For cycling lovers, open roads, crowded city roads, bumpy mountain roads, or sheep intestines trails all exude their own magic. Once a professional cyclist, Ian Dille spent 9 months, across 6 continents, scouring the world for 75 of the best routes to ride. He wrote his findings in The Cyclist’s Bucket List. According to Ian's recommendation, this article carefully selects the following four places worth visiting for cycling lovers. After reading it, you will want to pick up your bicycle and set off!
1. Tour around Africa
During the journey, tourists always want to see all the attractions in a short time, and their schedules are almost overflowing. However, this trip across 10 countries from Egypt to South Africa will make this worry disappear, and during the four months on the road, you can enjoy the flavor of this whole African land.
Starting from the upper Nile, cyclists cross the desert and the equator, but the scenery is just the beginning. Cyclists visit African landmarks such as Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, biblical landscapes in Ethiopia and Victoria Falls in Zambia. In addition to these natural landscapes, cyclists can also get up close and personal with wild animals, such as African elephants, zebras, giraffes, and more.
2. The Road Across North America, USA
Start in the mountains of Astoria, Oregon, and end in Chesapeake Bay in Yorktown, Virginia. Dille writes in the book: "Once people have ridden this distance, they most often mention that they have learned more about the United States on the 90-day journey than anyone else has learned in a lifetime." Along the way, you can pass some national and state parks, sample local delicacies, and drive country roads. Stops and restaurants along the way welcome cyclists with open arms.
And here, cyclists can read the memories of the journey written by many former cyclists. During the ride, you'll encounter an ancient marshland as you pass Oregon's Mckenzie Pass, climb over the Appalachian Mountains and traverse some of the most scenic farmland in the United States. This line is also the first bicycle ride through the race in the United States. Of course, if you want to see the sights on the way, you may wish to slow down and taste it.
3. Western Tasmania, Australia
When you call out to the pristine nature in your heart, then cycling in Western Tasmania will surely satisfy your call to pristine nature. For 21st-century cyclists, the region's rugged mountain roads are more in line with their inner thirst for adventure. On this tour, you'll pass the 1.6-million-hectare Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Park, which features rugged basins, ancient caves and rolling glacial lakes against the blue sky.
The best ride is the Lyell Road from Queenstown to Strahan. Then, you will ride past Zeehan in the north, reach Murchison Mountain, the highest mountain in western Tasmania, and after a loop, finally return to Queenstown, the total length of the ride is about 240 kilometers. This journey may be "the last pure land in the world".
4. Dupont National Forest Park, North Carolina
Take a mountain bike ride through the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains, culminating in a waterfall set in The Last of the Mohicans and The Hunger Games. The beauty of Dupont National Forest is unparalleled, and the creek that crosses the park plays a symphony of colors with the oak and pine forests in autumn.
The Dupont Forest Park ride is undoubtedly one of the best in the country, with a challenging 150-meter-high granite climb, the Big Rock Trail, and a Cedar Rock Trail downhill, which eventually runs parallel to the creek. For cyclists who wish to ride selectively, 100 sections can be selected from a total length of 130 kilometers, and each section has a different terrain style. You can ride on the open road, you can ride on the road with boulders, and of course, you can ride in the dense forest.
