Cycling Inspiration - Fuerteventura in Spain and all the way through New Zealand - By Bike!

In search of summer cycling.

We recently had a chat with William and Valeria, a couple of keen Italian cyclists, based in Barcelona, who decided to chase the sun through Fuerteventura in Spain all the way to New Zealand. We asked them who they are and how they did it.

"Usually we work in hospitality during the peak season in Italy, and then we get 4 months off - so why not live our dream which is to travel the globe."

"We are passionate about the outdoors and sport and during our trips we try to mix our passions and make every trip an adventure. We love cycling, hiking, climbing mountains and surfing amongst other things."

So how did you kick off this cycling adventure?

First we did Fuerteventura, Spain. That is such a special place for us, where the winter is warm and sunny which makes it a perfect playground for surfing, tour cycling and hiking. You can do both road cycling and mountain biking across the volcanoes.

It's an easy place to travel. The people are nice, the food is good and there's a lot of accommodation to choose from (we've been free camping anyway... We like adventure!).

The wind can be strong sometimes but it's better than a rainy day on your bike. We brought our own bikes but there are a few shops where you can rent good quality bikes and in the last years it's getting popular among cyclists and triathletes so it is definitely a good place for a winter escape.

After Fuerteventura we were looking for another place to explore with a good mixture of cycling, surfing and hiking so we decided to try New Zealand. It's summer here when we Europeans have winter, so it's easy to camp with our tent during our 3 month trip.

Here is pretty easy to cycle, there is a a cycle route that goes along the country called the AOTEAROA ROUTE. There is some accomodation along the way. It's a mix of gravel road and paved road so a hybrid bike is probably the best option. We came with our own bicycles but there are many option for rental (not so cheap but still a good option).

We've been here for ten days so far and we are really enjoying it! We can say that the New Zealanders are friendly, passionate about outdoors and helpful to travellers. The landscapes are amazing and there are wonderful places from pristine beaches to hot springs, lakes, forests, mountains, glaciers... And more to discover.

What are your top tips for someone who's thinking of travelling the world on a bike?

Nowadays it's pretty easy to travel. You can find all the informations on the web and what we normally do is this:

1. First we check a place where the weather is nice - which is really important (forr example, you won't want to go cycling in Vietnam during the rainy season!)

2. Then we check a possible route (if you don't want to camp it's important to check the accommodation along the route)

3. Then we prepare all the material that we need (camping gear, cycling and hiking stuff, surfing gear, a camera, a gps) and after a few weeks of training we are ready!

4. And then the clothes of course. Cycling clothing is good that way. Go for light clothing that is good quality and easy to clean. Eg Sigr jerseys are fantastic and with UV SPF30 sun protection built in. 

You really do embody Sigr's cycling philosophy. Do you have any words of wisdom to inspire someone who is tempted by your story?

At the end the hardest thing is to get out of your comfort zone and to get rid of the prejudice we have about the world... It is a wonderful place with a lot of nice people that want to share good moments!

So what we recommend is get out there and enjoy the trip, a cycling day is always a good day!!

Oh! And please follow our adventures on SLOW_TRIPPERS Instagram