In some ways, starting out is as easy as turning left where you normally turn right.
Up the hill instead of down.
Away instead of toward.
It's really all about doing it.
Go away, come back and think through the ways that it could have been better and change at least one thing.
Across town, across the state, across the country, are all essentially the same.
Different levels of planning and preparation, but the execution is the same.
Visualize where you are going, and go.
If you are heading to the next town for a cheeseburger, knowing where you are going and, maybe, finding a different way to get there is what the RIDE is about.
It won't take long, and you will find out what your mileage limit is.
Maybe it's only 25 miles at a sit, maybe it is 200.
Practice and repetition will make that number go up.
Stopping is part of going, but it is the length and frequency of the stops that will determine how far you go in a day.
When I am on an extended tour, I plan to average 50 mph for every hour I am riding.
Includes gas and meal and smoke stops.
This means I don't fool around much at a service station, but I have plenty of time to have a drink and a smoke and a bathroom break at every gas stop.
When I am in a photo rich environment, or on a very twisty road, the 50 mile hour goes away.
When I am on 'extended riding', I usually have intermediate goals to cover.
I'll need to be at a place on a day, and what I do between is up to me.
Generally, I will dawdle on back roads until I need to make time, then find a freeway or main route and go 'hammer down'.
I can continue this schedule for days and days.
Typically, when I am going 'point to point' I want a minimum of 500 miles.
50 mph x 10 hours of riding time per day.
I often make more than that if I am under time constraints.
Often, I will make the day longer because I just love to ride, and I will sometimes just add to the pleasure.
There are many ways to pick a route, from pouring over maps for hours and days to plugging an address into a GPS and letting the computer make your choices.
I love maps, and I have an extensive collection.
Most of my trips start with 'I wonder about..
..
' and a map.
Then some thought and more maps.
On the road I usually take a back road until the day before I have to be someplace.
Then I plug that place into the GPS and let it take me the fastest way.
I get to see and experience the back roads, and still maintain my schedule.
There are a lot of people that like group rides, where the routing and stopping are orchestrated by the group leader.
Often a good way to see new country, these necessarily need to be geared to the slowest and least experienced rider.
If I ride in a group it is very rarely larger than 3.
I ride thousands of miles alone each year, but I also have a riding buddy that is on much the same schedule I am.
We often go a few thousand miles each year, and the experience is terrific.
The secret is a buddy that likes the same sort of pace that I do.
I have been fortunate enough to have two good riding partners in my life.
Ray, who really taught me a lot about the practicality of riding, and led me into lots of grand adventures.
Since Ray is gone, there is Bob, who may be even better for me to ride with.
The best was when the three of us got to ride together.
Alas, not enough, but certainly a treat and part of my life to remember.
Friends when the bikes are stopped and trusted riders and companions when moving.
Up the hill instead of down.
Away instead of toward.
It's really all about doing it.
Go away, come back and think through the ways that it could have been better and change at least one thing.
Across town, across the state, across the country, are all essentially the same.
Different levels of planning and preparation, but the execution is the same.
Visualize where you are going, and go.
If you are heading to the next town for a cheeseburger, knowing where you are going and, maybe, finding a different way to get there is what the RIDE is about.
It won't take long, and you will find out what your mileage limit is.
Maybe it's only 25 miles at a sit, maybe it is 200.
Practice and repetition will make that number go up.
Stopping is part of going, but it is the length and frequency of the stops that will determine how far you go in a day.
When I am on an extended tour, I plan to average 50 mph for every hour I am riding.
Includes gas and meal and smoke stops.
This means I don't fool around much at a service station, but I have plenty of time to have a drink and a smoke and a bathroom break at every gas stop.
When I am in a photo rich environment, or on a very twisty road, the 50 mile hour goes away.
When I am on 'extended riding', I usually have intermediate goals to cover.
I'll need to be at a place on a day, and what I do between is up to me.
Generally, I will dawdle on back roads until I need to make time, then find a freeway or main route and go 'hammer down'.
I can continue this schedule for days and days.
Typically, when I am going 'point to point' I want a minimum of 500 miles.
50 mph x 10 hours of riding time per day.
I often make more than that if I am under time constraints.
Often, I will make the day longer because I just love to ride, and I will sometimes just add to the pleasure.
There are many ways to pick a route, from pouring over maps for hours and days to plugging an address into a GPS and letting the computer make your choices.
I love maps, and I have an extensive collection.
Most of my trips start with 'I wonder about..
..
' and a map.
Then some thought and more maps.
On the road I usually take a back road until the day before I have to be someplace.
Then I plug that place into the GPS and let it take me the fastest way.
I get to see and experience the back roads, and still maintain my schedule.
There are a lot of people that like group rides, where the routing and stopping are orchestrated by the group leader.
Often a good way to see new country, these necessarily need to be geared to the slowest and least experienced rider.
If I ride in a group it is very rarely larger than 3.
I ride thousands of miles alone each year, but I also have a riding buddy that is on much the same schedule I am.
We often go a few thousand miles each year, and the experience is terrific.
The secret is a buddy that likes the same sort of pace that I do.
I have been fortunate enough to have two good riding partners in my life.
Ray, who really taught me a lot about the practicality of riding, and led me into lots of grand adventures.
Since Ray is gone, there is Bob, who may be even better for me to ride with.
The best was when the three of us got to ride together.
Alas, not enough, but certainly a treat and part of my life to remember.
Friends when the bikes are stopped and trusted riders and companions when moving.
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