Adventurous road cycling holidays
Why an adventurous road cycling holiday broadens your horizons
Most road cyclists know the Alps, the Dolomites, and the Pyrenees like the back of their hand. They are beautiful regions, but for those looking for more sensory stimulation, an adventurous road cycling holiday outside Europe offers an entirely new experience. This isn’t just about the elevation gain or the gradients, but the scenery you cycle through. Imagine cycling not amongst pine trees, but past banana plantations, rice terraces, or volcanic lunar landscapes. The smells are different, the light is different, and the sounds along the road are exotic.
The adventurous aspect lies in encountering the unknown. You cycle through villages where a carbon road bike is an attraction, and where the locals welcome you with open arms and great curiosity. These kinds of trips snap you out of the autopilot of ‘devouring kilometres’ and force you to look around. However, with CvA travel, you don’t need to worry about bad roads. We specifically seek out those destinations where the tarmac is of surprisingly high quality, so you can still maintain that familiar feeling of speed and suppleness. It is the perfect balance between the certainty of good cycling and the excitement of a long-haul journey.
Destinations with unexpectedly perfect tarmac
A common misconception is that outside Europe, you can only cycle on gravel or dirt roads. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are specific regions in Africa, Asia, and South America where road construction is world-class and where you can ride fantastically on 25mm or 28mm tyres. To give you an idea of what is possible during an adventurous road cycling holiday, we highlight two top destinations, each with a unique character.
Soaking up culture from the saddle
The beauty of cycling is that you are approachable. You are not locked away in a bus or car. During an adventurous road cycling holiday, you have direct contact with your surroundings. In Rwanda, children run alongside you for kilometres, cheering you on as if you are riding the Tour de France. In Colombia, you are invited by local cyclists to slipstream behind them. These interactions make the trip special.
We plan our rides so that there is room for these moments. It’s not about breaking speed records, but about the experience. We stop at a temple, a marketplace, or a viewpoint. You only truly get to know a country when you smell and feel it. The guide plays an important role in this; they can tell you about the customs and history of the region you are cycling through. In this way, a tough climb suddenly becomes a journey through history. The respect you receive as a cyclist in countries where the bicycle is an important means of transport creates a mutual appreciation that stays with you.
The best time to travel to distant destinations
When you cycle outside Europe, you have to deal with different seasons and climate zones. It is essential to look into this carefully, because cycling in the rainy season on a road bike is rarely any fun. Slipperiness, poor visibility, and mud on the road can be dangerous. For many tropical destinations, the European winter (January/February) is exactly the perfect dry season there. This makes an adventurous road cycling holiday the ideal way to escape the Dutch cold and rain.
In Rwanda, January and July/August are the dry months. In Vietnam, it depends heavily on whether you are in the north or south, but the spring is often beautiful. Colombia is possible all year round, but also has wet periods. We always plan our group trips in the seasons when we know the chance of good cycling weather is highest. We take temperature (not too hot) and rainfall into account. This way, you can be sure that you can actually see that beautiful mountain pass and aren’t cycling in the fog. Let our experts advise you to find the perfect timing for your dream trip.
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