Originally Posted by
Santaria
I was only being half sarcastic.
I talked her out of going on the trip. While she wanted to do it, and I wasn't pushing - after she read the forums to see if people agreed with the what I told her:
100 percent dedication
Accept that riding these distances is hard, very hard (mentally and physically)
Never let people tell you it can't be done
The reward for success is personal, but life changing
She found that what most people told her is that the effort was beyond her. I jokingly told her to take up knitting. Regardless, she still wants to ride a bike, but now she just doesn't want anything to do with riding long distances or this forum.
Sad really, because I told her about how people on BF encourage people to ride 25-40 miles one-way commuting 5 days a week; I told her how the Clyde/Athena forums are really amazing and the people there have my respect (and have helped push me to get back what I lost). I even told her that people like Machka do exist, and that being a woman is the last "excuse" that can be made about what can and can't be done on a road bike.
And then she saw this thread. I've been a semi-regular poster on the forums for almost six years, but I probably will just start keeping my riding and my advice to myself from now on.
Good luck, ride safe and if you see a heavily tattoo'd rider on a Synapse/CAAD9-5 in South Texas - it might just be me.
So, it seems this was never about a tour, at least in the sense most bike tourists understand. This was to be some sort of personal challenge, sweat lodge surviving, life-changing event. It's still not clear why you didn't have this discussion in the Endurance/Long Distance Cycling group, but you asked for advice here and you got it relative to touring. It's good advice from well meaning people who wanted you and your wife to enjoy bike touring, but you didn't want to go on a tour. You wanted a personal challenge.
By and large, the people in this group are extremely supportive of all things touring. There are people here of all different interests, abilities, and experience. The only common dissension here is when people ask for advice, knowing full well what they want to hear and actually hear something else. Don't misunderstand. This isn't the Road Cycling group where some of the regulars take pleasure in putting down new or less experienced riders. This group welcomes people to touring.
If you're using this discussion as some sort of perverse "nobody thinks you can do it" motivation, count me out. Of course it's possible. It's just that most people here assumed you wanted this to be an enjoyable experience for you and your wife.
Keep your riding and your advice to yourself if you like. We'd rather you and your wife join the touring community and participate online and on the road. The passive-aggressive approach is rarely satisfying to anyone.