Bicycling Around The World
Bicycling Round The World
Bicycle Tour the World!
By Elizabeth McMillian
Bicycling the world through a range of places–from exotic to quaint, from domestic to international–has immeasurable benefits! There are numerous companies and cycling clubs that offer an incredible array of group tours over safe routes. With these groups, all your tour needs are provided. You can be met at an airport, taken to your hotel, provided your bicycle and attended on your rides with assistants who speak your language and fix your flats. All the details are thought through for you. Route options allow for beginning, intermediate and experienced cyclists. In addition, some groups offer advanced itineraries to challenge experienced riders or provide individualized tours for family groups.
Imagine going to fascinating destinations with wonderful cycling routes. Seasons and countries are paired and chosen for the best chance of ideal weather and riding conditions. On-road support is guaranteed by trusted local partners. After a day of cycling, your luggage will meet you at your destination where you will experience the regional food and pleasant accommodations. It all seems ideal!
With a wide range of countries and tour lengths to consider, a tour’s cost is up to your choice. In fact, for the budget minded, you can go domestic and simply do a nearby route that requires no air fare. Or, you can do cycling holidays throughout the best of Europe at your own pace on a flexible and affordable self-guided tour.
Where in the world am I going?
A sampling of the bicycle tours include a first look at Europe, where you can discover Italy’s Adige and Mincio rivers or go on cycling trips through Tuscany, from Pisa to Florence, or along the rural back-roads to Venice. Perhaps you’ll choose a self-guided French tour of the Loire Valley or Provence.
Give me The Classics! Many of the European bicycle tours will fit around the dates of the Classic Cycle Races, which are one-day professional road races. Commonly called The Classics or the Spring Classics, the cycling races date back to the 19th century and they are normally held at the same time each year. During the 2005-2007 seasons, the Union Cycliste International (UCI) brought The Classics in as part of its UCI ProTour series which includes various stage races, such as the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a Espana, Paris-Nice and the Criterium du Dauphine Libere, as well as other non-Classic single-day events.
Try beer and bikes! One bike tour is organized for cyclists who are passionate about following The Classics. It’s a ride through renowned cycling regions of the Belgian countryside and includes tours through its breweries. In other parts of the Netherlands, one 2012 bike tour offers the chance to watch the Men’s UCI World Championship team time trial, as well as visit breweries and ride the legendary Spring Classics routes–Ronde van Vlaanderen, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Gent-Wevelgem, and Fleche Wallonne. This is a tour best suited for the intermediate or advanced cyclist and the beer enthusiast!
Cycle through ancient cultures! There are Aegean to Mediterranean tours that explore the west coast of Turkey, an area of mixed Turkish and Greek culture, with visits to renowned antiquities sites, such as Ephesus, Priene, the Temple of Apollo and Bodrum Castle. While cycling along paved back roads, beside farmers’ fields and through tiny villages, the tour stops at small boutique hotels, local markets, Turkish baths and Turkish carpet makers.
Make a profound impact! Another group offers a new bicycle tour on the African continent which introduces cycling tourists to World Bicycle Relief, an organization with the purpose of giving the spirit of ingenuity and hope that comes with bicycle ownership. It is a nine-day adventure in which participants partner with regional assemblers to build their own bike! They ride alongside entrepreneurs, healthcare workers and students and by the end of the tour, they learn their stories and comprehend the profound impact that two wheels make on the residents of rural Zambia.
Cycle and soak through Japan! On this Japanese bicycle tour you can experience the rural areas of Hokkaido, while alternately cycling and soaking in the area’s natural onsens (hot springs). A related tour offers an undiscovered cycling paradise, the Northern Islands of Hokkaido which include the Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park. You can also cycle through Kyushu which includes coastal and mountain landscapes and the UNESCO World Heritage Yakushima Island with clear water and sandy beaches. A few days of the same tour brings you riding through historic Kyoto.
Pedal through the jungles of Vietnam! Some cyclists return year after year to explore the enchanting villages and countryside of the popular Vietnam bicycle tours. There are also tours of the Mekong Delta and North Vietnam limestone landscapes, both of which are off-the-beaten-track tours for easy cycling on quiet roads through wondrous vegetation.
Cycle another continent! Rural Australia offers bicycle tours on the Otago Rail Trail and the Victoria Rail Trail where you can enjoy the cycling manners associated with vibrant Melbourne–great food, private trails, winery stops and historic Australiana. While in the region, you might want to visit New Zealand where you can cycle a breathtaking loop through some of the world’s finest scenery. Here you can ride to Mt. Cook and stay at a sheep farm or partake of New Zealand’s many added opportunities: walking on glaciers, hiking the rainforest, boating, rafting and bungy-jumping! For these sell-out tours you may have a year or two wait!
Go American! South America is not without its bicycle tours! Try exploring the highlights of southern Peru where you travel through mountains, canyons and visit ancient Machu Picchu. Here you can also cycle to Colca Canyon and peaceful Lake Titicaca. From here let us figuratively “cycle” back to North America where there are many domestic biking tours to explore, particularly those offered by companies that ride through verdant Door County, Wisconsin, and picturesque Cape Cod and Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Whether domestic or international, recreational or humanitarian, the bicycle tour of your choice will provide you the benefits of exploration and discovery as well as the healthful benefits of exercise. Happy pedaling!
(c) 2012 Elizabeth McMillian
Elizabeth McMillian enjoys writing about her personal interests, including travel, exercise and cycling. She is an architectural historian, a former editor at Architectural Digest, and the author of five books and numerous articles. To make bicycling a comfortable and safe experience, the right cycling shoe is as necessary as your helmet. To find out about the appropriate cycling shoe for grip and endurance, check out http://www.top-athletic-shoes.com/
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