Bicycle
touring (my definition) is the traveling of long distances
by bicycle and spending at least one night at a location other
than the starting point. The seat of a bicyle offers a vantage
point and pace to really see, feel and smell the country yet
it's never as slow as to be boring.
There
are so many variations to this theme that it is hard to categorize
them all. Rather, imagine a spectrum of styles and methods
that can be varied and mixed to suit the goals, needs and
desires of the specific tour and touring cyclist. Tours can
be overnights to local parks such as Pilot Mountain State
Park, Hanging Rock State Park, New River Trail State Park,
Rocky Knob Campground, etc. Or they can be extended two-week
long tours in wilderness areas or year-long 'round the world
expeditions. Tours can be solo, group, guided or whatever.
STYLES
OF TOURING
CREDIT
CARD TOUR: At the extreme light and fast end of the spectrum,
the tourer takes advantage of services along the route, sleeping
in motels and eating in restaurants. All that is needed is
a bike and a credit card. From a practical standpoint, credit
card tourers will also carry tools, spares and a change of
clothes. For the latest in light, fast travel, see Sheldon
Brown's FasterCard
(humor).
SELF-SUPPORTED
TOUR: Also called self-contained or fully-loaded. In this
touring mode, the cyclist carries their own camping and cooking
gear and a supply of food. Camping may be in parks, campgrounds
or in a roadside woods (commonly referred to as guerrilla
or stealth camping). Many tourers prefer self-supported touring
for the low cost and independence it offers. Others go self-supported
because services along the tour route may be sporadic or absent.
Self-supported cyclists may carry 60+ lb. of equipment (exclusive
of the bike) in panniers or a trailer. Three of my own self-supported
tours were in Alaska
in 2003, around Lake
Ontario in 2005 and a Yellowstone
Loop in 2006.
My self-supported touring gear
EVENT
TOUR: Participating in a fully supported event is an easy,
fun way to tour. The event sponsors will transport equipment
from site to site, provide routing, support services and (usually)
food. A great example of an event tour is Cycle
North Carolina.
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Cycle
North Carolina 2004 |
PLANNING
and RESOURCES
Navigation
is both fun and challenging. The ideal route is flat (or otherwise
if that's what your into); has wide, paved shoulders; has
low traffic; lots of convenient services, sights and scenery;
and always has a tail wind. Finding such a route from maps
or from chance would be lucky. Fortunately, there are resources
to help. Perhaps the greatest is Adventure
Cycling Association, which provides cycling specific maps
for several routes cross-country, north-south, and variations
in between. Lots of touring cyclists keep journals with routing
information and share these at Crazy
Guy on a Bike.
Other
great touring websites include:
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