Machka 

Summer holiday season in the Northern Hemisphere has begun. Several of us in the Southern Hemisphere are planning holiday time too ... getaways from winter.


So ... where are you planning to go on your various holidays this year. Are you planning to bring your bicycle? Holidays are a wonderful chance to see new and different places (or old familiar places) and to explore ... and of course, exploring by bicycle is a great way to go.

Are you planning a cycling tour? Or maybe a holiday surrounding a cycling event in another area? Will your family be cycling with you?


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Growing up, bicycles often accompanied our family on our summer holidays ... Rowan and I have continued that tradition over the years. In fact, we met on a holiday ... a holiday that included the 2003 Paris-Brest-Paris!!


This year so far ...

Rowan and I slowly finished our Round the World Trip. It started mid-June 2012, and we travelled, and cycled, through a little bit of Asia, Scotland, several European countries, Canada, the US, and finally back to Australia. January 2013 saw us in Canada and then Western Australia.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...7632796492886/

In February we sort of settled a little in Victoria, but still took several weekends away over the next few months. There are some lovely cycling areas around here.


Looking forward to the second half of the year ... at the very least, we'd like to visit Tasmania and, of course, bring the bicycles. At the moment we're planning to go around the end of July/beginning of August, but we'll have to wait and see.

Dalai

Tasmania in July/August? Wait till summer!

My trip this year is to the USA

18 days riding over 22 days from the end of August

Couple of days around San Francisco

Old La Honda + Tunitas Creek loop first afternoon on landing.
Mt Hamilton + Sierra rd + Mt Diablo.
Mt Tamalpais loop.

Eastern Sierra -

Death ride loop 4 climbs.
Mosquito Flat.
Bristlecone.
Horseshoe Meadows + Whitney Portal.
Onion Valley

CO -

Grand Mesa (both sides).
Independence pass (both sides).
Copper Triangle.
Trail ridge rd (both sides).
Mt Evans.
Pikes Peak

AZ -

Mt Graham.
Mt Lemmon

CA -

Mt Palomar.
Mt Baldy GMR/GRR

Machka 

It's warmer there than here. We're just north of Melbourne and it's cold and damp and socked in with fog most day. I've been comparing the weather, and Tasmania looks lovely by comparison.

We may very well be moving there then. If moving, then we'll be doing a lot of weekends away to explore over the rest of the year. If not moving, we'd like to go for a visit, and that might be a little bit later in the year.

Machka 

One other little trip we're hoping to do in the near future is a drive up to Canberra where we can spend a few days exploring the city. I've cycled there before and found it quite easy to get around ... I'm hoping that is still the case. One of the first times I saw bicycle lanes was in Canberra!

hyhuu

A vacation was planned. Then the vacation was cancelled. Basically I'm grounded.

LowCel 

I went to Snowshoe Mountain, WV for two days with my wife and mom a couple of months ago. Last week I went to Myrtle Beach, SC to visit family with my wife and mom for three days. That will probably be it for vacations for me this year.

I usually take a full week vacation about once every ten years, so six or seven years from now I'll take a "long" vacation.

StephenH

No plans at the current. However, my daughter just moved to San Francisco, so at some point, I'll be forced to go see her up there...

Machka 

You mentioned this last year, and I still don't know how you do it!! Congratulations on finding a job you enjoy that much.


I've been working for 3 weeks straight, 5 days each week, and I'm already ready for a short holiday!! Hopefully we'll be able to go somewhere in 3-4 weeks time ... bringing the bicycles of course

Machka 

You'll get some hill climbing practice!!

LowCel 

Well this year things got sort of screwed up since I took two weeks off when my dad was in the hospital and then passed away. A couple of weeks later I took a week off to help my mom when she had her knee replaced. I was kind of hoping for a nice vacation this year, it just did not work out. In the past I have used a lot of my vacation time for our family business. We sold the company this year so I should have a little more time to play around with in the future.

qcpmsame 

No need to leave for the "holidays" here, beaches are a few minutes away, lots of activities all summer long of every type so it isn't boring at all. Cost a lot less to sleep at home and ride where I know what to expect.

Bill

Machka 

The first two years we lived in this part of the world (Victoria, Australia), we just did long weekends away each month to explore semi-local areas ... mostly mountains and beaches. (And of course the bicycles accompanied us.)

We enjoy travelling the world (as you know!) ... but we also enjoy exploring the part of the world where we live.

raisinberry777

I'm from Tassie, and the cycling weather here right now is just outstanding. Obviously make sure you bring some nice warm tights and a thermal jersey or pair of arm warmers, but once you get on the bike and warm up it's just fantastic. Maybe it's just being a local, but I'll definitely take the cooler weather over the hot stuff any day. Plenty of both steady climbs and silly Giro-esque climbs in Hobart as well.

Angelo19

I'm off to Myrtle Beach for a week in a couple of days. I'm already lining up the group rides. First time the wife's allowed the bike, and the time off from the family. Maybe it's because work's been stressful and the extra hours I've put in the last few months. Maybe she loves me. Either way, group ride every other day.

Dalai

Perhaps for hills?

deepakvrao

3 weeks in the Alps in May [with daughter], but plenty of days of bad weather, so we are off again tomorrow for 2 weeks in the Alps without daughter this time. ****ty luck. Looks like bad weather again as per forecasts. Just keeping my fingers crossed. We have some monster climbs planned. Really hope the weather holds up.

1 week in Bourg St Maurice, and one week in Gruffy.

kaisersling

I am headed to Bozeman Montana next week. I will be doing mostly mountain biking with my brother and father which should be fun. I plan on renting a road bike and riding in Yellowstone. Looking forward to it.

telebianchi

Alaska!!!!!

Hiking/camping in Denali & Kenai. Maybe a half day mountain bike or fat bike tour around Seward.

Then riding in the Anchorage Bike MS on a rented Domane 5.2. 160 miles over two days.
https://bikewas.nationalmssociety.org...21146&pg=entry

Peiper1

This year's destination is three weeks in China, then one week in North Korea !! We finally received our visas and are totally stoked about going to the world's last surviving true communist state. My expectation is that it will be a wonderful place and that all the Western (American) propaganda about it will prove to be completely ridiculous and false.

Dalai

Nice deepak! Spent 8 days in Bourg St Maurice in 2011 as part of a 4 week holiday. Some great riding to be had. My favourite from that week wasn't the big name climbs rather the relatively unknown Col de l'Arpettaz via Ugine. Worth searching out if you haven't ridden this one previously!

PVFD304

Currently at Topsail NC riding against the wind.

cuda2k

Montana in early September. a lot of hiking/sight seeing but some riding too.

deepakvrao

Thanks. Just looked it up. Sitting at the airport about to board the flight now. Can't wait for Sunday.

By the way, wife and I both read your blog :-)

Dalai

Looking forward to reading the latest installment for this trip as I have your previous ones deepakvrao!

deepakvrao

Col de L'iseran planned for tomorrow, and it's predicted rain. We got screwed in May with too many raining and freezing cold days. Wife guarantees that August will not be near as bad. Hope she is right.