Zwaarte van de tocht
You don’t need to be a trained cyclist to travel with us. Anyone with some recreational cycling experience and a reasonable level of fitness can join our trips. However, we do want to give a word of caution: if you have never done a multi-day cycling trip before, we recommend starting with an easy, flat route, for example in the Netherlands, Flanders, or along a river like the Danube. If in doubt, choosing a centre-based trip might be a good idea. The more experience you gain yourself, the better you can select the most suitable trip. Of course, weather conditions and temperature also play a role. But the most important factor is yourself — a good (electric) bike will do half the work.
In hilly areas, we recommend a bike with 24 gears. Only in destinations such as the Low Countries and on the Danube Cycle Route is a bike with 5 or 7 gears sufficient. The quality of the road surface may also be important in some countries, but with slightly wider tires, small irregularities are usually not an issue. In any case, if you are unsure, it is best to take a rental bike.
For our difficulty rating, we use symbols numbered 1 to 5, taking into account:
- Daily distances
- Length of climbs and gradient percentages
- Elevation differences, climate, and terrain conditions
If a trip lists two distances per day, this is not always a choice for the customer. Sometimes it also depends on which hotels are available. The agent always arranges it so that the average distance never exceeds 60 km.
Different Difficulty Levels
Level 1:
The easiest cycling holiday: the route is almost flat, with occasional gentle inclines (or short but steeper sections). Elevation gain is at most 100 meters. Daily distances are usually no more than 55 km. Completely flat routes are only found in the Netherlands, Flanders, and along rivers such as the Danube.
Level 2:
Short steep climbs, while longer climbs are gentle, making them manageable. The landscape is generally rolling to hilly. On flatter terrain, stages can be somewhat longer, up to approximately 70 km per day.
Level 3:
Occasional longer and steeper climbs, without dominating the route. Daily distances vary from around 35 km to approximately 70 km.
Level 4:
Steeper and longer climbs, requiring more strength and good fitness. The landscape is more mountainous in character.
Level 5:
Challenging hilly or even mountainous terrain with generally longer stages (up to around 90 km). Such sporty trips require a high level of fitness.