Originally Posted by
valygrl
And, I seek out mountainous routes. I can't stand flat riding. the steepest place I've been so far is New Zealand, but I'm hoping to correct that with some European mountains in the next few years.
I may have mentioned this to you in the past, but I highly recommend the Pyrenees, its a trip I would do again one day if possible. My German biking friend and I did most of the range from east to west, very neat gradual change of elevation and look as you toodle along the range.
I arrived in Toulouse, down to Carcassone, then west following the Pyrenees on the French side until into the Basque area, where we went into Spain for a few days, then up the Atlantic coast and then to Bordeaux. I then biked alone from Bordeaux back to Toulouse for the loop and the flight back home.
me-135-140
stuff around 40
bike low 30s to 35
Im pretty careful about gear weight, and from my experience, I'd say the "half body weight" theory is pretty much spot on.