Fitness Preparation
Recommendations to improve your cycling ability
We want your cycling holiday to be as pleasurable as possible, so it’s important to do the right training before your trip. Putting in some training on a bike before departure means you’ll be bike-fit for the road ahead.
The first rule of riding is to ensure that the bike is adjusted properly to your height. A seat that is too low or high will cause unnecessary discomfort and make the pedaling harder than it needs to be. The position of your bike seat should be, when sitting on the seat with your heel on the lower pedal that your leg should be almost straight. If it is bent, you need to raise the seat height. Now you are ready to cycle.
Build up your cycling volume over the weeks before departure with some goals you want to achieve through a training plan. You should aim to commit to 4-6 hours a week starting with some low intensity workouts, building up to some longer and higher intensity sessions. The intensity comes with adding some hills into your cycle route. If you can do up to 2-3 sessions per week for around 1-3 hours, this will be ideal in preparing you for your cycle tour. It will build the muscles and stamina that you need as well as general confidence on the bike and different surfaces.
If it’s practical to join a cycle club, this can be a fun way to take a weekly outing with like-minded riders to improve your cycle fitness to as a supplement to your personal cycle training.
Stationary bikes in your lounge room are also useful for training when the weather outside may want you staying indoors.
TRIP GRADING SYSTEM
It’s important to choose the right trip to suit your cycling ability and fitness level. This is why we have our honest Trip Grading system so you can enjoy a comfortable, safe and rewarding bike holiday.
