Thanks for the suggestions,
to answers your questions; I am a beginner who only rides a few hours a week. I can easily ride for an hour and average about 25km/h spinning in an easy gear. Although, speed isn't a huge issue given that my ride partner on our trip will be riding a hybrid with panniers and I will only have a small backpack and be riding a Giant Tcr 2 composite- although to be fair he weights 50kilos and I weight 80. Will it matter if I do a lot of weight training and long endurance work concurrently, since as far as I understand it, is important to train with weights to address muscle imbalances and postural problems(weak inner range of glutes, weak core, hamstring and tibialis anterior weakness etc...) caused through cycling, even if it might not improve your cycling to a great extent. Also, is it worth taking something like echinacea on long trips to boost your immune system?
Any thoughts appreciated!