Solo travel can be one of the most rewarding ways to see and experience the world and we’ve seen this first hand with many of our guests who have joined us solo on our Italian cycling tours over the past 10 years. When these guests have combined some solo travel pre and post tour with joining us for an 8 day guided cycling tour, the result often has been a memorable life and travel experience that has given them the very best of what travel is ultimately about – the freedom to explore at your own pace and follow your own curiosity as you immerse into a city or region, combined with the benefits of a group tour environment where you meet new likeminded people and enjoy a shared experience. It’s a perfect balance.
While bike tours naturally create social connection through group rides, shared meals and common interests, they also remove the stress of planning routes, managing logistics and navigating new countries and terrain alone. In this article, we explain why guided cycling tours are an ideal option for solo travellers, and outline the key benefits for cycling singles, including some tips for getting the most out of the experience.
Benefits of a Cycling Holiday for Solo Travellers
The benefits of joining a group on a cycling holiday as a solo traveller are many, however here we highlight what we believe are the main benefits.
Camaraderie and the shared adventure
We believe that probably the most important benefit is the camaraderie experienced when riding in a foreign country with a likeminded group of people, and with an experienced ride leader and guides who support the ride group’s varying needs each day.
Sharing the rewards that come from a shared experience such as conquering “steep pinches” (+15%), long climbs (20+km), sections of gravel or challenging weather, either wind or rain, or both, is often what brings people together on the bike, and then also after the ride. Overcoming a shared challenge can instil incredible camaraderie in a group, even if riders have different skills, fitness levels and capability – and this is the beauty of joining a bike tour.
Motivation, support and ride experience development
Another fantastic benefit we see when a group of cycling singles come together in a group riding environment on tour, is how they motivate and support each other, resulting in everyone achieving even more than they thought they would, or more than they would have ever achieved alone.
We’ve seen solo traveller guests feeling concerned on day 1 about how they’re going to perform on tour alongside other riders in the group, only to walk away after a week of riding, and the physical challenge that comes with it, feeling an incredible sense of achievement and reward. Often these guests have learned new skills such as bike handling or riding on gravel, have gained confidence with descending or developed the resilience that goes with riding back to back days, and pushing through fatigue barriers. The very nature of joining a group tour and having ride leaders and fellow riders supporting you, means you often enjoy the experience beyond what you had even imagined.
A stress free holiday
One of the things we hear most often from guests on tour is how fantastic it is to not have to think about anything other than riding. Joining a group bike tour, particularly as a solo rider, means you can have a stress free holiday. All of the stress relating to planning, logistics, bike hire and maintenance, are taken care of for you by the tour operator, and so you can just focus on the things that matter – the riding, and also more than the riding, the feeling of exploring new roads and new routes that constantly deliver surprises and beauty.
When you remove the logistics side of travel, including where are you going, staying and eating, how you’re getting to places and also which hotel or restaurant to choose each day, it provides you more mental space and time to focus on enjoying your holiday – connecting with and developing friendships with other likeminded tour participants, engaging in post ride activities and having the time to immerse and absorb the places you are in.
Feeling safe on the road
One of the challenges for people travelling solo is the need to feel safe. This is all taken care of on a guided bike tour; the ride routes are tried and tested, you have expert tour leaders and guides supporting you on the road, and a vehicle following the ride group each day, providing you comfort, resources and support as and if you need it. Your ride is safe.
Good tour operators conduct ride briefings each morning, manage any riders in the group who may be riding in a way that could be unsafe for others, and work with the group’s varying skill levels by naturally allowing the group to form into smaller ride groups throughout each day. This ensures everyone can have their best ride. Furthermore, bikes are cleaned, greased and assessed by experienced mechanical support staff and if bikes require attention, or a part or repair is required at a local bike shop, this is all taken care of. Guides are trained in first aid and safety, and if medical emergency support is required, you will be in the right hands quickly. All of this combined provides significant peace of mind.
Getting the Most Out of Your Solo Cycling Adventure
To get the most out of your Solo Cycling Adventure when joining a bike tour, it starts with your preparation pre-tour and the attitude that you bring on tour.
Come prepared
Often you’ll be given tips on pre tour riding preparation and some targets on where to be at with your fitness and time in the saddle. These tips are to help you be prepared for the riding on tour, so that you enjoy a great experience. Our advice is do the training as it’s worth it.
Bring a group-focused attitude
When you join a tour as a single participant, one of the greatest benefits is the fact that you are joining a group environment, and it’s important that you enjoy being part of a collective, and that you are open to a group interest and dynamic.
