Cycle touring: how to get started?

Cycle touring: how to get started?

 

Freedom, adventure, discovery of heritage and nature: cycle tourism has more and more followers.

 While bike sales have exploded and made in France vacations are on the program, cycling has never been so trendy. But when the time comes to start, we wonder: what if I was not sporty enough? where to start ? how to equip me Laurent Belando * and Laura Pedebas **, nomadic bike enthusiasts, guide us on the holiday trail.

I'm going for it

Laura Pedebas is categorical: “Anyone who knows how to ride a bicycle is capable of traveling over the long term on two wheels. "Laurent Belando gives an infallible advice to start:" Take a walk you are used to, but instead of turning around, extend your route and go a little further. This is how you get the travel bug. And since it is estimated that walking 15 kilometers morning and evening to go to work is accessible to everyone, you can push up to 30 kilometers.

 

I trace my route

Forest, coast, mountain, countryside, regional park… Start by choosing your decor. With its 900 marked kilometers, the cycle route "The Loire by bike" offers varied landscapes, accommodation for all budgets and rest areas equipped to maintain your bike. A “Loire à Vélo” train is also available for cycle tourists. Another cycle route accessible to all, the "Vélo Francette", which links Ouistreham and La Rochelle via the Marais poitevin. Laurent Belando recommends the Grande Traversée du Massif Central to the most experienced, between the Cévennes mountains and Auvergne volcanoes.

 

I choose the right bike

All frames are suitable for travel, provided you adapt your adventure. The electric bike will reduce your physical efforts, but needs to be recharged every night. More sporty and less suited to long journeys, mountain biking will allow you to leave classic trails to take less marked paths. Star enthusiasts, the gravel bike, halfway between mountain biking and road biking, goes everywhere. “The important thing is comfort and having enough to transport your equipment,” insists Laura Pedebas. She also advises going to see a bike positioning specialist to adjust the handlebars and saddle.

I equip myself intelligently

"My advice: ban the backpack. The second mistake is to overfill your bags, ”warns Laurent Belando. In addition to the essential bags, equip yourself with an emergency repair kit with a tire iron, an inner tube, patches and a bicycle pump. Question held, no more Tour de France type advertising jerseys. Brands like Rapha, Café du Cycliste, Pedaled or LeBram offer swimsuits with prints and materials to make yoga fashionistas green with envy.

 

I spice up the adventure

That's it, you are comfortable on cycle paths and the unexpected no longer scares you. It's time to try bikepacking. “If you want to sleep near a lake far from civilization or spend evenings by the fire, opt for the bivouac,” says Laurent Belando. Equipped with a tent, a down and a light mattress, it is a whole new dimension of the journey that awaits you. "And before you leave, practice setting up your camp and lighting a stove".