Originally Posted by
sstorkel
I usually plan to ride around 75 miles per day. I assume that I'll average about 10 mph, though I truth I can often make 12mph or even 15mph if I have a light load and little wind. I usually stop for 5-10 minutes every hour. On scenic tours, I'll stop more often to take photos. I try to spend at least an hour off the bike around lunch time.
Before leaving on a tour, I'll make sure that I'm capable of riding at least 60 miles/day with decent (~3000ft) elevation gain in 5-6 hours on a bike that includes all of my gear. If I can do that for two back-to-back days, and feel ready to ride again on the third day, I know I'll have a relatively easy time on tour.
x2....if you are in average physical shape more or less, it's your butt, knees, and Achilles tendons that can be a problem, not your physical strength or endurance. Start early, set a pace that you can maintain and don't push beyond it (that's what all the gears are for), take breaks when your body tells you, wear proper cycling pants, and back off if your knees or heels complain. As an example, a fellow who was a runner, but not a cyclist, rode with me down the Pacific Coast without preparing his knees and heels beforehand, thinking his running gave him all he needed. We had to abort the trip south of San Fransisco because his knees and heels were so swollen. On our next trip, he prepared beforehand and rode 1500 miles at the same 75 mi. a day average as the first trip and had no problems at all.