The Primordial Tourer

[PBancroft]

I've never toured on a bike before. As this is posted, I'll be setting off to find out what it's like. Over the next couple of posts in this series, I'll be feeding back my maiden voyage experiences, what goes wrong, what goes right, and I would love to have a few comments from you guys too; your recommendations and tips would undoubedtly help to improve our next sojourn. The point of this series is to prove - or disprove - that anyone can take a cycling holiday.

The intended route will be something like this, however there will be a certain amount of making it up as we go along. The first day will just be a gentle introduction, about fifteen miles from Romsey in Hampshire, to Fordingbridge where we will be setting up camp in Tom's Field. From there, we will be moving on to Swanage and Shorefield campsite. Sunday will be a day of rest, naturally, and we will potter about down to Lulworth Cove, Corfe Castle, and just generally soak up the non-existant sunshine. Monday will see the return leg.

It's by no means a harsh beginning, but it will be interesting to see how the bikes hold up (and us too). I'm riding a fairly knackered GT Avalanche 2.0, with a Topeak Beam Rack. I'm keen to find out exactly what will fit into the pannier bags and what we are forced to leave behind. My cycling partner, David, is going to be encumbered with the bulky stuff since he is riding a somewhat more sensible steed which can hold a reasonable rack. I, on the other hand, will be holding the heavy but small bits and bobs, which oddly enough seems to include anything flammable. I'm not even convinced that my sleeping bag will fit - the roll mats are restricted to being bungeed to the top.

Since the route we are taking is largely near towns and cities, we are eschewing any unnecessary weight. Out go any foodstuffs except sugar-replenishers and water. Camping equipment too is going to be kept at a minimum, one small stove, and one emergency backup. Wash-kit and clothing will likewise be the bare-essentials. There's no sticking to Bigtallfatbloke's list here. This will probably be my downfall.

Will I be home, tail between legs, or exhausted but chuffed?

 

[PBancroft]

Day One (Friday)

Distance: 16.3 Miles (Romsey to Fordingbridge)
Top Speed: 24mph

During the day I had been keeping a beady and watchful eye on the weather. It wasn't looking good. Rain had been threatening, and at times appearing, throughout the course of the day. David was certain that this was the end of a weather system, and that though we may get wet today, the weekend itself would be fine and dry - and maybe even sunny. This was it. It was now or never. Setting off at 18.30 ish I immediately learned three rules of touring.

1. Don't drink too much the night before departure. By late afternoon I was still feeling somewhat heady and wholly dreading the journey ahead. It did not help to put me in the right frame of mind.

2. Check all bikes thoroughly before leaving. Fully loaded, we mounted our steeds, said fairwell to the maidens we were leaving behind only to meet disaster a few feet down the road. A p*nct*re on my cycle buddy's bike! Oh noes! Fortunately this turned out to be lack of air pressure, and not an actual disaster. How David had been riding to work on a daily basis with an effectively flat tyre is a mystery to me now.

3. Everybody on the trip should be fully aware of the route.

Having provided a rough plan of the intended route in Pt. 1, my cycling buddy had worried about the minor details. He had briefly suggested that he wasn't a fan of cycling on main roads. I took this to mean that a goodly portion of the journey would be on white roads, which is fine by me. Whilst I don't mind cycling on busy roads, minor roads do tend to be a little more interesting.

However he had meant that the journey would cover significant portions off road. I wasn't overjoyed that I had left my semi-slicks on, and this would also put the beam rack to test a little later.

We arrived at Tom's Field some time after 8pm. The last few miles cycling through relatively heavy rain, but a stunning view over the New Forest landscape. For anyone looking for somewhere to stay in the New Forest, I cannot recommend Tom's Field highly enough. Yes, it was basic but that's exactly what camping is all about. It does exactly what it says on the tin - it's a field, and at one end there are some loos. That's it.

Pitching the tent in a hurry, we headed off to The Fighting Cocks to refuel and then retired to bed. Certainly tomorrow will be a doddle ...

 

[PBancroft]

Day Two (Saturday)

Distance: 55 Miles (Fordingbridge to Swanage)

Top Speed: 26.4mph

Early morning Saturday was gorgeous. Being an early riser, I left David snoring away, and had a wander around, and a chat with Tom, the campsite owner.

We had breakfast (rubbish croissants and ham) and left about 9.30. This was to be the real test of me and my bike. My assumption was about 38.3 miles - the stats at the top of this post make it clear just how wrong I was.

Until now, a "long ride" for me was just a little further than my commute. My ride to work is just under 12 miles, to my parents about 14 total. I thought that about 45 was my upper limit, especially with the weight that was being carried. I cannot recommend highly enough to those considering touring to do as much training in advance as possible. I thought I was prepared, but I most certainly wasn't.

