My bluff just got called!

[MomOnBike]

Here's the background:

I've been making noises for years about taking up bike touring. Elder Daughter is moving to Minneapolis from her college town (Northfield). DH and I have been talking about renting a U-Haul, taking her Stuff up to her in her new abode (stopping to get all the Stuff in the old one). If my bike sorta-kinda wanders on to the U-Haul, I'm just going to ride it back home to Lincoln, NE, right? We're talking, um, 800 miles here, max. I will be riding all by my lonesome and staying at whatever roach motels are along the way.

DH thinks that this is a great idea and is being very (too?) supportive. Tonight he was really encouraging me to do it. I'm getting nervous. We're talking the very first part of May, and I'm not ready! Nor, for that matter, am I ready for the "your bike is SO big that you need a U-Haul to get it anywhere" jokes. OTOH, the pull of the open road is strong, and I know I'd have a great adventure. My recumbent is made for touring and we (bike and I) are getting tired of the local trails.

I guess what I need now from you-all is encouragement, route suggestions, tips for getting the flab into shape in a month, packing lists, reasons to bail- - -that sort of thing.

Give me a hand here. (she whimpers) Please?

[DeniseGoldberg]

Solo tours are absolutely awesome. I was pretty nervous before I started out on my first solo tour; I'd been doing supported tours for a number of years, so I knew I'd like touring, but heading out on my own! Well, I knew I had to do it, and I figured I'd either love it or hate it. And I love it. Exploring on your bike on your own opens doors. I was amazed at the number of people who stopped to ask me what I was up to, who offered me a place to stay - whether it was inside or just a camping spot in their back yard. I don't know if it will help, but there are a couple of entries at the beginniing of journal from my first solo tour that capture some of my thoughts as I planned that first journey. You can find the journal at denise1998rockies.crazyguyonabike.com.

Need more encouragement? Ask away!
Happy dreaming, and happy touring...

--- Denise

[nuthatch]

Oh, I'm sooo jealous! I hope I can do something like this someday! But I wouldn't want to do the very first one by myself - I'd want a shake-down trip with a partner or I'd want back-up not too far away because I'd be experiencing some of the breakdown (bike and brain!) stuff for the first time. OTOH, woohoo! Freedom! Independence! Bragging rights for years!

[Biking Chick]

I guess what I need now from you-all is encouragement, route suggestions, tips for getting the flab into shape in a month, packing lists, reasons to bail- - -that sort of thing.

Give me a hand here. (she whimpers) Please?

I know I will be 'dating myself' here ... but stand up and sing a couple refrains of I Am Woman!!!

I think that is an aweseome adventure and one I would certainly be giving a lot of thought to if I were in your biking shoes. OTOH ... I would opt for an adventure that, like Nuthatch, would give me some physical support; either a biking partner and/or 'sag'. But on the other other hand you can plan the trip to include the phone numbers of places along your route that if you run into problems when 'you are here' that you would have someone to call. Like anything else in life the scary part about doing something new is taking those first nervous steps but once you get through it the best part is looking back and patting yourself on the back knowing you did something that was outside of your 'comfort zone'.

You go girl ... I salute my fellow 'Mom's On Bikes'!

[Adventure Girl]

We're talking the very first part of May, and I'm not ready!

Does this mean you need to fill all our water bottles and buy some tubes? Or does it mean the longest ride you've ever done before is to the grocery store and back?

Having never done a bike tour, here's my take. I would think the progression would be:
1. Fully supported tour.
2. Unsuported tour with other veterans (someone else is the leader).
3. Unsuported tour with novices (you are the leader).
4. Unsuported tour solo.

That's the way I would ease into touring. Also, I would increase the length of rides.

Good luck! It does sound like quite an adventure!

Your signature line says it all!

Ride 'til you get there!

[cyclingnewbie]

Wow! An 800 mile solo ride sounds scary to me. I just learned how to change a flat last year! I envy you for having the spirit to even consider such a thing. I bet if you plan carefully so you have some support along the way, you could do it!! What a blast that would be to roll up your driveway after 800 miles. You go, girl!

[DeniseGoldberg]

Having never done a bike tour, here's my take. I would think the progression would be:
1. Fully supported tour.
2. Unsuported tour with other veterans (someone else is the leader).
3. Unsuported tour with novices (you are the leader).
4. Unsuported tour solo.

Actually in my experience a supported tour is a totally different experience from an unsupported tour. And what goes into the decision to go solo or with others is a combination of your reaction to (or acceptance of) group dynamics and your own comfort level. So if you want to try a solo tour, I don't think you need to try all of the other options listed.

As I look back on my own touring experience - when I started touring I didn't even consider anything but a supported tour. I really enjoyed most of the supported tours that I did, but once I got the guts to strike out on my own I found that I really prefer solo touring. That said, I would probably consider going on an unsupported tour with one other person. And I won't rule out another supported tour in my future - there are places in the world that I might feel more comfortable in if I am not totally on my own.

Anyway, to get back to your proposed tour - I still say you should go with it!

--- Denise

[MomOnBike]

Good question about getting ready. What do I mean, anyway?

