You have spent four months building your FTP to a number you are proud of. You have done the long rides. You have practised your race nutrition. You have tapered. Your form curve in TrainingPeaks looks like the textbook example. And then you land in Palma at midnight, collect your bike box from oversized baggage, open it in the hotel car park under a security light, and discover that the derailleur hanger is bent forty-five degrees inward. You have not slept in twenty-eight hours. The Mallorca 312 starts at 7am. Your season target has become a logistics problem.
This is not a rare disaster. It is some version of what happens every weekend across European sportives and races — not because riders are unfit, but because nobody treats the travel as part of the performance. The training plan ends at the airport. Everything between the departure lounge and the start line is improvised. And improvised plans in foreign countries, with unfamiliar food, broken sleep, and a bike in a box, tend to go sideways.
The good news: all of this is fixable. Every problem between your front door and a start line abroad has a known solution. Most of those solutions require planning, not money.
Getting Your Bike There
The bike is the centrepiece. Get it there intact and everything else is manageable. Damage the frame or the drivetrain and you are spectating.
Hard Case vs Soft Bag
Two choices. A hard-shell case — Bike Box Alan, B&W International, Scicon AeroComfort — gives you rigid external protection. The airline can stack cases on top and your frame stays safe. A padded soft bag — Evoc, Scicon, USWE — is lighter, easier to store, and cheaper, but relies on internal padding and your packing discipline.
For a race bike flying on a commercial airline, a hard case is the safer choice. Baggage handlers do not know what is inside your box and they do not care. A hard shell takes that variable off the table. Soft bags work well for road trips, train travel, or airlines you trust, but the frame is only as protected as the padding you put around it.
Packing Step by Step
This process should take you twenty minutes, not two hours. Do it once at home before your first trip so you are not learning under pressure.
- Remove the pedals. Left pedal is reverse-threaded — turns clockwise to remove. Clean the threads and put them in a labelled bag.
- Deflate the tyres to half pressure. Not flat — half. Cargo holds are pressurised but not to sea-level pressure, and a fully inflated tyre can blow the bead off the rim. Half pressure gives you margin. Tubeless riders: half pressure is fine, the sealant stays put.
- Turn the handlebars. Loosen the stem faceplate or turn the bars 90 degrees so they sit parallel to the frame. Wrap the bar tape and shifters in bubble wrap or a towel.
- Protect the rear derailleur. This is where most damage happens. Remove the rear wheel, shift to the smallest cog first. Some cases have a derailleur guard that bolts on. If yours does not, wrap the derailleur in foam and cable-tie it close to the chainstay so it cannot swing free.
- Remove the rear wheel and disc rotors (if applicable). Insert rotor spacers between the brake pads. Forget this and the pads will close on themselves — an annoying fix at the other end.
- Pad every contact point. Frame tubes against the case, fork dropouts, seatpost clamp, headset. Pipe lagging from a hardware shop works better than most cycling-specific padding and costs nothing. Towels work too.
- Secure everything. Nothing should rattle when you tilt the case. If it moves, pad it. The most common non-derailleur damage is a dent in the top tube from the seatpost collar bouncing against it for three hours.
Airline Policies and Costs
European carriers vary widely. Ryanair charges around EUR60 each way for a bike as sports equipment, with a 30kg weight limit. Vueling charges EUR45-70 depending on when you book. British Airways includes bikes in checked baggage up to 23kg. Aer Lingus charges around EUR40-50 each way. Iberia is around EUR60-100.
US carriers are generally more expensive. Delta, United, and American all charge $150-200 each way for a bike as oversized baggage. Southwest is the exception — bikes fly as regular checked luggage with no oversize fee, which is why Southwest is the cult airline for domestic US racing.
The critical rule: book the bike at the time of ticket purchase. Adding sports equipment at the airport is more expensive and sometimes impossible if the hold is full. Call the airline if the website does not have a clear bike option.
Weight matters. A hard case weighs 8-12kg empty. Your bike weighs 7-9kg. Add tools, shoes, helmet, and clothing and you are at 20-25kg before you start. Know the limit and weigh everything at home.
The Alternative: Bike Hire
If the event is a bucket-list sportive rather than your A-race, hiring a bike at the destination eliminates the entire transport problem. Modern hire fleets from quality shops in Girona, Mallorca, and across the Dolomites stock Cervelo, Specialized, Trek, Pinarello, and Canyon in a full range of sizes. A week's hire for a current-model carbon road bike runs EUR150-300 depending on the shop and the spec.
