Originally Posted by
Neil_B
Well, Iron Chef, I'd never been dropped by a novice on his first ride before I met you. And riding Seattle to Portland, or perhaps we should now call it Potland to Portland, is a sign of an experienced rider.
BTW speed of a rider on a bike tour is also a hot button topic. Slow riders like me are sick of being told they are doing it wrong because we are slow, and faster riders are sick of being told they don't understand touring because they cover more ground in a day. I have, unfortunately, criticized faster tourists for being fast, and I was wrong to do so. (IIRC I've even gotten into an argument with Machka on this topic, and I hope Rowan conveys my apologies.) Its fine to smell the apple orchard if you like, but its OK if you ride past it too.
I guess I should explain the speed thing. I went to a club meeting last week and the guest speaker road from Portland, Oregon to Rehobeth Beach, DE in 38 days which is 3,500 plus miles. When I heard that, I had a hunch he didnt have time to really experience the things I have read about in other peoples stories and accounts regarding a trans am tour. When he stood up to speak, that was the first thing he said. He said he regretted doing it so fast because they often did not have time to see the sites and meet the people. Ride, eat, sleep... for 38 days with only one partial day off due to rain. Good presentation but he finished it by saying that he really wished he would have took longer so he could experience more of the sites and such.