Paravia

No cycling today, first time I skip a day in a year . I felt SO exhausted last night, after my nearly 40 miles ride, that I really did not feel like cycling today. I appreciate all your encouragement but probably 'touring' is not for me.... However, I will try again a 40 miles/day but instead of doing the ride in 3 1/2 hours (like yesterday) I will dedicate an entire afternoon to it. (This way though my average speed will be much lower than usual, which is already quite low and apparently not what touring requires... very confused lol ).

bhchdh 

Go for it. What is the worst that can happen ? Succeed or fail either way you will have stories to tell at the pub.

veganbikes

Just go for it. Take as much time as you want, Go as far as you choose and just have fun. There are no hard and fast rules about touring, some people can do a century each day and feel great, some people would rather stick to 20 miles and maybe relax more and see more sights. Tour how you want to tour and if someone doesn't like they can show us how it's done and we will continue doing it how we like. Take rest days and spend some time in different towns and cities. You don't have to ride every single day nor do you have to follow a schedule.


“I never really had a good reason to quit other than ‘this sucks,’ which isn’t good enough.” -Sean McCoy GearJunkie.com

jefnvk

Nope. Tis exactly what I am doing, albeit I'm not 58.

Got it in my head after a layover in Amsterdam last year I wanted to do a bike tour. Never have done a bike tour, let alone a weekend ride, let alone really a full day ride. My rides average 15-25 miles on average, with 45 or so being the longest I've done in a day. I'm tossing the bikes on a plane next Friday and going from Brussels to Amsterdam over five and a half days. I'll have between 35 and 50 miles a day, at a very leisurely pace of all day to do it, focusing far more on the things around me than on the bike itself. The girlfriend loved the fact that they have segregated cycling infrastructure there, so that is where we ended up deciding on.

The bike I'm taking is still a bare frame on the repair rack, I've got a grand total of two laps around my apartment complex on it. Hopefully it'll be fitted together tonite, and at best I'll have 60 miles on it before it is ripped apart again and put in a box. I just, as of a few minutes ago, sorted out first night's accommodation, and the rest will probably be done on the fly. None of this is unusual for me while traveling (other than the taking a bike with me, that's new). I've put more thought into the breweries I want to hit than any sort of actual route or accommodation planning.

So no, I don't think it is nuts, it is practically modus operandi for me

Doug64

Last summer my wife rode 2000 miles through 7 European countries. She was followed by a 72-year old, old fart, who did not seem to slow her down too much. We have done close to 16,000 miles of loaded bike touring in the last 9 years, including a 3700 mile ride across the U.S., and through 11 countries. My point is not to brag, but to show you that there are a lot of places to see after you turn 60.

This summer (next month) we are planning an 1800 mile ride from Jasper, Alberta, Canada to Winnipeg, and then south to Fargo, North Dakota to catch the train home. It will be the second leg toward our goal of riding across Canada.

I have a friend who crossed the U.S. last summer; it was his 10th crossing. He is my age.

There are places in Europe that are very easy cycling,e.g., The Netherlands, Rhine Route, and the Main River. Daily mileage is not that important; it is not a race. Once you get started riding steadily the mileage will pick up. There is no magic number for the miles/day on a tour. It is tour, stop and smell the roses.

Go for it. As the post above stated, "what's the worst that can happen?"

Caution: it can be addictive.

Leebo

It is not a race. You ride West of Ireland? Isn't that kind watery? Only you can decide what is right for you. Some have their gear/luggage shipped ahead to the hotel. Some camp( me) Some motel/warm showers/hostel. All one needs is to like to pedal and have a sense of adventure. Most of my touring days are 40-70 miles. Sometimes the riding takes 5 hours, sometimes 10. ( add headwinds, thunderstorms, detours and a washed out bridge) See above " sense of adventure" Meeting local people and seeing the countryside are nice. As well as good food. Start there.

Paravia

"what's the worst that can happen?" is that I might get into some serious trouble, being 58, alone and everything else.... not last my brain that thinks I am 22yo. I got into some health issues 6 years ago and I stopped cycling. But in June 2015 I restarted again, at first very gingerly, now 20+ miles every single day.
And now, this idea of the "bucket list/A Walk in the Woods" tour... I don't know sometimes it seems a smart thing to do, other times I think it's very moronic.
I know that - something bad happens - just load the bike on a bus/train and get back home, but that is not my character....

antokelly

WOW Doug brag all you like epic stuff

Doug64

So you don't go on a tour, and you will never know if "something bad happens" or not. So you don't go on a tour because it is not your nature to terminate the tour and take a train or bus if the situation warrants. The bottom line is that you talk yourself out of trying, and you will never know. You've "failed" to complete a tour before you even started.

