What to pack for a cycling trip

It may be a myth that when French people examine your sense of style, they start from the top of your head and work their way down to your feet. But when Italians want to muse over your moda, they start with the shoes and work their way up. When working out what to pack for a cycling trip, it doesn’t make much difference whether you’re going cycling in France or Italy, Finland or Ireland. You pretty much need the same gear, but we are recommending starting from the top and heading to the toes with your packing list. Because if you have your helmet for starters, we’re happy. And if you have the right footwear, the rest of your body will thank you. Here are a few of our team’s top tips on what to pack if you are renting a bike from us when you get there. If you’re bringing your own bike, you’re going to need a bigger list!

The head

Ideally we recommend bringing your own helmet, and one that’s not more than three years old. Not all local suppliers include helmet rental in their rental package and, if you’re a regular cyclist, you’ll be used to your own helmet and be confident that it fits well. We will always endeavour to source a helmet for you, of course, if you don’t have one already.

If you get a hot head while cycling, you may also want to pack a cycling cap to go under your helmet, and don’t wear a traditional baseball cap as this will stop your helmet fitting securely. Plus it’s not a good look. Peak up or peak down with your cycling cap is a whole other discussion! Pack that Factor 50 suncream for your face, neck and ears while you’re at it, as well as a lip salve with sun protection.

Last but not least, sunglasses are a must all year round, to protect your eyes from the rays, but also from insects or debris that might fly up in your direction. The wider the better for ultimate protection, and we’re big fans of Waterhaul’s wraparounds, a company that makes sunglasses out of abandoned fishing nets.

Keep your head in the game when it comes to packing for a cycling trip.

The top

For a week of cycling, we recommend a cycling jersey for each day on the road, although given that they are moisture-wicking, they will dry quickly if you wash them on the road. You may want a mix of long-sleeve and short-sleeves, depending on your chosen cycling holiday. If you’re going to be cycling around the Camino Frances in November, for example, you will want some longer layers. But if it’s time trials in the Canary Islands that you’re after, even in winter, get ready to sweat. If you’re going for even colder climes, such as cycling the Grand Crossing of the Alps or the Mjølkevegen in Norway, pack some cycling base layers, a cycling gilet and gloves. There are few places that avoid rain these days, so having a lightweight cycling rain jacket that packs easily into your pannier or even your jersey pocket is a must on all cycling holidays.

Cycling in Lanzarote will definitely test your moisture-wicking tops, so bring a few.

The bottom

Heat, fabric and movement are not happy cycling pals, and friction can make a fun cycling holiday a fractious one. The key things to pack here are three pairs (or fewer if you’re happy to wash them regularly) of padded cycling shorts, also called chamois shorts. The chamois is the crucial padded crotch piece on the shorts and these come in different forms – either as underwear to be worn under other shorts, or all in one Lycra padded shorts. Wearing underwear with these defeats the object of padding, by the way, so be prepared to go commando if you’re doing a good distance. In addition, bring some anti-chafing or chamois cream to apply to any body parts that come in contact with your saddle. Some people also like to travel with their own saddle or a gel saddle cover, but this is a matter of preference and sometimes the gel covers can move about causing more trouble than they’re worth.

If you don’t want to be parading around in padded shorts (and who does?) then throw in a couple of pairs of baggy lightweight shorts to go over them, for that cooler MTB look. For chamois creams, we also recommend seeking out environmentally-friendly ones such as Natural Little Bee Bum-ble-Bee Chamois Balm, Ultra Bee Cyclist Butt Balm and Bikemonger’s Happy Bottom Bum Butter. Avoid petroleum-based jellies, not only for environmental reasons, but because they can shorten the life of your chamois shorts. If you’re going on one of our easier cycling holidays, where Chardonnay is more on the agenda than chafing (after your cycle of course), then just pack moisture-wicking clothing that works for you. But the fewer seams the better.

Make sure you’re prepared with padding so that you don’t dance the cha-cha-chafing on a cycling holiday.

The legs

A lot of cyclists like to keep their legs bare, and just keep layers for the top half. However, it’s worth considering investing in some cycling leggings as, like the shorts, they’re designed to be as seamless as possible, padded while allowing ease of movement. If you want to get all fancy pants about it, there’s an array of knee and leg warmers out there that you can wear under your shorts. For colder and potentially wetter weather conditions, lightweight trail walking trousers can also do the trick to cover up on more leisurely cycling holidays.

