Bicycle touring is becoming more and more known as an alternative and smart sports holiday. Spending your holidays cycling allows you to combine visits to charming spots with your passion for two wheels.

A cyclist’s speed is different from that of other travelers, we could consider it almost a different dimension. A bicycle allows you to fully enjoy the views, places and encounters along the way, nothing to do with a journey by car, more comfortable … but less ‘sweated’ and lived. Thus, once you try bicycle touring, you are never going to stop.

Ideas for a custom made route

Choosing your route is essential. You need to choose an attracting place, always considering your technical skills and your fitness level.

In Europe there are wide and long-distance cycling routes, the most-known stretch along the most famous rivers in Europe … for instance everyone knows the Danube cycling route! However, also the Loire Valley in France or the cycling networks in Austria and Germany are quite known and above all very well equipped, offering Bike Friendly Hotels and perfectly maintained routes.

Also Italy is moving towards cycling tourism, especially the regions of Trentino, Umbria and Tuscany have invested more and more in recent years to be ready to meet the needs of cyclists.

A nice initiative is the cycling tourism route ”Pedaling across the Land of the Duke” that we mentioned in our previous article.

There is no good or bad time, but a good or bad equipment!

Useless to say…! Of course physical fitness is vital, but also having a proper equipment is essential!

First of all, travel bags are the indispensable companions for all respectable cyclists, preferably waterproof and having a large capacity, with reflective straps to be always visible. Gist Italia understands these needs and has created a line of bags for long trips. They are easily removable when you park your bike, as they have holes to secure them and a shoulder strap to carry them more easily.

Always talking about safety and comfort, you need think about breathable clothing, easy to wash and dry and comfortable to wear, as the new Gist line Street Fit, designed to accommodate the movements of cyclists and offer great comfort.

Along with the indispensable rain cape and water bottle or hydration pack, as our comfortable and multi-pocket Hydro having a 1.5 liter capacity.

To top it all off, you cannot forget the helmet and goggles, maybe a Kosmo helmet, perfect for lovers of road and mtb style and the Tatoo goggles by Kayak, equipped with three interchangeable lenses to suit any kind of weather.