The trade-off is fit. A hired bike will not be your bike. You can close the gap by bringing your own saddle, pedals, shoes, and any custom fit components — stem length, handlebar width — and having the shop set the bike up before you ride. For a Gran Fondo where finishing is the goal, this is more than adequate. For a race where you need the bike to feel invisible under you, bring your own.
Travel Fatigue and Jet Lag
Fitness does not travel well. The Australian Institute of Sport published extensive research on travel fatigue and athletic performance, and the data is clear: crossing two or more time zones degrades endurance performance by 3-5% for up to 72 hours. That is not a small number. For a rider with an FTP of 280W, a 5% deficit is 14 watts — the difference between riding comfortably in a group and hanging on by your fingernails.
The performance hit comes from three sources: sleep disruption, dehydration, and circadian rhythm misalignment. Each one is fixable if you plan for it.
Sleep Strategy
Start adjusting your sleep schedule three days before departure. If you are travelling east (UK to continental Europe, or east coast US to Europe), shift your bedtime 30 minutes earlier each night. If travelling west, shift later. This is a small adjustment but it means you arrive with your body clock already partway to the new time zone.
On the flight, sleep if you can. An eye mask, earplugs, and a neck pillow are not optional extras for a red-eye to Palma. Avoid screens in the last hour before you try to sleep. Melatonin (0.5-1mg, taken 30 minutes before your target sleep time in the destination time zone) is well-supported by evidence for shifting circadian rhythm — Dr Greg Roach at CQUniversity has published extensively on this in the context of athletic travel.
On arrival, get outside in natural light as soon as possible. Light is the single strongest signal for resetting your body clock. A gentle spin in the morning sun does more for your jet lag than anything else.
Hydration During Flights
Cabin humidity sits at 10-20%, roughly the same as the Sahara. You lose moisture through breathing and skin without noticing it. The standard recommendation is 500ml of water per flight hour, above and beyond what the airline serves you. A two-hour flight from London to Mallorca needs a full litre. A transatlantic crossing needs three to four litres.
Avoid alcohol entirely on the flight. It compounds dehydration, disrupts sleep quality, and impairs recovery from travel fatigue. Save the beer for after the race. Limit caffeine too — one coffee on boarding is fine, but three espressos during a red-eye will wreck your sleep attempt.
The 48-Hour Minimum
For any event abroad, arrive at least 48 hours before the start. This gives you time to rebuild your bike, do a shakedown ride, register for the event, pre-ride key sections, eat normally, and sleep two full nights in the destination. For events across two or more time zones, extend that to 72 hours. For events at altitude, you need longer still — more on that below.
The riders who arrive the evening before and line up on three hours of sleep are the ones you will pass at kilometre 80. Travel fitness is free speed.
Where You Are Going: Three Destination Profiles
Girona
More World Tour professionals live within ten kilometres of Girona's cathedral than in any other city on earth. That fact alone tells you what the roads are like. Every route that leaves the city is good — quiet, well-surfaced, and connected to a network that covers everything from flat river paths along the Ter to the brutal gradients of Rocacorba and Els Angels.
The cycling infrastructure is mature. Bike shops, mechanics, cafes that understand why you want to eat at 6:30am before a long ride, physios who speak cyclist, hire fleets that are current-model and well-maintained. The full Girona guide covers the detail, but the short version is this: if you are going to ride or race in Catalunya, build extra days around it. The riding justifies the trip on its own.
The weather window is March through early June and September through November. October is the locals' favourite — mid-twenties, the vines turning, empty roads after the tourist season. July and August are too hot for serious training unless you start at dawn.
We run training camps in Girona in October — Road and Gravel, back-to-back, from a private farmhouse near Lake Banyoles. Sixteen riders per camp. If you want to experience the riding with a group that takes it seriously without taking themselves too seriously, that is the place.
Mallorca
Mallorca is the spring training Mecca of European cycling. The island draws tens of thousands of cyclists every year between February and May, and again in September and October. The appeal is simple: consistent sunshine, a concentrated mountain range (the Serra de Tramuntana) with world-class climbs, flat coastal roads for recovery rides, and an infrastructure built around cycling tourism.
