12/12/2016
The best BICYCLE TOURING destinations
Bicycle Touring Pro
Did you know that there are dozens of long-distance bicycle touring
routes all around the world?
http://www.gobicycletouring.com
Today I'm going to share 10 of the most popular bicycle touring
routes with you... and then I'll give you some suggestions on how to
pick a destination of your own for your travels.
TransAmerica Bike Route
This classic cross-country bicycle route takes you from Astoria,
Oregon (on the west coast of the United States) to Yorktown, Virginia
(on the east). Along the way you will cycle more than 4,232 miles
(6,810 kilometers) and pass through 10 of the 50 United States.
During this epic long-distance bike ride that typically takes three
or more months to complete, you will pass through both Yellowstone
and Grand Teton national parks, the Rocky Mountains, Abraham
Lincoln's birthplace, the Oregon Trail, Civil War battlegrounds and
colonial plantations. A mixture of hotels, campgrounds and charming
small-town stores and restaurants makes the TransAm bicycle tour one
of the best ways to see what America is all about.
Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
If you're looking for an off-road bicycle touring adventure, then look no
further! The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is the world's longest
off-road bicycle touring route, with more than 2,500 miles (4,023
kilometers) of dirt roads, narrow single-track trails and the occasional
stretch of paved asphalt. The route is divided into five separate
geographic regions, covering five US states and two separate countries
(The United States and a small portion of British Columbia, Canada).
Alaska To Argentina - The PanAmerican Highway
If you've got months or years to spare, you might consider cycling from
Alaska to Argentina along the PanAmerican highway. This 30,000 mile
(48,000 kilometer) stretch of road offers many diverse climates and
ecological types, from dense jungles, to arid deserts, to cold mountain
passes. Since the highway passes through many different countries,
it is far from uniform and is one of the most challenging bicycle
touring routes in the entire world.
Land's End to John O'Groats
Cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats requires traveling across
all of Great Britain from the southwest to the northeast. While this
route is covered each year by thousands of hikers, bikers,
motorcyclists, skateboarders, walkers and even swimmers, the
traditional route by road is 874 miles (1,407 km) and takes most
bicycle tourists between ten and fourteen days to complete.
Rhine River Route
Due to it's relatively flat terrain, the Rhine river route in Europe is
open to cyclists of all ages and capabilities. The route runs along one
of the largest rivers in Europe, taking you from the North Sea in the
Netherlands to the Swiss Alps in the south and passing through a total
of five European countries along the way. During this 764 mile (1,230
km) bike tour, you will pass through countless picturesque towns and
villages lining the banks of the river and a number of castles and
UNESCO World Heritage Sites as well.
Danube River Route
Cycle from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea along the EuroVelo 6
bicycle touring route - also commonly referred to as the Danube
River Route. This is one of Europe's most popular bicycle touring
routes because of it's many coasts, rivers, and castles along the
way. It's almost entirely flat topography and the fact that the
route passes through ten European countries makes it a dream trip by
bike for almost any bicycle tourist.
Cairo To Cape Town
For African adventurers, the classic Cairo, Egypt to Cape Town, South
Africa bicycle tour will take more than four months to complete and will
transport you over a distance of more than 7,375 miles (12,000 km).
Along the way you will experience the Pyramids of Giza, Tanzania's
Ngorogoro Crater, Victoria Falls (the largest waterfall on earth), the
Okavango Delta, the infamous Table Mountain, and a whole lot more! This
on and off-road bicycle touring adventure is not for the faint of heart,
but instead, for the experienced bicycle adventurer looking for the
serious trip of a lifetime!
The Silk Road
Some bicycle tourists may choose to traverse the ancient Silk Road
across the entire continent of Asia; from Shanghai, China to
Istanbul, Turkey. The Silk Road is considered to be one of the
longest, hardest, highest, hottest, and sometimes coldest bicycle
touring routes on the planet. During this long-distance bicycle tour,
you will cycle between 4,000 to 7,500 miles (6,500 to 12,000 km -
depending on which route you take) and pass through seven different
countries along the way. The Silk Road gets its name from the
lucrative Chinese silk trade, which was carried out along its
length and began during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD).
The New Zealand Cycle Trail
The New Zealand Cycle Trail is a partnership project between the New
Zealand Government and the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, which
has built up an impressive network of 23 great rides that you can take
through subtropical fern forests, along historic military and old coach
roads, to breathtaking lake and mountain views, past wild beaches, and
through rainforests and lush wetlands. There is something for everyone
to enjoy in New Zealand on this impressive network of trails that have
been built with all levels of cyclists in mind.
