It’s ‘Travel Week’ on Cycling Weekly: your guide to the best holiday destinations, and the kit you’ll need to make it happen
Our week-long special is going to get you dreaming of warmer places to ride
Looking to escape the winter grind? Between the 16th and 21st, January it's Travel Week here at Cycling Weekly! We'll be dreaming of the best cycling holiday destinations and sharing with you all our tips, tricks and advice for getting the very best out of your time abroad.
There are few things better than the sense of achievement - and the incredible views - you get some summiting cycling's most iconic climbs. But let's not forget the plethora of equally stunning - although lesser known - mountain roads which network through the hinterlands of so many cycling destinations.
Whether the whole point of your trip is to further enhance your climbing prowess - or if you're looking to develop your climbing abilities so as to better enjoy and explore more widely the place you'll be traveling to - a few tips on how to improve your climbing is something almost all of us will benefit from.
Of course, there's still that age-old question: should you hire a bike or take your own for a cycling holiday?
You can find top spec bikes at many hire locations, so if you've always wanted to ride one of the best road bikes - such as a Pinarello Dogma F with top drawer components - or just want to try what a different bike feels like to ride, hiring might give you the chance you've been waiting for.
On the other hand, taking your own bike though means it's ready set up with the saddle height, offset and reach exactly as it should be. But if you decide that you want to go down this route, you’ll want to invest in one of the best bike bags or boxes for easy and safe transportation.
Finally, warm weather riding means it's time to dig out your warm weather clothes - if you need to refresh your summer attire, check out our guides to the best bib shorts, and the best short sleeve cycling jerseys.
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We've got plenty to come this week, from cycling in France and Scotland, winter gravel getaways and how to get the greatest fitness bang for your buck from a cycling training camp. But if you just can't wait, here's a few pages you can jump straight in on...
Best cycling destinations and training tips
- How to prepare for a cycling holiday or training camp
- 10 tips for success in the mountains
- Cycling in France: eight must visit locations
- Cycling in Mallorca: where to go, what to ride
- Cycling in Gran Canaria: the diverse island that should be next on your 'to do' list
What's coming up...?
We'll be adding hyperlinks as the pages go live…
- Ask a cycling coach: 'Big days and rest days or riding every day - how should I structure my training camp or vacation?'
- Scotland’s best road and gravel routes: how to make the most of cycling in Scotland
- Cycling holidays in the UK: Britain’s best road and gravel destinations for a low-cost break
- Revisiting Île de Ré, France turned into the best family cycling holiday we've ever had
- Top five US gravel getaways —and routes— to escape winter weather
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After winning the 2019 National Single-Speed Cross-Country Mountain Biking Championships and claiming the plushie unicorn (true story), Stefan swapped the flat-bars for drop-bars and has never looked back.
Since then, he’s earnt his 2ⁿᵈ cat racing licence in his first season racing as a third, completed the South Downs Double in under 20 hours and Everested in under 12.
But his favourite rides are multiday bikepacking trips, with all the huge amount of cycling tech and long days spent exploring new roads and trails - as well as histories and cultures. Most recently, he’s spent two weeks riding from Budapest into the mountains of Slovakia.
Height: 177cm
Weight: 67–69kg
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At just 5.5kg for under £1,000, this hill climb special proves you can save the pennies and the pounds
Weighing just 5.5kg, and costing less than a grand, light and cheap can co-exist if you know where to look
By Luke Friend Published
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The land of legends: Riding on Tadej Pogačar's home roads
As part of our New Worlds issue in Travel Month, Chris Marshall Bell travelled to Slovenia to find out why it produces so many WorldTour riders per head of population.
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
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6 reasons why we love Danish gravel: the overlooked cycling trails right outside Copenhagen
We rode the woodland singletrack and deer park doubletrack, all less than 10mi / 16km from Copenhagen’s city centre
By Stefan Abram Published
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Cycling holidays in the UK: Britain’s best road and gravel destinations for a low-cost break
Taking your bike abroad is expensive but with miles of great riding on your doorstep staying close to home can be just as rewarding
By Luke Friend Published
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Revisiting Île de Ré, France turned into the best family cycling holiday we've ever had
After team training camps, riding and racing and throughout the world, I had firmly thought that there wasn't anything left to tick off the cycling bucket list. Turns out I was wrong.
By Hannah Bussey Published
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Scotland’s best road and gravel routes: how to make the most of cycling in Scotland
Looking to ride somewhere wild, quiet and not too far afield? Try Scotland
By Paul Norman Published
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Top five US gravel getaways —and routes— to escape winter weather
Go here to escape the snow, the wet or the trainer hours
By Tim Peck Published
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Ask a coach: 'Big days and rest days or riding every day - how should I structure my training camp or vacation?'
Is it best to just stick to base miles or should you be sprinkling intervals into m