When 60 miles is too far to ride

There I was. Highway 200. My first day on a week-long bike tour. It's scorching hot out, no shade for miles. I've got 20 pounds in panniers on the front, 10 pounds tied onto the rear rack, a Burley Tail Wagon hitched to the rear axle, and a border collie in tow.

We need water. We need shade. We need shelter.

I had planned to ride to Seeley Lake that first day. It was only a 60 mile ride. That's nothing, right? Wrong.

Let's rewind.

Earlier that day, I rode through Adventure Cycling Association headquarters in Missoula, Montana. Co-founder Greg Siple took my portrait with my bike and dog, and he weighed my gear. I was excited that I had broken the previous record of 170 pounds with a whopping 182. Normally, long distance cyclists try to lighten their gear, and I had tried to do the same thing; however, to do this trip with the dog, I was under certain constraints. I was unconcerned with the weight, though, because I had done a shake-down overnight and had very little problem pulling the gear, trailer, and dog.

Astro and I thought we were ready!
I left Adventure Cycling HQ a little later than I expected and knew that meant I would be a little later getting into camp than I had expected. Then, I missed a turn and rode 6 miles the wrong way then 6 miles to get back on route.

Now fast forward to 30 miles later. I am exhausted from climbing a steady incline with a noticeable headwind and unforgiving heat. I am done. And that means I need to figure out where to get food and water and locate a viable campsite.

Thank goodness for Adventure Cycling map I brought with me which told me there was a gas station (which had all the food supplies I needed) only 6 miles away and a campsite only 15. My smartphone and Google maps application were useless since I had absolutely no cell reception for miles. Without that little waterproof map, I don?t know what I would have done. I know I was ready to pull off to the side of the road and cry from exhaustion. Adventure Cycling maps saved the day.

Each cycling season, bicycle tourists all over the country discover how important a reliable and accurate map is to enjoying and conquering their bicycle dreams and adventures. If you?ve used our maps and routes, you know that they make a huge difference in planning and embarking upon a bicycle tour ? turning something daunting into a thing of ease and grace.

You can help us keep the Adventure Cycling Route Network alive, growing, and up-to-date by sponsoring a mile on the Southern Tier, TransAm, Pacific Coast, Great Divide, and Lewis & Clark bicycle routes. You can also make a donation to support the network as a whole, which will help us complete Bicycle Route 66, make essential updates to our existing routes, and help us complete the conversion of our maps to Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Donate today and you'll have the chance to win a BOB trailer! (Winner announced on October 1st.)

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SUPPORT ADVENTURE CYCLING is written by Amanda Lipsey, development director for Adventure Cycling Association.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/09/when-60-miles-is-too-far-to-ride.html

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