10 things you need to know before your first bicycle tour

Are you dreaming about a bicycle tour? Or maybe you’ve already picked your destination, set the date, and the pre-journey anxiety is kicking in? Been there, done that. Let me share the 10 things I wish I had known before my first bicycle tour. 

1. The first step will be the most difficult one.

Many people dream about a big adventure but never dare take the first step. Making the decision to hit the road is difficult. Luckily, once you’re out there, things get easier.

Before my first solo tour (and a second bike tour at all), I cried, regretted my life decisions (Why the hell did I quit my job? There was nothing wrong with it!), and anticipated all the possible dark scenarios. But once I assembled my bike at the airport in Basel and started pedalling, the rumination stopped. I gained trust in myself and the road and started enjoying the journey.

2. You will always feel somewhat underprepared.

I am not fit enough to cycle that many kilometres every day. I didn’t research enough about the country I am going to. I don’t know if the route I’ve planned is ok. I haven’t planned a route at all. I’ve never wild-camped. I don’t know how to fix my bike if something breaks. Maybe it’s better to reschedule the trip for later, so I have more time to prepare?

Those thoughts will keep popping into your head, and you will always feel underprepared. This is normal and still happens to me, even after four years since my first bicycle tour (thank you, imposter syndrome!). 

There is no way you can prepare for every eventuality. Even if you could, your brain would still have doubts and question marks. Overthinking has stopped many from pursuing their dreams. So just set a date and go for it!

3. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone.

You don’t need to do a big-ass round-the-world tour with only wild camping and the most challenging routes. Don’t compare yourself with people on Instagram and the Internet. Do it your way. 

To be honest, I still struggle with that. I always feel I should ride farther, going to more crazy places and wild-camp more often. But I know my limits and try to focus on what brings me joy.

Type 2 fun is fun, but only if you really want it. If you feel biking from Europe to India is way out of your limits, just go for a two-weeks tour in Italian Alps. Or around the Netherlands if you don’t want to conquer massive climbs. If wild camping makes you anxious and jittery, go for official campsites, hostels, WarmShowers or CouchSurfing. It’s not a competition. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. 

It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t challenge yourself. It just means you should know when the challenges start causing you distress or when they stop you from going on a trip at all. 

4. You don’t need to know how to fix a bike before going on a tour.

Many people think it’s crucial to know bike mechanics before going on a bicycle trip. While some knowledge definitely doesn’t hurt, you can survive without it. Many experienced cycle travellers (like Ewcyna, who travelled solo in Oman, Iran, Myanmar, Japan, Georgia and many other countries) don’t know anything beyond the absolute basics.

The legendary Dervla Murphy, who biked from Irland to India, used to hitchhike every time something was wrong with her bike. So don’t worry too much about bike repairs!

5. You don’t need a touring bike to go bicycle touring.

People travel on all kinds of bikes: folding bikes, old mountain bikes, gravel bikes… If you already have a bicycle in your garage, you can most likely convert it into a touring bike. 

6. You don’t need to know where you’re going and which route you’re taking.

On my first solo tour, I travelled without a plan. The only thing I knew was that I start in Switzerland, and I head somewhere east. I didn’t know how long it would take and how far I would get. I was deciding day after day, and some of the best adventures of my life happened. I cycled in the Dolomites, volunteered in a mountain hut in Bosnia, and met amazing people in places that weren’t even on my bucket list. The journey matters, not the destination. 

7. Expect the unexpected.

There will be surprises waiting for you around every corner. I have dealt with many of them, many quite unpleasant. Trails that look promising on the map but turn out rocky and unlikeable. Closed shops when I was hoping to buy something for dinner. My gear breaking in the least convenient moment (broken tent, broken pannier, broken wheel – I’ve had it all). Thunderstorms in a remote valley with no place to hide. A knee injury in the middle of nowhere.

Shit happens, and challenges belong to bike touring. You can’t avoid them or prepare for them. But you can anticipate them, so things don’t feel so overwhelming when they happen.

8. Listen to your gut.

Almost all unpleasant situations on my trips happened after I had ignored my gut feeling. This place seems too exposed and too close to the village – I thought in Kyrgyzstan, and an hour later, a young exhibitionist on a horse arrived and freaked us out. This guy seems a bit weird  – I hesitated before accepting a Couchsurfing invitation by a guy who later didn’t respect my personal space and was way too pushy. 

If your intuition tells you to back off – back off. 

9. Memories are elusive – make notes and take pictures.

Sometimes I feel too lazy to stop and get off my bike to take a picture, but later I regret that I didn’t capture some of the extraordinary places I cycled through. After a long day in the saddle, scribbling in my notebook feels overwhelming too. But that moment when you read your old diary or look at your travel photos and remember some moments you completely forgot about is so precious that I try to force myself to document my trips regularly.

Don’t only take pictures of the landscape and people around – make sure to take some pictures of yourself too – your kids or grandkids will be more interested in how you looked earlier than in some random mountain.

10. Feeling grumpy, miserable and like you wanna quit? Eat something!

I can’t count how often I felt like something was off, and I was unhappy, weak and done with all the bike touring before I realised that I just forgot to eat for a couple of hours. After I brought my sugar levels back to normal, life was great again, and I was ready to face the challenges on the road. So every time you feel crap ask yourself: when was the last time I ate something? 

Any experienced cycle tourers here? What would be your advice for people heading on their first bike adventure?