Spending time with friends as adults are difficult to come by. So one way to utilize the holidays to catch up with friends is to plan a cycling trip with your group. Not only will you get to experience beautiful scenery but also spend quality time with your friends catching up and chatting like in the old days.

Here’re A Few Tips To Ensure A Smooth Cycling Trip

Have A Fixed Date

Weather conditions are prone to change and unpredictable. However, if you have a fixed date that all friends in the group agree on (which is the most difficult part), you can always book your destination through Airbnb or booking.com

The base of a valley is a better option for accommodation instead of the top of a mountain. You don’t want to end up at a boring ski resort after a 10 km drive through the cycling trail.

Take Into Account Everyone’s Capabilities

Not all cyclists are equally strong riders. The group should discuss in advance and come to an arrangement that suits everyone on the team. For instance, split up the members so that less strong riders can still enjoy the trail while riding comfortably.

Select meeting points throughout the trail so that other riders can catch up and keep track of each other. Take care so that no one is lost or left behind through live tracking, especially if one of them decides to cut off.

In order to make the most of the trip, choose friends of similar fitness and mentality who possess similar enthusiasm about traveling and trips. It is essential to have harmony within the group for an enjoyable cycling trip. If possible, try to arrange small training sessions where you ride together as a group in order to boost morale.

Prepare Your Equipment

Biking trips are long, and coupled with the unpredictable weather in high mountains; your team must be prepared for all situations. If you are not knowledgeable on the matter, take help from your local bike mechanic. You should also inquire beforehand whether there’s a bike mechanic on-site to handle emergencies.

The most important item in your cycling trip is the bike itself. Be sure to invest or hire a sturdy mountain bike like those from Specialized in order to make the most of your trip.

Make Basic Arrangements In Advance

This includes the routes you plan on traveling, accommodations, and food. Individual tastes are bound to differ on these matters. Some of your friends may prefer to ride on their own routes, while others may want to stay in cottages rather than hotels.

You should also take into account any health issues or special restrictions (if any) among the friend group and plan accordingly. Take a day to sit down with your friends and discuss these matters beforehand to avoid any kind of misunderstanding that may affect the trip later on.

Thoroughly Familiarize Yourself With The Routes Beforehand

This is important, especially if you plan to go cycling in unfamiliar territory. However, a detailed daily schedule may do you more harm than good. Weather is unpredictable, and unforeseen circumstances are inevitable, such as a climb taking longer than estimated can cancel any plans that you may have. So instead, opt for a global plan that you can tweak according to whatever the situation throws at you.

Think Carefully About The Group Size

Large groups can be fun to travel in, whereas small groups can be easy to coordinate with. Both extremes have their own pros and cons.

Large groups mean that you will have to account for accommodations as well as long discussions before agreeing to something. This is why it is better to choose friends with similar mindsets who can match each other’s paces better.

Don’t Make Plans With Too Much Beer

Although the trip is all about relaxing and enjoying yourselves, try to keep the alcohol to a minimum. You are likely to spend the evening with the group celebrating all the milestones you hit on the journey. However, this may soon turn to regret the next morning when you plan the second leg of the trip. Cycling 7 km with a hangover headache is not fun.

Draw Up A Short List

If you are still unsure about the destination or trip routes, ask your group members to shortlist their top three cycling destinations. They may slightly overlap. There are bound to be but then you can vote among the ones you like best through mutual agreement.

Host A Booking Party

Group chatting or skyping with each other to decide on all the details of the trip will get you nowhere past the planning stage. Instead, order some pizza and a few drinks and host all the members at your house while you work on the planning of the trip. It would be even better if you manage to work out all the expenses and extract all the deposits for the trip in advance, so bookings can be sorted out quickly.

Use the opportunity to also decide on your group leader who will help organize, keep track of booking and inform all riders of any updates on the cycling trip. Furthermore, a techie who is good at GPS gadgets to upload and update route maps.

Travel Light

Cycling trails go on for several kilometers and riding through them is a strenuous exercise in itself. You don’t want to burden yourself further by adding extra weight unnecessarily. Each person doesn’t have to bring in the same items; instead, discuss with your group and split them into different items that you will be carrying. However, ensure that everyone packs in essentials like water, snacks and extra outwear individually. You don’t want to rely on borrowing your friend’s charger while they are charging their phone as well.

Additionally, it is wise to carry extra gear because of the unpredictable weather in the mountain ranges. Better yet, mail all the riders the essential kit list ahead of the trip so, no one misses out on any item.

Money Advice

This is something that should be sorted out beforehand to avoid unnecessary issues or arguments arising. It is best to take out cash because it is unlikely that there will be cash machines along your route for you to buy essentials on the way, and not all accommodations may accept credit cards.

Keep track of the expenses as you pay instead of “figuring out later”. Expenses add up, and soon you will be over your budget before you know it. You should also discuss tipping habits ahead of the trip so that your team is on the same page about tips.

Enjoy The Journey

The trip is not only about cycling; it is also a great opportunity to bond with your friends away from the hustle of city life and strengthen relationships.

Take time off in between while driving or rest at one of the scenic spots on the trail. You should also set aside your alone time to explore the routes and clear your mind.

Finally, curb your phone addiction. You are here to spend time with your friends, not on your phone. Although it is important to take photos, you don’t need to photograph each turn, you take the route.

Conclusion

Cycling with friends is all about the journey rather than the destination. In order to make your cycling trip a successful and memorable one, these tips are sure to come in handy. Plan ahead and discuss with your team members. Be sure to take plenty of rest and sleep ahead of the trip to stay in your best shape for cycling.