The signature climbs — Sa Calobra, Puig Major, Cap de Formentor, Coll de Soller — are among the most photographed in cycling. Sa Calobra in particular, with its corkscrew descent to the sea and the brutal return, is a ride every cyclist should do once. The Mallorca 312 is the island's flagship sportive: 312km and 5,000m of climbing in a single day.
The weather window is February through May and September through October. January can be rideable but cold and wet. Mid-summer is too hot for the Pla (the central plain), though early mornings in the mountains are still pleasant. Late April is the sweet spot — warm enough for arm warmers only, dry, and the roads are busy with training camps but not yet overrun.
If you are racing or riding a sportive in Mallorca, arrive early and pre-ride the opening section. Road surfaces change character on the island — the main TM-1 highway through the Tramuntana is smooth, but the back roads to Cap de Formentor can be rough, and the Pla roads after kilometre 200 of the 312 are a different surface entirely. Know what is under your wheels before you are racing on them.
The Dolomites
The Dolomites are dramatic in a way that Mallorca and Girona are not. The passes are higher, the gradients are steeper, the descents are more technical, and the views are absurd. This is mountain cycling at its most beautiful and its most demanding.
The flagship event is the Maratona dles Dolomites — 138km and 4,230m of climbing across seven Dolomite passes, held annually in early July. Approximately 30,000 people enter the lottery for 9,000 places. If you get a slot, treat it as an A-race regardless of your ambitions. The altitude (multiple passes above 2,000m), the gradient (several sustained sections at 10-12%), and the descents (fast, technical, and crowded) demand respect and preparation.
The key difference from Mallorca and Girona is altitude. The Maratona crosses the Passo Giau at 2,236m, the Passo Valparola at 2,192m, and the Passo Campolongo at 1,875m. At 2,000m, your sustainable power drops by roughly 3-6% compared to sea level. If you have trained exclusively at low altitude, that deficit is real and you will feel it on the third pass, not the first.
Accommodation in the Dolomites books early for summer events. Corvara, Arabba, and Canazei are the most common bases for the Maratona. Bike hire is available but the fleets are smaller than in Mallorca or Girona — book well in advance. The roads are immaculate (Italian mountain roads are maintained to a high standard) but the descents have tight switchbacks, narrow tunnels, and occasionally wet patches in the shade even on dry days.
Altitude Acclimatisation
If your event crosses passes above 1,500m, altitude is a variable you need to plan for. Below 1,500m, the performance impact is negligible for most riders. Above that threshold, the numbers start to matter.
How Altitude Affects Power
Dr Randall Wilber at the United States Olympic Committee has published some of the most cited research on altitude and endurance performance. The broad consensus: VO2max decreases by approximately 6-7% per 1,000m of altitude gain above 1,500m. Sustainable power output drops by roughly 1-3% per 1,000m, depending on individual physiology and acclimatisation status.
At the top of the Passo Giau (2,236m), a rider with a sea-level FTP of 280W might find their sustainable power closer to 260-270W. That is not a catastrophic deficit, but if your pacing strategy was built around 280W at sea level, you will overcook the early passes and pay for it later.
The Acclimatisation Window
Meaningful altitude acclimatisation takes 5-7 days at the target altitude. During this period, your body increases red blood cell production, improves oxygen extraction efficiency, and adjusts ventilatory response. Arriving five days before a mountain sportive and riding easy at altitude each day is the gold standard.
If you cannot arrive a week early — and most amateur cyclists cannot — simulated altitude at home can bridge part of the gap. Altitude tents, hypoxic generators, or even a hypoxic mask during indoor trainer sessions can provide a partial stimulus. The evidence, covered in detail in our altitude training guide, suggests that 10-14 days of simulated altitude exposure (sleeping or training) produces measurable changes in haemoglobin mass and oxygen-carrying capacity. The practical minimum is five sessions of 60-90 minutes at simulated altitudes of 2,500-3,000m in the two weeks before travel.
Practical Adjustments
If you arrive at altitude without full acclimatisation:
- Drop your pacing targets by 5-8% for the first two days at altitude. Use RPE and heart rate rather than power alone — your power-to-RPE relationship shifts at altitude.
- Hydrate aggressively. Fluid losses increase at altitude due to lower humidity and increased respiration rate.
- Expect disrupted sleep for the first two nights. This is normal. Melatonin helps. Alcohol makes it worse.
- Increase carbohydrate intake. Your body relies more heavily on glycogen at altitude because carbohydrate metabolism requires less oxygen per calorie than fat oxidation.
