Expect the unexpected when cycling on holiday. Here a herd of cows blocks the road in rural Ireland.
After an eventful couple of weeks in New York, I feel inspired to offer a few tips for cycling when on holiday. Apart from the very obvious lessons of avoiding the centennial eruptions of Icelandic Volcanoes, these are some important tips for a good cycling holiday.
Careful Set Up.
Whether you rent or take your own bike, make sure, your saddle height exactly matches what you ride at home. Take a tape measure. If you vary your saddle height by more than a few mms, you can cause injuries, especially on the knees. It is important to have other measurements the same or very similar – though saddle height is the most important.
Take Own Pedals and Shoes.
If you can’t take your own bike, at least take your own pedals and shoes, this helps maintain same cleat position.
Take Your Whole Saddle Bag. Getting a puncture in a foreign country can be even more frustrating than in your own country. In a foreign country, you need to more self-sufficient should anything go wrong. If you take your whole saddle bag, you are less likely to forget anything like tyre leavers or chain tool.
Carrying Your Bike on A Plane. For the best cycling experience, you really want to take your own bike. Taking a bike on plane is not as bad as it first appears. Just take care to pack and pad the bike really well. It may well be worth taking a training bike, rather than your top of the range bike. Because it may be more difficult to keep bike locked and there is always the possibility of something going wrong in transportation.
Full Suitcase.
The problem of cycling is the sheer volume of extra clothes you will need. Unless the weather is ultra predictable, you will need to plan for every weather condition, from overshoes to suncream. There is nothing worse than wandering through a Bulgarian shopping Mall hoping they will sell a size XL armwarmer.
Be Prepared for Distance.
If you plan a week long cycling holiday, there is nothing worse than killing yourself on the first day, so you spend the next three days limping around as your muscles recover. Be careful of getting carried away – especially if you are riding with much stronger cyclists. Don’t let your ego make you do too much.
Recovery Days.
If you have a long hard day, the best way to recover is still to go out the next day, even if for just half an hour or an hour to spin the legs.
Stretching on Plane.
If it is a long plane journey, be careful to remain well hydrated and take the opportunity to stretch. This is especially important if you have been training hard before travelling.
Bottled Water.
If you’re travelling anywhere where tap water is suspicious don’t risk getting a stomach upset. Drink bottled or filtered water, be careful also of salads washed in water. Locals may have developed immunity, but, you won’t have that immunity from our chlorinated variety.
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Great tips. Looking forward to your future articles. Thanks a lot.
Superb tips I hope to make use of this summer on a thoroughly enjoyable web-site, thank-you very much!
Good tips, I would just add: make sure your hire care is big enough for your bike in its box to avoid unpacking it all in the airport car park in the dark!