Adventure Travel Tip: Washing Cycling Clothes

"Going on a cycling tour, and wondering how you are going to make your bike wardrobe last all week? Many hotels will only offer dry cleaning or will take 24 hours to wash your clothes, which can be a problem if you are moving to a new hotel.

The fabrics used to manufacture today's cycling clothes are very quick to dry, and I usually prefer to pack light and wash out my clothes every other day or so. It's quick and easy. Here's how:

Before departure, fill an empty 2 oz. travel bottle with liquid laundry detergent. When you shower after a day of riding, pour a bit of detergent on your bike clothes and throw them on the floor of the shower. As you wash, step on and move your bike clothes around in the water on the floor of the shower, making sure they are soaked through. As you finish showering, pick them up and rinse out any residual soap. Turn off the water, wring out your clothes, and drop them in the sink.

Lay out a bath towel on the floor and place your bike shirt out flat on the towel. Roll up the towel with the shirt inside, like a cigar. Step on the rolled up towel a few times—this will remove even more water from your shirt. Open the towel, take the shirt and hang it up. Repeat with the pants. They'll be dry by morning."

—Kathy Bechtel is Owner and Culinary Director of Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine, a small active tour company creating biking, skiing and hiking adventures for small groups in Northeastern Italy. We specialize in intimate and personalized tours that cater to guests of all levels, from beginners to experts. Kathy, in addition to being an avid cyclist and PSIA certified ski instructor, is a professionally trained chef, wine enthusiast, food blogger and has been traveling to Italy and teaching Italian cooking classes for over 10 years.