TomTurner wrote:I'm hoping to do some touring around Europe next year, at the moment I am trying to get fit for some of those mountains in Norway.
I am trying to do 10 miles a night which includes hill climbing, I am riding with a full load in my panniers but I am finding that I am pushing myself to complete the cycle route in a quicker time each night. This the correct thing to be doing when training for much longer cycles on tour or should I be concentrating on taking it easy to improve endurance?
There are many ways to train for a cycle tour. One of the most effective is the cycle tour itself
. I'd suggest that pushing yourself on a 10 mile route is not a bad idea but a cycle tour is completely different than say racing through town from one set of traffic lights to the next. Maybe if you find a cycling club that has longer Sunday runs and go out with a group of cyclists. As well as getting fitter you might pick up some pearls of wisdom. Running practice weekends is also a good idea, say 80 km a day with all your gear, a circular route from home out to a campsite and back works well for this.
As regarding training for cycle and camping tours we tend to try to go away for a night to a campsite 20-40km from home and return the following day. We can squeeze this into a Friday or Saturday evening and it allows us to improve endurance, learn useful routines for setting up and breaking camp, and also helps get an idea of what gear is useful and which things seem like an nice idea but you can do without.
TomTurner wrote:I would also be grateful of any other advice anyone could offer me on touring or any suggestions on locations for a first timer to touring.
I think the most important thing we have learned is to recognise when we have reached our limits. Listening to your body and understanding when you need to take a break or stop for the day, or when you are getting too cold is important on all tours. It is particularly important somewhere like Norway where the weather can be fantastic one day and 20'c colder the next.
As for Norway as a first tour, that is exactly what we did, following the NSCR in Norway, since then we've been back a few times (
a completish list of our tours in Norway and other places is here). Our experience of Norway is that it is a great place to cycle but the terrain can vary a lot. Routes with long climbs (say National Routes 8 or 9) are easier on the legs than constantly undulating coastal routes. On inland routes we manage up to 120km/day whilst on the coast this can drop to 50km/day. The weather can be great but be prepared for changeable weather on the coast. Everywhere it can get cold in the evenings. If you do go to Norway take a tent that pitches flysheet first and can be used as a shelter before you turn in for the night.
There is a right to wild camp in Norway but with restrictions. This can be useful if you find you can't make it to the next campsite but need to stop. As regards supermarkets, you should find more than one a day in southern Norway and petrol stations often serve hot food and snacks and often sell groceries too. We take two emergency meals with us just in case we get stuck but as yet we never have been as yet.
IMHO Norway is a great place to cycle but make sure you have a first gear in the 17-19 gear inch range. Your LBS and others might think you are nuts but if you go for higher gearing you will spend too much time walking uphill. Unless of course you have legs like tree trunks and cardiovascular fitness to match. Oh and take at least one set of spare brake blocks as they can wear very fast.
Cheers
Stan
So long and thanks for all the fish...
/monkey.jpg)
)