Great Worldwide Cycling Adventure Holiday Options

For many cyclists there comes a point where it's time to try something new, push yourself out of your comfort zone and explore a far away land or magical place. We're all adrenaline junkies to a certain extent with the bike being our outlet for frustration and passion.

We marvel at the riders in the Tour De France climbing legendary Cols wishing we were there climbing them. We do not see an issue in just how steep or long they are despite those around us thinking we are going crazy. For us they are simply another challenge.

Many people set themselves targets to climb mountains like Kilimanjaru. When a cyclist walks up Kilimanjaru they're thinking 'Could I ride this?'

Sadly one-upmanship is part of cycling culture so the list below may well be able to help you trump your bicycling buddies. I'm sure you also might have some great suggestions regarding cycling adventure holidays so please suggest any that might not have been covered in the comments at the foot of the page.

You've watched the Tour De France cyclists climb legendary cols like L'Alpe D'Huez, the Col Du Tourmalet and Mont Ventoux and dreamed of riding up these giants yourself. Realistically it is a possibility for any fit cyclist to to climb these Tour De France monsters.

There are a large number of adventure holiday companies that offer the opportunity for you to visit either the Pyranees or the Alps. The best time to visit is during the warm summer months of June to September. The mountains are often liable to bad weather at other times and snow showers are not uncommon- you may even be able to see snow at the top of the mountains as you ride.

A fantastic road cycling holiday for the adventure traveller is the Raid Pyranean which runs from the Atlantic Coast to the Mediterannean Coast along the length of the Pyranees. 720 km of cycling with a target time of completion within 100 hours.

Fancy trying this challenge. Try Marmot Tours for your Raid Pyranean

Take a look at GPM10 who run some fantastic fully vehicle supported trips to the French Alps

As cyclists we like to push the boundaries somewhat. A great example of this is cycling the high mountain passes of the world. Cyclists often verbally spar on the mountain passes they have conquered.

Therefore there is an attraction for cyclists to the Himalaya's. The highest mountain range on Earth with mountain passes that eclipse those of the French Alps ridden in the Tour De France.

Cycling between Manali to Leh in the province of Ladakh in the Indian Himalaya's which lies close to the borders of China and Tibet. The route between Manali and Leh takes riders over the Rohtang La Pass (4060m), Nakli La (4800m), Lachalung La (5150m), the Taglang La Pass (5303m) and Khardung La (5602m) on one of the highest motorable roads in the World.

For an account and further information regarding riding between Manali and Leh in the Indian Himalaya please visit http://www.sentient-entity.org/ who have a great account on cycling the world's highest roads.

Mountains are not everyone's cup of tea so why not try riding La Reine Du Nord. Effectively the queen of the Spring 'Classics' of cycling. The name Paris- Roubaix doesn't start the trigger goosebumps until you've seen what the event actually involves.

Paris- Roubaix = Cobblestones. And lots of them!

The Cyclosportive has three distances the full 260km; 190km and 120km so it's an event which can cater for most fitness levels. The 2012 edition will be run on Sunday 10th June 2012.

To the adventurous traveller there is a certain mythical lure of South America

Would you like to cycle the infamous 'Death Road' of Peru which in 1995 was christened the world's most dangerous road? The Death Road when ridden by bike can offer a tremendous adrenaline surge. 60 kilometers downhill dropping 3500 metres has to be a thrill for any cyclist and the views are almost 'to die for'.

Lake Titacaca cycling and Machu Picchu cycling adventures.

Lake Titacaca is located on the border between Peru and Bolivia, at over 3,500m above sea level and is the highest navigable lake in the world and the largest lake in South America. The lake is sacred to the Inca civilization as according to the Incan mythology, it is from here that the world was made by the god Viracocha. Imagine cycling around the place that is known in a culture for the birth of creation.

Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage site that lies at a height of over 2400 metres above sea level and occupies some of the most scenic mountainous territories of the Peruvian Andes above the Urubamba Valley. The site was not internationally known until 1911 by the American historian Hiran Bingham. Machu Pichu is often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is often seen as the most familiar icon of the Inca World. The photo to the right shows the shear brilliance and magnitude of the finding of the Lost City of the Inca's.