Originally Posted by
Weasel9
The difficulty of riding 65 miles in a day on tour is completely different than going for a 65 mile road ride on the weekend. Your bike weighs more, so you coast longer and develop a steady pedaling pattern, and you have all day to complete 65 miles rather than the span of 'going for a ride.' For me, that latter point makes all the difference. When you're stopping for lunch, taking pictures and talking with your friends, doing a certain mileage seems infinitely easier than trying to make miles on a single ride.
In my opinion, that's the beauty of touring. I think you'll do great.
This is my thought, too. But I'll be riding with my cousin, who's a very experienced tourer with loads of Ride the Rockies and RAGBRAI experience. I'd like to best be able to keep up with her, despite her high-altitude lungs and my overly adequate central fuel store.