Touring Anxiety?
 

I am a school teacher and have the entire summers off. One of the reasons I became a teacher is so that I can do long touring without having to wait till I retire some day and then may not even be physically able to do it anyway. Last summer was my first summer off and I was wanting to ride my bike across the country. I had worked myself up during the year and then when it came time to do it, I instead decided to just go with the family to Colorado and camp for a month. We are quickly approaching the summer and another opportunity for me to bike across the country. Anxiety is starting to creep in again. What's even worse is I was in the military and for some reason riding a bike alone across the country is causing me to overthink it. My major concern is my safety actually on the road and being hit by a car. I plan to stealth camp when I decide to finally do this. Am I just weird or do you guys have bike touring anxiety sometimes?

internet strangers putting out advice is only going to help to a certain extent, but to answer directly to concerns about traffic dangers (legit, real life ending possibilities) it comes down to being situationally aware at all times.

Riding in urban environments is great practice for this, and going from your flyboy moniker, its like any complicated, potentially dangerous activity--being realistically aware of the dangers, being aware of how to reduce and manage the dangers--specifically with biking stuff like having an excellent mirror system, using common sense of which situations can possibly end badly and therefore taking to the side of the road on the grass (Im referring to specifically a truck coming towards you, a truck coming behind you, narrow road, no room for trucks to move over if the timing means all three of you are at same point)

being situationally aware, using common sense and always thinking ahead a bit, just like in flying or whatever, makes a huge huge difference.

one does learn by doing it to react better and judge situations better, so if you need to ride more out on real roads, do it, it will help.
If your bike handling skills and comfort level need improving, more riding out on real roads will improve this also, its like any activity, the more often you do it, the better you get.

more than that, its up to you to know yourself and what you are comfortable with and your capacity to adapt and be smart.

doing little weekend trips loaded are great for getting used to stuff, and are at least more easily fit into regular life with work and family.
all the best

I would be more concerned it there was no anxiety/apprehension. I agree that some short tours in areas in which you are somewhat more knowledgeable would help with that. And also with getting used to all that self touring involves.

Just do it.

I think that's a completely reasonable concern if you are on a bicycle, period. In my personal world, I don't fear not coming back because after I got divorced, life put me in a place where I don't have any responsibilities to anyone other than myself. I'm sure someone would miss me, but nobody is going to come looking for me if I disappear.

I'm totally willing to take the sort of endemic risk you describe.

So, this is a little outside my lane, and this is the internet, so take this with a pinch of salt.

IMO your concerns are valid, but if I had debilitating anxiety that caused me to not do something I pined to do, I'd get advice from a professional therapist. Maybe two or three. They aren't all good, and even the good ones aren't always a good fit.

It's your life. You only get one. Try to do what you can to enjoy it, and not be an involuntary prisoner of fear.

Doing a coast to coast trip as your first trip, some have done it and for them it was a great trip. But I like to work up to bigger challenges instead of starting out with the big one first.

Do a trip with ACA, they have several trips that are a week long.
https://www.adventurecycling.org/guided-tours/

On some of their trips you haul your camping gear on the bike, some of the trips are van supported and they haul your luggage in a van from campsite to campsite. I can't think of a better way to build confidence than to ride with a group for a week. Many if not most in the group will have been doing it for years.

Last year I did a trip with ACA in Big Bend TX. That trip was over spring break for one teacher that was in our group. They might have other trips that are close enough for you to drive to instead of having to fly to. The first ACA trip I did, I rode Amtrak to and from it.

The only anxiety I have is forgetting to bring something important. And it’s happened. On my last trip, I forgot my headlight, but it worked out OK. I had a taillight and it was just light enough after sunset to make it to my destination. One trip I forgot to bring coffee. That was almost a disaster. On another, canceled at the last minute due to 100F temps, I realized I hadn’t packed my sleeping pad. Don’t know what I would have done, because sleeping on the hard ground was not an option. I suppose getting hit by a car is possible, but pretty unlikely, and not on my list of things to worry about. Most issues can be dealt with by planning ahead and problem solving.

I get that feeling sometimes, not just with bike touring but travel and large new events in general. I overcome it by having laid down a pile of cash on nonrefundable costs that forces me to either do it or lose money.

I'm doing a triathlon (kayaking in stead of swimming) this summer. I think it is one of the stupider decisions I made while cooped up at work away from home over the winter, but the money is already spent and I'm not going to let it go to waste :thumb:

Lots of people go bike touring without any (major) problem. My first bike tour was coast to coast, and it was great! Yours will be too.

This was my backup idea. After a week of shared spaghetti cooking, you may be ready for a solo trip.

I definitely have anxieties about touring, but it always ends up that the worrying is worse than the reality. The problem I have is more time to think than I have to ride. When I actually get out there and do it, even when things don't go as planned, they do work out. The trick is overcoming the anxiety enough to actually get out there, so you can see that the experience is worth it.

