ricohman

I was 17 and my two buddies were 16 and 17.
We traveled 1350km and our best day was 260km.
I was using my brand new Raleigh Criterium. And my two friends had a Raleigh Record and a Peugeot U08. Obviously none of these bikes were dedicated touring bikes and none had any low gears.
We road to Waskesui National Park in northern Saskatchewan. Camping and self sufficient the entire time.
The Peugeot broke a chain in Waskesui and when we went down to the local hardware store guess what we found? A 6 year old Peugeot chain in a dusty box.
What luck!
Although I have done tours that consumed a great deal more money and time, the first trip way back then somehow holds more memory than the later trips.
I think I had $30 in my pocket for this trip.

metal_cowboy

My first tour was Cycle Oregon Ten. We rode from the Oregon/Idaho border to the Pacific Ocean. It was a six day ride; with 2,000 riders, it was unlike anything I had ever been apart of. I went on to ride four more Cycle Oregons: each one has given me unforgetable memories.

Machka 

Ummmmm ... I sort of eased into touring gradually.

My father cycled Jasper to Banff in three days, when I was 17. The rest of the family, including me, followed in the car. The last day, I rode with my father. I suppose in a vague way that was tour-like.

10 years later I rode Jasper to Banff in three days, camping along the way. But I did have a SAG wagon.

There were lots of other camping trips before and after the Jasper to Banff ride, and I usually had my bicycle along, but I'm not sure you could technically call them cycling tours ... although I suppose they were sort of practice runs, in a way.

Then there was a MS-150 ride, which was kind of like a mini-tour. I rode that with panniers.

I suppose my first "real" tour would have been in Wales in 2003.

zonatandem

TOLSC in 1974 . . .Tour of Lake St. Clair. 125 miles the first day, 75 second day. Started in Detroit, MI over the Ambassador Bridge into Ontario (Canada) and on to Sarnia, Ontario. Next day over the Blue Water Bridge into Port Huron, MI and back to Detroit.
Both times the bridges were closed to all car traffic for 15 minutes to allow the cyclists to cross unimpeded.
Been at it ever since!

becnal

Through Denmark to Sweden and around.

tzuohann

Los Angeles to Malaysia. Ongoing. In Iran now.

mntbikedude

First tour was the oregon coast. At the time it we thought it was this major feat. The time we added washington and then last tour did canada to mexico. They have all been some of the happiest times of my life.

chrisch

My first tour was in 2004 along the Swiss #8 'Aare Route'. We started at the Grimsel Passhöhe and ended in Koblenz (Switzerland) five days later. I've done a tour through Switzerland each year since, and will continue the tradition next year.

acantor

I planned to tour in Holland in 1989, but had knee problems. So I went to Europe but didn't bike.

I planned to tour in New Brunswick in 1990, but at the last minute discovered there was no room in the car for a bike. So I drove to New Brunswick but didn't bike.

Finally, in 1998 I flew to London with my bike, went by Chunnel to France, took a train to a town near the Rhine, and for the next 18 days toured in Alsace and Burgundy. It was worth the wait!

staehpj1

I consider my first real tour to be the TransAmerica route this Summer, but I did do a three day trip on the C&O Canal Towpath a couple years ago. Somehow I don't really think of the towpath as touring, but I guess it really was.

This Summer's trip was a long time coming since I had dreamed of touring since 1969 and even more so since 1976 (because of reading about and wanting to do Bikecentenial that year). I think that it is now in my blood and I expect to tour at least once a year until I am unable.

Ken in NJ

1982: I had just graduated college, as had my friends Cathy and Katie. The three of us planned a tour starting from southwestern Connecticut, cycling to Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape Cod, then over to Boston, though New Hampshire and Vermont to Montreal, along the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario to Niagara Falls, through the Finger Lakes region and northeastern Pennsylvania back to New Brunswick, New Jersey. Katie cut back her participation as the trip approached; she ended up cycling only one week with us in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and Cathy and I moved the start of the trip to Long Island, New York. Another friend, Mike, joined us for a week near the end, but only Cathy and I did the whole six week tour. We used regular road maps, and neither of us had bicycle clothing. (I wore running shoes that I had bought specifically for that trip; I had no idea that cycling shoes without cleats existed.) I cycled on my new Trek 614 12-speed, which I've just recently retired from touring, and Cathy rode her new Trek 412 12-speed. None of us had an odometer, but I estimated that the total mileage was in the range 1800-2000 miles. We had rain almost every day in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Martha's Vineyard, and some more in Boston. After that, the weather was great. We stayed in campgrounds and youth hostels most nights.