As long as your legs are free to move, you’ll make the most of that sense of freedom on our cycling holidays.

The feet

Don’t get too hung up on shoes if you’re going on a leisurely cycling holiday, such as around Lake Constance or Cycling through the Baltics. However, you should have comfortable trainers with hard, non-flexi soles so that they cling perfectly on to your pedals. If you are going on one of our more challenging road cycling holidays, you are likely to wear cleat shoes, but always check that we provide cleat pedals if this is the case, as this can vary according to the local bike provider on the ground.

Cycling shoes wearers are also fond of waterproof covers to go over their shoes, which keep their feet toasty too. Although these are designed to fit over cycling shoes, there are plenty of everyday waterproof shoe covers on the market to go over trainers. For socks, cyclists are recommended to get ones that are thermal, wind and waterproof, and pack a pair for every day of cycling. There will be time for you to take your shoes off too, of course, and having some lightweight flip-flop style shoes in your pannier is always a good touch for a lunch or waterfront break. Another good touch, if you want to avoid fungal feet, is to sprinkle antifungal powder in your socks or shoes before cycling. Sorry, not sorry.

You’ll thank us if you pack the anti-fungal foot powder, trust us.

The overall eco-look

Sustainable cycling gear is growing and, although there’s a risk of greenwashing out there, some companies are proving to be like leadout riders in the race to clean up their act. There are several ways to seek who the serious players are, and gaining B Corp status is a good start, where a company is monitored for its working standards and supply chain practices. Apidura is a leading B Corp cycling gear company. Oeko-Tex is a certification that is awarded to those staying clear of hazardous and toxic components and Cadenzia is one of its leading clients, using bamboo and Oeko-Tex certified recycled polyester in their cycling jerseys, recycled ocean plastics in their tights, (not a line one gets to write very often), and Oeko-Tex certified materials in their cycling pads.

Scottish Endura is also striving for change, with more than a third of their road jerseys using recycled materials, as well as having an impressive tree-planting scheme abroad and in their own country. In addition, they have been PFC-free in their waterproofing since 2018, and you can buy biodegradable proofers from them too. We’d also like to give a shout out to UK company UPSO, who whip up handsome messenger, belt and pannier bags out of truck tarpaulins to give you sassy accessories for your sojourns.

Isadore, founded by Slovakian twin pro cyclists, Martin and Peter Velits, only use Oeko-Tex and Bluesign certified suppliers and manufacturers in their impressive list of gear, with recycled fabrics making up a growing part of their range. They also have an impressive repair service. The list goes on but, in short, shop around, shop sustainably and ethically.

UPSO turn truck tarps upside down and inside out to make fancy pannier bags.

The rest

Most bike rentals come with a pannier rack, lock, tool kit, bell and bottle holder. Note that in some cases, you may need to bring your own pannier for daytime use, but your main luggage is transferred for you, of course, and we will always let you know at time of booking if panniers aren’t part of the package. Even with a tool kit, keen cyclists rarely travel without their own trusty multi-tool for small adjustments, and all adventurers should travel with a first aid kit for small accidents.

Washing and water are the two other biggies on a cycling holiday. Most people like to wash their gear as they go and eco laundry-detergent sheets are a great green solution to washing both at home and on the go. Check out the UK companies, Simple Living Eco or The Green Company, as well as True Earth in Canada and US company ECOS. They are, quite simply, single sheets of concentrated eco-friendly detergent that dissolve in water during the washing cycle.

Bringing a reusable water bottle or hydration backpack goes without saying, and we’re big fans of Water to Go filtered water bottles, so that you can fill up just about anywhere, while still ensuring that water is free of any toxins. To prevent dehydration, always have some electrolyte powders handy, and high-energy snacks and energy gels are always going to be welcomed.

Keep your H2O eco with a water carrier or hydration bladder.

Now that we’ve done head to toe, let us guide you from north to south, east to west on our map of cycling holidays. There are adventures for people of all levels of experience, and we also have a superb range of cycling holidays where e-bikes are available. Although packing is important, pandering to your inner adventurer is the inspiring stuff of life, and we hope that our collection of other cycling blogs can help with that too. And don’t hesitate to contact our adventure specialists to find a cycling holiday that works for you. Oh and we will never look you up and down by the way, we’ll just make sure you’re happy from beginning to end.