Originally Posted by LeeG

Ethan, looks like you got great bikes. $.02 is to take it easy and always leave some fuel in the tank every day,especially in the first week. I had quite a few short tours by the time I was 23 then whacked the hell out of my knee in a ski accident. Seven months later I toured from Utah to Colorado. As long as I started the day out easy I had choices but if I hammered my knee would act up and the day was spent recovering on the bike. If I rode too hard and long one day the next day was short and the recovery was off the bike.
I'm sure you've been warned about overuse injuries, a young coworker screwed up his knees going out and hammering everyday on an unloaded bike, the same can happen riding successive days where the peak effort isn't high but the cumulative effort is. When I came back from that trip I joined a racing club. What I found out in touring and racing is that significant changes in fitness took time and that planned recovery was as important as planned effort. To be stronger at the end of a month required a couple rest days a week, on or off the bike.
You and your brother might have different cycles of feeling strong and needing recovery so it's worth making room for that, sometimes one doesn't know they need a break until someone else mentions it.