I have always believed it is better regretting doing something (reasonable), rather than regret not doing it. The duration of feeling that regret is much shorter when I actually did something that didn't work out, than when I didn't do something and think about it for a long time.

The quote in my autograph box is by a woman, who cycled from Alaska through South America with her husband and 2 young sons. She had it right.

P.S. If "something" is going to happen, it will happen whether you are alone or or with someone. That same something could also happen to you regardless of location.

I don't mean to sound "preachy" but this is one topic that sort of hits my hot button. You should hear me get after my brother-in-law

Happy Feet

Context is everything. It sounds like you are very comfortable and experienced in fly by the seat of your pants travel and just adding a bicycle to this current trip. Not to knock it at all but juxtaposing your reality onto someone of differing experience and what seems like a very different tour plan is a good way to lead someone astray. Somehow I doubt anyone on this forum will drop what they are doing and go solve his problems should they occur so probably we shouldn't just tell him to "go for it" without thinking about his reality.


The all or nothing attitude is really a big stumbling block as far as touring goes. Stories like "A Walk in the Woods" and "The Wild" intrigue us because in retrospect they create a certain "feeling" and we think - I would like to have that feeling too. But the end feeling (which is far from guaranteed) is only one of a number of many a tour can produce. There is also frustration, boredom, regret, discomfort etc... which, if not rationalized or adjusted to, can end a tour before the end feeling of accomplishment is achieved.

Doing some small tours and seeing if you like the reality of touring is a practical way to mitigate many of those negative feelings by introducing them in a small way and learning to over come them. One of the best examples I can think of is the proverbial pain in the arse. Everybody gets it when they start out but some experience reduces the discomfort and teaches one strategies to overcome it. OTOH, setting out on a big tour with no experience can leave one pretty miserable within days and second guessing their ability to continue, especially if they can't see an end to the suffering in sight or on a bike that is set up wrong and a saddle that doesn't fit... again, all things that experience will illustrate. Basic experience teaches us this will occur both intellectually and in a physical body sense so we can work through it with even less discomfort (because we know it will end).

Some may say that such things are unnecessary and can be coped with on the road and of course that's true, if one is determined and dogged and resourceful. Or the cumulative effect of several small things can overwhelm a rider and cause them to pack the whole thing in because they have no experience dealing with them.

Unless the tour is costing you nothing - in which case what's the harm, why not be prudent? My upcoming tour is costing me all my annual holidays, which means no vacation with my wife or kids for a year and no break from work for me. It is costing me a bit in lost wages and more in plane fare, lodging and daily travel expenses along with a long absence from my family. Committing myself to it is fun and I hope rewarding but I feel I also owe it to my family to create the best circumstances for success and not squander all those resources by not planning anything. By that I don't mean routes or hotel rooms but basic stuff like how to fix my bike and knowing how my body will react to riding etc...

The only down side I can see to not spending a bit of time gradually exposing oneself to touring before a big trip is the ego stroke one imagines getting by saying they just dropped everything and did it on whimsy or as someone else said, the good story at the bar. I think everything said in a bar is BS anyway so...

jefnvk

He asked if it was a far-fetched idea. I informed him that to many of us, it is not. Not a single one of us can know anything about the guy, other than the paragraph he gave us. He could just as well be the most meticulous, prepared person in the world, and overly critical of his decision making, to which a bunch of "worry your butt off" could tell him to just give up. Short of some catastrophic, rather unforeseeable tragedy (at least to the information we have), the worst outcome is he chucks his bike on a train and hitches a ride home after a week or two. As he himself admitted, it would not be an ideal ending, but still a very realistic safety net.

At the end of the day, I second Doug64. There is little I've done, spontaneous or not, in life that I've regretted doing, but a whole pile of things I didn't do that I wish I could go back and experience.

Paravia

I think Happy Feet insights about the 'all or nothing' and also, the non-physical aspect of the (first) tour are quite spot-on. I think by reading this entire thread that it would be better for me to start with a short tour, only a few days. However, in this respect, I have the misfortune of living in such a terrible and isolated country (Ireland) which is not forgiving at all (awful weather, horrible roads, and mostly, variety: all the towns/villages are the same and the scenery does not change, incredibly boring). Surely if I were to ride in central Europe (or some other never seen before place) my mindset would be different. The idea to leave by taking the bike on a flight/train and start the tour from elsewhere is not practical to me (for a number of reasons - not just 'sense of adventure' - I'd like the get out of the house on the bike).

Happy Feet

I don't think anyone said don't do it and my 2CW is definitely in the try it and see camp. I am just in favour of his having a positive experience and advocating for setting himself up for the best possible chance of success.