Heat Acclimatisation
A July sportive in Mallorca or a summer race in the Dolomites can mean start-line temperatures above 30°C. Heat degrades endurance performance faster than almost any other environmental factor — cardiac output shifts toward skin cooling, core temperature rises, glycogen burns faster, and RPE climbs at the same wattage.
Pre-Departure Heat Protocol
Start 10-14 days before you travel. The protocol is simple and miserable:
- Ride your indoor trainer in a warm room with the fan off or on its lowest setting. Wear an extra layer. The target is to raise your skin and core temperature and sustain it for 45-60 minutes.
- Start at Zone 2 and reduce your power targets by 10%. Your heart rate will be elevated at the same wattage — that is the point.
- Progress over the two weeks. By day 10, you should be doing structured sessions with intervals in the warm room with power targets approaching normal.
- Hydrate with sodium-loaded fluid during and after these sessions. 500-700mg of sodium per litre of fluid.
Even five days of this protocol produces measurable adaptations: earlier onset of sweating, increased sweat rate, expanded plasma volume, and lower resting core temperature. Dr Santiago Lorenzo's research at the University of Oregon showed that heat acclimatisation improved time-trial performance by roughly 7% in hot conditions — and also improved performance by about 5% in cool conditions, likely through plasma volume expansion.
On Arrival
Ride easy in the local conditions for the first two days. Short spins of 60-90 minutes in the heat of the day, not at dawn when it is cool. You want the thermal exposure. Increase your fluid intake to 800-1,000ml per hour during rides in temperatures above 30°C. Add 500-700mg of sodium per litre — a pinch of table salt in your bottle or a commercial electrolyte mix.
On race day, pre-cool with ice in your jersey pockets, a cold towel on the back of your neck, and a slushy drink in the final 30 minutes before the start. Lower your starting core temperature and you buy yourself an extra 15-20 minutes before the heat penalty kicks in.
Travel Nutrition
The flight and the first 24 hours at your destination are where most riders sabotage their race week without realising it. Travel nutrition is not about performance — it is damage control.
On the Flight
- Hydrate. 500ml per flight hour, minimum. Carry a refillable bottle through security and fill it at a water fountain before boarding. Do not rely on the cabin crew.
- Eat familiar, carbohydrate-rich, easily digestible food. Sandwiches, rice cakes, fruit, energy bars. Nothing adventurous. Nothing greasy. Nothing you have never eaten before.
- Avoid large meals. Digestion slows at altitude and in the dry cabin environment. Small, frequent snacks work better than a big airport meal.
- Limit caffeine. One coffee is fine. Three will dehydrate you and disrupt the sleep you need when you land.
- No alcohol. Full stop. Save it for after the race.
On Arrival
Eat a normal meal at local meal times, even if your body clock says it is 3am. This is one of the strongest signals for resetting your circadian rhythm. Choose familiar foods — pasta, rice, bread, eggs, vegetables. If you have travelled to a country with unfamiliar cuisine, find the closest thing to your normal pre-ride meals and eat that.
Do not experiment with local food until after the event. The Catalan seafood in Girona is exceptional. The mountain hut goulash in the Dolomites is worth the trip. Eat all of it — after you have crossed the finish line.
Race-Week Nutrition
The single most important rule: nothing new on race day. Not a new gel brand from the expo. Not a new breakfast cereal from the hotel buffet. Not a local energy drink you have never tried. Your gut does not care that you are in a beautiful foreign country — it cares about familiarity and predictability under stress.
Pack your own race nutrition in your suitcase. Gels, bars, drink mix, your preferred breakfast items if you are particular. I pack porridge oats, a small bag of brown sugar, and a handful of bananas bought at the airport on arrival. That is breakfast sorted regardless of what the hotel offers.
For in-ride fuelling, carry everything you need on the bike. Feed stations at foreign sportives will stock products you may not have tested. Use them for water only. Your gels, your bars, your drink mix — all from home, all tested in training.
Pre-Event Logistics
The 48 hours before the event are about removing uncertainty. Every question you answer before race morning is one less thing competing for mental bandwidth when the gun goes.
Registration and Number Collection
Most European sportives require in-person registration and number collection the day before. Check the event website for registration hours — they are often limited (14:00-18:00 is common) and the queues can be long. Some events require a medical certificate or a race licence. Italian sportives in particular often require a certificato medico — a medical certificate confirming your fitness to compete. Check the requirements months before travel, not the week before.
