Joining A Section Of A TDA Tour – Everything You Need To Know

“I was worried about joining the tour midway and for just 1 section, but the staff and other riders welcomed me and included me as if I had been there the entire time. It was difficult to leave after my section. The food was great and the accommodations were as advertised. It was great to ride at my own pace…very flexible. It was a great trip; I can’t wait to do another section.” – Wayne from USA after riding the Incan Highlands section of the South American Epic

All of our cycling adventures are split up into shorter sections, anywhere from 10 days (like The Three Kingdoms section of the Golden Buddha Ride) to 1 month in length (like the Carretera Austral section of the South American Epic). When you start your section, you will be joining a longer trip that may already be in progress or may continue after you leave.

This opportunity to meet riders cycling the full tour and seeing other sectional riders come and go is something unique to the TDA Global Cycling experience. You will be welcomed into your tour family very quickly as long as you are open to meeting new cycling friends and ready to challenge yourself on your adventure.

A lot of the information on our website is presented from the perspective of a full length tour. This blog is intended to give you a bit more information specifically designed for a cyclist joining for a section or sections of a longer tour. Click on the topics, or scroll down to read it all.

Finding The Right Section For You
Packing For Your Section(s)
Training For Your Section(s)
Traveling With Your Bike
Arrival To The Start Location
Finding Your Rhythm, Coming Prepared
Talking To Previous Sectional Riders And Other Resources

“Our section of the Hippie Trail was a magical journey…This is a bucket list adventure that rewards all who brave the challenge.” – Brian & Karen McCloskey (USA) after riding the Royal Rajasthan Ride section of the Hippie Trail

Finding the Section That’s Right for You

The best place to start is using our comprehensive Tour Finder where you can filter the results to only show trips within the time period you have available – be it 1 or 2 weeks, or 2 months.

Another method to find the tour that is right for you is from our Destinations tab where you can choose a continent as your starting point and then explore onwards from there.

If you already know the tour that appeals to you the most, you can click through the various sections that make up a longer tour (using the PREVIOUS SECTION and NEXT SECTION left and right arrows).

Packing For Your Section(s)

A detailed packing list is sent to registered riders and contains a summary of everything you might need for the whole tour. It is written with the full tour riders in mind but even if you are cycling with us for 2 weeks or 2 months, most of the items on the packing list are still required. You might be able to cut down on extra sets of casual clothes, spare parts and extra medical supplies but if you are at all unsure as a sectional rider what you should or shouldn’t pack, don’t hesitate to contact us.

To give you a general idea of what to pack, please take a look at the sample lists for a hotel tour and a camping tour.

Training For Your Section(s)

The more you are able to train, the more you can slide right into the group and feel confident to tackle some of the longer, more challenging stages. Often, in our working life, we hope and strive to stay more active and having a bike tour planned is a great way to set a goal and have a training plan that sticks.

Some people show up as fit as they’ve been in years, while others may use the first week of the tour as their training time. We all know that it’s preferable to be fit so you do need to at least do one or two longer rides and start becoming more active in your daily life. Every extra bit of training you do prior to your tour will increase your ability to enjoy the tour and make the most of each day – both on and off the bike.

This blog – 8 Training Tips from our Long Distance Cyclists – is a great example of the variety of approaches our cyclists take to training. There is no one exact way to prepare but everyone agrees that being fit before the start of your section(s) is a big benefit.

Traveling With Your Bike

We put together a helpful blog on everything you need to know about packing your bike, getting to and from the airport, and some general tips for travelling with your bike. Click here to read it.

When you arrive to meet the group at the beginning of your respective section please do not discard the cardboard bike box. Other sectional riders will have finished the previous section and will be heading off and, if needed, may be able to use your bicycle box on their flight. Check with the tour leader on this when you arrive.

“I’ve no real cycling experience but I was fairly fit and I loved the one section I rode. Realized afterwards that I could have done more…and would like to try again in future. Found the organization of the trip excellent and the staff on the ride unfailingly helpful, very competent and with endless good humour whatever the circumstances.” – Maureen (South Africa) after riding the Elephant Highway section of the Tour d’Afrique

Arrival At The Start Location

It is a good idea to arrive 2 to 3 days before the start of your section (s). This will give you time to get over your jet lag, do some sight seeing, and receive a briefing from the staff. They will explain how things work on tour, have the bicycle mechanic help you set up your bike, introduce your fellow riders and generally ease your way into things.

Our office will send you an email about a month before the start date of your section(s) with the details of where and when to meet your group.

You will need to make your own travel arrangements to the reach the hotel or campsite where you will be meeting the group. We recommend arranging an airport shuttle or airport transfer in advance by searching ‘airport transfer’ and the city name to find the options available to you. If you have any difficulties, reach out to us and we’ll help you out. While an airport shuttle is more expensive than simply hailing a taxi at the airport, it is much more convenient, especially when travelling with bags and your bicycle box.

Finding your Rhythm; Coming Prepared

Since you may be joining a tour already in progress, the riders you meet will have had time to get used to the systems and timelines of the tour. This is an extra challenge when joining mid-tour. You will hit the ground running and will benefit from coming well prepared. Read all the Rider Bulletins that were posted in your account as well as the TDA Starter Kit. Our How to Prepare series is another excellent resource and is loaded with information on packing, traveling with your bike and what a typical day is like. Lastly, make sure to join the video info session or watch the recording afterwards. This is one of the most valuable ways to learn directly from the tour organizers and trip leaders and to ask all the questions you might have.

Once you are on the tour, you need to speak up and ask lots of questions of the staff and your fellow riders. Find someone to ride with the first few days – it’s a great way to get to know the other cyclists and to see how they conduct themselves throughout the day.

Talk To A Previous Section Rider

Curious about what your section is like? We can help you connect with someone who has ridden it previously, possibly from your own part of the world. Just let us know what section you are interested in and we can connect you.

“Overall it has everything in it. Excellent routes for cycling with low vehicle traffic except in the cities. Lots of interesting and challenging sections, great vistas, riding through villages and small towns, lots of quiet roads, broken pavement, riding down narrow twisty and windy roads.” – Justin from Canada after riding two sections of the Trans-Europa in France and Spain