How do I differentiate the difficulty levels?

The level of difficulty of the tour may reflect the participant’s required fitness level, his or her ability to handle a road bike and a certain amount of prior cycling experience.

Fitness levels:

EASY

0 – 50KM per day / 0 – 2 Hours per day / 0 – 500M Elevation

At this level, only the most basic skills are required. Almost anyone who is in good health can participate. What you can expect from the ride:

You will ride for no more than two hours a day on average with breaks for rest and sightseeing. You can choose your pace and ride a little bit longer each day if you want to as these routes are not technically difficult.
Flat or moderately hilly terrain is common on most of these trips. If you don’t have to work hard up the hill, you won’t need any advanced bike handling skills on the way down.
Even though any type of bike can be used for an easy tour—including a road bike—many of these tours are ridden on touring bikes (and sometimes e-bikes) because they are more comfortable and easier to handle.

To summarise, even if you choose an easy tour, you must already be able to ride a bike. Easy tours can range from smooth gliding on flat roads to some effort, even if they’re still considered simple routes.

MEDIUM

50-75 KM per day / 2-3 Hours per day / 500-1,000M Elevation per day

This level of cycling is more advanced, but it’s still accessible to a wide range of casual cyclists. What you can expect:

At least two and a half hours spent on the bike each day. Some days you’ll be riding for more than an hour without taking a break (though most of the time it’s fine to do so). You’ll still have plenty of time to rest, refuel, and stretch your legs throughout the day.
While the terrain on medium-sized tours is often difficult to traverse, it is generally accompanied by days that are easier. You can expect to gain 500-1,000 metres of elevation in a single day while riding through the mountains. However you won’t see the monstrous climbs you see on some races.
You should have a good amount of stamina, but you will be able to take it easy and not be expected to exert yourself too much.
Road bikes (or any other specialised bike, such as gravel or MTB) are used on all tours in this category. It is highly recommended that you use cycling shoes that can clip into your pedals.
We recommend having experience on a bike, so your handling skills are adequate enough. But nothing out of the ordinary.

To summarise, even if you choose a medium level tour, you will need to be able to ride a bike before starting. Medium tours can range from smooth gliding on flat roads to some effort, and will include elevation.

DIFFICULT

75-100KM per day / 3-4 Hours per day / 1,000-2,000M Elevation per day

On hard level tours, we often see riders who have been riding for a few years and have a good level of fitness. What you can expect:

You should expect to ride for between three and five hours each day, and possibly even more (depending on your pace). Long rides, especially those involving strenuous ascents, require a high level of physical stamina.
It is common for such excursions to take place at higher altitudes. You can expect to gain between 1,000 and 2,000 metres of elevation per day, but not every day will be as difficult. Occasionally, you’ll encounter a single ascent that requires you to climb more than a thousand metres! If you need to, you can take a breather and slow down.
You must have quite advanced bike handling skills and be able to ride a bike down mountain roads and make sharp turns.
It’s all about endurance—how long you can pedal before you get too tired. Sprinting power is not as important as you might think.

To summarise, in order to join rides of this level, riders must have previous experience. You must know how to ride a bike and you also know how to fuel your body for your workout (food is the main key to endurance).

VERY HARD

100+KM per day / 4+ Hours per day / 2,000+M Elevation per day

This is an expert level where you need tremendous stamina and very advanced bike handling skills. These tours are not for the faint hearted.

On very hard level tours, we often see riders who have been riding for a number of years and have a high level of fitness. What to expect:

You should expect to ride for between five and six hours each day, and possibly more (depending on your pace). Long rides, especially those involving strenuous ascents, require a high level of physical stamina.
It is common for such excursions to take place at higher altitudes. You can expect to gain between 1,000 and 2,000 metres of elevation per day, but not every day will be this difficult. Occasionally, you’ll encounter a single climb that requires you to climb more than 1000 metres! But you can always slow down and take a breather if you need to.
Your bike handling skills must be at a high level and you must be able to ride a bike down mountain roads and make sharp turns.
It’s all about endurance and high intensity—how long you can pedal before you get too tired. Sprinting power isn’t as important as you might think, but we welcome healthy competition and a sprint finish on the summits.

To summarise, in order to join rides of this level, riders must have ample experience. You must know how to ride a bike well and how to fuel your body for your workout (food is the main key to endurance).