Encourage me!
 

This week was to be my first multi-day bike tour. Self-supported, all that good stuf.

I was originally going to leave yesterday, but when it came right down to it, I just no longer felt like it. If I can convince myself to go I will leave tomorrow and probably be able to get my originally planned route in (Bowling Green, KY to Land Between the Lakes and back), butthe motivation is not there.

Ever get down to he wire and decide that it didn't sound as good as it originally did?

I need stories.

...get on anyway...
 

Have you ever not felt like riding, got on the bike anyway, and still felt like not riding after 15-20min of spinning along away from any stresses left behind?

For me, it doesn't matter how much I feel like riding or don't feel like riding - whether it's getting underway for a tour or going to work - I'm always glad I rode the bike when the ride is done.

Yeah, I've done that a few times. In fact, every day that I'm about to take the bike out, I really figure out that I'd much rather sit at home, have a beer, kick back, relax and be lazy.

So I force myself to take the bike out anyhow. It takes a lot of gumption to put those first three miles in, but I do it anyway. And constantly wonder why I'm out there. As I'm closing in on that third mile (which in either direction coming out of my driveway is a flat stretch with a very slight downhill, just enough to justify clicking to one higher gear), it's starting to feel good, and more importantly, fun.

By mile five I'm having a wonderful time, and happy as all get out that I got on the bike today.

Try it. Load that bike up, and head out anyway. If you're not feeling good about what your doing after three miles, give it another two. If the mood hasn't changed, turn around and go home. If nothing else, you at least knocked out another ten miles of roadwork Try to save that judgement call to a stretch where you can fly a bit - and definitely don't make the decision on a steep climb.

what made you want to do it in the first place?

sometimes i get interested in something, start learning a bunch of stuff about it, and find myself doing it, without ever actually deciding that it was a good idea.

I was planning to tour on my recumbent from Colorado to California. The night before I left it snowed 12 inches in the Front Range and far more in the high passes. No way now. So, the wife said just rent a U-haul and drive west around the snowed area until it is clear. So las Vegas to Laguna Beach in two days, then 3 days north to the Bay area. Dad sprung for another U-haul to take the trike back to Denver.

Yes I have gotten down to that wire and I've made both choices. Go man, just go!!!!!!!!! Make a goal for the first day like a righteous meal at some restaurant. Chances are that you'll have fun. What are you going to do anyway? watch the Red Sox Yankees game?? Weather Channel? Gooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With all this extra light and temps still tolerable, gooooooooooooooooooooooo, whadayathinkin**********

Here's a different angle. Get out there for those of us who want to, but can't. I look longingly at my touring bike and gear many days, knowing that child #3 is due in a few weeks and the most I can hope for the rest of this year is a day trip or possibly an overnight in the next week or two. Others of us are nursing injuries or are saving up for a bike or gear, or both.

So be selfless. Be a good citizen. Go for the rest of us, and tell us what a great adventure you had. I promise you I'll be the first to applaud your effort!

Best wishes.
Ken

Heh, good points all.

I really need to go, just to justify all the $$ I spent on camping equipment.

I think my big hangup is that I will either be stealth camping or I will have to ride 100+ miles to reach a campsite the first day, and neither sounds like a wonderful option.

Oh well, if I really don't feel it, I can always turn around any time I want.

The whole stealth camping thing has got out of hand. It makes it seem like you are stealing or something. I think that kind of social anxiety is perfectly normal, but when the end of the day comes you will find a place to stay. Ask permision. Ask at the police station, or fire hall. Just tell everyone you won't light any fires.

I would guess that any place that really only has campgrounds or parkland where you could camp, every 100 miles probably has a few place you could camp in-between.

Or get a lift a little closer to your first campground. I do that a fair bit, I find it saps some energy if I have to drive out over the same paths I have done a thousand times before.

Overall, there isn't anything wrong with quiting, but you have to start before you can do so. If you really don't enjoy doing this kind of thing you will find out soon enough.

To me the same thing that gives me the feeling of freedom and adventure, is the same thing that means there might be the odd awkward moment, the vices of the virtues problem.

You planned this trip ... the route and everything ... right?

Why would you plan a trip where you would have to ride 100+ miles to reach a campsite the first day??? Why wouldn't you plan something a little bit more managable for your first tour?

