The good news is that "Epic Bikes of the World" is for the most part a well written travelogue, a series of writers sharing their actual experiences on these trails. At times, you can feel their experience in the writing and you can feel how meaningful that experience had been in their lives. New Zealand’s cycling revolution is seeing scores of new routes opening up, and the wild landscape of the islands becoming better setup up for cyclists of all types. The Southern Alps have always been great for mountain biking, and Rotorua is, of course, a global hotspot for the sport. But increasingly the infrastructure has been put in place for long distance cycle touring too. The organizers of the Barry-Roubaix call it the largest gravel race in the world, and with 3,500 contestants, who are we to doubt them? There’s tons of prize money and whatnot, but really, the Barry is more of a celebration of cycling and a spring throwdown than it is a race. The huge peloton is filled with people excited to cast off the winter blanket and embrace a new riding season, and we love everything about it, especially the fact that the 100-mile route is called Psycho Killer. Want to ride it another weekend? The race organizers put together a comprehensive course map that you can tweak to choose your own adventure.

Epic Bike Rides of the World - Booktopia Epic Bike Rides of the World - Booktopia

Ride from Mossel Bay in the west to Storms River in the east for a relaxed 124 mile potter, or start in Port Elizabeth and head to Cape Town for a challenging, seven-day ride over 469 miles. There are so many beautiful places to stop off that it can be hard to know where to start, but make sure you plan on spending at least one night in Knysna, where wetlands and rainforest meet the ocean. This is long distance cycling at its absolute best. You can ride this route as part of the Mount Tam Century or on your own whenever it suits you. But you must ride it. Our friends that are familiar with the route rave about both the ride quality of its beautiful California tarmac and the views as you emerge from the fog of the redwood forests. Loops in this area can run any length you like. We recommend the 94-mile option that includes the climb up 2,560-foot Mount Tamalpais, but whatever route you choose, you’ll likely gain 3,000 feet or more. The longest and arguably best trail in the whole country is the enticingly-named Alps to Ocean, a jaw-droppingly beautiful cycle from the mountains that run down to spine of South Island to the Pacific. It passes Lake Pukaki, the majestic Mount Cook, and more locations from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings than you could shake a bike pump at. The route itself is a mainly flat and smooth trail with some road segments, and thus suitable for beginners. A pilgrim’s route since the middle ages, the 480 mile-long Way of St James meanders along the whole top of Spain and through the green mountains of Galicia on the way to Santiago de Compostela. There are multiple possible routes for so-called bicigrinos to follow, but the well-signposted Camino Frances is the most famous - beginning in Roncesvalles and pitstopping in Pamplona, Burgos and Leon on the way to the west. Let’s be clear: this is a subjective list, and you’re going to curse us on social media before you even read it. But just know that this roundup of the best rides on the planet—culled from my own personal experience of riding bikes for the past 30-plus years, as well as the advice of passionate cycling friends—is just gravy. My favorite rides have always been the ones that leave from my garage. But even though bikes are a great form of environmentally friendly recreation and transportation doesn’t mean we all don’t daydream about century-distance rides through the European countryside and fat-tire epics across the Mountain West.

1. Cycle through watercolour landscapes in China

If the very thought of a gruelling Lands’ End to John o’Groats down the length of Britain makes your thighs ache, try a shorter but no less epic bike tour across the width of England instead. The three-day, 140 mile Coast To Coast route (also called the Sea to Sea route) meanders through some of England’s wildest landscapes. Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) You'll pass through both the Lake District and Peak District National Parks, so you can expect some pretty serious climbs, but the views from the top of each mountain pass will more than make up for the leg-burn taken to get up there.

Epic Bike Rides of the World 1 - Goodreads Lonely Planet Epic Bike Rides of the World 1 - Goodreads

RIDING HIGHS: Leaving the Castillan plains behind and climbing up to the famed cross on the Monte de la Cruz de Ferro. If you're looking for long-distance cycle routes with incredible mountain scenery that you don't have to work too hard to conquer, they don't come much better than this. In a nod at how such information would be presented on a web side, each of the fifty routes ends with brief "more like this" section with another three routes covered in a paragraph. Some of these rides were more interesting to me than the ones covered in details - oh well.

