First Bike Tour...( The Titletown Bike Tour )
 

On the 17th I plan on doing my first bike tour. I don't know which mileage I want to do yet. It will either be the 15k or 35k. So far the farthest I have gone at a time is a bit over 11 miles. The course isn't very hilly so I am thinking about going for the 35k and challenging myself. I still have a week and a half left to prepare, so I am hoping that will be enough time to get ready.

Do you guys think that would be a good goal for myself or should I just do the 15k? Today was a major let down because of how humid it was. I didn't get much of a ride in at all. Kind of blew my self-confidence... :(

Kiwikat, I'm used to high humidity and if it's normal for your area you will need to work with it. Plan on the 35 K ride. Even if you have to stop three or four times completing it will be a wonderful psych boost.

Brad

I agree. If you've done 11 miles (about 17km) before and you were OK, you can do the 35km ride with food, water, and breaks. Don't go too hard from the start and you'll be fine. Enjoy!

I agree with the others, 35K definitely. Pace yourself,
and worse case scenario just bail out if you can't finish.
No one's going to crucify you :D Try to ride every other
day at least. Drink plenty of fluids. Let us know how it
goes.............

Thanks for the support guys, I'll go for the 35k. :)

Tonight's ride was great, way better than yesterday's. I really need some gloves though. My hands are getting tired of going numb.

It took me a couple of times reading your original post but I think I understand the situation now. By "first tour" I was assuming you were packing up camping gear, loading up your bike and heading out on a trek. I couldn't figure out why you would only be going 15K for a "tour". It doesn't sound like that is what you are going to be doing. Is this an organized ride? (These are commonly called "Charity" rides since they usually are done in support of some charitable cause. Typically you pay an entry fee and ride your distance. You get a T-Shirt and some other junk/swag) If so I would say go for the 35K.

On every one of these type rides I have done there has been a rest area at about each 10 mile interval. You can stop and take a break, have some type of snack (bananas, oranges, cookies seem to be the common fare) get water/sports drinks, refill your water bottle, hit the porta-potty. At the finish line there will be more snack/refreshments.

A 35K ride is just a bit over 21 miles. So, you would probably do about 10 miles, hit a rest area, do the rest of your distance. Since you have done essentially half your total distance already, and you have a couple of weeks left to "train", you should have no trouble with the 35K. As has been said before, don't go too hard at first. The start of these things tends to be a *bit* chaotic--lots of people in a small space all trying to head out at once. Keep your head on a swivel, (keep looking around to see who is about to hit you) and try to give yourself space as best you can. It wouldn't hurt to start out near or at the back of the herd to avoid the biggest mass of folks. You can always start working your way past slower traffic once things thin out a bit.

Just got back from the ride!

Went much better than I had expected. Did 21.5 miles in 92 minutes. I was shooting for 10-15 minutes more than that, so I'm satisfied. Next year I'll be ready to do a lot more. :)

More info on the ride can be found on my blog if interested: http://ridewithkiwikat.blogspot.com/2011/07/71711.html

Slow down next year and take some pics.

Haha you're probably right. Next year I'll be dragging my 50D along. :)

Congrats on the miles.