Proper Planning in Mountain Biking

Planning for the tour in advance means covering your needs the best way possible: when, where, with whom? Planning means safety and anticipation.

For many bikers, it is the duration of their season planning that counts: the grand tour is in the summer, for instance. You can highlight the most important days of the year through careful planning and preparation. Also, you have to choose whether it is better to train in a group or alone.

Are you alone in the Alps? What sounds like a delightful challenge for the majority of the bikers with cycling bikes is not a real option for others. Taking a trip in a group is more fun and less dangerous. You should establish the course of the trip and keep in mind that it is ideal to not go in very large groups. Very large groups are usually much slower than little groups. Photo stops, pee breaks and breakdowns take time. There are so many ways in which a group can be torn apart.

Who should you ride with?

 

Things get rough very quickly if the simple interaction of the tour participants is not properly folded: there are different demands, unequal physical conditions, disagreements throughout the tour and these would be the causes of discord destroying your dream tour. Therefore, not only should all the parties involved be clear where they are headed in advance, but they should also know what the conditions are. It is very important to not have any disagreements in the group in order for the tour to go all well.

Riding on your own

 

Anyone who likes taking full advantage of the challenge goes his or her own way. Plan your route on your own and you can sometimes go off the beaten track, this having its own charm. However, you are also required to do some very careful planning. It is easier to reproduce long tours already worked out. If you need detailed riding directions, check some road books or even GPS data and make sure the orientation on the road is not a problem.

Guided groups

 

Guided tours are recommended for those who have too little time to do their own planning and for individualists who usually have no alternative. Also, they are recommended for riders that need access because they cannot find a suitable tour partner in their personal environment.

Luggage

 

You should never pack more than eight kilos to carry on your back on a multi-day riding tour. Many guided tours include the transportation of luggage in their list of services. In addition to this, many tour operators also carry the baggage of individuals if needed.

Accommodation

 

Hotel or cottage? Mountain or valley? Not everyone likes stuffy tenements, snoring roommates or rustic sanitary facilities. Some prefer traditional mountain huts, magnificent views and beautiful trail runs instead of laborious climbing routes that the same in the early morning. You have a choice! However, it is very important that you make this kind of decisions on time.

Ideal time

 

Many high alpine routes can only be covered in the middle of the summer even with cheap mountain bikes. If you want to cross the Alps, you should schedule a tour, ideally between late June and late September.

Schedule buffering

 

You have just started off on a multi-day tour. You should not start planning your first day right away because there can be a lot of changes. Also, you should take into consideration the time lost in traffic jams, delayed trains or other uncertainties. You do not have to be on time for anything when it comes to the first day of a multi-day tour because there are a lot of unexpected things that can happen.

The return journey

 

Can you travel from A or B? If you did not plan the trip very well, at least you can focus on the return journey. You always need to have a consistent schedule even if shuttles are very comfortable. It is not possible to transport your bike by train on all routes, this often being something you can make an appointment for.