Originally Posted by
poplid
I am 23 and in good overall shape. I swam competitively for 8 years and played waterpolo competitively in high school and college for 6 years. The longest I have ever ridden in one day was about 60 miles. Never have a really rode back to back long distance, to be honest i haven't cycled in 1 year besides the weekly spin class at my gym ha. I don't want to get burned out, but the struggle is half of the fun. I feel comfortable sleeping anywhere, I am very low maintenance when it comes to that. What scares me is the mechanics of the bike.
Well, it's still early autumn so the weather isn't too bad yet. I'd suggest getting out there and riding 5 days a week. Before too long, you'll be able to answer your own questions about riding gear and nutrition, etc. (Your questions 5 and 6).
Do some long rides back-to-back and see how you feel. Find food along the way in grocery stores and convenience stores ... you'll start to get an idea of how much a day's riding might cost you, and how much you need to eat. Get caught in the rain ... and then go check out Sierra Trading Post or REI or Performance or Nashbar for a rain jacket. Throw some things into a backpack and do an overnight ride, and then make a list of some other things you'd like to bring with you.
When you get a bicycle that you can pull a trailer with or put panniers on, head out for a long-weekend tour with more stuff that you might want to take. Then do a week-long tour.
Most of us did a lot of trial and error riding before embarking on our long tours. There is no one right bicycle, tent, sleeping mat, rain jacket etc. There are lots of choices and different people like different things for different reasons. And each time you go on a tour, you'll think of something else you should have brought with you, or discover that you didn't need all the stuff you brought, or perhaps figure that there has to be something better than what you've currently got.
And find a mechanics class. Some bicycle shops offer classes, and so do some universities/colleges, or cycletouring clubs. They'll range from an evening to multi-week classes.