Originally Posted by
pdlamb
At the risk of piling on...
One more vote for start slow and give yourself plenty of time. If you were planning on doing 700 miles in 8 days, back it off to 14 days. Or cut the tour to 350-400 miles. Plan on an average of 50 miles a day, start with 40 the first day. You always need to leave some in the tank for the next day (unless tomorrow will be a rest day).
The pacing issues are also different for loaded touring than riding a light bike. People who ride a loaded bike like a road bike are going to tire themselves out quickly. People need some practice/experience riding a loaded bike to do it efficiently.