Defining cycle touring...

[Cadair Idris]

I'm currently putting together a sort of travel account in which it would be helpful to provide an indication (as opposed to a cast iron definition) of what constitutes 'cycle touring'. Look below and let me hear what you think of one scholarly attempt to define the probably indefinable character and essence of what we love to do. And then - drawing on your own reserves of experience and wit - perhaps you could crystallise your own opinion of 'cycle touring'.

Here's the definition (which is from Matthew Lamont's introduction to a special edition of the journal Tourism Review International (Vol. 18, 2014):
'From a technical perspective,cycle tourism has been defined as: Trips involving a minimum distance of 40 kilometres from a person’s home and an overnight stay (for overnight trips), or trips involving a minimum non-cycling round trip component of 50 kilometres and a minimum four hour period away from home (for day trips) of which cycling, involving active participation or passive observation, for holiday, recreation, leisure and/or competition, is the main purpose for that trip. Participation in cycling may include attendance at events organised for commercial gain and/or charity (competitive and noncompetitive),as well as independently organised cycling.'

I look forward to any replies that might come this way. And I promise to interject some thoughts of my own along the way!

[gaz]

A few from elsewhere on these boards.

It seems only to be cyclists, perhaps especially those who approach the topic from a background of cycle-racing, who have a problem and tie themselves in semantic knots over the definition of cycle-touring.

Forget the "cycle" bit for a moment, and all becomes clear. Touring, tourist and toursim are common everyday terms, well understood by the man-in-the-street. Cycle-touring, -tourist and -tourism is just the same thing, but with a pedal cycle as the primarly means of transport rather than a car or bus etc. Catering for day-trippers is nowadays recognised as part and parcel of the tourism industry, so I don't see why day-rides can't likewise be touring.

Far from being an end in itself, cycle-touring is one of the several practical applications of cycling - like cycle-commuting. The unique advantage of using a pedal cycle for touring, is that it combines the sight-seeing and transportational aspects of the activity in a most expeditious manner. Driving covers more ground but too rapidly to take it all in, no sooner have you spotted something than it is gone. Walking allows even closer observation and longer contemplation of the passing scene, but is too slow. Cycling, as we all know, is just right!

I'm not sure of the precise definition of touring, for me it's anytime I don't sleep in my own bed, cycle touring being when I used the bike to get there.

Touring has no need of a precise definition. Vague is good. It's about what's going on in your head and being more interested in your surroundings than in the cycling.

[RobinS]

Your definition is of "Cycle Tourism" rather than Cycle Touring. Cycle Tourism can include flying to Mallorca, staying in one hotel and going out for day rides. I would suggest Cycle Touring is a multi day cycle ride staying overnight at different places. Actual distance is irrelevant - I have done consecutive tours of 3500km, followed by one of 35km (with the grandchildren).

[stephenjubb]

Me, Bike, Travel, Enjoy.

That should cover it all.

[Gattonero]

I'm currently putting together a sort of travel account in which it would be helpful to provide an indication (as opposed to a cast iron definition) of what constitutes 'cycle touring'. Look below and let me hear what you think of one scholarly attempt to define the probably indefinable character and essence of what we love to do. And then - drawing on your own reserves of experience and wit - perhaps you could crystallise your own opinion of 'cycle touring'.

Here's the definition (which is from Matthew Lamont's introduction to a special edition of the journal Tourism Review International (Vol. 18, 2014):
'From a technical perspective,cycle tourism has been defined as: Trips involving a minimum distance of 40 kilometres from a person’s home and an overnight stay (for overnight trips), or trips involving a minimum non-cycling round trip component of 50 kilometres and a minimum four hour period away from home (for day trips) of which cycling, involving active participation or passive observation, for holiday, recreation, leisure and/or competition, is the main purpose for that trip. Participation in cycling may include attendance at events organised for commercial gain and/or charity (competitive and noncompetitive),as well as independently organised cycling.'

I look forward to any replies that might come this way. And I promise to interject some thoughts of my own along the way!

