Types of Bicycle Touring

• Fully supported organised tours;
• Supported touring;
• Accompanied unsupported touring; and
• Solo unsupported touring.

Fully supported organised tours

Fully supported organised tours are normally provided by a tour company or a large cycling organisation. It normally consists of an organised tour, where you ride your bicycle and your luggage is carried for you. All of your catering needs are taken care of. Accommodation normally consists of stays in sheltered accommodation.

Touring this way allows you to enjoy your ride without the worry of cooking and finding places to camp. It also allows you to travel light, and have back up if something should go wrong mechanically with your bike. Some tour companies provide tours with the camping experience, and they usually will set up tents for you.

If you are having a bad day and the head wind or heat is just too much, most supported tours have what is called a sag wagon. They will put your bike on board and you can travel in the luxury of a vehicle for the rest of the day. This is also good if you have injured yourself.

Being a hard core solo tourer myself, I have never done one of these types of tours, but I have heard that on some of the bigger cycling club organised events where there are over 2,000 people, there are sometimes long waiting queues for showers and meals. This would be offset by the large social atmosphere though.

Tour companies normally run tours with small groups of people, ideally in the range of 10 to 20. In some cases the tour company will also supply you a bicycle to ride, whilst doing the tour. Other companies and organised rides also allow you to bring your own bicycle, and in most instances it is a requirement that you have your own bicycle. You would be a lot more comfortable with your own bicycle anyway, as it has been adjusted to your fit. It has hasn't it?

Supported touring

This type of touring is where you have a back up vehicle that can carry your luggage, food and water. It doesn't force you to stick to a rigid schedule, and allows some flexibilty in your travel plans. A lot of older people elect to tour this way. A group of them normally ride, and take turns driving the vehicle.

Touring this way saves having to manage a fully loaded touring bike on the road, while allowing you to enjoy the tour and have back up from a vehicle and/or caravan. The driver can also drive ahead and have morning tea and lunch ready for you as is done on a lot of the organised rides.

I have met a few retired seniors who have crossed the Nullarbor Plain using this method of touring. They had a vehicle pulling a caravan. All their luggage was carried in the car, and they took turns driving the vehicle. They said it was a safe way to cross the Nullarbor as the vehicle carried all their supplies for the 2 weeks that they took to do the trip at their own leisure.

Accompanied unsupported touring

Most of this section is covered below in Solo unsupported touring, except with this option you travel with someone else or a cycling group or association. Everybody is carrying all of their own gear, but have the support of each other should there be any problems. Your travelling companions can either be other cyclists who love touring, or a professional travel guide.

Solo unsupported touring.

This is also known as Do It Yourself (DIY) Touring. It consists of you riding your own bicycle, and carrying all of your own equipment. Depending on your route, accommodation and eating arrangements, you may also need to carry your own cooking and camping equipment.

Some people choose to travel light and stay in motels or hostels, and buy food at restuarants and roadhouses. This type of travel is sometimes referred to as "Credit Card Touring". It does have it's advantages in that you can travel lighter, but it means you have to finish your riding for the day where you plan to stay that night.

Travelling totally unsupported, means carrying everything on your bike. This includes the tent, sleeping bag, cooking equipment and most importantly of all, water. This load can either be carried in panniers and/or a bicycle trailer. Some of the long distances in the outback dictate this style of travel as there are no hostels or hotel/motels.

One advantage of fully loaded touring is that at the end of the day, if you haven't reached anywhere, you can set up camp, because you have your tent and camping equipment with you. Camping is normally allowed in Western Australia outside of national parks and outside of town boundaries. This is usually about 14 kms from a town. If camping is not allowed somewhere you will usually see a sign stating this. Sometimes there is a reason for banning camping, such as a danger from crocodiles.

This is my preferred type of touring as it allows you the freedom to change the route or take a rest day whenever you feel like it. The only disadvantage some people find with this type of touring is that the bicycle is hard to manage and can be quite cumbersome. I have found that if the bike is set up correctly for touring, then this is not the case, except on those days when you are riding up a steep hill into a gale force head wind.

Summary

Depending on what part of Western Australia you intend to cycle tour in, and at which time of the year, you may have to use another option other than one you would prefer. For instance in Summer long distances in the heat without any water resupply points, would at least require some support for water drop off points.