Originally Posted by
BNcycle
I just got back from a fully-loaded solo tour from Seattle to Illinois. It was my first real tour, and I averaged about 100 miles/day. I would not recommend this, especially solo. If I had to do it again, I'd do 60-80 miles/day. As other posters have said, inexperienced tourers (myself included) tend to take a riding pace that is comfortable for 2-3 hours and extrapolate, assuming they can keep it up all day. In my case, I was able to keep that pace all day, but that's not to say that it was fun. It turned into an athletic event instead of an enjoyable tour. The word "touring" implies that you experience the places that you're riding through, but I most certainly did not.
Physically, yes, the goal of 100-150 miles/day is attainable if you're in good shape. I would say that I could have averaged 125/day if I REALLY pushed myself. But, this would certainly have been an absolutely MISERABLE experience. Those kind of miles require the sort of mental stamina that not many possess. I would have gone insane.
If you have the time, aim for 80 miles/day and enjoy yourself.
Ditto. Fully loaded is different than fully sagged. I HAVE ridden 120 miles/day fully loaded but it was the challenge and not the tour, so to speak. Not fun...but I did it. Last month I finished a 1,000 mile solo tour and averaged about 70 miles/day. Some 50-60 mile days goofing off and having fun and a couple 80+ miles/day when there was nothing else to do but ride. A much better time for me than pushing for high mileage. I took two weeks and 200 pictures. It was a blast.
Jerry H