Originally Posted by
lighthorse
div,
There is a lot of smoke on this thread. Touring on a two or three day route doesn't take much preparation. Touring cross country might require that you prepare a bit more. Certainly, all tourers are not triathletes, but the "crazy guy" site has plenty examples of cross country tourers who gave it up because they were not prepared when they departed.
My pre trip training has three goals. First, I want to shake down the equipment on lots of 60 mile rides. Second, I want to build up my fitness to ride 60 miles each day and enjoy it. And third, I have to toughen up my posterior to handle the 5-6 hours in the saddle each day.
In any event, do what seems right for you and have a good trip.
There seem to be two positions on this. One stresses being trained, and the other just says "get on your bikes and ride." The latter position isn't smoke. I did a nine day camping tour following weeks of inactivity while recovering from a fractured rib - I certainly wasn't training for that ride.
Now, I had a bike that fit me reasonably well, a saddle I could live with, and gear I'd used before. I'd suggest to the OP that he have all these things before he set off on his one to two week tour. And to know the bike and saddle fit you they have to be ridden a little bit. But presumably you enjoy riding, so that shouldn't be a problem.
I found this Dirt Rag article interesting.
http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/article.php?ID=859
I don't buy into everything the author says, but this part rings true:
"Preparation is necessary for enjoying oneself on a tour. Just biking a bit every day was enough physical preparation for me. Before taking my first tour, I rode 6 miles roundtrip between home to work."