Your touring plans for 2019 - make me jealous?

[birkhead]

I had a really good trip to France this past year, with brevet Paris-MontVentoux, visit to friends in Narbonne, Ardeche, and two brevets as part of the Ardechoise.
So I am keen to do similar mainly camping trip in May/June 2013, with my camping kit cut down from 9kg to nearer 5kg.
I am toying with the idea of a brevet Paris-Bordeaux;
then heading for a Raid Pyreneen, 100hr version if I can get myself up to speed, and find a way to recover my kit;
then visit friends;
then either Ardechoise or Raid Alpine.
Then find way back to gai Paris for Eurostar home.
Must remember to avoid the cycle paths in Paris, which are excellent in theory, but littered with broken glass esp on a sat morning.

[rapidfire72]

A Double Coast to Coast is planned and long over-due at that. I do have another trip in the pipe-line, one I did in 2000 and that is going to be a 12 day tour of the Yorkshire Moors, Wolds, Coast, Dales and the North Pennines rolled into one trip, about 500 miles in all, well I'm hoping reach into the Lake District so that will be 14 days in all.

[vernon]

I'll be doing the Elberadweg from Prague to Cuxhaven. I'll be using trains and ferries to get to the start and back from the end with a couple of overnight stays in Amsterdam in each direction.

Then there'll be a couple of UK coast to coast rides. Way of the Roses and one other.

[dodger]

All this is making my feet itch. But the choices are endless and all the tours mentioned sound good.
Been planning to follow the Pilgrim Trail to Santiago in N Spain for several years - think this is the year. Setting off from Cornwall in May, probably, to cycle/camp through France, over the Pyrenees at St Jean Pied de Port and across Northern Spain to Santiago and then, finally, Finisterra.
Back to Santander by train and from there, Plymouth and home.
About 1000miles. I'm always tempted to put it in kilometres; 1650 Km sounds somewhat more impressive somehow!

[binka]

I'm planning on doing my first ever tour. Just a short one, from my house just north of lincoln to Boston and then back home. There is an off road riverside cycle way nearly the whole way. It'll be about 80 miles and I'm going to do it in three days. Mainly because the only campsite I can find is halfway. If I did it in two days I'd have to do 60 miles one day and 20 the next. As it is ill do 20 miles, 40 miles and then 20, which seemed better.

If that goes ok I fancy the north Norfolk cycle way from kings Lynn to Great Yarmouth.

[gloomyandy]

Back to the Scottish islands for me. In May will probably be Arran, Islay, Colonsay, Oban, Coll (to visit friends), then back down the mainland for Bute and back home. Later in the year plan to head up to Orkney but not sure of the details...

Andy

[Big T]

Off to Cuba in March.

[thirdcrank]

On my 60th birthday in June 2003 I made a plan to cycle 100,000 miles in the next 10 years. Having done 95,818 of them as of today, my next years plans are geared to completing the target with a 70 mile ride on my 70th birthday. ...

On the theme of "make me jealous," this is the one that struck a chord with me. It was in 2004 - a few months short of my 60th birthday that I was diagnosed with heart disease. It was on a hilly ride in the Dales, reconnoitring the next multi-chevron ride, that I decided I better see the doctor about the chest pains I was getting riding up big hills.

My main reason for posting this is to say to anybody with ambitions of this type is don't find reasons to put things off. I know that people have all manner of commitments - having to work to earn a living being high on the list for many people - and I'm not suggesting they should abandon their responsibilities, but you never know what's arouind the corner.

Then, congratulations to bikepacker and good luck with the home straight. If I can diffidently offer a bit of advice to somebody who has done it where I didn't, don't concentrate to much on the big 70. Set your goals now for the next decade or whatever. Everybody is different of course, but if you at all like me, the counting down will not achieve much, but on birthday +1, you won't know what to do next.

Good luck to everybody with their plans and gang warily.

[Mick F]

Hi Guys, and Happy Boxing Day.
I trust we all had a good Christmas Day.

I was given the Lonely Planet book "Cycling Britain" by Daughter2 as a Chimbo prezzie. Not opened it properly yet though I have leafed through it. I'm at a loss of where/when to ride in 2013 - many folk round here continually ask me if I have any cycling adventures planned.

Perhaps this book my light my candle.

[BeeKeeper]

What makes me jealous of bikepacker's 100k target is the diligence it must require to actually record every mile done.

[phil parker]

What makes me jealous of bikepacker's 100k target is the diligence it must require to actually record every mile done.

Just use a Garmin Edge and download the files to the Training Centre folders and all the work is done for you!

I can get all my annual statistics and most importantly my annual mileage despite using a few different bikes.

However, I often forget to press the start button on my commutes !

[The Mechanic]

Still toying with either a Dover to Cape Wrath supported or an unsupported camping ride doing a double coast to coast. Hadrian's way from South Shields to Ravenglass followed by a ride down to Walney and then back via the Walney to Wear route. 2xC2C would be better logistically as we have family in Tyneside useful for the start and finish and son and D-in-L have a cottage near Kendal not far off the W2W so I could have a nice hot bath and a comfy bed mid tour.

So far the 2xC2C if favourite as I could drive down, leave my wife visiting family and friends in Tyneside and drive back home to Aberdeen afterwards. I think I have persuaded myself. Did I mention that I have bought the Sustrans maps already?

[Swallow]

Happy Christmas every one, hope you had a good one. Sitting here rather smugly as I decided to miss the Boxing Day club ride and now it's chucking It down and blowing a gale. As for next year, I and three club members are doing the JOGLE in May.

[tonythompson]

Washington DC to Pittsburgh using the C&O Canal and GAP trail over 300 miles of trail without any traffic. My idea of heaven. Haven't decided after Pittsburgh. Several options open.

Loved the C@O and GAP last year. Going west from Pitsburgh I used the Lincoln Highway - old Route 30. Well worth riding.

Next year I'm heading for San Diego in mid March for 8 weeks riding to Florida.

Hi irc thanks for the return journey tip.

Let me know your plan crossing USA - I did that a couple of years ago. Great trip, I have a holiday home right on the Florida connector - if you are using the ACA routes - easy hop to Orlando Int airport. If I'm over there you would be welcome.

[bikepacker]

On my 60th birthday in June 2003 I made a plan to cycle 100,000 miles in the next 10 years. Having done 95,818 of them as of today, my next years plans are geared to completing the target with a 70 mile ride on my 70th birthday. ...

On the theme of "make me jealous," this is the one that struck a chord with me. It was in 2004 - a few months short of my 60th birthday that I was diagnosed with heart disease. It was on a hilly ride in the Dales, reconnoitring the next multi-chevron ride, that I decided I better see the doctor about the chest pains I was getting riding up big hills.

My main reason for posting this is to say to anybody with ambitions of this type is don't find reasons to put things off. I know that people have all manner of commitments - having to work to earn a living being high on the list for many people - and I'm not suggesting they should abandon their responsibilities, but you never know what's arouind the corner.

Then, congratulations to bikepacker and good luck with the home straight. If I can diffidently offer a bit of advice to somebody who has done it where I didn't, don't concentrate to much on the big 70. Set your goals now for the next decade or whatever. Everybody is different of course, but if you at all like me, the counting down will not achieve much, but on birthday +1, you won't know what to do next.

Good luck to everybody with their plans and gang warily.

Thanks for the supportive posting. I do have plans for after 70 and hopefully like some carry on cycling into my 90s.

A little story; my grandfather at 97 years old was threatened with eviction from the rest home he was in because he kept playing his trumpet in his room. I would like to go one better and still let others know I am around when 98.