The bicycle is a machine that invites exploration and I reckon breaking out of your regular local loops is something that should be done as often as possible. While simply dumping yourself off the beaten path and following your nose is a pretty romantic idea, it can definitely pay off to do a little bit of planning beforehand.

SET A GOAL

Do you want to enjoy a long day exploring some new back country roads and trails but still be home in time for dinner? Maybe you want to head out and camp for one night, or pedal your way across the country over the course of a month. Laying your goal out as succinctly as possible will help your focus. 

With a goal in mind, it’s time to take out the tools. 

HAMMER OUT A PLAN

There are a couple of great online resources available for creating routes. Personally, I find that  RideWithGPS is able to handle everything I need from a planning point of view, but Komoot and Strava are both set up for the same tasks and widely used. 

Utilising the various map overlays on your platform of choice, you’ll be able to draw out a pretty rough route from point A to point B. Once plotted, you’ll be able to refine from there. Pay attention to your elevation profile. That fire road you’ve included might be the shortest distance between two points on your journey, but (unless you’re an absolute sicko) it’s sure going to sting if it happens to be 5km of +20% hike-a-bike that you didn’t see coming on the day.

Heatmaps are pretty valuable for avoiding (or aiming for!) potentially treacherous trails -there is probably a reason that one dotted line on your map has only been attempted by 2 riders. Keep in mind the possibility that less travelled tracks might even be part of someone’s private property.   

Once your route has been created, you’ll be able to save it and export it. I like to send one copy of a route to my cycling computer (I’m currently running a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt), and save another copy on my phone within the RidewithGPS app. This gives me navigation while riding, and a backup copy should something go wrong with my computer. 

PREPARE (But Don’t Overthink)

This section could be as long as a piece of string. You’ll really want to look back on your created route and base your prep on that. Consider water sources that you might be going by (or through!) Look for towns where you’ll be able to grab a feed or fill up (don’t forget to check opening hours of any shops you might be relying on!). 

I find it helpful to jot down a rough daily itinerary here. It’s overwhelming to look at a multi-day route in its entirety, but in a more digestible daily breakdown things can seem quite a bit more manageable.   

You can never prepare for everything though -keep this in mind and don’t stress. The unexpected is almost always inevitable, which brings me to my last point…

EMBRACE THE JOURNEY

It’s important to remain flexible with yourself and your route. Sometimes a trail is inaccessible. Storms can come out of nowhere and make moving forward unsafe. It can take hours longer to navigate a certain section of your route than you expect. Sometimes a country pub is too good to leave so quickly. Adjusting plans as you go carries no shame.

At the end of it all, it is your journey. The story of a Hunt 1000 attempt of mine that turned into a week long fly-fishing expedition around the Brindabella Range and Jagungal Wilderness with two buddies is one of my favourite trips to recall.

Of course stay safe out there. Look after yourself and the land (leave no trace) but please get exploring. Pore over some maps with some mates and plan an adventure together. Bikes are the best.

-Mike E