touring 101: "mapping" (part 1: factors)

every cross-continental tourist knows the importance of a well-thought out route. whether it's simply the plan for that morning or an entire trip start to finish, there are a few things the smart cyclist will always consider when "mapping" their journey. 

I'll break this into a two-part series - factors and process - the former covering all that influences mapping, the latter providing you with a step-by-step example of how we "map" any given day of riding. and so, without further ado

part 1: factors

1.  attractions - should be obvious, but what can you see along the route? national parks, monuments, scenic routes, viewpoints, lakes, rivers, canyons, etc. hopefully you're a cross-continental tourer because you want to experience the sights, sounds and smells you'll find all along the "open road."

2. mileage - how many do you want to put in each day? this is often what cyclists look at first and foremost, though all the following factors will at some point push that number up or down whether they like it or not. best advice here is to be flexible; shoot for a daily average that works with the length of your trek rather than trying to cover the exact same number of miles each day. 

3. road conditions - big well-paved shoulders on lightly traveled roads are ideal, and bonus if you can find routes without rumble strips (as an aside: DOTs out west are far more biker-savvy than anything we've seen in the midwest or out east. from the pacific coast to the rockies, a majority of the rumble strips are non-continuous; that is, there are 8ft breaks in between 16ft sections of rumbles. this allows a cyclist to easily move from the road to the shoulder whenever cars pass by without rumbling all of their panniers right off their racks. listen up, road commissions! this is a money-saving method of creating rumble strips that is beneficial to both the automobile and the bicycle). 

do NOT rely solely upon google biking routes - best to stick to the solid black & single red lines you'll find on any AAA map (read the legend, it's actually quite helpful). freeways/expressways are to be avoided whenever possible (the wide shoulders may look tempting, but you're far more likely to run into car tire wires and other hard-to-see debris that can wreak havoc on your tires/tubes).

whenever you can, ask at gas stations / restaurants / etc. about the road(s) ahead, but take any information you garner with a grain of salt. no offense car drivers, but "smooth" roads for auto tires does not always translate to smooth roads for bike tires. 

4. weather - cool, dry & overcast conditions keep water consumption low and biker tan lines to a minimum, but that's not to say you won't enjoy your ride if you run into rain or it's a little hot & sunny that day. all depends on your own cycling preferences. check the forecast each morning, and in the afternoon if you can swing it - rain/snow/wind systems can change in strength & direction several times a day. sometimes it might be worth it to wait a few hours to let a storm roll through, or call it quits early in order to get a tent up before it gets wet. 

5. elevation - large climbs? easy coasting? depending on where you're at in the world, you'll want to to take terrain into account when determining how many miles you want to cover that day. 80 miles of riding in kansas does not equal 80 miles of riding in missouri. 

6. civilization - as fun as stealthing may be, staying nearby a place where there's showers, shelter, food and/or people always makes the end of the day more enjoyable. look at where the cities and towns are on your route and again, be flexible. 

7. amenities - in conjunction with being near civilization, often what that "civilization" has will determine whether or not you want to try make it there that day (or if it's too short a ride, keep going). call ahead to see if a city/campground has a park/campsite you can stay in and what's available as to the comforts of modern life. 

furthermore, know that you have a host of options for where to lay your head for the night. outside of state parks, campgrounds and (in a pinch) hotels/motels, you have city parks, churches, fire halls, couchsurfing.com (not that responsive/reputable),

warmshowers.com (very responsive & highly recommended) and even bike shops, more and more of which have some sort of overnight housing for tourers in addition to being an ideal stop for any repairs or tune-ups. be bold and ask! call ahead and try out various accommodations during the length of your trip. not only will you keep from "overdoing" any one form of shelter, but you'll meet folks from all sorts of backgrounds along the way. 

look for "part 2: the process" coming soon! 

until next time,

may the rains fall softly on your fields

josh & mark

the lifecycle team