Author Topic: Whats your  (Read 9808 times)

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Offline cyclist

Whats your
« on: June 06, 2005, 12:43:17 am »
Whats your favorite type of tour, self supported, or group. Why?  :)


Offline tgpelz

Whats your
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2005, 02:23:41 am »
My favorite type of tour is self supported self guided and self poaced.

Granted I do own almost every map that Adventure cycle sells.  

I plan my trip based upon the weather and if I have been there before or not.

Most of my trips are 3 - 5 days in length.  I find it difficult to schedule more time off.

I don't like group rides.  It seems that if they are credit carding it, they stay in nice hotels/motels.  My cup of tea is a cheap motel or city park with a shower.

When I started touring, I figured out that my 3-4 person top of the line tent would be paid for in less than a week of camping.  

My usual day has been between 15 and 75 miles.  The distance depends upon the road, and what is along side of that road.  

On one trip down the Natchez trace, we only went 15 miles because the town we stopped to visit was so interesting.

So, I prefer to go my own pace.  I like to stop when I want to stop.  Camping gives my many alternatives I would not have on a group ride with an agenda.

My pace?  8 - 12 MPH.  Sometime faster, often slower.  My bike is very heavy loaded.  I carry a table, chair, tent, sleeping bag, water filter, air mattress, lots of water, food, clothing, books to read, journals to write in, camera, etc, etc.  

The slowest day was 4.2 miles which took five HOURS.  This was the climb out of Silverton towards Durango.  next time, I will ride the other way.  The winds come out of the South on that highway.  Still, it was a memorable trip.




Offline cyclist

Whats your
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2005, 07:09:59 pm »
Very pleasent story you just posted on your favorite type of riding, and the reasons why. The way you travel is the way it is supposed to be done. You take your time, and enjoy the things along the way. That gives you memories that always accompanies great stories  of the adventures you experienced via biking. If you would please, i,am curious as to how you carried all that stuff. Please share with us how you did that. I like the i dea of keeping a journal, nice idea. Again share with us how you carried all that stuff. I,am eager to hear your response.  :)


Offline pmspirito

Whats your
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2005, 11:55:20 pm »
TGPELZ, you are a my kind of traveler.  I try to travel light but comfort in camp is worth the price of added weight on the road.  I don't understand those that ride 75 to 100 miles a day...WHY ???  The Natchez Trace is one great example of of a tour that should not be rushed.  The NT is on my list of must-do rides.  I came across a guy towing a kayak with his bike. He had all of his gear in the yak and said the yak was only a few pounds heavier than a regular bike trailer and he loves to fish.

best wishes from the back of the pack,  Peter & Judy Spirito

This message was edited by pmspirito on 6-15-05 @ 8:03 PM
best wishes from the back of the pack,  Peter & Judy Spirito

Offline TwoWheeledExplorer

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Whats your
« Reply #4 on: June 17, 2005, 02:39:34 am »
Self supporting, off road, alone or in a small group (1 or 2 other riders) in the north woods on backcountry roads and fire tails.

The northern Great Divide would be like a dream trip!

Ride safe,
Hans

Hans Erdman, WEMT
Backcountry Trail Patrol-MN
www.trailpatrol.org
2WX: The Two-Wheeled Explorer
www.twowheeledexplorer.org
"St. Louis to the Western Sea if nothing prevents."--John Ordway, Corps of Discovery

Offline TheDaltonBoys

Whats your
« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2005, 09:40:38 pm »
Self Supported, with my brothers, and in no hurry....unless it starts raining VERY hard then its a sprint to some kind of overhead shelter. WooHoo!!


Offline jillmcin

Whats your
« Reply #6 on: June 18, 2005, 12:58:36 am »
My favorite tour situation is the one I'm in. I've done almost
every possible version, with the exception of high end credit
card touring.

One favorite started solo in Minneapolis. I had a good
amount of time to meet a friend in St Louis, so every day I
went in the direction of the tailwind.  It was surprising how
much of a mind game it was. I had though I wsn't really goal-
oriented. Ha!

I did make it to St Louis....



Offline pmspirito

Whats your
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2005, 08:49:56 pm »
I did sign up for something a little different and very lazy.  THIS IS NOT MY REGULAR ROUTINE.  Bubbas Pampered Pedalers:  200 riders from Key Largo to Key West in November. The pace is very easy. The most perfect of all Florida weather.  The lazy part?  Well for a few bucks extra Bubba provides a large tent and queen size air mattress, sets up the tent, blows up the mattress, and puts your gear bag and a fresh towel on the bed ready and waiting for whenever you arrive. And there is a lawn chair too.  In the morning; pack only your personal gear bag, leave it in the tent and walk out the door.  And the food is out of this world.  I will be taking a fishing rod and fishing along the way.  Kye West Here I Come.

best wishes from the back of the pack,  Peter & Judy Spirito
best wishes from the back of the pack,  Peter & Judy Spirito

Offline RussellSeaton

Whats your
« Reply #8 on: August 26, 2005, 10:51:42 pm »
The most memorable have been solo self supported.  I've participated in numerous week long cross state rides.  On a couple occassions the self supported tours have been over the same area as the week long cross state type rides.  I forget almost everything about the week long group cross state rides.  I remember lots of pleasant things about the self supported solo tours.  So its not really the terrain/location is better on my self supported solo tours that make them more memorable.  Maybe its the fact I get to research and anticipate the solo tours more.  And make the decisions on where and when, etc.  I'm far more likely to meet people on solo tours than on the big week long cross state type rides.  Ironic.  The solo tours are usually bigger events over several weeks or months.  More epic.

I've ridden from Silverton to Durango.  Part of a 2 week September 1997 solo tour I did in the SW corner of Colorado.  My shortest riding day ever on tour was from Ouray to Silverton.  22 miles.  That was the day I implemented my 1 mountain pass per day rule.  Unless there is no alternative.  Next day was Silverton to Durango.  60 miles or so.  Then a day off to ride the train from Durango to Silverton and back.  Then on to downtown Pagosa Springs.  Then Wolf Creek Pass and Creede.  It was like living a C.W. McCall song in reverse.  John Wayne mentions Creede in The Shootist.