I discovered that I needed refuelling a lot as well. I had packed a number of Mars bars ready for when I bonked out. Actually, I could have done with more than this, and more water too. David had not attached a water bottle holder to his bike, so I was left carrying two. I like to think that I would have lasted a little longer than I did before resorting to pushing the bike up those final steep hills if I could have made more use of the liquid without having to share it around... but I'm possibly kidding myself.

Topeak suggest that the MTX Beam Rack is "Great for touring with full suspension" but I have to disagree. My bike is a GT Avalanche 2.0, and does not have the eyelets on the frame for a standard pannier rack. I am reliably advised that this is because the bike has disc brakes. About a year or so ago I plumped for this, assuming that I would be using the bike mostly for commuting, and by and large it does do the job. What I noticed over the weekend however was that, without fixings to the side, the rack had a tendancy to wobble, especially with the side bags on. This occasionally resulted in the rack rubbing against the rear tyre, or simply the momentum causing something of a hindrance when riding up a particularly steep hill. A much more civilised solution would have been the P Clip as recommended. I think I will investigate this now.I also regret keeping my Bontrager Comfort tyres on for the ride. Whilst these have been perfectly fine for road use, and occasional gravel, I found that they had no traction on very wet surfaces, such as mud. Sandy ground was a similarly hard experience. I'll hold my hands up to say this is my fault for not following Rule Three of touring and being fully aware of the projected route, but it did make things slightly tougher. In retrospect, I think I would have preferred to have left the knobbly tyres on even for the road sections for the extra grip I would have gained off road.

The campsite in Swanage, part of the Shorefield group, I found to be slightly disappointing. In truth, the facilities that it had on offer were no less than Tom's Field, and in fact much better. However, it is a much larger site, built onto a very steep hill with only one shower/toilet block at the very bottom. Naturally we were placed at the very top, though beneficially in a quiet patch to ourselves as cars could not reach our little oasis of calm. For the price, however, I had expected a few more on-site amenities.

Swanage itself was very pleasant. Taking Sunday off as a day of rest, we spent it instead walking around the coast tiring out the other muscle groups, leaving Monday for the route home ...

 

[PBancroft]

Day Four (Monday)

Distance: 70 miles

Top Speed: 28.6mph (Swanage to Romsey)

And so it ends.

I would first like to draw your attention to two important numbers. The first features in The Primordial Tourer Pt. 3 - here, I note that my upper distance limit was probably somewhere around the 45 miles mark.

Next, I would like you to note the distance undertaken today at the top of the post. Frankly, I was somewhat surprised I made it back without collapsing from exaustion. I very nearly did a few times, but I survived. Just.

Crossing through Moors Valley Country Park, I again regretted the Bontranger semi slicks. One very steep, very sandy hill and a lot of cursing on my part. Looking back it was good fun though.

We also investigated Sustrans Route 25, the Castleman Trail, from Poole to Wimborne Minster, and then moving on to a disused railway line. This was, for me, probably the highlight of the route back. Relatively flat, hard-packed tracks, and mostly free of traffic. A win-win.By the time we reached the New Forest, I was dead on the saddle. As David took great pleasure in reminding me several times, I was overtaken by a fat lass. Well, it's true. I bet she hadn't just cycled from Swanage though.

We reached home about half six, having left sometime after nine in the morning. I think that's quite reasonable, and already I find myself looking forward to the next (hopefully shorter) trip...

And so that brings me to what I now believe are the ten commandments of touring. Feel free to disagree with me, add, amend or generally abuse them in the comments should you wish, but these are mine from my primordial experiences:-

1. Your bike is your lord. Have no other forms of transport before it. Make plans for "get outs" certainly, but too many escape routes can take the enjoyment from a ride.

2. Be charitable and help your fellow cyclist in need. Carry a decent multitool and spares. They may come in handy, even if you're not the person who ends up using them.

3. Remember the Sabbath day. A day of rest (not necessarily Sunday) is a great idea - using it for some other physical activity the day before the longest ride of the trip is perhaps not the best plan.

4. Honor your bike. You are expecting to travel great distances on your steed, so take care of it. Give it plenty of TLC before setting off, and if necessary on trip route as well.

5. Thou shalt not murder. Not even the motorist who cuts you up then stops suddenly. They know not what they do.

6. Thou shalt be seen. Carry a good set of lights and reflectors. Use them.

7. Thou shalt protect the more vulnerable party. Watch out for those drifting pedestrians. Honor the footpath and those that walk upon it.

8. Leave no trace. Dispose of waste properly and be considerate of your surroundings and others.

9. Do not bear false witness against your bike. Throughout the trip, and even in this blog, I made a point of how because my bike was X it couldn't do Y. Actually, the bike wasn't the problem, I was. I wasn't quite fit enough, and I wasn't prepared enough. All of the issues I attributed to the steed could have been corrected ahead of the trip. Don't blame the bike.

10. Do not covet your neighbour's bike. Again, throughout the trip, I saw my cycling buddy shoot off into the distance. It was the equipment, I told myself through gritted teeth. Actually, it was probably his legs.