If you’re looking for a wonderful getaway full of excitement and wonder, a bike vacation is the best thing for you – both physically and mentally. Looking for the best and most breathtaking places to go for a bike tour? Here’s a list of the hottest places around that are sure to provide you with the most gorgeous views. If you’re new to the biking world and want an insight into the beautiful places you can go, try one of these bike tour destination spots.
California’s Romantic Bike Routes
Within North America, you will find the most gorgeous and romantic bike routes in California. One of the largest states in the USA, California boasts ocean views to die for, vineyards that go on for miles, redwood forests that take your breath away, and mountain views comparable to Taiwan’s.
California’s terrain is best suited for moderate to advanced bikers, as the tours generally go on for an extended period of time and can really take the wind out of you if you’re ill prepared. California bike trips are a great way to vacation with your spouse and let your mind wander due to the romantic sun draping itself across the Pacific and the five-star views you will see.
In California, most bike companies offer tours throughout quaint vineyards, along the breathtaking coast of the Pacific Ocean and through the towering beauty that is the redwood forest.
San Francisco: you can choose between 33,377 different ones, with scenic views at nearly every turn. You can cycle from Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito or start at Golden Gate Park heading to Fort Funston for example –
Tthere 8,834 bike trails in the greater Los Angeles area. For example Marvin Braude Bike Trail along the iconic shoreline, or take a ride along the Los Angeles River from Atwater Village to Glendale Narrows, not to forget the Santa Clarita cloverleaf trail.
You can find over 17,901 bike trails in and around San Diego. Go for beach biking at Mission Beach Boardwalk or choose the more tranquil Mission Bay’s Sail Bay, take the Silver Strand Bikeway from Coronado to Imperial Beach, or go for mountain biking through Sorrento Valley.
More bike routes around the world.
Heading over to Europe, next up on our list is France. France is undoubtedly beautiful, gushing with lots of culture, and filled with unique landmarks. They don’t make the most popular bicycle race in France for nothing! Whenever you take a bike tour in France, you’re sure to get exactly what you pay for. Most tours are fit for a king (or queen) and are jam packed with luxurious trips to the most famous vineyards and villages in France.
Going on a or somewhere close by would be fit for either a beginner or a moderate level biker because they have some of the mildest and calmest routes available. So pack a camera and get ready for a time you’re sure to remember!
France doesn’t disappoint either with its quiet villages, chateaus, slowly rolling green hills, and picturesque scenery at every smooth corner. France doesn’t disappoint when it comes to vineyards either – just don’t visit too many wine tastings on your way because you wouldn’t want to get a BWI (Biking While Intoxicated) ticket.
Ireland is green for miles and will leave you feeling a little magical. The sight of the uninhabited countryside alone will convince you that you have the luck of the Irish in you. The meals there are wonderfully prepared and contain more Irish culture than you can imagine.
But Taiwan is world-renown for its beautiful mountain views, crystal clear blue oceans, white sandy beaches, and steep mountains. Taiwan’s mountain ranges by themselves are enough to make you want to pack up and head out right now! You can hire a bike from Giant Bikes (159 Bowuguan Road, Bali Township, Taipei County) and take a beautiful bike ride on the cycle path alongside the Danshui River.
Taiwan is great for more than just biking; it’s good for surfing, swimming, parasailing, jet skiing, and more! If you’re more of a beginning biker, Taiwan may or may not be the way to go – only because of how steep the mountains are and how rugged the terrain may be.
There are endless destinations to consider when you create bike routes in the near future. Check with a travel company to find out what deals they have and then choose a route that caters to your physical capabilities as a biker.
What type of bike tour is right for you?
When planning your bike tour, consider setting up a “loaded tour.” Strap on your saddlebags old west style and get ready to pack well for one of these. On a loaded tour, you bring everything with you – food, clothes, your sleeping bag and bug spray.
This type of leisure bike touring is perfect for someone who loves to plan, camp out, and really step away from it all. This tour is very rewarding because you’re totally self-reliant throughout.
If you’re not feeling quite so crafty, you can plan a “credit card tour,” which as you can tell by its name, doesn’t involve eating trail mix for dinner.
On this type of tour, you pack light, stay in hotels, and try out the local eateries for your meals. This is a great way to balance a long tour while letting you get involved in each one of the tours destinations’ local culture spots. Plus, you can really relax when you reach your destinations because everything is taken care of for you.
Feeling like a sportier bike tour? There are boatloads of bike routes geared to those who want to push the envelope a bit. From mimicking legs of the Tour de France to attending training camps with international bike pros, you’re sure to be up to your helmet in sport biking.
These types of bike tours are great for those who take our biking very seriously. Regardless of what bike routes you take, be sure to always pack plenty of water, energy bars, and a first aid kit. Most of all, remember to have fun!
