The beauty of cycling, of course, is that at the heart of the sport, there is little else you need other than a bicycle and a helmet. The same is true of cycling vacations: your bike, a cozy bed to sleep in and a delicious meal at the end of the way are the essentials you need to have a memorable holiday.
Those components are the core of every Pure Adventures cycling vacation, and we also believe that planning your vacation should be simple too. Here are just a few ways that you can take the stress out of organizing your getaway so you can focus on the fun.
Leave your bike at home (really)
Yes, we know that you have more epic stories about adventures you’ve had with your bike than probably your best friend since grade school, but trust us when we say it’s OK to leave your bike at home. A professional bike tour company will have a fleet of high end rental bikes (road, hybrid or mountain) and they’ll work with you until that rental fits perfectly. Save the stress and expense of hauling your bike on a plane and treat yourself to renting a bike of your dreams.
Shop around, but shop in one spot
Bear with us for a moment on this one: say you want a sunny spring training camp ride, but aren’t exactly sure where to go. There’s Sedona or Napa or San Diego, but then there’s also Death Valley and Bryce Canyon. Online research can only take you so far, which is why we’ve rounded up all of our amazing US tours into a single handy guide that tells you at a glance the distance, difficulty and destination of each of our trips. Organized by vacation experience (road, mountain and hiking) it really is a one-stop solution for trip planning. Download it here
The 3 Rs: research, ride and ride
Great! You’ve picked your destination! Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and dive into some research. Figure out what places to eat out at best fit your dining style, work out a meal plan and take a look at the elevation profiles. At Pure Adventures, we can help you with that (our local experts and pre-trip documentation will ease your mind there). Then get on your bike at home and ride. And while it’s true that most people are fit enough for an easy to moderately challenging bike vacation, you should invest some serious saddle time before hopping on that plane. After you’re done riding, ride some more. And this time, ride not because you have to, but because you want to and it’s fun.
After all isn’t that the point of a bike vacation in the first place?