7. Cycle the south of New Zealand

If you're new to cycling, we're probably recommend starting elsewhere however. This is a tropical treat of a trail, but a tough ride if you take on the Cerro de la Muerte (literally, the ‘Summit of Death’), so it's one for cyclists with a decentlevel of fitness. I tend to enjoy the Lonely Planet books. They are often coffee table type books, as is true with this one, and they are often good or discovering new places to visit, new adventures, or simply to fantasize about living a life with enough money to travel to places the Lonely Planet writers seemingly go on a daily basis. The format is puzzling. It isn't a coffee table book, but is large-ish format. Physically it reminds me of a high school text book.

Distance Cycle Routes - 10 Spectacular Rides from Round Long Distance Cycle Routes - 10 Spectacular Rides from Round

This is not the sort of book you read from cover to cover, more the sort you graze on from time to time, while reclining on your chaise-longue. As I dipped into it, I realized that I was unlikely to ever do any of the rides myself. Similarly, I’ve read many books about climbing Everest, but know I’ll never rise to that challenge. Still, reading about other people’s adventures is enthralling and frequently awe-inspiring.

The Whole Enchilada

This sufferfest soothes its 13,000 feet of elevation gain and roughly 130 miles with waffles and beer. That’s great, but we mostly love it because, unlike some other gravel beatdowns we know, the waffle ride happens in May in sync with Europe’s spring classics, the spirit of which it has been designed to replicate, so you (probably) won’t die of heat exhaustion.

Epic Bike Rides of Europe: explore the Lonely Planet Epic Bike Rides of Europe: explore the

Boulder is famous for its paved road riding. It should be known for its steep dirt. On a gravel bike, head up the Boulder Creek Path to Four Mile Canyon, then bang a left on Logan Mill and follow signs for the Escape Route, a forest-fire egress that’s steep enough to put you on the rivet. From there it’s on to Sugarloaf Road (paved and dirt) and the Peak to Peak Highway (paved). Make sure to stop at Salto in Nederland to refuel on pecan sandies and a macchiato for the big ring push down Magnolia Road to the Boulder Creek Path to complete the circuit. And this is but one of a half-dozen mixed-surface routes above Boulder that are nearly devoid of cars and feature soaring views of the Continental Divide. The Dolomites, in northern Italy, are worthy of the hype, but that’s not all the country has to offer cyclists. The Piemonte region, in the northwest, is also riddled with great climbs and is perhaps even more steeped in Italian cycling culture. Start from the town of Susa, in the Cottian Alps, find your way to the town of Fenestrelle, and if you have the legs, include the Giro d’Italia’s famed Colle de Finestre climb, an 11-mile haul that averages a 9 percent grade and gains some 5,558 feet. One of nine officially designated bike tours in Switzerland, National Route 4, also known as the Alpine Panorama Route, is itself nine stages long and covers 300 miles while gaining 30,000 feet in the mountains and the rolling hills of the Swiss foreland. You’ll ride past bucolic farmland, mountain passes and gorges, castles, and tidy chalets with self-pay apple-cider stands. The well-marked route is great for self-guided tours, and if you’re feeling fit, try the dramatic punch up to the ski station of Saas-Fee.

Fóia

Each ride is illustrated with stunning photography and a map. A toolkit of practical details - where to start and finish, how to get there, where to stay and more - helps riders plan their own trips. There are also suggestions for three more similar rides around the world for each story. Each piece shows how cycling is a fantastic way to get to know a place, a people and their culture. Of the Tour de France’s most famous climbs, the Col du Galibier is sketchy with too many tunnels, Mont Ventoux is windy and isolated, and the famed Alpe d’Huez is totally overrated (the top looks like a kitschy tourist shop). But the steady climb up the pass of Croix de Fer (the Iron Cross) runs some 20 miles and gains some 5,000 feet in the French Alps near Le Bourg-d’Oisans and is, in my estimation, the most scenic in France.