Eight Absolute “Must-Haves” You Need on Any Biking Vacation
Going on a biking vacation needs a lot of planning ahead of time, in generally more than a regular vacation. You do not only need to book a flight and a hotel, you have to take care of a lot more additionally. Depending on the kind of cycling vacation you are looking at, you might have to coordinate stays at several hotels, bed and breakfasts and hostels, for just a night or two at each of them. So what is important when planning a biking vacation and what are the absolute “must-haves” when going on such an adventure? Here are some of the answers you have been looking for in what is essential when going on a biking tour.
The first “Must-Have” for any biking vacation where great amounts of time are spent on the bicycle is a proper bicycle. This does not mean that you have to buy the most expensive bicycle on the market, if you go to one of the better bicycle shops they will outfit you with an adequate reasonably priced bicycle that is also of high quality. High quality bikes nowadays are lightweight, durable and comfortable to the rider.
Besides the bicycle, another important “Must-have” for a biking vacation is nutrition. This includes foremost of all water and a good water container or bottle, easy reachable during cycling. The body quickly looses water when working out and replenishing is important to prevent dehydration. Believe it or not, dehydration happens faster than many people believe and consequences can be serious. If you have ever watched or followed any great bicycle races such as the tour de France, you know that the bikers constantly drink and get water handed on these races. Of course just as important to be able to go the distance is food. Since it is not quite possible to carry huge amounts of food and sandwiches on the bicycle, small high nutritious and high energy bars are the solution for any biker to carry.
Bicycling can be dangerous and proper protection such as the all important bicycle helmet needs also to be taken on a bicycling vacation. Helmets are not just fun as many bikers think, they have a very important task of protecting your head in cases of crashing and falling. Concussions to the head can be serious problems for anybody, no matter how trained or fit they are. In many countries including many United State states, the law mandates that you must wear bicycle helmets. So when planning a cycling vacation anywhere in the world, make sure you pack your bicycle helmet and cross it off your list as one of the more important items to pack.
Since protection is important, the proper cycling cloth for comfort on the bike, but also for protection from wind and weather are very important, when taking long distance biking trips. Regular pants and shirts will not be able to give you the comfort needed for such a trip. The wrong pants rub on the inside of the legs and can shave hard enough to open up the skin and prevent you from going on. Cycling shoes in addition to gloves, are also a helpful accessory when going on longer trips.
When on the road for longer periods of time, make sure you take some kind of repair kit, small tools to be able to make minor repairs and quick fixes, such as tire repair patches and Allan wrenches.
And last but not least are “Must-haves” number seven and eight, eye protection and sunscreen. The eye protection will help with glare and sunshine as well as with rain and flies, while the sunscreen will prevent uncovered skin from burning, since you are exposed to the elements for a long time on biking vacations.
