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The method

Splitting a route into stages.

Splitting a route means spreading the total distance across achievable days, then moving every day’s end onto a real place to sleep. Elevation weighs as much as distance: 1,000 metres of climbing is worth roughly 30 kilometres of flat.

By Paul Sokol · Updated 17 September 2026 · Where these figures come from

The steps

  1. Set a realistic daily distance

    Start from what you already ride in a day, unloaded, and take off a quarter. A loaded bike easily costs 20% of your average speed.

  2. Convert elevation into kilometres

    A simple, robust rule: 1,000 metres of climbing tires you as much as 30 km of flat. A 60 km stage with 1,200 m of gain is therefore worth about 96 km of valley riding.

  3. Make a rough first cut

    Divide the corrected distance by your daily distance. This first cut is deliberately crude: it only tells you how many nights to look for.

  4. Move each stage end onto a real place to sleep

    The step everyone skips, and the one that decides the trip. A stage ending 8 km from the first campsite is not a 70 km stage but a 78 km one.

  5. Allow a spare day every five days

    Weather, a puncture, a bad day, or simply wanting to stay. Without slack, the first surprise collapses the rest of the plan.

  6. Keep a fallback on every stage

    A second place within 10 km of the first. Five minutes of preparation, and no hunting for shelter after dark.

Benchmarks from real routes

The 74 routes Halta has split give concrete benchmarks for daily distance, by difficulty. These are indicative splits, computed on the real tracks.

Average distance and elevation per stage on Halta’s cycling routes, by difficulty.
LevelRoutesKm per stageElevation per stage
easy2344 km283 m
moderate1661 km441 m
hard1759 km1 050 m

On foot the orders of magnitude change completely: across the 18 walking routes in the catalogue, the average stage is 22 km for 462 m of ascent. The breakdown by route is on the routes page.

The three classic mistakes

  • Splitting into equal parts. Terrain is not evenly distributed: four 70 km stages can be four very different days.
  • Ignoring the prevailing wind. On a coastal route, riding the Atlantic north to south or the reverse is not the same effort.
  • Ending a stage in a large city. Attractive on the map, often grim in practice: a long crossing, expensive accommodation and a difficult exit next morning.

Frequently asked questions

How many kilometres a day on a cycle tour?

Across the 56 cycling routes Halta has split, the average stage is 55 km. Between 50 and 80 km a day suits most loaded travellers; beyond that, the trip becomes a performance.

How do you account for elevation in a stage?

A simple, robust rule: 1,000 metres of climbing tires you as much as 30 kilometres of flat. A 60 km stage with 1,200 m of ascent is therefore worth about 96 km of valley riding.

Should stages be set around accommodation?

Yes, and it is the decisive point. A stage ending 8 km from the nearest place to sleep is not a 70 km stage but a 78 km one, and those 8 kilometres land at the worst moment of the day.

How many rest days should you plan?

About one spare day every five. It absorbs the weather, the puncture, the bad day or the wish to stay somewhere. Without slack, the first surprise brings the whole plan down.

Does Halta split a route automatically?

Yes. Import a GPX or pick one of the 74 prepared routes: Halta splits it into achievable stages, with the distance and elevation of each, and shows the places to sleep around every stage end.

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