To experience the true camaraderie that comes with a shared cycling adventure with lasting friendships and bonds, each rider must bring the right attitude. As a solo rider on a group tour, it’s important to come to the tour with the objective to not only achieve the goal you have set, such as testing yourself in the Italian hills and mountains, or achieving all of the km’s and elevation of the tour, but to also do this in a way that shows respect for and takes into consideration your fellow riders. Appropriate ride etiquette is required.
Work as a team on the road
On the road, it’s important to work with the tour group leader each day to ensure your needs are taken care of. If you’re one of the faster members of the group, or the slowest, you’ll always be taken care of, but it takes working as a team and being open to advice. It is important that you communicate and align with the ride leader and support team about how best to tackle each day’s ride, to ensure first and foremost, you are safe at all times and secondly, should you require assistance, the team can be there to support you. It is important to speak up.
Be part of creating the memorable experience post ride
Finally, a large part of the enjoyment on a cycling tour happens off the bike, and it’s important that you join in. Between post ride social activities and cultural experiences, to aperitivo and dinners with the group, it’s always good to attend so that you get the most out of the group experience.
On our A’qto small group Italy bike tours, all meals are included and we have a range of optional experiences available for guests to enjoy, and we find that guests who embrace these experiences, get the most out of the whole tour experience – because while the riding is important, your rest, recovery, attitude and having the energy to enjoy the post ride social activities, is what makes your experience truly memorable.
Most Popular Cycling Tours for Singles
While we don’t run solo bike tours just for cycling singles, we do have solo travellers joining all of our Italian cycling tours, and we find that after the first hour, these guests already feel like a key member of the group – because our tours are inclusive.
The most popular tour destinations for solo travellers tends to fall into two categories;
- Destinations that require a significant physical and mental challenge; either being a tour that includes multiple days climbing mountains such as our Stelvio & Dolomites tour or the hills on our Tuscany cycling tour, or one that includes a mass participation gran fondo as part of the tour, such as our Piemonte & La Fausto Coppi Gran Fondo tour or our Tuscany & L’Eroica tour in October each year;
- Destinations that deliver an active holiday for cyclists, with a moderate riding challenge and a mix of longer and shorter days, such as our Tour of Puglia, or tours that provide the opportunity for guests to either ride every day or just on some days, with hikes or kayaks on other days such as our Cycling + Multi Adventure tours in Sardinia and the Cilento Coast. These tours provide the perfect balance of physical activity across multiple sports, with also enough time-out to rest and play, and join in our immersive tour group activities.
Hear From Some of Our Past Solo Cyclists
This is what some of our solo travelling guests have said about their experience with us.
An amazing riding experience coupled with culinary delights
“I’ve been fortunate enough to do many cycling tours in Europe and could not recommend Aqto more highly.
On the first day when we got picked up from the station, I soon worked out I was the newbie, not only had most of the group done several tours with Damian & Nancy, but they seemed to know everyone and I thought here we go I’m the odd man out.
Well, nothing could have been further from the truth. Within hours I was embraced by not only Damian & Nancy, but the whole group”.
Matt M, Tour of Piemonte
I’ve decided this is the only way to holiday
“I’ve decided this is the only way to holiday……
Everything was carefully planned by A’qto to make it a true holiday for us. I didn’t need to make a single decision all week. The cycling was challenging at times, mostly due to weather.
The remainder of the holiday I was permanently in awe of the spectacular scenery, landscape, food, company and wine.
Chapeau A’qto and thank you !
Emily P, Tour of Puglia
We all had a wonderful time.
“I went on the Stelvio & Dolomites Cycling Tour. We all had a wonderful time.
Damian and Nancy are great hosts. They employ a few other local guides too, so we always had someone at the front, at the back, someone in the support van and someone entertaining the non-cyclists.
We cycling guests were a variety of strengths and we were all catered for. I’m used to arranging my own bike trips with my wife and friends and wasn’t sure how I’d handle a guided tour. I really loved not having to think or worry about anything. Just ride, eat, sleep, repeat.”
Greg L, Stelvio & Dolomites
If you would like to join us as a solo traveller on a cycling tour of Italy, we can assure you that you will always feel very welcome, be well taken care of, revel in the camaraderie and social connections that you’ll make with likeminded cyclists and travellers, and leave feeling like you’ve had an incredible Italian cycling holiday and personal growth experience.
Join one of our small-group Italy bike tours or Cycling + multi-adventure tours today. They offer the perfect blend of social connection, ride safety and support, and an immersive stress free holiday.
