How to Plan your Long-Distance Bike Tour?
Some go on a long-distance bike tour for a pastime, some for passion, and some for adventure. The reasons for riding a bike may vary but everyone will experience actual bliss while riding. It wraps up all the things that bags in our daily life and makes us fly unfolding our wings. That's the specialty of riding.
Riding gives us pleasure but the whole transportation needs to be stress-free. For that, the rider requires to set a complete plan for their ride particularly for covering long distances.
Through this article, let's learn some tips on planning your long-distance bike tour to make your ride" a real ecstatic adventure"
How to Plan your Own Long-Distance Bike Trip?
1. Mapping destination
Kudos if you are thinking of going on a long ride. Planning to travel you must have already chosen your destination where to reach. Or not yet confirmed, first finalize your destiny and then think of other stuff according to that place.
Mapping your destination is not only about choosing your actual endpoint. It includes where to start, the pathways to lead, and relaxing stops. The pathways are unexpectable and make note of other alternate routes in case of emergency.
Have a soft copy and a mobile version of the map with proper markings for your destination.
2. Find an Ideal bike
A long bike ride works most notably on the comfort of your bike. You will be traveling throughout the whole trip only with your bike. On a day apart from the recessing time, you will take up to 5 to 6 hrs on the bike. Investing in the best bicycle for long-distance touring with the correct angle, height, and comfortable seat makes it all easy.
Check the stability of the bike as much as possible. Check for new breaks and replace your old ones for a safe and secure ride. As the biker carries certain essentials, the bike must have firmness and space to place those things.
3. Chart your budget
Long-distance bike traveling needs a definite amount of money to set aside. Save for a food & drink alliance as you are going to lose a lot of energy through riding. Certainly, there will be a need for drinks often. Have a budget chart pointing out the costs filtering from high to low. A long ride is always full of unexpected episodes.
There may be interesting activities to watch and do, places to stay, requirements for a bike, etc so always carry some cash in hand and credit cards. A long-distance ride is a path full of incredible unique experiences. You can only enjoy those activities if you have a sufficient budget.
4. Checklist of essential items
Do prepare for your essential items and create a bike touring checklist of those items before you start your journey.
- Check for your bike's gear
- Don't forget to carry a bike helmet and gloves
- Water bottles are a must
- Save your emergency contact number in the lock screen
- Keep your license, and other identity cards with you
- Check brake pads and the air pressure in the tires
- Weather clothes & sanitary
- Mobiles, chargers and batteries
It is up to the rider's comfort they'll take their own essential items. Before heading out, checking up on these pieces of stuff will give rise to you a confident start. You can also use the available mobile apps for calculating the travel budget and self-contained checklist. These would make your work even easier. We have written a detailed article about bike tour packing checklist so you don’t miss out on anything.
5. Check your health
No matter your age, you have to do a pre-biking health assessment test that tells about your physical capabilities for taking a long-distance road trip. You should know the actual capacity of your body or when you put more than your body takes it may create a total collapse in your whole trip. Avoiding all those happenings go visit a doctor, check your health, and ensure that your body is fit.
6. Choose your company
This is one of the early decisions that should be made before preparing for the whole plan. Decide whether you're going to have a supported or a solo ride. A supported ride is planning the ride with people other than you or with a group. Having a company benefits you always as it alleviates stress, company to cope with struggles, for sharing essentials, connects with others' views for better interactions throughout the ride, and so on.
Getting a company has many advantages but sometimes it may cost more or joining a group may require certain kinds of stuff to be adjusted.
With a solo ride, it's of a single mode. You can take a rest wherever you want there won't be much cost. These completely depend upon your motive for traveling. If you want to join your friends and create an entertaining adventure go with a supported ride. Or if you want to have personalized peace go alone.
7. Practice before you start
Start training for yourself and your bike at least a month out. You should ride and practice frequently to get comfortable on your long ride. Do cardiovascular exercises regularly with guided fitness trainers, it will build strength and endurance in your heart and lung capacity. Pre-plan your routes ahead of time if you are going to go on a solo ride. If you have specific climbs or dangerous paths to take, you can access them all yourself.
Practice on bike repairs. As a basic requirement, you should practice changing your bike tires, adjusting gears and bike inner tubes, chains, bike mirrors, and overall adjusting yourself with the parts of the bike. Swap your front and rear tires over every couple of thousand km for its long last. Understanding how to look after your bike is going to help you and save you a lot of unforeseen happenings.
8. Additional touring tips
Here are some additional tips for your long-distance bike tour trip.
- Practice getting up early in the morning and doing cardiovascular exercises regularly before kick-starting your long trip. Getting up early and doing these exercises and cycling will be a good idea for your health.
- Avoid rushing in the hour traffic wherever possible.
- Follow and obey the law wherever possible for your and your bike's safety reasons.
- Wear convenient clothes for a long-duration ride and don't forget to pack those suitable clothes for later during the ride.
- Look out for the area through which you are about to travel, scan those circumstances, and ride according to that speed.
- Don't over assure of your health, pause for some time and take a breathing space wherever possible. Restore your energy and save your health this way.
- Drink and refill the water wherever possible
- Avoid unhealthy foods and eat nutritious food where possible, don't skip your meal or drink water.
- When you apply brakes on the hill, areas do alternate squeeze between the front and back brakes. It avoids the rims from overheating on constant braking.
- Have a balancing load. The basket in the bike should be balanced. If one side is heavier and the other it disturbs the ride balance on the hubs and wheels. Pack 60% of the items at the back of the bike and only 40% at the front, the heavier items should be packed only at the back of the bike panel.
- Surf on the internet and look out for riders who have traveled long distances many times. Get some experienced tips from them related to your destination and get ready according to that. It will be in a more advantageous way.
Final Chart
A long-distance bike ride through many cities and roadways is an awesome adventure. This will soothe our physical and mental well-being as well as shape one's character. There would be an unforeseen situation faced anywhere in your long distance. It may create a drastic change prohibiting your ride in between. With proper preparation, those interdictions may be avoided and your road long trip will be a successful and enjoyable one.
Keep admiring and enjoy the road long happenings thereby because you're there for experiencing the bliss of traveling and the nature happenings would help you to make your ride even better.
Certain impressive and surprising things will make you move forward relishing your ride. Smile at other people and wave to some of the kids. It brings about some more meaning to your travel. Heeding to soulful music without disturbing your concentration on the road meets heaven on the road.
After all, when it comes to long-distance bike travel half the fun is gathered only on learning from your mistakes. Whether you have planned for a weekend bike trip or the trip around the world I hope you have picked something which takes your trip into success mode.
Harvest experience, peace, health, love from new people, and eternal bliss, at last, completing your whole long-distance bike ride.
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