Don't think of the first tour as having to be all that grand. It's just getting out on a bike and seeing how it goes.

One of the subtler rewards of bike touring is the feeling of taking yourself and gear, as a self contained unit, by your own steam across the country side. Sometimes the mundane becomes unique as you are going slow enough, and are in far greater contact, with your surroundings than in a car. Through the mountains I took note of the slight changes in vegetation and geology, which I hadn't really noted before. Add a camera and try to get some pictures and you may find the ordinary becomes interesting. You can find the freedom of the road anywhere once you cut the bonds of needing to return to home base by nightfall. One urban tour I am working on is linking various local historic sites in a weekend tour that only ranges about 1-2 driving hours from my home. If you didn't know that though, it would be an interesting ramble. I hope it let's me and others get out and experience touring without needing to plan a big trip so I can introduce some friends to touring.

jefnvk

Fair enough, I'll admit I'm not the best at reading subtleties

In any case, I'll have a report early June on how my utter lack of preparation turned out. Maybe I'll have a different view by then! Already screwed over by a combination of music fest, international art exhibit and rugby sevens tournament jacking up rates at hotels in Amsterdam!

saddlesores

okay.....just getting back on the bike, but doing more
miles daily than kids 1/4 your age would dream of doing
in a month. so far, so good.

not sure about the nutzanboltz of touring? not ready
for self-supported yet? unsure of the planning part?

easy solution.

sign up for a guided, supported tour. do a 2-week
tour in some exotic place (hoboken!). support vans
carry your luggage, stay in hotels, sag wagon will
pick you up if you poop out along the way. you'll
have assistance in case of emergency.

lightspree

Heinz Stucke has been going strong well into his seventies, so take heart.

Check it out HEINZ STÜCKE - WEB SITE OFICIAL

antokelly

i can only imagine that comment is a bit tonge and cheek.if u don't enjoy cycling in your own county or parts of ireland then find another hobby

Paravia

I have been living in Ireland for 16 years and know it pretty well. Irish people are okay, not so the country itself. You must admit (I assume you are Irish from your reply) that the place is not exactly a Mecca for cycling.

antokelly

im not ever going to reply to that comment only to say you must be living in a hole. good luck .

Doug64

This stretch of road is almost as long as the width of Ireland, and I did not find it a bit boring. We are thinking about trying to cycle Ireland in the future. I know folks who have cycled in Ireland, and they were very positive about their experience there. The perception of the world is much different from a bike seat than from the interior of a car. I have a route near home that I had ridden hundreds of times in one direction. When I ride it in the opposite direction, it is an entirely different ride.

The idea of a shakedown ride is evaluate yourself and your gear; it really does not matter where you do that.

It is much more monotonous driving this stretch of road than it was cycling through it.


Why do you want to do a bike tour? What are your objectives and expectations of a bike tour: meeting people, photography, physical challenge, seeing new places, or bragging rights?

antokelly

Doug i reckon you could be right that's one hell of a road you will never see the like of it in Ireland that's for sure.

jefnvk

I've been to Ireland twice. I'd love to do a bike trip around it specifically, and the British Isles in general. Preferably so, on an old three-speed Raleigh racer-style, just for that local feel!

Perspectives can change based on what is home and what is not, though. To some who have never seen them, the Great Lakes are absolute wonders, to me they're just big lakes I ignore most of the time. The bike trail I ride to the brewery a couple times a week is nothing special to me, just a route through the woods, but the the few bike tourers I've seen on it probably have a wildly different view.

Leebo

Is that why Ireland is over run with tourists? Lets see, cheese, whiskey, whisky, Irish whisky, seafood, rolling hills, quaint villages beautiful views? Yes, no one goes there at all.

antokelly

great reply and post .

bikingshearer 

@Paravia - Is your itch to go on a long tour at your age nuts? Of course it is.

Should you do it? 100% yes.

Not despite the fact you are my age and concerned about the details, but because you are my age and concerned about the details. Do it because you will learn more about yourself in ways not possible without stepping a bit outside your comfort zone. Do it because you will encounter people in ways you simply never would any other way, good and not-so-good (but far, far more good) and you will learn or re-learn that people really are mostly pretty great. Do it because you will absolutely love much of it. Do it because you will inevitably hate some of it, but will love that you found a way to get through it (for me, it was five straight days of non-stop headwinds with rain on the fifth day and a rear wheel that decided it wanted every spoke to loosen - every - effing - one ). I rode across the USA in 1980, most of it by myself, and I may not think back on it every day, but I certainly think back on it at least once a week, and doing so never fails to stir me emotionally.

Just remember that you do not have to get there fast, you just have to get there. And as you and I edge closer to decreptitude, we can be increasingly flexible about what "getting there" means.