I have been a home body for most of my life. Sure, my wife and I have been on some pretty cool vacations but for the most part, I stick pretty close to home… Cycling has changed me quite a bit though. My first trip road trip was to the Pere-Marquette rail trail and humorously enough, I went up to see if I could do a solo 200k. It was anything but easy though I did finish and with an average of over 18 mph which I was quite happy with.
Family vacations now require the bike rack. Trips to the mountains mean it’s time to ride. In addition, once or twice a year (actually working on the third this year) we take the bikes up to the Pere-Marquette rail trail in Midland and then at least once, I’ll go up myself.
Cycling road trips are where it’s at – you have to be fully self-sufficient, be able to handle any kind of mechanical issue that might spring up, handle staying fueled and hydrated and aware of your surroundings at all times… On the other hand, as has been oft quoted, there’s no better way to see a new place than from the cockpit of a bike. If you’ve never packed up your bike for a road trip, there’s nothing like it.
Where has your bike been?
Fit Recovery 
We’re goi g on a damily holiday to New Zealand in February 2015 but my bike will be in the shed. I’m gonna hie a road bike for a week and ride some of the routes that I did when I was younger as well as visiting some places that have changed since I was riding there. It’s about the same cost but more convenient as it is packing it into luggage. AND I get to try a road bike for a change over my ‘cross bike that I commute with now. It’ll be summer too-can’t wait…
Excuse the grammar-hasty doing this on my phone while “watching” number 1’s soccer training
I feel your pain brother.
Nice! Are you going top shelf on the hire bike?
We’ll see. To be honest, any road bike will feel different to what I’ve got but as the opportunity arises I may just do that
One of the guys at the shop showed me a set of wheels a customer ordered!on Friday… Envy hoops ($2,000), DT Swiss hubs ($800 ea.) and some kind of special cf spokes… the set cost more than my whole bike and weighed slightly more than my water bottle cages. I can’t help but wonder what they’d ride like in my bike.
Some great photos there. A friend and I have spent the last 2 Friday nights planning a trip next summer: Paris-Nice, 1000km over 7 days, meeting the wife and kids in Nice. Getting excited already!!
That’s going to be one heck of a trip! Congratulations and enjoy – I’ll be looking forward to the photos.