OK, the bike doesn't have the right racks yet (I can fix that today), I've let my clothing get a bit on the sketchy side for something like a long distance trip, and my general conditioning is not up to snuff.

OTOH, Panniers are OK, bike is running like a top, I've been changing tires/tubes and doing basic maintenance since the beginning (thanks Dad), and if I happen to ride slowly, I'm the only one that will notice, or care.

The length of the trip is a bit ambitious, and that worries me. I'm riding 10 to 30 miles daily right now - not really enough, I know. I guess I'll have to ride more for a month.

I'm really not social enough for a big group (more than 4 total riders), so the supported tours are pretty much out for me. I'd like to take DH along, but he has obligations at home. It looks like I either take this opportunity for a trip solo, or wait an unspecified amount of time (forever?) for DH to get free.

Update: I just got off the phone with my brother who told me that I just couldn't take a bike trip like that. Danger, too far, dangerous, all by myself, danger, splutter, splutter, splutter. Just what I needed, he stiffened my spine wonderfully. I'm going out now and buying racks and clothes.

[MomOnBike]

And - Oh, Yes. Denise, you are one of my role models. (insert worshipful gaze here)

[annie]

Update: I just got off the phone with my brother who told me that I just couldn't take a bike trip like that. Danger, too far, dangerous, all by myself, danger, splutter, splutter, splutter. Just what I needed, he stiffened my spine wonderfully. I'm going out now and buying racks and clothes.

Whoo, hoo! Sometimes all we need is a challenge. You go, MomOnBike! It is encouraging to read posts from others who have done solo trips. If they can do it, so can you! (Me, too, someday!) You've got support from your DH. That's important. At least you don't have to convince him that you can do it. (I will have a major problem in that area.)

I sounds like an opportunity too good to pass on.

Check out the Adventure Cycling website for maps and other great information.
www.adventurecycling.org

Keep us posted!

annie
They've got a discussion forum you can ask questions on, too.

[SadieKate]

Don't let anyone dissuade you from your dream! When was the last time you did something for the first time? It's sounds like a great plan. I'm very impressed and jealous.

Maybe you could figure out someway to send emails or post on a blog so friends and family know where you are (post here?). What's the cell phone reception across that route?

By the way, was your daughter attending Carleton? St. Olaf's? My mother is an alum of Carleton.

Keep us up to date!

SK

[DeniseGoldberg]

Maybe you could figure out someway to send emails or post on a blog so friends and family know where you are (post here?). What's the cell phone reception across that route?

If you plan to keep a journal, I highly recommend crazyguyonabike.com. Neil has the site set up so you can post entries to your journal via email as well as logging on directly. It's very easy to use, and I find it a great way to stay in touch when I'm out wandering on my bike. That way you move the responsibility to your friends & family to follow along by checking your journal!

[Barb]

You go girl!! Last year I decided that I would backpack part of the Appalachian Trail during my spring break. I think It had something to do with turning forty the fall before! Most of my friends said no way, they would not go with me. I was inexperienced (read never back packed at all), women alone out there yada yada yada. I went. I made mistakes, I laughed my Butt off. It was awesome. I took my 13 year old son with me that same summer. Now I have friends that say, man I wish I would have gone with you. I smile and say...maybe next time.

Bottom line is - do it. What if you don't make it all the way? So what. Do it. It's fun and fills you with confidence. If you drop out, break down or otherwise cannot make it, there is no shame. The only shame is in an opportunity not taken.

[cruziegirl]

I think this sounds like a great idea and what a wonderful accomplishment! Sure it sounds daunting right now but just take it one day at a time and remember, no one is keeping score. If for some reason it doesn't work out, well then you'll have learned something for your next attempt. If it does work out, just think of how you'll feel when you finish!

[emily_in_nc]

Hi MomOnBike!

My husband and I took a 9-day self-supported tour in NY state last fall. It was amazing! I'd never done anything like that before - just a supported tour (Bike Virginia), which, as Denise aptly points out, was a very different experience. I've never toured solo, but after doing the tour with my husband, I do think that I could manage it. The desire to do it is half the battle, and you've already won that part!

We used front and rear racks and panniers, which worked very well indeed. We stayed at Mom and Pop motels along the way, never a problem there. They all let us take our bikes into the room. We washed bike clothes daily in the rooms and hung them to dry, though we brought enough for several days of riding since the weather varied a lot during our tour (some days shorts and short-sleeve jerseys; other days tights and jackets). We brought lightweight knit clothes for off-bike time. We figured out all our routes in advance using Adventure Cycling and NY state maps and had made up cue sheets for each day. Only got lost once or twice!

You can read about our adventures here if it would help in your planning and/or inspiration!

Oh - one more thing....in order to prepare for the amount of cycling on the tour, we had done several metric century rides, and about a month before the tour started doing back-to-back longer days - up to 5 days in a row of 25-60 mile rides. We also did a two-day out and back mini-tour over a weekend of two 75 mile days, stayed in a motel at our destination. We filled up our panniers with everything our our planned list to take, even tho we'd only need a fraction of it on a two-day tour. It really helped give us confidence that we could do a longer tour!

Best of luck...keep us posted!

Emily