Although I've been better prepared for all of my subsequent trips (with bicycle maps and shorts with chamois pads and bicycling shoes), I'll never again experience that feeling of being out on the road for the first time, going however far and in whichever direction we want.

Sigurdd50

1970
Just after my freshman year in HS
4 of us altogether. About 300 mile round trip from the N Chicago Suburbs to around Lasalle-Peru (Princeton to be exact)
two Schwinn Varsities (one only had 2 gears by the end after a 'rope' accident), a 5 speed upright Schwinn, and a single speed Schwinn Racer. The guy on the Racer was always about 400 yards ahead of the rest of us. We had canvas saddle bags, back packs with PEACE patches sewn on, and metal canteens for water. We rode on all the wrong roads, did all the wrong things, and had the best time.

SanJoseBob

My first tour was across Wisconsin on the trail from Lacross (sp?) to Kenosha in the summer of '75, after graduating from high school. I think it took about a week. I remember the cool (literally) train tunnels and beautiful scenery along the way, but not much else without digging out the roll of pictures I took on the trip. The next year I joined Bikecentennial from Oregon to Virginia.

raybo

I didn't think of it as a tour at the time but I rode an old Schwinn Varsity from my home in Long Beach to a friend's house in Laguna Beach and back in 1974. I remember it was harder than I thought, but I was riding with a daypack on and had no idea about hydration or food intake. As I recall, it took me most of the day to go the 40 miles or so.

The next time I toured was in 2001!

Ray

travelinhobo

1998 - 6 months in Europe. 9 countries. 6,000 miles (10K kms.)

ricohman

I am very glad to see that there are lots of us "old guys" that started way back in the 70's and 80's still touring.

videticj

On it right now:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/jvidetich

pathebikeguy

Paris to Rome back in the early 90's. With just a handle bar bag a patch kit and no map I rode out of the airport in Paris and worked my way south to Rome.
I ended up buying maps along the way and created my itinerary as i went.
I basicly rode from sunrise to sunset rushing to the next village to find a room before it got too dark to ride.

paul2

My first camping experience was at Waskesui, but we were car camping, and I was only a couple of months old, so I don't actually remember it.

My first touring experience was San Francisco to San Diego in 1995.

TehK

LA to Santa Barbara, not really a tour, more of a long distance ride, but it ended with 3 days of camping.

Booger1

My first tour was in 1978,L.A. to Phiffer/Big Sur campgrounds,was gone for a week..Bought a brand new Shogun touring bike for that trip($700,lotsa money in them days for a 20 year old kid) and was hooked on touring.Has been such a good bike,it's still the only one I have,ride to work everyday.I have no idea how many miles are on it(LOTS),only had a computer the last few years,but it's 30 years worth of everyday riding and the annual L.A. to Frisco trip every year(didn't realize i rode 5-8,000 miles a year).The longest trip I have taken was L.A. to Denver and back(3 months-5200 miles with side trips) The only thing I have changed on it is I built some good wheels,changed the seat,and all the normal stuff.I did just put some Aero brake levers on it this weekend,there going to take some getting used too,just looks funny after all these years.I like the look of things at 10-12mph!

countrydirt

I shared a bit of correspondence with Jim Foreman, I think it started on this website. He pointed me to his website, which had a description of a ride he did in the early 90's from Trinidad, Colorado to Boise City, Oklahoma. So, two short years later, I finally did my first tour, recreating part of his route riding this:


121 miles over two days down the Dry Cimmaron River from Colorado, through New Mexico and into Oklahoma.

Can't wait to get out again!

scott L R

My first tour was this May. Pittsburgh Pa to Washington D.C. 4 days travel and 2 days in D.C. I came home on Amtrak with 2 bikes. I am now hooked. Looking at the Kona Sutra, Randonee from REI, and a few others. Wanting to ride cross-country before I hit 50, I have 10 years.

Sebach

1st Tour: Summer 2005, Ottawa - Toronto (about 450km)
2nd Tour: Fall 2005, Ottawa - Montreal (about 250km)
3rd Tour: Summer 2006, Across Canada (about 8000km)

Bekologist

1986 i believe, Marquette to copper harbor MI and back. not too far, highways, dirt roads and forest, lake superior views, me and a college buddy. Best of times.