spooner

For a lot of people seeing new and different places is the best part of touring. For others, its meeting people. I'd imagine a few like it because they are crossing something off of their bucket list.

But how many people actually enjoy the ride. You know, those hours spent in the saddle locked into a cadence. Eyes on the road just ahead of you. No talking. No noise except the sound of the rubber on the road.

You know: the ride.

Is that the best part for you? The worst part?

When I'm on a long ride I really like dropping into that Zen like state.

jharte

Absolutely. For me it is a mix of all the above...meeting people, crossing obsticles, heat, rain, etc. But there are times when there is nothing around but you and the road. Yup...just cruisin' is a huge part of why I tour. It's like...therapy.

SBRDude

Great question. I am still investigating this whole touring thing, so all my experience is from riding by myself. I started out as a triathlete, and because of the no-drafting rule in that sport, I have always preferred to ride alone instead of in a pack. Even now after about 25 years of riding, I have never done a group ride or been interested in riding with others (mountain biking is an exception). Part of that is the hassle of scheduling and part of it is that I enjoy riding alone. Anyway, I tend to be mentally preoccupied with either my own thoughts on a variety of subjects or focused on the ride itself. While I do appreciate the landscape and environment, it tends to be secondary to me and especially so if it's one of my usual rides.

If and when I ever do get to do a tour, I'm hoping to strike a balance between what I already enjoy about riding and slowing it down a bit to enjoy the new places. I'm also more drawn to touring in places where I will meet lots of people, especially when not on the bike. I guess that's because I really enjoy meeting different people when I travel. As such, being in a remote place isn't appealing to me.

Fizzaly

after just getting back from my first mini tour i loved the ride i went with two others so it wasnt quiet the whole time but at one point after climbing a pass for 18miles straight we hit a nice flat straight spot for about 6 miles no cars no talking smooth sailing i totally hit that zen like state and it was wonderful

nun

I really enjoy the meditative aspects of cycling and just being out on the road and knowing I'm going somewhere under my own power. I like the feeling of speed and power when everything is good and getting out of the saddle to get over a climb. So that's why I hate the idea of loading the bike down with 4x panniers and 100lbs of gear because it changes the bike from a swift thing into a beast of burden almost rooted to the ground. If I lost the excitement of that speed I would loose a lot of the joy I get from touring.

SweetLou

The ride is the best part. I couldn't care less if I meet people or see things. Well, there are some things I would like to see, Mt. Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, etc. I've never been a "look at the beautiful view" type of person. I just like to ride.

10 Wheels

Zen for me:

jharte

10 Wheels, that's awesome.

surgeonstone

The ride is everything- music, people, even scenery though appreciated are seperate from the beauty of the ride. No matter how much I may fight getting on the bike, I know that once on it I reach a state of bliss. It's not about killing myself or seeing how fast I can go, these efforts numbers also detract from the ride. It's about the beauty of a fit body interacting with a well tuned and well made bike and with the beauty of this world. It is the sweet, quiet swish-chunk of a chain moving to different sprockets, the wind rushing by, thoughts drifting from the subconcious. I do it every day save one a week for rest.

chasm54

I'm with you on just about all of that. And 100lbs would definitely be too much. But I'm just back from a camping trip on which I had 50lbs of gear, and was still able to get out of the saddle on the climbs...

However, as to the OP's question, I agree with you 100%. The ride, and its meditative nature, is a huge part of the pleasure.

Caretaker

I'm never locked into a cadence.
I'm always looking around.
I'm always talking to myself.
I always hear the birds, especially in the mornings.

You mean I've been doing it wrong all these years?

simplygib

That is by far the biggest attraction to cycling for me, whether it be just a recreational ride or a long tour. I usually ride alone, and I love getting those endorphins flowing and settling into a mental state of peace and positive energy. Nothing else in my life gives me that in the same way. Being in a beautiful setting, or meeting some great people on tour usually just makes that zen-state that much better, but I need to be riding alone to maintain it.

PurpleK

It depends. On those days when I have a good stiff tailwind, exceptional scenery and feelin' invincible, the ride is everything.
On those days when I've got a stiff headwind throwing raindrops in my face like darts and it seems every mile has a steep uphill, the ride isn't all that great though I do enjoy the overcoming of obstacles.

mev

Cadence? Eyes locked on the road? Zen?

