Summer cycling ideas: bike adventures to try this summer

Better weather, longer daylight hours and, if you’re lucky, a bit of time booked off work to boot. Summer is the ultimate time to ramp up your cycling miles, or get back on the bike if it’s been a while! Of course, there are plenty of events to get involved with if you’re after a bit of motivation or friendly competition (you can see our bucket list here). But if you don’t want the pressure (or the rigid scheduling) of a cycling event, creating your own adventures and setting yourself some personal challenges can be a great way to get motivated, ride consistently and make the most of the summer cycling season. From segment hunting to off the beaten track explores, we share some ideas for what to do on the bike this summer. No entry fees required!

5 ways to make the most of summer cycling

Explore new routes, test your limits or just have a bit of fun for no reason other than ‘because I can’. Here’s a few things to add to your cycling to-do list this summer!

Discover the routes less ridden

We can all be guilty of heading out on the same old local routes, week after week. It’s familiar, it’s easy… but it can also get kind of boring. The summer months are the perfect time to explore your own backyard like you’re a tourist. Use apps such as Komoot (or Strava heatmaps) to find new routes. If you’ve got a gravel bike or a mountain bike, consider ditching the tarmac and embracing the adventure of riding off road. Set yourself a challenge to ride as many new routes and segments as possible from your own back door. By the time winter rolls around, you’ll have a whole new roster of favourite routes to pick from. Goodbye on-the-bike boredom!

Take the long way home

You don’t have to go on a cycling holiday overseas to explore new places on two wheels. If you need to stay relatively close to home this summer, a great way to venture beyond your local roads is getting you and your bike a one way train ticket. Ride the rails to a new place, have a pitstop in a local cafe and then cycle the long way home. There’s something quite fun about a point-to-point adventure and traversing a landscape on two wheels.

Go bikepacking

Ditch the desk and get away from it all with a bikepacking adventure. With longer daylight hours to play with and milder overnight temperatures, now is the perfect time to give it a go. If you’re planning to bikepack in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you’ll need to plan ahead when it comes to setting up camp (or treat yourself to B&Bs instead) as wild camping without the land owner’s permission is technically illegal. But up in Scotland, right to roam rules mean wild camping (as long as you leave no trace) is super accessible. Check out our blog post for in depth tips on bikepacking for beginners.

Go on a Strava segment scavenger hunt

Want to feel like a cartoon super villain? Plan a Strava segment scavenger hunt and rain “oh no, someone just took your KOM/QOM!” notifications upon all your local adversaries. Fire up your legs, programme the segments into your bike computer, check the wind direction and get at it. You can even turn it into an unofficial league with your mates: whoever manages to hold onto the most segments come the end of August wins.

Need a few weeks of training to get ready for your Strava super villain era? Check out our tips on how to improve your climbing and how to use cycling FTP data to optimise your performance. Oh, and our Kalahari aero hot weather cycling jerseys are the perfect kit choice for hard efforts if you want to go all in on the marginal gains.

Become a Strava artist

If hoarding all the local segments sounds just that bit too dastardly for your tastes. The other option is to brighten up your followers’ feeds with some good old fashioned Strava art! Planning is key here, so use route mapping tools to create your masterpiece – then go log the miles. RouteDoodle is a popular choice, or you can try tools like GPSArtify which allow you to overlay an image and plan a route to match. If you’ve got kids, this can be a great way to get them involved with your cycling adventures be it planning the route or riding it with you.

OG Herd members might remember we did a Strava art competition a while back to celebrate our Tate Adventures with Art collection. The results were pretty epic! If you create any goat-related masterpieces this summer, be sure to send us your map snaps.

Summer cycling gear

That’s the inspiration ticked off, now it’s time to get your gear sorted! Big adventures require comfortable kit, so you can focus on enjoying the ride. Whether you’re gearing up for a long day in the saddle or simply want to be best dressed at the cafe stop, the Stolen Goat summer range is ready for it all. Hot weather jerseys, ridiculously comfortable bib shorts, and all the accessories you’ll need for a glorious summer of cycling. Check out some of our top picks below, or go ahead and browse the full summer range.

Shop women’s cycling jerseys and tops | Shop women’s cycling shorts
Shop men’s cycling jerseys and tops | Shop men’s cycling shorts
Shop cycling socks | Shop cycling accessories 

More summer cycling tips

From what to wear to how to handle the heat, we’ve got your summer adventures covered:

• Heat training for cyclists, runners and triathletes: how to train and race in hot conditions
• What to wear for cycling in summer 
• How to get into bikepacking
• Which cycling jersey is best for hot weather?