Originally Posted by willwebb

I’m planning to ride from Pittsburgh to Washington DC on the Great Allegheny Passage (gaptrail.org) and C&O Canal (bikewashington.org/canal/). I plan to ride it over 5 days beginning in late June. I have a light touring bike (Jamis Bosanova) with 35mm tires (Marathon Plus) and drop bars. I’ll be carrying two small waterproof panniers and (maybe) a “trunk” bag. I will not be camping, but will be staying in hotels and eating in restaurants or otherwise buying food.

My planned stops are:
Day 1: Pittsburgh to Connellsville (58 miles)
Day 2: Connellsville to Meyersdale (59 miles)
Day 3: Meyersdale to Little Orleans (75 miles)
Day 4: Little Orleans to Shepherdstown (68 miles)
Day 5: Shepherdstown to Washington (74 miles)

In the past, I have done a couple of Backroads tours and have ridden a century, but these were all over ten years ago (I’m now 50). This is the first self-supported bike tour I’ve done. I have begun to commute to work 7 miles each way, and I hope to be commuting 4 or 5 times per week as soon as I can.

I have 3 young children, so it is difficult for me to take the time away on weekends to fit in longer training rides. I should be able to fit in one long ride about 2 weeks before the tour begins to test my bike with bags packed. Otherwise, I may be relying on my commuting miles for training.

Is this a reasonable plan? I’m trying to not spend too many vacation days from work to do this ride. Also, part of me thinks that riding 5 days is less difficult than riding 6, even if the distances need to be longer as a result. But, I would like to know if I’m setting myself up for a miserable experience. If so, I’ll rethink whether I can do it this summer.

Thanks!