Bike Training for Tours
If you’re training for a bike tour, there are many things you’re going to need to know before you set out on your two-wheeled excursion. Before you go on a tour, especially bike routes with elevation – no matter how physically fit you are – you need to prepare yourself for a long trip on the seat of a bike. You must become acquainted with it and how it maneuvers, shifts gears, and brakes.
Begin a relationship with your bicycle by riding in a rural area that’s mainly flat for about an hour to an hour and a half (whichever you prefer) at a slower pace every other day. Be sure to try out different ways to ride the bike. Drive with your hands at different positions, for example. Once you’ve done that for about a week, you can move onto step two.
Start taking hour long rides in hilly areas. Be sure to do this on the weekend so that you have time to investigate all aspects of your bike and leave time to stop and look at the view. Packing a lunch and doing a bike climb up a small mountain is a great Sunday afternoon getaway.
Bring a map and track the approximate distance you traveled in the time that you biked. This will give you a good idea of what it will feel like during the distance of the tour (for example what you biked today is one third of the tour).
Get comfortable riding up and down the hills on your bike. Once you’ve mastered 10 miles in an hour on the hills, you can kick it up a notch and try doing 15 miles in an hour and a half. Keep biking as hard as you can in order to build your endurance up to being able to ride for three hours without killing yourself.
Continue going until you can do 30 miles in three hours and continue increasing your distance with 5-6 mile increments. Toss in longer hills – they don’t necessarily have to be taller – just longer.
When you get to a point in your training where you can ride your bike 40 miles in four hours or less, place some weights (5-15lbs) in your panniers, go out for an hour – and then come back. Keep trying to ride with heavy panniers until you can carry up to 30 lbs for an hour and a half. Do this until you can go at regular speed both while loaded and not.
Once you can go at regular speed while loaded and unloaded, pack up all the gear you anticipate taking with you while you’re on your trip and ride your bike equal to the allotted time you’re planning to spend on your tour day.
Necessary Bicycle Equipment for Tours
Excited to go on a bike trip but are unsure of what you might need to bring? You aren’t alone. It may seem like there’s so much to do before going on a bike tour but you really just need to remember a few key things so that you don’t end up sun burnt, broken down, and bleeding from the leg.
Always remember that it’s always better to be safe than sorry, and you never know what kinds of animals may be lurking at night in the woods you passed during the daytime. Bringing water bottles is kind of an unwritten law – there’s no need to run the risk of getting overheated or worse, dehydrated.
When going on a bike tour, you can’t count on there being a store for you to pick a drink up. On some bike routes, you can go for miles without seeing a single business, so beware! Put ice in your bottle too, so that way even if you run out, the ice will melt and will give you a bit more water.
Safety first!
Kits such as patch kits and first-aid kits are also necessary. Patch kits generally cost no more than five dollars and will be put to very good use. As far as first-aid kits go, they should cost no more than twenty dollars. You won’t need a 700 piece set for a bike tour, but you can’t just go with a few band aids and expect to be completely prepared for everything life will toss at you.
Flashlights and headlamps are great assets for overnight cycling tours and should cost no more than fifteen dollars for both of them. An extra pump and other tools are greatly recommended. Maps and sun protection items such as sunscreen, sunglasses, and such will keep you on track and allow you to get tan instead of burnt and lost.
Be sure to bring all of your medications with you in a plastic container or little baggie that can be sealed shut. Any toiletries that you may need – including toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, Aloe Vera, etc., should be wrapped in a plastic bag to prevent any spillage. Bug spray will prove to be very useful depending on where your bike tour takes you.
The weather is unpredictable.
In order to be completely prepared for all sorts of weather conditions, you should wear layered clothes. Make sure you bring clothes you can wear after your bike ride. Extra bike shorts – one padded, one not – will help you stay clean and dry throughout the entire tour.
Be sure to bring a small amount of laundry detergent or soap so that you can wash your clothes. Lightweight windbreakers or rain jackets are great for the unpredictable ways of good old Mother Nature along all the bike routes.
If you’re going overnight, equipment for camping is required. Things such as a tent, a sleeping bag, a pillow, a plate set fit for camping, and other cooking tools will be useful. When going on bicycle tours, always make sure to bring food that won’t go bad if it isn’t refrigerated. Cold cuts and hot dogs are okay as long as they’re kept in a cooler, but having things like granola bars and peanut butter are most definitely the way to go.
In order to make sure that you’re fully prepared on any bike route don’t forget: padded bicycle shorts (these can be found at any sports or bike shop), a helmet, bike pumps, bike tools, biking gloves, and gel-cushioned bicycle saddles for more comfort.
Related Getaways to Fantastic Bike Routes In The U.S. And Beyond
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