What Cycling Equipment do we supply for your cycling holiday and what should you bring?

Supplied Equipment (for details of bikes etc see the equipment page).

All customers will get...

Campers have the following extra equipment.

What Should We Bring?

This is merely my personal take on a 'pack-list' for our holidays, many of you will have other ideas...

Clothes

For the lowdown on how many clothes to bring go and read my article on the 'Rule of Three'. However this is specifically for campers, and though it works equally well for those on a hotel tour, you do have a lot more free space and could quite easily carry enough clothes for a week.

The important thing is that most of your clothes should be suitable for cycling and that rules out heavy, non-stretch trousers like jeans. Not only are they restrictive and so energy sapping, this becomes very bad if they are wet. But perhaps worse of all they have a big chunky seam right where you don't want it. Personally I ride in cycling skinshorts, but Kate generally just uses normal shorts, making sure they are light and have a flat seam. Most hiking/sports shops have lightweight shorts and trousers which are ideal. For ladies stretchy leggings sometimes worn with a short skirt, are ideal as they don't restrict you and dry very quickly.

For tops the ubiquitous 'fleece' pullovers work very well, and that combined with T-shirts or thin-cotton, collared shirts will mean you don't let the side down.

Of course underwear and socks need to be carried and similar rules apply, light, fast drying, comfortable...

Waterproofs - It's possible to spend a fortune on these, but to be honest a thin, cheap nylon waterproof is fine, packs small and though you'll sweat in it, so will you in an expensive breathable jacket if you are cycling... Some people use those plastic shower capes and they work very well.

Make up a simple first-aid kit, don't forget your passports, and a torch is handy, just a small LED one will do as it doesn't get dark until 10.00 pm or later.

The rest!

This is just my personal list... Book, MP3 player, Phone (if you can, leave it behind!), earplugs (you never know, I've inadvertently camped next to a rock festival, or the guy in the next room may snore for France...), eye shades, suncream, baseball cap, phrasebook.