Touring

Last week (Sep 18-24) I spent 7 days without a car, traveling only by bicycle with 5 of my friends. We covered over 560 miles and almost 34,000 vf of climb. We went through Gettysburg and Antietam battlefields, crossed South Mountain (the hard way!), and rode 30 miles of Skyline Drive. No car. No sag wagon to carry my stuff. Just me and my stuff on my bike.

I got into touring about 5 years ago. Touring was one of those things I said I would "never" do. Why would I want to spend all day on the bike sightseeing, travel at a leisurely pace (figure 10 mph including stops), carry my own stuff, and rely completely on the bike (and my legs and lungs) to get me to the next location. But I tried it, and well, it's fun, different, challenging, relaxing. I've seen places I didn't know existed. There's something exhilarating, challenging about tackling a 5-6 mile climb with sections at 19% grade, carrying 20-25 lbs of stuff, and using gearing just slightly lower than I would normally ride (39x29 vs 39x25). There's something fun, spontaneous about stopping in a small town along the way and enjoying a fresh-baked and still warm raspberry scone.

And it's a nice feeling to know that I could live without a car (I hate driving anyway) if I had to.

The day after I returned home, I easily slid back into my normal routine, went out for a short ride with 2 friends, and once again, realized how lucky I am.