teachme

I agree, I could get hit by a car just riding around the block at my house, but riding on a tour would envolve daily riding of 50,60,70 miles or more. I would think I would have to be mentally prepared to keep an edge on safety while I'm out there.

tarwheel 

Check out some of the cross-state, supported tours. Nearly every state seems to have one. They generally last about 5-7 days and cover 300-450 miles, usually averaging about 60 miles/day. Costs are very reasonable and you don't need any special touring equipment, just a bike that fits. I have ridden Cycle NC, Bike VA, GOBA (Ohio), TRIRI (Indiana), POWWOW (Wisconsin), BRAG (Georgia) and there are many others. Most seem to cost about $300-400 for the week, but price depends on whether you get meal options, camp out or stay in hotels, etc.

teachme

Thanks! I like the idea of supported, but there is something about unsupported that really seems like an adventure.

teachme

Kinda scary lookin! I guess I need to grow a set of you know whats...

staehpj1

No I think my average for that tour was in the low to mid 70's miles per day. I did a few 100+ mile days but did some short ones as well.

I do have a journal for my Southern Tier trip as well as a few other journals and articles linked to on my cgoab page.

tarwheel 

A week-long supported trip would be a great way to get your feet wet and determine if you like bike touring. The entry costs to loaded touring are very high and you seem to have some misgivings. It would be risky to spend all of that money on a touring bike, racks, panniers, etc., if you aren't sure.

teachme

Thanks! thats good advice.

SurlyLaika

I know you're a little older, but a year seems like plenty of time to do conditioning. How many miles do you put in a week? I think touring has more to do with mental strength than physical. I'm not saying physical fitness is irrelevant, but it is probably overstated. Of course, you could make it. Maybe not as fast, but sometimes the point is not to go fast. It's to enjoy the ride.

Machka 

It's not that far.

It's only ... 5000 km? If you ride 5000 km in a summer already, there's no reason why you can't ride 5000 km on a tour.

And it's not really unsupported, is it. It's not exactly remote. You'd be going through all sorts of towns with supplies, much like you do when you ride centuries or weekend tours during your usual summer riding.

If you can find food at your local grocery store, chances are you'll be able to find food at a grocery store in another town ... same with most other supplies. If you're cold, buy a sweatshirt. If you're not comfortable at night, drop in at an REI or Walmart and pick up a better mattress. If you want a snack, get an ice cream at a 7-11.

Machka 

1. Who cares what other people think.

2. Don't you ride quite a bit each year anyway? Aren't you out there riding 50, 60, 70 miles or more on weekends, or even week days now? Aren't you riding on highways now? If not ... no time like the present to start.

Ride all sorts of roads in the area where you live, and further out. Once you've covered all the paved roads within a 35 mile radius of where you live, drive 35 miles out and start riding from there.

Get used to a variety of roads so you can determine which roads you feel the most comfortable with. Explore lots of towns so you become familiar with what sorts of services are available in a variety of places.

Go ride ... do long day rides, do weekend tours, do week-long tours.

Jseis 

The more I thought about this the more pragmatic my thoughts are. If my wife and I committed to such an adventure I'd set a daily goal of 30-40 miles a day and train for that. That pace allows for a lot of enjoyment of the journey and less concern about getting there. It allows for picking traffic windows to avoid peak times around urban areas. My experience with riding with groups of men and women meant that hot showers were a priority every other day which meant structuring daily goals and if I did it again I'd include a motel stay twice a week as day after day camping can get weary for some even though they enjoy the trip. I'd also structure a trip around the better road routes (shoulders, etc) and be less willing to pick the tight twisting routes. I'd also get my wife an electronic shifting bike and get her comfortable with bike technology and safety (mirror use, anticipating choke points, etc). If she couldn't enjoy the daily pace, she'd never enjoy the journey.

Regarding fear. Address it head on and deal with what you can influence. I've noticed many long distance tourers on 101 do not wear bright clothing, do not have forward or rear facing lights. Many ride side by side with one rider on the fog line or left of it. You need to have every advantage and that means being seen, limiting exposure to vehicles thus: wear lime green safety vests, use blinking lights forward and rear, using excellent tires so you can take the road debris right of the fog line, ride singlefile and be expert mirror users. You do have to get used to vehicles passing you with a 50+ mph speed difference and that means bike control (no flinching) and learning to anticipate wind buffeting. That comes with experience as is dealing with a bike that is loaded with gear. Practice (loaded bike) really helps and that also tells you what your physical limits are. For the older rider that means don't push it, don't cycle tired as your judgement and abilities are more compromised now than when young. That and poor sleep can set you up so recognize it and adapt.

I had the luxury of youth when I went cross continent. The feeling of the journey (36 years ago this summer) has never left me. Maybe it's the sirens call that keeps me thinking, "yeah, I could do it again".

teachme

I really like your approach on this Jseis. Solid advice. Thanks!

ironwood

Stop thinking of yourself as being old. I'm 71 and ride every day. Although I'm not as strong as I was in 1980 when I rode across from MA to Oregon, I feel I could still do it. The main problem I have now is that it is harder torecover from a hard day. I'm not going to ride across the country again because that type of riding seems boring to me now. I'd rather explore a specific area rather than crank out miles day after day.