I make it a lot easier:
"take a bike, go somewhere nice as far and as long as you can/want, do nice things there"

We are all different in fitness and free time allowance. I don't see any strict rules. For me, it works best short trips every month, rather than one big expedition once a year.

[meic]

All of the definitions which have been offered are prescriptive in a way that suits the person offering them.
I would say that all you need is a cycle and to cover significant distance (whatever that means), though there could be argument about what constitutes significant distance, I hope that all would agree that you do have to leave your typical urban cul-de-sac but you dont have to leave your county.

[Cadair Idris]

Thanks to you all for your thoughts so far. Here are a few of mine.

Concerning the difference between cycle touring and cycle tourism, I imagine we all know when we're doing the former but wouldn't necessarily venture a definition for the latter. Speaking personally, I was quite amused by the academic's attempt to define cycle tourism through supposedly objective and quantifiable means of measurement.

Perhaps I can put my own interest in all this a little more precisely. I am trying to make an argument for the value of self-supporting cycling as a particularly valuable means of experiencing the places we pass through and the people we meet along the way. Of course what we actually experience varies a great deal, depending on the locations we visit, the circumstances in which we ride, the nature of our own personalities and our capacity for engaging others, and so on. The Swiss cyclist Claude Marthaler is about as good an example of a full out cycle tourist as I have been able to find - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gvLAM3A-k0. I spent a little while with him on one part of his 122,000-km trip around the world - and he is just as interesting and kind in person as he appears in the video.

I enjoyed reading the 'PH' and 'CJ' comments that gaz kindly provided...

[foxyrider]

Cycle touring and a cycle tour are two different things.

I would consider cycle touring to be any ride where leisure is the main purpose (not riding to the park or pool which are really commutes) and the bike is the key element of the trip. This can be a trip from home to a café and back or something more adventurous if you like, perhaps but not restricted to part of a holiday trip.

A cycle tour is clearly a multi ride, multi day affair where moving from place to place is a key component.

Problem is, and i'm sure I'm not alone in this, I often do a combination of place to place and day excursions and even, shock horror, days when I don't use the bike at all!

[landsurfer]

As in ; I went cycle touring this morning following the route of the Trent 100 sportive.
As opposed to; My cycle tour took me from Inverness to Durness over a 3 day period.

[mjr]

We went on a cycle tour this afternoon, through four villages and a total of about 20km. The learned definer can go do the other 30km alone and sleep under a hedge if he feels that's necessary. I'll be at home eating a nice dinner

[Tinnishill]

Try "touring on a bicycle".

[bogmyrtle]

Perhaps I'm being a bit thick but I still don't altogether understand the need for a definition or the need to formulate the stated argument.
What any person gets out of travelling is surely dependent on the individual rather than the method of transport.
Damn it I've just drawn myself into the conversation. I prefer doing rather than deliberating.

[simonhill]

Doesn't "cycle touring" work?

Most people I speak to know what it means.

Do motorists need to define a motoring holiday? Surely all you would say is what sort of motoring holiday.

The more complicated you make the (pure) definition, or try to make it all inclusive you end up leaving out one of the many facets of cycle touring, eg by defining daily distance you can exclude the very high and very low mileages, etc, etc.

[meic]

I think that from one end of the spectrum of definition, none of my rides are ever cycle-tourism because I am not a "tourist" who helps fund the tourist industry, my main purpose is the ride it self.

On the other end of the spectrum all of my rides are cycle-tourism because I ride "long" distances in the countryside enjoying being a traveler along roads well known or unknown, often lugging around a fair load on my bike and observing what I pass through in a way that only a cyclist can.

I would probably prefer to call myself a cycling traveler, just as when I went around the world (without a bike) I never liked the term "tourist" and much preferred to see myself as a traveler.

So it is probably time to hand over the term "cycle tourer" to those who are doing more touristing and less cycling. Or at least accept that you need another adjective to define the particular type of cycle touring that is the type of cycle touring which you associate with the name.

[RickH]

... Bikepacking for older people!