But if concerns about cars are keeping you from touring, there are ways to take some decent trips without sharing the road with a lot of cars. It won't take you coast to coast, but if you could spend a week or two riding the GAP, C&O, and/or Katy Trail, you could get a taste of touring while having large, car-free stretches.

the excellent suggestion to try some shorter trips first is a very valid one. You will learn that you took waaaay too much stuff, or that you missed X or Y thing, and you figure out the rythmn of the road---how to eat properly, sleep properly, have X amount of food snacks with you, how to plan a days ride, how to pace yourself etc etc etc ad nauseum.

again, weekend trips can help sort out "stuff", as well as getting used to being on the road with cars and how to react etc.

:lol: My first unsupported tour was an ACA x-country group trip (13 people, including the leader) on the Northern Tier. Four lbs. of pasta/night was the standard purchase.

Or, if you want to try a longer trip than the ACA week long ones like I suggested above, but shorter than the cross country one, you could do the west coast of Oregon from Astoria down to California. Once in California, you do hit some narrow roads with almost no shoulder, but in Oregon you are either on a good road with at least a 3 foot wide shoulder or there are some short segments that the Oregon cycle map takes you on rarely traveled roads that are quite quiet and pleasant.

Contact Oregon and ask them for a copy of the Pacific Coast cycling map. I do not recall their web address, I googled it to find it.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ea948d736c.jpg

I got a bit nervous on some of the bridges because some bridges did not have a shoulder like the rest of the road did, there were a few times that I waited on the side of the road until it looked like no traffic was coming for at least a half minute for me to get a good start across a bridge since I would be in the traffic lane on the bridge.

On the bridge below, I think that cyclists pushed a button to turn on the warning lights to warn traffic that a cyclist was on the bridge.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0aab990869.jpg

Then after riding the coast of Oregon, you should have more confidence about doing the trip.

The photo below is from Iceland. I only got nervous about lack of shoulder on Highway 1 which I avoided as much as possible because that was a very busy road, the secondary roads like in the photo below had no shoulders, but very little traffic and were quite safe.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fd1c7c56ef.jpg

I do not want to minimize the problems of traffic, I always wear a high vis jacket or jersey on busy roads and usually have my taillight in blink mode.

The photo below was in Canada, I think in Alberta, but I am not exactly sure where. Not much shoulder, but it was enough. And the lack of traffic made it pretty safe. This photo is from when I did the Glacier Waterton Loop with ACA, one of those week long trips I was mentioning.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...407d231838.jpg

With some more road time, you will develop some confidence and that will also give you an idea of the places where you want to be nervous too.

Don't worry you are not the only one. I cancelled my first solo tour two years ago. After I cancelled everything I was sorry I did it. But it turned out to be a good thing as there were all sorts of major air quality warnings due to forest fires in the area I chose. So in the end I was glad I canceled.

Last year I decided to keep it simple. I decided on the Willamette Valley. Not real exciting but nice easy and straight forward. Had some side trips planned but chose to cut them. It was a great choice as I had a warmshowers host pretty much every night. It really was a fun trip.

This year I will be extending the challenge just a bit more.

I think a cross country trip might be a bit too ambitious for a first tour. That is part of your anxiety. Pick something simple. The Willamette Valley as I mentioned plus Oregon has lots of nearby bicycle routes that you can add on to your vacation. Other thoughts are the Selkirk Loop

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8fe9175165.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aff2eb1d6e.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...efa9dd2754.jpg


If the roads were any more void of traffic it would be a bike trail. But enough people passing by that if you got in trouble, someone is going to pass by shortly that can help. And towns are close enough you wouldn't need to camp.

For really simple you could do the Katy or Great Allegheny Passage and C&O (see the link to the Great Ride video I just posted). Though I would not recommend the Katy in the summer.

Other thoughts are the Coeur D' Alene and Route of the Hiawatha bike trails. You could put together a loop out of Spokane. Some trails some roads. Also near the Selkirk Loop so you could do both on the same summer trip if you want.

Are you referring to Crescent City up to Klamath? I took the shuttle in this section and was really glad I did. Really narrow and steep in that section. No shame in taking transport if you feel uncomfortable doing a section of road, The whole idea is to enjoy your trip.

Start with some small trips. Be seen, use some lights 24/7, use a mirror. Check some lower traffic roads for your trips. The NH drivers were toooo polite. The moved so far away from me they kept driving over the center line rumble strips.

