Hi everyone!
I need some advice on choosing a route. At the end of May, I have three weeks for a longer bike tour, around 1000 km. I’ve done 4-5 day tours before, but never one this long. I plan to use the classic setup with four panniers and camping.
My first idea is a round trip: Tauberbischofsheim – Würzburg – Bamberg – Bayreuth – Cheb – Klatovy – Horní Planá – Passau – Regensburg – Nuremberg – Tauberbischofsheim.
My second idea is a one-way tour to Budapest, partly following the Danube, and then taking the train back.
How do you usually plan long tours like this?
Do you set daily goals, or just ride until evening and find a place to stay?
Do you prefer one-way trips or round trips?
Do you plan the route based on sights you want to see, or do you follow bike paths and explore attractions from there?
I don’t want to ride 80-90 km per day, because this is also my vacation, not just about collecting kilometers.
by Fred-HUN-
4 Comments
Basically everything you asked depends on personal preferences. Some people really like the peace of mind with an accomodation booked in advance. Some people really like the peace of mind not having to reach a certain goal that day. Both ways have their own advantages.
I would definitely advise to not plan to much in to much detail in advance, if you have never done a tour this long. Maybe something breaks, you want to spend more time somewhere, you want to spend less time somewhere etc.
One way trip has the advantage that you can reach a goal further away. With a round trip starting from home you will spend more time in ‘known territories’. This can be a good or a negative thing I guess.
The main takeaway is you said that it’s your vacation and don’t want to ride 80-90km a day.
Since you are limited by time, you can plan a trip regarding the daily distance you’re willing to cover, taking into account rest days. You can also not plan anything and just ride, it’s also very fun. You can always take public transport to skip steps or to go back home.
What I do is I plan a one way or round trip route that goes through places I want to visit (trails, national parks, cities). I then count how many days it will take depending of how much distance I am willing to cover every day, and how many rest days I want to take (in cities, wildcamping…)
The main thing to keep in mind is that **it’s a vacation, and you’re not obliged to fulfill your daily distance**. If you find a nice spot, meet great people, **take your time**.
You can always shorten your list of places to visit or take a public transport to skip steps or go back home. Happy trails 🙂
When you are planning how far you will ride, consider the elevation as well as the distance.
I’m currently in Rwanda and breaking my days up based on climbing rather than distance. I’ve done 4 days in a row where I’ve traveled less than 30 km but climbed a thousand plus meters and they feel like big days.
for me process is. I select starting and end point i want to reach. Then i add every single POI i can see on map within 5 km from suggested route and based on photos is worth seeing. Next step i try to look at elevation peaks and shave them as much as possible. Last point i just add more POI as shawing elevation change route. As I am wild camping 90% i just stop when i need so i cant advice on this point 🙂 Also using komoot and by accident also planned my first 1000km ride for this summer. I hope will make it in one week i have reserved. Here for inspiration [https://www.komoot.com/tour/1692219660?share_token=aTcfB9HFx242XuCKO3PrrWPfHFs33HzvLPN1H31wx1YJ2Mz362&ref=wtd](https://www.komoot.com/tour/1692219660?share_token=aTcfB9HFx242XuCKO3PrrWPfHFs33HzvLPN1H31wx1YJ2Mz362&ref=wtd)