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How Many Cyclists That Start a Tour End up Completing it?
Almost everyone who starts our tours, finishes them. Many people might assume that there is a natural attrition due to illness, injury and general tour fatigue but on our Touring and Adventure level tours we may have one unplanned departure but more often than not, there will be none. On our Expedition level tours, and especially the longer 4+ month tours, there is more chance of some unexpected event that requires a rider to return home. Perhaps it’s related to a family or work emergency back home or an ongoing illness or an injury on the tour. This can certainly happen over the course of a multi-month tour but the vast majority of cyclists do complete the trip.
In terms of people leaving simply because they found it too difficult or not enjoyable – this is extremely rare.
So if you can stay healthy, avoid injury and have nothing back home you need to attend to, what are the key things that make people want to get up day after day and swing their leg over their bike and start pedalling?
1. Support
“We had an amazing first tour with TDA. We were welcomed into the TDA family by seasoned riders and we all got along well as a group. The staff on our trip were first class. We felt safe and supported the whole way while cycling at our own pace, stopping where and when we wanted to.” – Melanie from Canada
We have amazingly positive and dedicated staff that provide a fully supported experience. We have vehicles to pick you up if you are unwell or having a tough day, so this means you live to fight another day, as they say. We will transport you to the day’s destination where you can regroup and prepare to tackle the next stage. You are also able consult with our tour medic (on most Adventure and Expedition-level tours) if you are sick or our bike mechanic if your bike is the one that’s unwell.
These are cycling adventures. They are not competitive races and we never encourage anyone to cycle beyond their limits. Our tour support staff will encourage you to take a break from time to time if you are finding it too tough. Many people start out believing they will cycle every inch of the tour but this should not be the goal and the moment people let go of that concept, they are much happier and get much more out of the experience.
2. Camaraderie
“You are in front of a major challenge with a group, so after the first kilometre you are not a solo rider anymore, you are part of a group,” – Jannes from Holland
Our tours – whether you are cycling with us in France or Tajikistan – carry with them an expeditionary spirit. Through the tour’s ups and downs, close bonds are formed and the camaraderie builds. It’s a wonderful thing to experience.
We always preach the importance of Expedition Behaviour – a concept which in essence means becoming a positive member of the group. This is vital to your individual success and to that of your fellow riders.
Whether it’s stopping to help someone fix their flat tire, helping to carry a bag up a flight of stairs, setting up another rider’s tent when they arrive late on a tough day, or helping the staff to get the support vehicle unstuck, these are all important actions that help increase the chances of the group’s success.
>>RELATED VIDEO – Forging friendships and finding encouragement on the Odyssey
3. Fun
“Amazing, fun, humorous, challenging, exciting, fulfilling. The perfect sort of thrill ride for the intercultural adventurist in all of us.” – Mark from the United States
As much as these cycling tours are long and challenging, what is sometimes overlooked is just how much fun they are. The people you meet, the unexpected experiences you have, the feeling of accomplishment, the things you learn, the places you visit. It is often not as hard as you imagine either. Don’t get us wrong – you will sweat and you will struggle from time to time but you will smile and laugh a lot as well!
>>RELATED BLOG – Can I Do it? Can I Really Cycle A TDA Tour?
For our former participants reading this blog, please tell us why you did it and why you stuck it out all the way to the end. What motivated you to keep riding day after day? Leave your comments below.
1 Comment for "How Many Cyclists That Start a Tour End up Completing it?"
First, people who sign up for tours like these are A-type personalities who know full well that there will be the challenge of doing more miles on more successive day than even the most active of us do during our normal lives at home. We find out quickly how to manage the effort so we can go at it again day after day. We get strategies from other riders and from staff, ideas as to how to balance the desire to ride the bike with the desire to have time at the end of the day to enjoy the destination. Getting a lift up a brutal climb on a long day can make a big difference. Starting from the lunch stop before a rest day can make enough time to get laundry done right then and relax or sightsee on the rest day. The point being to manage your pace from the very start so that it is sustainable until the very finish, and it is amazing how much better most of us are doing at the end if we haven’t overdone the first week. I’m not the quickest any more (never was) – I need those tactics and I’ve felt great finishing every trip I’ve started except maybe my very first one when I hadn’t quite learned how to effectively manage the expectations.