03/05/2026
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝-𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫?
A lot more than just drawing lines on a map, I can tell you that.
The success behind our self-guided tours involves countless elements – finding the perfect balance between daily riding distances and captivating routes, discovering hidden points of interest, evaluating road conditions, selecting the right accommodations. The list goes on and on.
But here's what most people don't realize: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬.
Every single year, we go out and ride every route of every tour. We inspect them, re-check them, and evaluate road conditions. We update GPS files and adjust itineraries based on what we find. Because especially in remote mountain ranges – high altitude roads that see little traffic – conditions can deteriorate significantly year to year.
And the timing? 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥.
We have a tiny window to complete this work. From mid-April through October, we're in the shop every single day serving customers. The only time available is right after the season winds down – starting in November. And we need to finish before December, because once winter hits, many of these mountain roads get blocked by snow or become unrideable.
So we push. Hard.
Last November, right after the last rental of that season came back, I headed out for the 1st of many scouting missions. 5 days on the road, three of those days were in the Tzoumerka mountain range – the most remote region included in our tours. Riding over 1,400 km, with constant stops to take notes, shoot videos, capture photos, and re-evaluate routes in real time.
Starting at dawn with temperatures around 2°C. Riding until just after sunset. Moving slowly through remote mountain roads where speed isn't an option.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧? Check our existing Tzoumerka route and evaluate three new potential additions.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬?
✅ Existing route: Confirmed and updated
✅ New Route #1: Eliminated (not up to our standards)
✅ New Route #2: MUST DO – that is now added to our tours of that region.
✅ New Route #3: Meh... needs more consideration
This is what goes into making sure that when you ride one of our self-guided tours, every kilometer has been tested, every turn has been evaluated, and every route delivers the experience you're hoping for.
On to the next region in the coming days...
This is why we're confident saying: Our self-guided tours aren't just routes on a GPS. They're years of accumulated knowledge, constantly refined, always improving.