Hmm, that isn't my riding. I'm looking around at the smallest details around me. Even in areas with broad sweeping views (e.g. desert areas of the American west) or large areas of similar vegitation (e.g. Australian outback, Siberian taiga), there are still subtle changes and variations as well as places to look. On areas of more rapid change (e.g. Pacific coast ride I did two weeks ago) there is even more.


I wouldn't describe it as zen, but instead my mind can process and wander through a variety of things - what I've been seeing along the way; as well as larger topics and issues from my pre-touring life or things I might have picked up in email along the way.

So the notion of locking into a strict cadence, focus on the road, zen trance and as miles as being something simply to survive since it gets you there... isn't me. I enjoy being out on the road each day, including "the ride" but that also blurs together with the meeting people and places along the way as well.

On a trip of more than a week, I would describe something I reach as being in "flow" where my life and goals are a little more organized around what I'm doing that day and the exact day-of-the-week or date or other markers become less important. I also will have processed much of my work items and be more focused on the journey itself. I reach that more on the longer of trips, such as a trans-continental journey.

simplygib

You haven't experienced the excitement of speed until you're flying downhill through switchbacks with "100lbs" of gear on your racks. ;-)

spooner

I'm glad I'm not alone


Oh there are plenty of those moments too. But it seems that during a long ride there are times when things just quieten down and I get into a zone and its just me and the bike and the road. Its like I'm not even thinking - only being.

I'm not saying that an entire day of touring is like that. Maybe 20 minutes of Zen before a car passes and it gets lost in the exhaust. Or maybe an hour later in the day until my mind starts wandering and thinking about dinner.

But reflecting back on the day's ride. That's when I start thinking about how much I really enjoyed those periods of just riding.

mr geeker

to me, its as much about the journey as it is the destination, so yes, i enjoy the ride.

the journey is everything; the road, the wind, the prick trying to run me off the road, the tunes on my mp3 player, birds, bugs, pituresque views across my handlebars, etc. and the destination, the destination is a campsite - weather paid or stealth, a fire ring and vampire bugs.

spinnaker

Well the way I look at it is that you are not going to see things from any other mode of transportation (except perhaps walking) the way you do from a bicycle saddle. The ride is a big part of seeing things in a very unique way.

QueueCT

It really depends. My wife would say that I'm most interested in the ride and don't really care about anything else. She's most interested in bike touring as a means of transportation between two points of interest so I take her to Europe where villages are close together and we can choose to ride 20 miles or 60 miles depending in what we see.

From my point of view, though, it's a combination. There are days where I find a groove riding 18 or 20 mph with a full load and that's all the day is about. Usually i'm most interested in seeing the landscape, meeting people, seeing sites and staying in a nice town. The bike is a way to slow down enough to really begin to understand a region and its people. So it seems my wife and I are not so different that way. We just have different ideas of the distance we want to cover to make it happen.

Although I'd love to cross the US by bike, I'm worried that the large distances between towns and 'sites' would wear me down.

John

SBRDude

I can't tell you how many times I have finished a ride and couldn't even recall parts of it because I was on autopilot. Kind of weird.

KDC1956

I like the ride and all the things you can see while touring.The sounds of my tires on the road is music to my ears.After a long day on the road the most fun part to me
is setting up my camp site. Then I get to cook and enjoy the rest of the day/night.Get up early cook again then pack up and hit the road some how I wish my wife would
come alone with me but she want even try to do it with me touring is not for ever one but I sure like it.All in all its fun can be hard at times but still you only have to go as
fast as you want to go or can.My LHT is a little heavy but I have low gears to help out on it.

dewaday

This is what touring's about for me, the ability to live completely in the moment. The ride, the camp selection, the fire, cooking and that first sip of hot coffee on a cold morning. Nothing gets taken for granted because every moment just exists for itself. But the ride is definitely the grandest moment.

mtnbiktn

Truer words were never spoken.

mrpincher

Kinda like the way you suddenly realize you've just pedaled 40 miles and you barely remember any of it. Like checked out - on autopilot Zen.

For me its a package deal. I've no real attraction for spinning the pedals, If I could get the same combination of experiences and sensations in another form - I'd be doing it. Just that bicycle touring combines them best.

NoReg

It is a bit of everything, but when the riding is good that's enough for me. I could say that about several bits, but the riding is the most noteworthy part. I don't find meeting people has been all that important. Touring is a very efficient way to get in more riding. Cocktail parties are an efficient way to meet people, admitedly they tend to be the same kind of people.