Tour Rating System

In order to communicate the relative challenge presented by each of our tours, we give each one a difficulty rating out of five, and then also share the approximate percentage of the tour’s distance that takes place on unpaved roads. While rating the difficulty of a tour is an inherently subjective process, this system provides useful information that will help you choose the right tour.

Difficulty

Ratings are given out of five, with a rating of 0.5 being the least difficult of TDA tours, and rating of 5 being the most difficult of TDA tours.

Difficulty ratings are based on a combination of variables, including:

• Road conditions: rougher road surfaces lead to a higher difficulty rating
• Climbing: more climbing leads to a higher difficulty rating
• Climate: adverse conditions (extreme heat or cold) leads to a higher difficulty rating
• General Adversity: uncertainties and challenges to be faced due to the local cultural, political and living standards leads to a higher difficulty rating
• Comfort: camping, and frequency of bush camping, leads to a higher difficulty rating.

Road Surface

Each tour and section lists a percentage range of unpaved distance. In addition, the detailed itinerary you can download lists the unpaved percentage of each day’s ride.

Unpaved can mean roads or paths with a surface of dirt, gravel, sand etc. Paved roads also vary in quality and could have stretches of rough pavement. These measurements can change due to road construction or new routes chosen, but they give an overall view of what to expect.

On each tour page, the ‘What Bike to Bring’ section also lists our recommended tire size for the tour. Please note that, even on tours that are entirely on paved roads, we never recommend bringing a road bike, or tires narrower than 35mm. There is always a chance of re-routes onto gravel paths, or riding through construction or stretches of very rough pavement. Wider tires are also more comfortable, and more durable.

Elevation

On most tour pages, you will find a link to download the detailed itinerary (if you can’t find it, email us). You will see two elevation columns in the itinerary: ‘Up (m)’ and ‘Down (m)’ – these are the amount of climbing (up) and descending (down), measured in metres.

While factors such as length of stage and road surface affect how difficult the climbing feels on a particular stage, below is a brief guide to help better comprehend the elevation gains for each stage:

• 0m – 500m: This can be considered a fairly “flat” day. There are no flat days!
• 500m – 1500m: This would fit into a moderate to challenging climbing day.
• 1500m – 2000m: This is a challenging climbing day
• over 2000m: These are the highest climbing days, and expect longer and/or steep climbs and to be using your smallest gears often

Note

We encourage people to consider their fitness and comfort levels carefully before undertaking these tours. Please also use these ratings as one of many pieces of information you consider when choosing a tour, and remember that these are fully supported tours and our team is there to support riders who are unable to complete a stage. To read more about how to prepare for the tours you might want to check out How to Prepare – a blog series packed with details that help you prepare for a tour mentally and physically. Reach out to us anytime – we would be happy to help you choose a tour that’s right for you.