I love the smell of urinal cake in the morning
I didn't want to hijack another thread that seemed on the brink of going in this direction, so ...
What do you find are the most inhibitory aspects of bike touring (i.e., things that make you think twice about doing it), and what are your coping strategies? (For me, it is insomnia. I seem incapable of getting a decent night's sleep, which gradually grinds me down over the course of a long trip.) |
Not being able to obtain wine every night. Cope by settling for beer.
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My lousy knees. And alas, I have no coping strategies other than to curse my fates. |
Originally Posted by indyfabz
(Post 20827099)
Not being able to obtain wine every night. Cope by settling for beer.
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Originally Posted by wgscott
(Post 20827027)
I didn't want to hijack another thread that seemed on the brink of going in this direction, so ...
What do you find are the most inhibitory aspects of bike touring (i.e., things that make you think twice about doing it), and what are your coping strategies? (For me, it is insomnia. I seem incapable of getting a decent night's sleep, which gradually grinds me down over the course of a long trip.) |
Originally Posted by Leebo
(Post 20827213)
Carry a flask of whiskey, get beer at the end of the day or plan accordingly.
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My boss this the biggest inhibitor. He seems to freak out every time I tell him i'm going on another trip. I keep telling myself that I'll be on my deathbed someday and I'll be pissed for remembering all the times I've placated my boss.
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History of Dental care included ammonia from one's own Urine...
In Euro Commercial camp grounds I brought Ear Plugs , & SW radio .. & my Mandolin to sit in at pub sessions.. this pre IT takeover of planet.. down filled air mattress.. .. |
I don't find many things more demoralizing than packing up camp in the wet. Just takes the wind out of the sails....and as a corollary, few things are more motivating than an approaching morning stormfront to have to frantically pack before the arrival of.
Originally Posted by wgscott
(Post 20827027)
I didn't want to hijack another thread that seemed on the brink of going in this direction, so ...
What do you find are the most inhibitory aspects of bike touring (i.e., things that make you think twice about doing it), and what are your coping strategies? (For me, it is insomnia. I seem incapable of getting a decent night's sleep, which gradually grinds me down over the course of a long trip.) |
Originally Posted by Marcus_Ti
(Post 20827306)
Those spots typically have loaded coal trains from Wyoming going through every half-an-hour, all night.
Some will remember this from one of my nights on the GAP, as I have posted it several times. Turn up the volume to recreate the actual experience. |
I think my biggest thing is definitely headwind. It affects my mood sometimes when there's a lot of it. Coping? Yell and swear at it is all I've come up with so far. That coping method has seemed largely ineffective, unfortunately. I haven't found a way to make it stop yet. :( I did hitch-hike once when I'd been riding in a strong headwind all day. It had reduced my mileage and I wasn't to camp yet, it was dark, and still windy. I said "f*** it" and stuck out my thumb while I took a break. A nice guy in a pickup stopped, tossed my bike in the back of the truck, and gave me a ride since we were headed in the same direction.
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Headwind and rain. Either in small doses is cool. Enough of either can make me look for a motel.
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Skin cancer worries me enough to think twice about a long tour, especially in the hot wide open areas. On local rides, I try to avoid peak UV hours and ride in shady areas, and wear long-sleeves and other protective clothing, but touring could make this a lot harder.
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Originally Posted by wgscott
(Post 20827027)
What do you find are the most inhibitory aspects of bike touring (i.e., things that make you think twice about doing it), and what are your coping strategies?
Cope: tour length is 4 days when I go! And do more of the S24O type riding. I guess I'm like the wussy kid at summer camp..... |
Being away from friends and family. I only tour alone, and would probably never ride with someone else, but am noticeably isolated from the world except for brief interactions with people I happen to come across. And those interactions tend to be superficial and not fulfilling. That all changes if you meet some nice people along the way and spend some time together. For example, in Switzerland a couple years ago, I met a couple cyclists and we spent the day together riding to the finish line of a mountain stage of the TDF. At another place, I met several people camping at a site and hung out with them and the campground owners for several hours. On other trips, I’ve meet almost no one, and that’s OK, but it gets to me after a while. Always glad to return home. |
Originally Posted by indyfabz
(Post 20827274)
It's mostly a problem when I tour in my home state of PA. Wine and liquor sales are, for the most part, controlled by the state. "State Stores," as they are called, are few and far between in "Pennsyltucky." The ones you do find in the hinterlands are often only a open a few days/week. Under a new law that went into effect a year or two ago, a grocery store can get a license to sell beer and wine. Such stores are also rare outside of larger communities. Takeout beer is usually much easier to get, but beer is heavy, and I am not a big beer drinker. Makes me bloated. :)
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I have found that my 2-4 day mini tours are always solo as none of my friends and family are into cycling like I am and those that could potentially could accompany me aren’t available when I am. That being said a few sips of whisky or a few beers in front of the campfire help being alone feel less lonely. One time I had a few too many and I the next morning I realized how miserable, unproductive and counterintuitive it was. |
Originally Posted by Marcus_Ti
(Post 20827306)
I don't find many things more demoralizing than packing up camp in the wet. Just takes the wind out of the sails....and as a corollary, few things are more motivating than an approaching morning stormfront to have to frantically pack before the arrival of.
We've done Tour de Nebraska in the central/east/NE/SE area enough, and used the same city-park and camp sites enough that....well...we long-timers have memorized which ones have adjacent/nearby railroad tracks in use during the night. Those spots typically have loaded coal trains from Wyoming going through every half-an-hour, all night. |
Long climbs and strong headwinds. And rain...
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Originally Posted by wgscott
(Post 20827027)
(For me, it is insomnia. I seem incapable of getting a decent night's sleep, which gradually grinds me down over the course of a long trip.)
This is obviously your kryptonite, but after all that work during the day and not being in "work mode" and all that stuff in our lives, thats a drag you don't sleep. Proper sleep is right up with proper food, not enough and the candle starts getting shorter doesnt it? |
Not knowing if you are up for the ride always bothers me. When I was younger I was a lot more bolder. It doesn't help that I was away from touring for about 2 years due health issues and family issues.
The other thing is touring alone. Did it for the first time last year and I did fine though it was an easy trip. But touring alone and not being certain if you are up for the challenge sort of go hand in hand. I think that touring partners have the benefit of drawing confidence from one another. It is also nice having someone to share experiences with. My touring partner has fallen of the face of the planet. All of our mutual acquaintances have not heard from him at all. But back when we would do weekend rides together we would often reminisce over a number of tours we did together. It was sort of fun. As far as actually touring not much that bothers me. Rain maybe. But when you look back it really was not all that bad and sort of sticks out in your head. I remember a few times in Italy near Como. I swear that area is cursed for me. ;) |
Originally Posted by djb
(Post 20829445)
I have to say, I can't imagine not being able to sleep properly after biking all day. Exercise, fresh air, sun, and plain old exhaustion means that unless there are specific loud noises going on during the night, I'm out like the proverbial light.
This is obviously your kryptonite, but after all that work during the day and not being in "work mode" and all that stuff in our lives, thats a drag you don't sleep. Proper sleep is right up with proper food, not enough and the candle starts getting shorter doesnt it? I was once awakened by the sound of cockroaches laying eggs on a paper bag. |
We all know how lack of proper sleep screws up our brains. I wish you the best.
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Uhh... thanks.
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Oops, that didn't come out right. That was supposed to be, if any of us don't get proper sleep, it affects us greatly. Especially when we are so active cycling.
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