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A bicycle tour can be anything from a day ride, to a ride which takes many days, weeks or months. Some people have ridden across continents, and some people have ridden all around the world. An average person of reasonable fitness and at moderate speed, is able to comfortably ride (depending on terrain and weather) 30–80 miles (50–130 km) in a day.
There are many different styles of bicycle touring. Some tourists prefer to take all their equipment with them on their bikes including food, cooking equipment, and a tent to go camping during nights. This type of touring is known as " loaded touring ." Others prefer to take less equipment with them, and stay in hotelHotel" is the letter H in the NATO phonetic alphabet See Hotel for the American television program that aired on ABC from 1983 until 1988. A hotel is an establishment that provides lodging on a short-term basis. Hotels often provide a number of additionals and hostelRome, Italy Hostels (or youth hostels provide short term accommodation to travelers. In a hostel you rent a bed (usually a bunk-bed) in a dormitory and share common bathroom, kitchen, and lounge rooms. Private rooms are often available. The main benefit os, and eat in restaurantA restaurant is an establishment that serves prepared food and beverages to be consumed on the premises. The term covers a multiplicity of venues and a diversity of cuisine styles. Restaurants are sometimes a feature of a larger complex, typically a hotels, etc. This is known as " credit card touring ". There are many companies who organize tours and transport the cyclists' luggageLuggage is any number of bags, cases and containers which hold a traveller's articles during transit. The modern traveller can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small posessions, trip necessities, and on the return-trip, sounve in a van to the cyclists' destination each day.
To go cycle touring you will need to have a bike which can carry luggage, and is equipped with a carrier rack and panniers. Many cycle tourists prefer to use special touring bikesA touring bicycle is a bicycle designed for long-distance travel, and especially bicycle touring. Typically, touring bicycles are a mix of mountain and racing bicycle components, with special, heavy-duty frames designed to carry specialized luggage and ot which are specially built to carry large amounts of luggage, and can be ridden comfortably over long distances, although many different types of bicycle can be used. A typical characteristic of a touring bicycle is a longer wheelbase, which increases stability at the cost of quick response (a characteristic more suited for mentally taxing bicycle racing rather than for relaxed long distance touring). Other characteristics include tires with larger widths and a tread pattern for greater durability and control over a wider variety of terrain.
Many long-distance self-supported cycle tourists have published (either formally or in magazines and on the web) accounts of their tours that are both entertaining and informative. Some notable examples are Thomas Stevens, Velocio , Dervla Murphy Heinz Stücke and Ian Hibell .
Many associations for cyclists, such as CTC in the UK, began as cycle touring clubs, organizing tours and accommodation. These clubs gradually evolved into advocacy bodies campaigning on behalf of cyclists.