Pre-Ride the Opening Kilometres
This is non-negotiable for any event in an unfamiliar location. Ride the first 10-20km of the course at an easy pace the day before. You are looking for:
- Road surface quality. Potholes, rough patches, gravel sections, drain covers.
- Roundabout directions. You ride on the right in continental Europe. If you normally ride on the left, the instinct to go left at a roundabout does not disappear overnight. Practise it at low speed.
- Descent profiles. Tight corners, tunnel entrances, shade patches that might be damp. Descending at 60km/h on an unfamiliar road in a group of 500 riders is not the time to discover a blind hairpin.
- Key junctions. Where does the route turn? Is it well-signed? Where are the feed stations?
If the full course is accessible, ride any section that worries you. If the event has a notable descent — and events in the Dolomites, the Tramuntana, and the routes around Girona's Mare de Deu del Mont all do — ride it at least once before race day.
Local Rules
Cycling laws vary by country. In Spain, you must wear a helmet outside urban areas (inside urban areas it is optional for adults). In Italy, you must carry lights if riding in tunnels or poor visibility. In France, a high-vis vest is mandatory if riding outside built-up areas at night or in poor visibility. Most sportives will brief you on local rules at registration, but know the basics before you arrive.
Check which side of the road you will be riding on. Check whether the course is closed to traffic or open. Check weather forecasts daily in the final week and adjust your clothing plan accordingly. Mountain weather changes fast — the start in Corvara at 1,568m might be 22°C, but the top of the Giau at 2,236m could be 8°C with wind.
The International Cycling Travel Checklist
Bike and tools:
- Bike case (hard or soft, plus internal padding)
- Pedals in a labelled bag
- Multi-tool, tyre levers, chain tool
- Two spare inner tubes (even if tubeless — you need a backup)
- Mini pump and two CO2 canisters
- Disc rotor spacers (if applicable)
- Spare derailleur hanger (match your frame — these are frame-specific and rarely available abroad)
- Chain lube (small bottle)
- Torque wrench or torque key for carbon components
Kit:
- Helmet
- Two pairs of cycling shoes (if you have them — one pair minimum)
- Race clothing for the event, plus a spare jersey
- Arm warmers, knee warmers, gilet — even for warm destinations, mountain descents are cold
- Sunscreen (minimum SPF 30, sweat-resistant)
- Chamois cream
- Rain jacket (lightweight, packable)
Nutrition:
- Race-day gels, bars, and drink mix — enough for the event plus two training rides
- Porridge oats or your standard breakfast items
- Electrolyte tablets or sodium supplements
- Refillable water bottle for the flight
Admin:
- Passport and travel insurance documents
- Event registration confirmation
- Medical certificate or race licence (if required)
- Accommodation confirmation
- Airport transfer details
- Local emergency number (112 across the EU)
- Travel adapter for charging
- Phone mount and route downloaded offline
Recovery:
- Foam roller (travel-size) or massage ball
- Compression socks for the flight home
- Basic first-aid kit (plasters, antiseptic, ibuprofen)
Bringing It Together
The gap between a good training block and a good race abroad is not fitness. It is planning. The rider who arrives 48 hours early with a bike built and checked, who has pre-ridden the opening kilometres, who has slept two proper nights, who eats familiar food and races on tested nutrition — that rider is already ahead of half the field before the gun goes, regardless of FTP.
Every problem in this guide has a solution. Most of those solutions cost nothing except forethought. Pack the spare derailleur hanger. Deflate the tyres before you close the case. Drink water on the flight. Sleep on local time when you land. Pre-ride the first descent. Eat porridge, not the mystery hotel buffet.
The world is full of events worth travelling for. The Maratona dles Dolomites across seven Italian passes. The Mallorca 312 through the Tramuntana. Any of the sportives that use the roads around Girona — the same roads the World Tour trains on year-round. These events do not just test your fitness. They test whether you can get yourself to the start line ready to use it.
If you are planning a trip abroad for an event and want to talk through the logistics with riders who have done it, the Roadman community on Skool is the place. People share packing lists, course recce notes, hire shop recommendations, and the kind of specific local knowledge that does not appear on event websites. If you are looking at Girona specifically, we run Road and Gravel camps there in October — six days of guided riding with a follow car, from a farmhouse near Lake Banyoles.
Your bike, your body, your logistics. Get all three right and the race takes care of itself.