This
post was originally posted for Conquista Cycling Club & can be found
here...
It
has been a long year but fortunately the end of the season is fast approaching.
With World Championships in Qatar coming much later than normal, many riders
are struggling to stay motivated with some even forfeiting their spot at the
biggest single-day race of the year, knowing they won't be 100% ready. For me,
last week saw my final European race for 2016, so I am keen to get back to
Australia.
With
only one stage race in China left for me, like most riders at this point in the
year, I am already thinking about the off-season and where I can take a
holiday. Many pros get to the end of the season and they simply do not want to
touch their bikes. Some even go weeks without turning the pedals. However, I
have discovered I don’t like to stop riding for an extended period.
I
can only handle around three days off the bike before I am itching to get back
in the saddle. The reason for this is simple: I love riding my bike. Pre-season
is my favourite time of the year as I get to do long rides, find new roads and
not worry about the numbers. Also, riding my bike helps keep me healthy, and
that’s good motivation to keep riding.
Consequently,
whenever I go on holidays, I take my bike with me. In fact, in the last four
years, I can remember only two holidays where I didn’t have my bike with me,
and that was probably because my wife put her foot down and said it needs to
stay at home.
When
selecting a holiday location at home in Australia, there are several things
that I need to consider. It generally has to be within riding distance so that
I can set off on my bike in the early hours of the morning before my wife
drives the car to meet me. This usually gives me a 200km or so radius to work
with but in the past I have been known to ride only halfway before being picked
up with the car.
I
also try to make sure that there are plenty of roads to choose from as well as
avoiding the city center so that I don’t have to deal with traffic. The
accommodation needs to have laundry so that I can wash my cycling kit and it
doesn’t hurt to have a balcony to keep the bike out of the way. Half of my
suitcase is usually taken up by cycling clothes, spare tubes, and energy bars
and you can never forget to throw the floor pump into the back of the car.
If
I have to take a flight, then there is a whole other kettle of fish to consider
such as luggage fees, tools for assembling and disassembling my bike and hiring
a car that is big enough to fit my bike.
Currently,
I am researching my next location and making sure that I can ride there via
smaller back roads. Do I call it a holiday? Or do I call it a cycling holiday?
Or do I call it a training camp?