Are you sure the nearest campsite is really that far away? Many small towns have little town campgrounds ... they don't usually have much stuff (maybe a picnic table and outhouse), but they are usually inexpensive and will do for a night. And they often don't advertize that they are there.

Can you take a train or bus halfway out there so you've only got 50 miles to ride? 50 miles a day is a much more managable distance for a cycletour ... and actually my advice to any cycletourist is to plan to ride only about 50 kms (30 miles) the first day. It often takes a while to get all those last minute things together so you usually end up starting late, and it takes a while to get into the swing of things.

Machka's right, try making it easier on yourself. Enjoy it.

If it's any consolation, quite a few times, I've had a vacation planned, and when it came time to go have had a feeling that I'd rather stay home (mainly because of the hassles of packing, travelling etc), but have always, always enjoyed the vacation. I find it's just the nature of things.

Its like excercising and fitness training, even if you REALLY don't feel like it tell yourself your just going to do something small and not strenuous and before you know it you are really getting into it and will carry on with your regular session.

Pack all your kit together on your bike, tell yourself you are just going for a half hour or so ride on your planned route (training for the future, excercise or what-not) and not the actual trip to get yourself going, before you know it your enjoying it and who knows - maybe you won't want to turn around!

Well, I gave it a shot--didn't pan out, though. I made it about 30 miles, was not doing so well, so I turned around and came back.

I think that one of the major contributing factors to failure was that I seem to have seriously over packed (a classic first-timer mistake, I'm sure). Of course, there was also a constant headwind....

I'll write this one off for now, but there are a few things I'll do differently next time:

1. Plan the route around campgrounds instead of destinations.
2. Get all the gear together beforehand so I can really see how much there is, how much space it takes up, etc
3. There is no 3.
4. Take several long rides with the loaded bike beforehand to know if I REALLY want to carry all that stuff around for a week.

A question for you ... how much do you ride regularly, like on the average weekend, for example?


If you've got the rest of the week off, why not off-load some of your gear and do some local touring ... in other words, start working on your plan right away. Do an overnight tour to a local campground maybe 30-50 miles away as a test ride to see what works and what doesn't.

Yeah, I might do that later this week.

I haven't been doing much weekend riding recently, but I've been doing my work commute more often, so I think it balances out.

I really think it was mostly the heavy weight and the headwind that did me in... I did a century that featured three mountains last month and I didn't feel as wiped out after the 60 miles of gently rolling hills I did today.

Ah well, I'll figure something out.

There's no way I'd ever ride a loaded touring bike 100 miles in one day. 60 miles is a pretty big ride. 30 miles isn't too bad, even.

So you did better than you think!

Better luck next time....

I wasn't really shooting for 100 miles the first day--that's just the distance to the first campground I knew of. I was planning to find something sooner, but I wasn't 100% sure that I actually would.

- While camping may appeal to many, this old man prefers a hot shower and clean bed after a full day in the saddle. For a TransAm, this could add a few thou$and$ to the cost, but for a weeklong tour, cheapie hotels might only add $200-400 to the cost in many locales. So lessen your weight by leaving the gear behind, and you can ride with the anticipation of the great nights sleep we get after a day of all-out physical exertion.

- Don't ride 100 miles or even 50 miles at a time. Ride one mile or 3 miles, then decide to ride another 3...until they add up. There's a bridge that I never aim for the top of, I just ride one concrete slab at a time, then eventually I notice I'm on a level slab and it's all downhill from there.

- It's a cliche, and a bumper sticker and unoriginal, but...a bad day on the bike is better than a good day in the cubicle

- Don't sweat your equipment, or the wind or your route or anything external. It's all between your ears. If you want to do it, you'll find a way to do it. If it's not fun, why would you want to do it in the first place?

- If I can do, ANYBODY can do it. I'm no prize physical specimen, but determination (with a dose of stupidity) can go a long way. I did 222 miles in two days on a hybrid last week, read about it here.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/MemDay07

Not everyone actually likes to cycle tour. A lot of people like the idea of touring on a bike a whole lot more than the reality of it. Don't force yourself to do something you don't really want to.

If there is something else you'd really enjoy doing instead then just do that activity.

60 mile 1st day, that's a good start!

yeah, sounds like your ready to tour physically. You just need some more consideration for where to stay. Good luck with your endeavors!!!!!!!