So You Think You Can Travel by Bike?
Many people still think that doing a cycling tour is a walk in the park! The truth is being on your bike and covering miles and miles is not that easy. Travelling by bike is an adventure but it is can come with a string of difficulties. This is the reason why bikers train hard and get their minds and bodies prepared before going on a bike tour. Some people especially, rookies of the biking world think that travelling by bike is all but breezy. They would soon find out that this is not entirely true and most of the time bike tours can be really a pain.
Not that I am dissuading anyone from going on bike tours or go travel the world by bike. I love bike tours and travelling by bike. I just want those who think that they can get on a bike tour without preparing their body and mind to know that they are mistaken.
Here are the challenges of travelling by bike!
Dire Things that Can Happen when Travelling by Bike
- You will get dirty! This is especially if you would be travelling dirt roads most of the tour.
- The ride can get tough and tougher so you need to toughen up!
- You would be sweating a lot especially on hot days! On extra hot days, your body becomes a sweat shop!
- You can get sun burns and wind burns).
- The ride will be exhausting.
- Your legs will feel sore.
- At times your mind will be telling you to give up and your body would feel like giving up.
- The wind can be your bestfriend and your worst enemy at tha same time. If it’s a tailwind then the wind can make the ride easier while a headwind with all its might on your face will slow you down and tire you.
- There are times when you have to ride the streets where cars and trucks are kings of the road. They will pass you by at high speed while you keep calm and hope that they don’t clip you.
- You would need to be alert the entire duration of the ride as somewhere along the road you can come across animals, insects and even people who would harm you.
- There are times when you have to keep riding on very hot days, on rainy days and even on snowy days.
- The road can be lonely and there are days when boredom will creep up and you will feel depressed. You will miss the people you love, your friends, your pet, watching TV, having a hot bath, eating home-cooked meals and even fast food meals.
- You will miss your flight, your train and your boat ride. By the time you have pushed through a crowd and ran like hell all you can do is silently curse or give out a sigh. You will feel defeated at times.
- Flat tires will bug you almost all throughout the ride most especially at times when nothing seems to be going your way.
- Your bike chain will give up and break apart.
- Some selfish idiot will steal your bike.
- Your bed will be the earth for many weeks.
- Your clothes will all look torn, rugged and dirty. People that pass you by will even drop money on your coffee cup thinking you were a bum on the street.
- Drivers of cars and trucks will be mean and yell hurtful words at you.
- You and your riding partner will have a huge fight with someone storming off and saying adios!
- You will go hungry not just for a day but for quite a considerable number of days.
- News from home won’t be as good as you want it to be.
- Someone will bully you for your religion, lack of religion, gender sexual orientation and even the fact that you love cycling.
Cyclists embrace all of these dire things that can happen when biking. However all of the pain and difficulties are nothing compared to the beauty that you will see, the adventure on the road, the kind people you meet and the lasting friendships you will make! This is a story that you can tell. Your adventure on the road!
Category: Cycletours
