Thesecretseveryonecanuse
topackeach tripwithstress-
free,sportyriding
YOUREXPERTFormerRiDEeditorSimonWeircouldwellbeBritain’s
most experiencedtourer.Overthelast 20 years,super-sizedSimonhas
coveredhundredsofthousandsofmilesona varietyofbikesonthe
continent‘inthenameofjournalism’or,aswesuspect,justhavinga
bloodygoodtime.Thisiswhathe’slearned.
2 Thinkintermsoftime,notmiles
If you’replanninga route,
don’tbaseit ondistance
butonhowmanyhoursit takesto
ride.It’seasytocover 200 milesin
a morningona motorwaybut 200
milesmighttakealldayontwisty
mountainroadswhereaverage
speedsaremuchlower.
Alwaysplanforstops:settingoff
at9amtoreachyourdestination
at5pmdoesn’t meaneighthours
ofuninterruptedriding...Allowat
leasttwohoursforfillingup,lunch,
coffeestopsanda coupleof
ache-bustingbreaks.If youwant
todosomesightseeing,shorten
theroutefurther.
Soif GoogleMapssaysyour
routeissixhourslong,that’sa
prettyfullday.If youwantto
includeanhourortwoseeingthe
sights,keeptheroutetofivehours
orslightlyless.
ToptipOnlongertrips,keepdays
thesamelengthorgettingshorter
towardstheend.
4 Takemorestopsthanyou
thinkyouneed
1 Alwaysusea papermap
Whetheryou’reexploringwithnofixeddestinationor
followinga pre-plannedroute,a decentpapermap
3 Packlighter,packsmarter
Thesportierthetourer,thelessluggagespaceyou’llhave
butoverloadingthebikecanruintheride.Sopacklight:ride
meansyoushouldneverfeellost.A 1:1,000,000scaleisfinefor
mosttripsbut 1 :150,000givesrealdetailtofocusononeregion.
Evenif youusea satnav,markyourplannedrouteona paper
map:you’llhavea betterideaofwheretheGPSistakingyouand
whattolookforwardtoeachday.
ToptipReviewtheday’srouteonthemapoverbreakfast.
inbaselayersthatcanberinsedouteveryevening,witha coupleof
evening-onlyshirts.Usebagswithinbagstodividecleananddirty
clothes.Separatethingsyou’lluseduringtheday(map,sunglasses,
visorcleaner,snacks,etc)fromyourclothes.Don’ttakeloadsof
tools,justtheminimumneededforemergencies(puncture-repair
kit,decentmultitool,thebike’stoolkit).Don’tforgetphonechargers,
adaptors,medication,suncream...
ToptipTakeoneadaptoranda four-plugleadtochargedevices.
Onceyoustarttoache,youneverstopsodon’t
letachesbuildup,especiallyonsportierbikes.
Havea quickbreakevery80- 100 miles— fora
drink,to takea picture,top-upthetank,check
themaporjustwalkroundthebikeandstretch.
You’llreachtheendofthedayfresher,having
enjoyedtheridemore.
ToptipCombinefillingupthebikewithcoffee
stops,usingcafesbypetrolstations.
TIPSFORFRANCE
Youmusttakeabreathalyserkit and
hi-vizvest(s)tobewornifyou’re
standingbytheroadside
SPORT S TOURING
10 GREAT TIPS
50 | JULY 2019
TOP TIPS
