A self-guided cycling tour appeals to those who like active vacations along with an opportunity to experience the landscape of a region more deeply than with other forms of transportation. It’s paradoxically both active and slow travel. We’ve taken three such trips and have some tips if you’re considering a self-guided cycling tour for your next vacation.
8 tips for a successful self-guided cycling tour vacation
How self-guided cycling tours work
Self-guided is a bit of a misnomer for the kind of tour we’re talking about. The bulk of the trip planning is handled by a tour company. They typically include the following:
- An itinerary of the places you’ll visit on your tour
- Use of a bicycle (options range from e-bikes, hybrids, or road bikes)
- Maps and turn-by-turn instruction sheets
- Transfer of luggage from destination to destination.
- An on-site trip manager who provides an initial orientation and support along the way if you need it.
We’ve done bike and boat group tours and self-guided tours and enjoy aspects of both. Self-guided tours are great for the independence they offer. There is just enough support to feel like you’re not entirely on your own if you run into an issue. On the other hand, you can take things at your own pace.
The tour companies we’ve used are Randonnée and Cyclomundo. Both were excellent.
8 tips for enjoying a self-guided tour
GPS for extra support
Most of the time, using the map and turn-by-turn instructions provided by the tour company is adequate, but it can be easy to miss a direction or get turned around. On our last trip, Cyclomundo provided us with the GPS coordinates for the tour, which Steve uploaded to the app Map My Ride. He mounted his smartphone to the bike for easy reference. The app got us back on track a few times when instructions were not clear to us.
Dress in layers
Obviously, if you’re cycling in a hot region, you will want to wear the minimal amount of clothing. If you’re cycling in the offseason, as we often do, layers are the way to go. On our most recent cycling trip through Provence in October, we started the day off with cycling shorts under tights and a jacket over a long-sleeved top, which was on top of our base short-sleeved top. By the end of the day, we were cycling wearing our base layer.
Also important, all clothing should be synthetic activewear so that it wicks moisture away from your body. This will keep you dry and help regulate your body temperature.
Wear padded cycling shorts
You know that butt soreness you get when you get on a bike after a long absence from riding? That’s going to happen even if you have been putting in a lot of kilometres on your bike at home. For one thing, you’re riding daily, and most self-guided tours clock 50-80 kilometres each day. Also, you will be using an unfamiliar bike with a seat that isn’t the same as yours at home. Even with cycling shorts, our butts get a bit sore.
Don’t pack too much
Packing light is good advice for any trip. You might think that because you’ll be sweating on the bike, you’ll need a fresh set of clothes every day. Get over that notion. If it’s just you and your partner, you don’t need to be “shower-fresh” every day, and quality synthetic activewear is almost smell-free even after a day or two without washing. At most, you will need to change your base layer regularly. Most of the time, you can hand wash those items and often the accommodations your tour has booked for you either provide laundry services or have facilities for you to use. Wash your other layers once over the course of the week, and you’ll be fine.
Rear view mirror
None of the self-guided tours we’ve taken provided a rearview mirror for the bike. It’s an essential item as far as we’re concerned. It allows you to glance back to see if your partner is still behind you (Speed up, Steve!) and helps with keeping an eye on overtaking traffic.
We use this ingenious sunglass-mounted mirror that we got at Mountain Equipment Coop. It’s inexpensive, is easy to clip on, and you don’t have to worry about a bulky bike mounted mirror that may not fit the bike you’re using.
Note that people who meet us on the road always ask what’s clipped to our sunglasses and we do look kind of dorky wearing them. We’re okay with that.
Essential pannier items
The tour companies that we’ve used supply a front carrier (which is also a map/instruction holder) and a pannier bag that attaches to the back. These offer considerable space to pack your essential items for the day. The company provides a tire pump and patch kit should you get a flat. This is what we pack:
- Rain jacket
- Wallet and I.D.
- Small first aid kit
- Sunscreen
- Wet wipes
- Toilet paper (sometimes your nearest toilet is behind a clump of trees)
- Corkscrew and cutlery (see picnicking below)
- External battery to recharge smartphones
- Camera equipment/smartphone
- A few bottles of water
Picnic for lunch
Often the tour company will provide you with possible stops along the way to eat at a café or restaurant. We’ve done this. We have even dined at a Michelin-starred restaurant on one occasion. Franky, we prefer picnicking. If we’re dining in a proper restaurant, we don’t want to feel sweaty and be clad in spandex. You may feel differently, and casual outdoor cafés can be just fine.
Our choice is to stop at a grocery store for picnic food about an hour or two before we want to break for lunch. Usually, we buy bread, cheese, meat, carrots, yogurt, and fruit. On our recent cycle through Provence, our lunches always included a small bottle of wine. Hey, you’re in wine country! It’s a must.
We’ve always had luck finding a quiet spot with a picnic table. Occasionally, we’re stuck with a park bench. I love our cycling picnics.
Stop along the way
It’s easy to get caught up in doggedly following the turn-by-turn instructions to get to your next hotel or B&B – especially if you’re a goal-oriented person like Steve. Don’t forget that you’re in control of your schedule. If you want to stop to explore a town along the way, do it!
Have you ever gone on a cycling tour self-guided or otherwise? We’d welcome your tips to add to our list?
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[…] A self-guided cycling tour includes a route map, a bicycle and gear, accommodation booking, luggage transfers and support should you run into any difficulties along the way. The tours we’ve taken have always included breakfast. Other than that, you are on your own to get from place to place and can move at a pace that’s comfortable for you. Read my previous post for more on self-guided cycling tours and tips. […]
Take turns every hour with one person following the directions. Sometimes there are a lot of turns and you really have to pay attention. So pass the torch every hour so each rider only has to “work” for an hour at a time.
That’s a great suggestion. Usually, one of us is in charge of monitoring the number of kilometres until the next turn and the other has responsibility for following the turns on the instructions. Either way, it’s good to switch it up so that it doesn’t get tedious.