Australian Coastline
Finally, who hasn't dreamed about riding their bicycle all the way
around the island nation of Australia? This 12,000 mile (19,300 km)
bike tour will take several months to complete and will require that
you cycle in all types of weather conditions - from hot summer heat
to wet coastal showers. Along the way you will pass through major
Australian cities, such as Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and
Brisbane while cycling through each of Australia's six states and
two major territories. Many cyclists ride only a portion of the
country, as cycling the entire circumference is not only incredibly
difficult, but time consuming as well.
While those are the 10 most popular long-distance bicycle touring
routes in the world, there are thousands of shorter bicycle
touring options. http://www.gobicycletouring.com
Now I'd like to talk about trip planning and how to pick out the
best destination for your next bicycle tour.
There are a lot of different ways to pick a destination for your
travels:
- You could decide to cycle a popular bicycle touring route.
- You could ask a friend or family member (or even someone on the
Internet, like myself) to recommend an ideal bicycle touring location.
- You could search an online database for amazing bicycle tours.
- Or you could choose your destination by first deciding where in the
world YOU are most interested in traveling to... and then working
backwards to get yourself to that location.
There are a number of different approaches to picking the ideal
bicycle touring destination, but as far as I'm concerned, the
first step to any trip by bike is deciding where YOU most want to go.
For some individuals, having no destination at all is part of the
adventure. But for most of us, we want to at least have a general idea
of where we will be going on our trip... and this is where the
planning process should begin.
After traveling with my bicycle in dozens of different countries
all around the world, I've come to the conclusion that the secret
to a successful bicycle tour begins with picking a destination that
YOU are most drawn to.
Let me say that again, because this is very important.
If you want to have fun on your trip by bike and actually return
home having completed the journey you set out to complete, you need
to pick a location for your tour that YOU are most interested in.
Over the years I have been asked hundreds, if not thousands of
times, where some of my favorite bicycle touring destination are.
And every time I get this question I hesitate to answer because I
know that:
1. My favorite cycling destinations may not appeal to others in the way
they appeal to me.
2. My favorite travel destinations have almost always been places that
no one ever told me about, but I discovered on my own because I
was passionately interested in the area.
You see, if you really want to have a great time on your next bike
tour, you need to pick a location that YOU are most passionate about.
If you choose a location that you are not 100% excited to visit,
there is a good chance you will end your tour prematurely.
When you hit that first big hill, encounter your first full-day of
headwinds, or you suddenly get hungry and your next food stop isn't
for at least a couple hours up the road, you may be tempted to stop,
turn around and go home.
But when you pick a location for your travels that you are excited
about, those temporary inconveniences simply don't matter.
When you find yourself traveling in a location that you are excited
to be in, you won't quit because you know that the temporary pain of
that hill, that wind and that hunger is something you can push through
in order to get to that location you have so totally been looking
forward to.
Before you even begin to look at purchasing a touring bike, planning
out a budget or searching for travel partners, my recommendation
is that you think long and hard about where you MOST want to go in
the world.
If you want to simply explore your local neighborhood, then that's
what you should do!
If you want to visit a neighboring state, then that's fantastic!
And if you want to travel half-way around the world and explore a
country that up until this point in your life you may have only read
about in the newspapers (or on the Internet), then that is what you
need to start planning for!
Until you decide on a location that you are 150% excited about,
the rest of the planning process simply doesn't matter.
My advice to you is this: Don't let others dictate where you should
go on your next bicycle tour. Nor should you be worrying about how
or when you are going to get to your destination. Don't even think
about how much it is going to cost, where you are going to sleep
each night, or who you are going to travel with. We can work out
those details later.
At this point, all you need to do is DECIDE WHERE YOU MOST WANT TO
GO IN THE WORLD.
So, my question to you now is this: If you could go bicycle touring
anywhere in the world, where would you go? And why?
Darren Alff
Bicycle Touring Pro
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Darren Alff is a world-renowned authority on bicycle touring, and is
the founder of www.bicycletouringpro.com - the world's most popular
international bicycle touring website and how-to information source.
He is the author of four popular cycling books: The Bicycle Touring
Blueprint, The Essential Guide to Touring Bicycles, Winter Cycling
and Stretching for Cyclists.
Darren has dedicated his life to helping others conduct the bicycle
tour of their dreams. His websites, books, email newsletter, products
and public appearances now inspire and assist hundreds of thousands
of people from all around the world.
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ADDITIONAL BICYCLE TOURING RESOURCES
The Bicycle Touring Blueprint - A MUST READ:
http://bicycletouringbook.com
The Essential Guide To Touring Bicycles:
http://www.touringbicyclebook.com
Bike Tour Gear Shop - Panniers, Racks, Clothing, Camping Gear, Etc.
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/cyclocamping-store
Worldwide Bike Tour Directory:
http://www.gobicycletouring.com
Bicycle Touring Books:
http://www.bicycletouringbooks.com
Stretching For Cyclists:
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/stretching-for-cyclists/
Winter Cycling Handbook:
http://www.wintercyclingbook.com
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