There are different ways to categorize bikepacking tours. They can be guided/organized and unguided/unorganized. Guided tours are organized by experience riders or tour companies. The guidance provided can be leaders riding with you, paper or digital maps, and other information about the routes, meals, lodging and sightseeing. They planned the routes, lodging and meals for each day. The guided tours are on fixed dates. Sometimes they require a minimum number of participants to “go”. Otherwise, they would cancel a tour and reschedule. The guided/organized tours may last for days to months. They can be anywhere in the world. You need to pay a fee to join a tour.
Guided tours can be supported or selfsustained (self-supported). There are different support levels. At the basic level, support van(s) would follow riders in case they have mechanic or physical issues. Sometimes they carry kitchenware to cook meals. A fully supported tour would haul luggage for you. On self-supported tours, you carry your own stuff in your bike bags, and you take care of your own meals and lodging (either in hotel or camping).
The other way to categorized bike tours is how to spend your nights. It can be “In to In” – you stay in hotel every night, camping, or their combinations.
Unguided/unorganized tours are by definition self-supported. You are on your own for everything, even if you ride in a group. Family members and close friends may share certain gears to reduce the weight to carry. Riders may ask for companions on unguided tours. Local bike clubs, social media, and cycling websites are usual places for such information. A big issue of riding with others is the pace. My experience was waiting for others who are slower than you all the time is really a test of your patient. And I for sure don’t want to be waited by others all the time. A very experienced bikepacking rider, Ellen Gugel, offered me many invaluable advices. One is to open discuss with your family, friends, and strangers before a self-supported long-distance group ride about separations on the trip due to any possible reason. This would make you mentally prepared when such separations becomes inevitable and all involved would know what to do. I did with my tour buddy before the coast-to-coast trip. On the trip we did separate and each of us rode in solo mostly for the rest of the trip (see Journals, Day 9 and 10 August 11 and 12 Rest in Othello).
A third way to categorize bike tours is according to their surface conditions: road (paved), gravel, or mountain. They require different types of bikes and skills. Van support for road tours and gravel tours may follow riders on the road. For mountain bike tours, they meet riders at the end of ride each day. Camping can be done for all three but may be the only lodging option for gravel and mountain bike tours.
An organized tour can be easy, moderate, or difficult in terms of daily distance and climbing and the duration of the entire tour.
Most bike tours are in dry season. Ride in the rain is no fun. Camping in the rain is a pain. There are bike tours in winter with snow.
The coast-to-coast trip I did was self-supported with paved/unpaved roads/trails and hotel/camping combinations.
I will cover mainly self-supported rides in the rest of Bike Tour 101.
Chidong Zhang's WA2MA Bike Trip 