Bicycle touring

i always wondered where all th'murphs' came from, who knew?
i used to do 20 miles a day when i was a kid, never went further than 40. but even i don't remember 'before paved roads'.

 

Yearssssss ago... I used to road ride nearly every day, participated in local club day and weekend rides. The biggest issue for me today is the much higher distraction level with drivers and technology. I'm convinced that it is too dangerous now.

I've thought about trail riding and mountain biking instead, but haven't taken that leap yet.

 

My biggest was in college. Rode from Denver, over Trail Ridge Road, through Salt Lake City, to Boise on my way to Langley, BC. Ran short on time and took the bus from Boise to Portland. Rode from there to Vancouver, WA to spend time with roommate from previous year. Wrecked the bike while there. Worked in a blueberry packing plant for two weeks to pay for the repairs and wound up catching a ride with another student up to the school in B.C. I spent WAY more on food than I would have on a plane ticket, but my legs could probably pick up a school bus by the time I got there.

 

For a year, I was living in Arlington VA and commuted to American University, 3-5 times a week:

• Foxhall Rd from the Potomac river north was a narrow, two lane road, frequently driven by diplomats and those who could afford to live in a wealthy part of DC (i.e., big cars.) In the winter, I had to take it back to Arlington after sunset, the closest I came to eternity. I took three courses one semester and had to take it five days a week, 55 miles. I was also an enlisted Marine working graveyard shift, six days a week, at Marine HQ in the Navy Annex.
• American University had a data processing certificate program that I completed before getting out of the Marines. That and my computer experience in the Marine Corps helped me get in my first job. Just part of getting over a depression that finally turned the corner three weeks into bootcamp ... everything got better from that point on.

Bob Wilson

 

I love bicycle touring. It's my favourite form of camping, and the accomplishment of having pedalled 1000 miles from home is a deep and lasting satisfaction. I've done a few shorter tours, such as from Vancouver to the Okanagan valley - both over the Hope-Princeton and the Coquihalla. - and another on a home-built recumbent down to Portland for the IHPSC. The longest tour was down the West coast to California, as far as my Uncle's place in Los Gatos. Despite not having toured in a couple of decades now, I still consider myself first and foremost a touring cyclist. Even on day rides, I take all the tools I might need, and have a good idea of where I'll stop for water and snacks. I find the cycling infrastructure now to be far better than it used to be, and cycling in an urban environment is mostly safe and pleasurable. I'm very much looking forward to being finished some big deadlines at work the end of this month, and then it's back to my regular 60 km rides. I've foolishly signed up for the Whistler Gran Fondo in September, and will have only two months to get myself ready for a 120 km ride, mostly uphill. Good thing I need the exercise.