I agree with some of the posters above who suggest going on a shorter trip to start with, possibly even a supported ride. Maybe you could find a short tour route near you that sticks mainly to cycle paths or rail trails to deal with your traffic concerns. However, as a serious anxiety sufferer myself, if the root cause of your issue is anxiety itself, you will always be able to find a reason to cancel a trip. You might plan a short trip on cycle paths then find yourself overwrought with worry about coyote attacks, or pay the money for a supported tour only to cancel at the last minute out of fear that you won't be able to keep up with the group. If in your case it's just fear of the unknown holding you back, then yeah, just push through it, get out the door, start the wheels rolling, and you'll find out the things you worried about aren't so bad after all. But if you find yourself overcome with anxiety about the trip or some aspect of the trip, you probably need to work on yourself to get at the thought patterns that are causing you to fixate and build the anxiety separate from whatever current cause you might be directing it at.

You may not need to worry too much about the angry Jackalopes

However, Goat Heads are a big issue in some places. :eek:

I've been riding in traffic since I was a kid, many decades ago.,

Pick touring routes that take less traveled roads. Most of my trips are day-trips, but I can get quite some distance down the roads.

Let someone know where you're going... unless it causes too much stress for a short trip. Communicate with your home-base regularly.

I'm also quite self sufficient. And, can tackle just about anything that the road will throw at me.

I've broken a few spokes on my version of centuiry+ rides. A few field replacements of spokes. One blowout and field repair. :foo: Too many flats to count. :eek:

I, too, am an ex-service member, and what was drilled into my head at a young age was team work. My wife and children are my team, and I put off everything until the team was in a position to get along without me, meaning the kids were grown and out on their own, which just happened last fall. I am now free to tour when vacation time comes.

I feel very strongly about this. I am also an ex-teacher, my wife still teaches and shes sees broken families every single day. If you have a wife and children, do your utmost to keep the unit together and put off the long tour for another time in life.

I can understand your concerns, but I really hope you do it. I'd love to do it, but it must wait until I'm retired.

A few questions to think about before my suggestions to add to the mix:
1. How comfortable are you bicycling in your local area?, with or without traffic?
2. How comfortable are you bicycling in an unknown area? If uncomfortable, are there things that could make it more comfortable?
3. How much touring have you done? Other than traffic, would it help to have done more?

Depending on the sorts of answers, I'd go slightly different ways:
= If you aren't particularly comfortable riding in your local area. Then I'd seek out ways to build more experience and comfort. For example, local clubs and groups often have regular rides to join. You can do more riding to frequent destinations. You can experiment with mirrors to see if that helps in keeping track. You can gain confidence in riding position relative to the road, etc.
= If you are pretty comfortable with the local riding, but see a bigger concern with those "unknown" places, then I'd approach it a few different ways:
* First an acknowledgement that even with riding a fair amount with commuting/touring, not owning a car, etc. There will still occasionally be roads I come across that take some more concentration or I'm not the most comfortable with. However, my approach is to (1) decrease the likelihood of getting onto those roads and (2) develop techniques for adjusting if they are really bad.
* As far as avoiding, it comes down to getting better at route selection. There are three general techniques I'll use that significantly decrease my probabilities of being on poor routes: (1) use some curated maps/routes, e.g. adventure cycling maps or similar maps put together for cyclists; while there are still occasional busy places, these can significantly reduce probabilities of ending on a busy no-shoulder type route (2) reading others experiences, e.g. journals and learning routes and others from them and (3) going to a place like "strava heat map" to look up where the local cyclists seem to be riding - particularly entering/leaving larger metro area.
* As far as reacting, I've generally have some maps and developed some past experience with picking alternatives.
= If adding touring on top of these other things adds to the concern, then I'd look to pick up some touring experiences with shorter tours and/or tours in the local area where other aspects are familiar but the touring is the new piece.

Overall, depending on initial questions I'd focus on slightly different areas: riding skills, route-finding skills or touring skills.

Everyone is different, but I don't think a little jitter/concern/anxiety is uncommon. Prior to my first tours I was occasionally a bit more concerned. I'd take that concern and try to channel into preparation type areas (checklists or learning from others journals or cataloging possibilities along the way). Mine were probably less about riding/traffic and more on making sure I had everything organized and the trip didn't hit other snags. However, I also found that once I was on the tour itself, focus very quickly shifts - since I'm now experiencing things and adjusting overall.

There are some long distance cycle paths. Not the whole country, but enough to keep you going for a long while and might make you feel safer.

haven't read the entire thread, but maybe try out some weekend day trips to get used to it? just head out to a nearby-ish city and camp out the night and return on sunday or get a cheap motel/hotel and return sunday. should give you hang of it.

I have a whole lot more anxiety when I do a randonnee than when I tour.


A few suggestions:

1) Ride lots where you are. Get used to being on the road.

2) Do short tours. Pack everything up and head out for a weekend. Then you've got Easter coming up ... go for several days.

3) Contact cycletouring clubs and randonneur/audax clubs across the country to ask them about routes, events, and to see if anyone might be interested in riding with you.