Reading Room Blog
Bicycle Training

Featured Post
Little Blue’s Big Adventure
A Bike’s-Eye View Cycling the South of France Hey there, Little Blue here! Or, as the mechanics tend to call me, bike model Ti73/1. I’m part of the ExperiencePlus! bike… Read More »

Destinations: France, About ExperiencePlus!: Rider Spotlight
My First Bike Tour
My First Bike Tour Conquering Fear and Finding Bliss Last fall, with no bike travel experience or real training to speak of, I went on my first guided cycling tour.... Read More »

Travel Planning: Food and Meals
Managing Your Food Intake on a Bicycle Tour
One of the most important things in life is FOOD, we can’t live without it! Food can be one of the best parts and biggest challenges in a day; did... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
How Hard Should I Train For This?
To start this section off we want to remind you first and foremost that although these trips can accommodate travelers with just about any level of fitness, you will be... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Prepare to Succeed
It’s about that time: it’s getting cold, dark, and breezy, and the idea of riding your bike outside may seem less and less appealing. So what now – how are... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Cadence is the Key to Cycling
Have you ever come back from a ride and thought, “Wow, my legs are toast. Why do people enjoy this?” I know I have. When I was new to road... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Keeping Your Body Happy, Keeps You Happy
So you’ve been putting in lots of hours of training and preparation for your upcoming ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tour, fantastic! All of these hours will certainly help make your tour that... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Mighty Motivation
What is motivation? Quite literally, it is the desire to do things. Everyone has motivation but it seems like some days we have more of it than others. Motivation in... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Training for Hills When You Don’t Have Any
You have an exciting Experience Plus! Bicycle tour of Chile and Argentina to look forward to! You are visualizing the beautiful Cardenal Samore Pass with inviting thermal pools waiting for... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Preparing for Cycling Season
As a native Floridian who has a fierce hatred of the cold, it will still be a couple weeks before I venture out for an outdoor ride in beautiful Northern... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Bicycle Training Calendar Level 4 – 4.5
Level 4 – 4.5 Training Program Joe Friel, nationally recognized fitness expert, designed this 12-week Training Packet specifically for ExperiencePlus! Bicycle tours. Our level 4 – 4.5 tours are for... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Bicycle Training Calendar Level 3 – 3.5
Level 3 – 3.5 Training Program Joe Friel, nationally recognized fitness expert, designed this 12-week Training Packet specifically for ExperiencePlus! Bicycle tours. Our level 3 – 3.5 tours are for... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Bicycle Training Calendar Level 2 – 2.5
Level 2 – 2.5 Training Program Joe Friel, nationally recognized fitness expert, designed this 12-week Training Packet specifically for ExperiencePlus! Bicycle tours. Our level 2 – 2.5 tours are for... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Bicycle Training Calendar Level 1 – 1.5
Level 1 -1.5 Training Program Joe Friel, nationally recognized fitness expert, designed this 12-week Training Packet specifically for ExperiencePlus! Bicycle tours. Our 101 level tours are perfect for people looking... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Training for an ExpeditionPlus! Tour
By ExpeditionPlus! veteran, Mary Gantz Mary Gantz doesn’t let living in pancake-flat Florida inhibit her cycling success. She road Coast to Coast across Chile and Argentina in 2006; from St... Read More »
Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Fear and Cycling
Fear? Yes, fear. Come on, admit it. There have been times when the thought of riding hasn’t always been pleasant. Maybe it’s the fear of the open road, riding in... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Spring Fever: Getting Ready to Ride
Finally. Spring is upon us. The days are getting longer. The desire to get outside and ride is growing. Unless you have been able to ride outside throughout the winter,... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Yep, It’s Winter. Take Your Work-Out Inside…
and Reap the Benefits. By Leah Barrett, Nutritionist and Wellness Counselor at become fit in Fort Collins, Colorado OK, some of you are hard-core and no matter how cold or... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training
Get Out and Ride
Get Out and Ride (even if you don’t feel like it) By Leah Barrett, MS, LCSW Nutritionist / Wellness Counselor at become fit in Fort Collins, Colorado So, you’ve signed... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training, Travel Planning: Health and Safety
Joe Friel’s Health Benefits of Cycling
by Joe Friel It can be difficult to keep up an exercise program, especially if you don’t see results right away in the mirror or on the scales. After all,... Read More »

Bicycle Advocacy
Safe Cycling is Smart Cycling
The League of American Bicyclists is the nation’s premier bicycle advocacy group which, over the last forty years, has developed THE national standard in bicycle safety education. It is unfortunate... Read More »

Travel Planning: Bicycle Tour Training, Travel Planning: How to Plan a Vacation, Travel Tips
Tips to prepare for your bicycling trip
Interview with Joeann Gutowski We visited with Joeann Gutowski in our Fort Collins office before she heads to our Bicycling Through the Best of Provence tour this fall to ask... Read More »