Tour Difficulty Ratings​

In all our Cycling tours we follow the Adventure Cycling Association rating system

Difficulty Ratings

When deciding on your tour, it’s important to keep in mind that our difficulty ratings are relative to the trips that we offer, as it can be somewhat challenging to come up with a comprehensive rating system that applies to every rider.

On our trips, every participant rides at his or her own pace, so you’ll generally have all day to complete the distance – with an average of 3 to 6 hrs of total riding. Slower riders (or those planning on lots of photo ops!) can always use our support vehicle to catch up while those opting to zip through the miles may linger over coffee. Typically, folks who ride at a similar pace end up as riding buddies sharing each day’s ride.

Although our supported tours are accompanied by vehicles that are available for your use should you find the going too tough, we strongly encourage each tour participant to come prepared to complete each day’s ride.

If you have any questions or want to discuss any tour in more detail, please feel free to send us at info@cyclingjordan.com

Technical DifficultyThis rating is relevant to our dirt-based tours, referring specifically to bike-handling skills. Most paved and many dirt/gravel roads don’t require any special technical handling skills — if you are comfortable on your bicycle, you’ll be comfortable on the tour. However, some of our rougher-road or singletrack backcountry tours do require a higher degree of technical riding ability.

Easy to Moderate

Characterized by travel mostly on hard-packed dirt roads and trails, Easy to Moderate Technical Difficulty tours can typically be ridden on a rigid bike with a tire width of 35–42mm. This technical rating may also be applied to tours with mixed paved/dirt surfaces.

Moderate

Characterized by travel mostly on dirt roads and trails, Moderate Technical Difficulty tours ride on roads and trails that contain sections of loose gravel, soft dirt, or ruts. Riders will find more comfort on mountain bikes with front suspension or rigid bikes with plus-size (3 in. wide) tires. These rides may feature sections with singletrack options.

Moderate to Difficult

Characterized by travel on dirt roads, trails, and two-track, Moderate to Difficult tours ride in more remote areas and challenging terrain. Climbs and descents on loose gravel are typically in the 2–6% grade range, and sections of singletrack are available. Hardtail mountain bikes with front suspension and good tire tread are recommended.

Difficult

Characterized by travel on dirt roads, trails, doubletrack, and singletrack. Difficult tours ride in remote areas and challenging terrain. Climbs and descents on loose gravel can be greater than 6%, and sections of singletrack are typically part of the route. Hardtail mountain bikes with front suspension and a good tire tread are recommended