Cyclist0108

I didn't want to hijack another thread that seemed on the brink of going in this direction, so ...

What do you find are the most inhibitory aspects of bike touring (i.e., things that make you think twice about doing it), and what are your coping strategies?


(For me, it is insomnia. I seem incapable of getting a decent night's sleep, which gradually grinds me down over the course of a long trip.)

indyfabz

Not being able to obtain wine every night. Cope by settling for beer.

Aubergine 

Leebo

Carry a flask of whiskey, get beer at the end of the day or plan accordingly.

Leebo

I like to ride bikes, that is all that is needed. Bring/ buy enough food? Have a plan B/C for clothes and weather and carry a big cup of HTFU? Ride,rest, repeat. No sleep? Try a GOOD air mattress, tent and dry clothes? Or pedal all day and then do that. Coping? Hmmm. See above, I like to bike. Embrace the suck sometimes. Did a 5 day, 260 mile bikepack route this past summer. The Cross NH trail, up to kingdom trails in VT and back to Bethel ME to the start. So much rain, torrential rain. Like pickups throwing waves. So deep on a paved rd my sandals were going under the water on each pedal stroke. So much rain that, low on water I just tipped my head up to get some more. ( bonus) Two things carried me that day. Had a dry bag with a full set of clothes for the end of the day, and Mikes tiki bar at KT, 30 of VT's finest brews, can roll up to it on a bike, which I did. 2 guys bought me a beer while I tried to figure out where I was going to stay, no plan. No wifi for air bnb. Waitress piped up with the cottage, campground thing just over the next hill. ( after 72 miles) Best $75 I ever spent on a cottage, shower, bed, place to dry clothes, perfect. Walked to Next Trick brewing and closed the place. A sample, a brew and a fresh pretzel were only $7.50, nice.

indyfabz

It's mostly a problem when I tour in my home state of PA. Wine and liquor sales are, for the most part, controlled by the state. "State Stores," as they are called, are few and far between in "Pennsyltucky." The ones you do find in the hinterlands are often only a open a few days/week. Under a new law that went into effect a year or two ago, a grocery store can get a license to sell beer and wine. Such stores are also rare outside of larger communities. Takeout beer is usually much easier to get, but beer is heavy, and I am not a big beer drinker. Makes me bloated.

boomhauer

My boss this the biggest inhibitor. He seems to freak out every time I tell him i'm going on another trip. I keep telling myself that I'll be on my deathbed someday and I'll be pissed for remembering all the times I've placated my boss.

fietsbob

History of Dental care included ammonia from one's own Urine...



In Euro Commercial camp grounds I brought Ear Plugs , & SW radio .. & my Mandolin to sit in at pub sessions..

this pre IT takeover of planet..



down filled air mattress..




..

Marcus_Ti

I don't find many things more demoralizing than packing up camp in the wet. Just takes the wind out of the sails....and as a corollary, few things are more motivating than an approaching morning stormfront to have to frantically pack before the arrival of.

We've done Tour de Nebraska in the central/east/NE/SE area enough, and used the same city-park and camp sites enough that....well...we long-timers have memorized which ones have adjacent/nearby railroad tracks in use during the night. Those spots typically have loaded coal trains from Wyoming going through every half-an-hour, all night.

indyfabz

BNSF Powder River Subdivision. Been there. Done that. Only further up the line in Edgemont, SD, at the end of the Mickelson Trail. And there are two grade crossings in town. One at the north end and another at the south end, closer to the municipal campground. Horns galore. And don't forget the empties moving back north/west.

Some will remember this from one of my nights on the GAP, as I have posted it several times. Turn up the volume to recreate the actual experience.

3speed

I think my biggest thing is definitely headwind. It affects my mood sometimes when there's a lot of it. Coping? Yell and swear at it is all I've come up with so far. That coping method has seemed largely ineffective, unfortunately. I haven't found a way to make it stop yet. I did hitch-hike once when I'd been riding in a strong headwind all day. It had reduced my mileage and I wasn't to camp yet, it was dark, and still windy. I said "f*** it" and stuck out my thumb while I took a break. A nice guy in a pickup stopped, tossed my bike in the back of the truck, and gave me a ride since we were headed in the same direction.

52telecaster

Headwind and rain. Either in small doses is cool. Enough of either can make me look for a motel.

Cyclist0108

Skin cancer worries me enough to think twice about a long tour, especially in the hot wide open areas. On local rides, I try to avoid peak UV hours and ride in shady areas, and wear long-sleeves and other protective clothing, but touring could make this a lot harder.

mrv 

I start missing my family after about 3 days. I did a 5 day solo tour as my first cyclotouring trip. Night 4 I'm a scant 75 miles from home (after a 110 mile day...). I almost called my wife to pick me up. The last day was a lovely ride, so I'm glad a stuck it out.
Cope: tour length is 4 days when I go! And do more of the S24O type riding.
I guess I'm like the wussy kid at summer camp.....

alan s 

Leebo

Gottcha. 4 pack tall boy cans are not that heavy. Can find anywhere in MA, VT and NH, most of my shorter ride areas. And a 500 ml nalgene works well for the whiskey. I once( so sad) put cask strength bourbon in my alcohol stove to cook my breakfast.

Ghazmh

boomhauer

Ravenna, NE on Hwy 2 (west of Grand Island) has a 24hr grocery for the Railroad workers and camping behind the Tractor Pull grandstands. Great town!

mtnbud

Long climbs and strong headwinds. And rain...

djb

I have to say, I can't imagine not being able to sleep properly after biking all day. Exercise, fresh air, sun, and plain old exhaustion means that unless there are specific loud noises going on during the night, I'm out like the proverbial light.
This is obviously your kryptonite, but after all that work during the day and not being in "work mode" and all that stuff in our lives, thats a drag you don't sleep. Proper sleep is right up with proper food, not enough and the candle starts getting shorter doesnt it?

spinnaker

Not knowing if you are up for the ride always bothers me. When I was younger I was a lot more bolder. It doesn't help that I was away from touring for about 2 years due health issues and family issues.

The other thing is touring alone. Did it for the first time last year and I did fine though it was an easy trip. But touring alone and not being certain if you are up for the challenge sort of go hand in hand. I think that touring partners have the benefit of drawing confidence from one another.

It is also nice having someone to share experiences with. My touring partner has fallen of the face of the planet. All of our mutual acquaintances have not heard from him at all. But back when we would do weekend rides together we would often reminisce over a number of tours we did together. It was sort of fun.

As far as actually touring not much that bothers me. Rain maybe. But when you look back it really was not all that bad and sort of sticks out in your head. I remember a few times in Italy near Como. I swear that area is cursed for me.

Cyclist0108

I have this trouble when I am not on bike trips, too. It leads to stress, weight gain, high blood pressure, and all sorts of other bad things.

I was once awakened by the sound of cockroaches laying eggs on a paper bag.

djb

We all know how lack of proper sleep screws up our brains. I wish you the best.

Cyclist0108

Uhh... thanks.

djb

Oops, that didn't come out right. That was supposed to be, if any of us don't get proper sleep, it affects us greatly. Especially when we are so active cycling.