Travel Resources
All you need to know for a great bike holiday in one place
Planning a bike holiday can be a daunting task and can throw up many questions ranging from where to go, when to go, fitness levels required, skills about mountain riding and which routes to plan.
Find on these pages great Travel Destinations, Bikepacking tips and Multi Day Rides suggestion across the Alps, tips for travelling with your bike and how to keep it top condition. Tips for building fitness and how to become a better climber. Explore the heritage of the Alpine Mountain Roads and further Resources for riding inspiration. You can also get in touch via the Contact Us form with specific questions.
Travel Destinations
Great Travel Destinations are places where you can spend a week or so and ride without repeating the same ride while using your car or other transport as little as possible to get around. In Italy, I have detailed Bormio, Arabba, Riva del Garda, Aosta and Sankt Leonhard in Passeier. In France, St Michel de Maurienne/St Jean de Maurienne, Briancon and Isola are detailed and Bludenz and Zillertal in Austria. Outside of the Alps, I includes Port de Soller in Spain - Mallorca. All are great places to climb incredible mountain roads and also to relax and recharge - find out more here.
If you are a little more interested in flat or gentle hilly rides, Lake Constance in Germany is ideal. Find more information for Lake Constance here.
Also, while not a pure cycling destination, Hong Kong offers superb climbing in a totally unique setting. If you want to explore more about cycling in Hong Kong and Asia, click here.
For those looking for the great open spaces of the US, Lake Tahoe offers great scenery and cycling in the Sierra Nevada and the Nevada desert.
Bikepacking
The wonders of point to point rides without returning to base is probably the ultimate freedom. Exploring a region by bike provides unrivalled experiences about the land and its people.
Bikepacking has become super popular due to better and more flexible equipment and clothing. Gravel bikes open up new cycling frontiers and adventures. My tips for bikepacking are mainly aimed at riders who are using roads and the odd gravel track but there is also a ton of information out there for more expedition style cycling.
Mutli-Day Rides
I have composed a number Multi-Day Rides based on my own riding in the Alps and researching the best routes. These cover Austria, Italy, France and Switzerland; the most iconic mountains and roads, sweet villages as well as off the beaten track suggestions.
The stage length is designed for a reasonably fit rider with stage length between 80-120km and climbing around 1800 - 2600m of elevation gain. All stages can be lengthened or shortened but the geography dictates to some degree the core length of each ride.
Travel Tip
Travelling with your precious carbon can be a stressful time and there are no optimal solutions. I put together these tips to reduce the anxiety.
Travelling on trains and planes is very often a necessary evil to get to and from the best rides, either locally, to far away travel destinations or for a multi - day adventure. Operators don't make that easy although the increasing volume in people travelling with bikes is creating more spaces for bikes and a shift in attitude. Forward planning is nevertheless key to a successful holiday.
Maintenance and Tyres for Travel
Essential tips for keeping your bike in perfect condition for your journeys and what tyres to choose.
Even if you are not mechanically minded, fixing the basics on your ride can go a long way. Keeping the bike in good nick makes riding more enjoyable.
Alpine Mountain Roads
From prehistoric trails to modern tunnels, the mountain passes of the Alps have shaped the continent’s history. They are more than mere routes through rock and snow; they are memories in stone, witnesses to migration, conflict, commerce, and curiosity. As both gateways and guardians, the passes of the Alps endure — linking past and present, challenging and inspiring all who traverse them.
Mountains and the environment
Climate change is having a profound and highly visible impact on the Alps, which are often described as an early warning system for global warming.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the melting of the once magnificent Alpine glaciers, which were formerly imposing walls of ice and are now reduced to a shadow of their former selves.
Find out more about the climate change induced fate of the Rhone Glacier and what changes in the climate means for riding in the mountains.
Discover more about cycling
List of climbs and routes: These are all the route introduced across this site, all in one place.
The history of the bicycle: Cycling has a rich history, and there are several key milestones that mark its evolution, from technological advancements to historic races.
Resources: There are tons of resources about cycling in the mountain, route planning and to inspire to cycle more.
Fitness: How to build fitness for mountain cycling adventure.
