cycling and want more, its time for a great jump to cycling tourism.
Do you know what this practice is? It catches your attention? If you’re someone with an adventure spirit and a feeling of freedom so big that the same liberty statue envies you, then join us to know more about this exciting branch of cycling.
Ready? Keep your energy bars because you will need them for today’s ride.
What cycling tourism is?
As its name indicates, cycling tourism is a derivative practice of cycling. This covers three activities, sport, cycling and travel.
The main purposes are: first, do physical exercise through pedaling bike; second, pedaling takes you to explore new places, cities, experiences and if you choose the correct bike way, travel to other countries.
In short, cycling tourism isn’t other thing but tourism in a bicycle. It’s obvious and may seem easy, right? But would you dare to perform it? Do you know how to do it?
Let’s talk a bit about it and let’s see some tips…
How do I start to cycling?
First and foremost, you should know that this activity can be performed by anyone. The two things you need are a bike, the ambition to explore and live new experiences.
Now, due its an activity that involves covering from short to long distances, of course is recommendable to have an enjoyment for cycling.
In this way, the best way to start cycling tourism is riding your bike and start to cover the street until you get farther and farther. How far? Well, that depends on you and your ambition to explore your country or world.
Who can perform it?
The good news is that you don’t need to be an Olympic or 1st category athlete to perform this class of tourism. This practice isn’t about a competence of any challenge, and if exists, is with yourself.
Cycling tourism is a recreational activity where doesn’t exist competence. The essential here is pedaling to your rhythm, the distance you want and enjoy the ride. Remember that, here, what really matters is that your bike is your vehicle to discover and visit new places.
Just you decide the rhythm and destiny. Who knows, maybe what starts as a visit to the new park expands to another continent.
What kind of bike do you need?
In a strict sense, you can use any bike. The important thing is to find a comfortable one for you. It doesn’t’ matter the brand, neither if is a high or low end. Can be trekking, touring, gravel, MTB, electric, and others.
However, what is recommendable is to have a bike with different speeds to front the ascends and descends. In the same way, is better to have a bike which components are easy to find during the road in case of suffering a damage.
We refer to bikes which spare parts are easy to find and buy whenever you go. Sure, is recommendable to take your own bike tool kit, above all to fix the flat tires.
Likewise, is recommendable to take a bike with saddle bags to put your baggage and tent, in case of require it.
How many classes of cycling tourism exist?
Even though the purpose of cycling tourism is travel by bike, exist different ways of it. The same depend on the distance to cover, the luggage to take, the intention and also if is performed alone or with company.
Let’s talk more about it:
Light: You might say that is the normal activity. This is performed by group with other bike fans and cover short or intermediate distances in a calmed and relax way. The important thing is to enjoy. This can be a go and back journey during the same day, to a park, museum or others.
Self-sufficient: The one does it by your own. You plan your own route and destiny, take your luggage and what is necessary for your journey. Depending on the destiny you can decide if adventure on nature, sleeping on a tent, or if you prefer to find an accommodation. You choose the days to be out and the places to visit.
Sweeper machine: more than a type of cycling tourism, term focuses on a motorized unity of assistance that can be a van or truck that accompanies to cyclist group always. Their purpose is to take all the luggage of assistants, or in all case, when someone is tired, can got into the vehicle with its bike.
Randonnées and Brevets: This is performed in group as the other, the difference consists that isn’t a competence, and check the limit time to get to their destiny. For that, can go faster than the normal speed.
Cyclist-traveler: The most demanding, experimented and adventured cycling tourism. It isn’t a competence, but in this case, the assistants are able to ride by bike during days, weeks and even months. In fact, many times the intention can be visit another country. Sure, this category can include use other transports as buses or airplanes, but always with the purpose of cover most part by bike.
