Mountain biking and cycling abroad: what is it, why do it, and where is the best place to go?

What is cycling abroad?

Cycling is riding a bike or bicycle, either with or without electrical support.
Cycling can be done as a sport or as a way of transportation.
Depending on the terrain, you can use a mountain bike, a city bike, a racing bike or gravel bike.

Cycling can be practiced as a sport, as a means of transportation, or as an experience in its own right.
By choosing a bike over a car or bus to discover the landscape or city you will become more aware of your surrounding.
By choosing a bike over walking or hiking, you will be able to cover a larger area in the same time.
Cycling is a healthy way of traveling, only under very hot or smoggy conditions it might be healthier to choose another way of transport.
When cycling you have a higher chance to get in contact with locals then when you use motorized transportation.

Per country and per city there is a big difference in the way people treat cyclists both when riding as when you're having a rest or are looking for a place to sleep.
Cycling infrastructure may be great (the Netherlands, Denmark), reasonable (Austria, Belgium) or absent (most countries).
In mountainous regions, infrastructure for mountain bikes is sometimes better than for road cycling.
When renting a bike, your equipment can be far from optimal, but when something breaks, someone will be there to fix the bike.
When you travel long distances on your own bike, you will probably be self-dependent for repairing your bike. Bike repair stores can be a long way out in many countries.
Bring a good lock; don't leave important or valuable goods on your bike when your bike is out of your sight.

Cars and other motorized vehicles are the biggest danger in traffic when cycling.
On the countryside, dogs and stray dogs can be aggressive towards cyclists.
In several countries in Africa and the Middle East, kids like to throw rocks at cyclists.
Falling, because of bad roads or harsh weather conditions, can be quite dangerous.
Riding a bike on a long sunny road without enough shade holds the risk of overheating or heavy sun burn.
Smog and traffic exhaust fumes can ruin some of the fun of cycling in the city, a face mask can lower health risks, but some days not-cycling is a wiser choice.

Taipei, Taiwan
Singapore
Kyoto, Japan
Hoi An, Vietnam
Fez and Marrakech, Morocco
Bogotá, Colombia; at 2,600 meter, so take some time to acclimatize before riding a bike
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Santiago, Chile
Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla, Spain - better avoid hot summer days
Porto, Portugal
Italian cities like: Milan, Torino and Verona