You didn't say whether or not you cycle much at all, so it's difficult to know
how much information you need.

Basically, both you and your bike need to be ready. I like to have my bike
pretty thoroughly overhauled every other year. I do it myself if I'm not too
busy, but I'm not above paying guys I trust at my local bike shop if I'm short
on time and can afford it. You want to make sure you get everything forseeable
taken care of early enough in the season that everything is perfectly tweaked
and functioning flawlessly the last couple of weeks before the tour. You don't
want to get your bike back from the shop Thursday evening before the tour and
find something unsatisfactory when it's too late to do anything about it. A
squeak, rattle, shimmy that might be annoying on a twenty mile ride will have
you frothing at the mouth at the end of a hundred mile day. Everyone is supposed
to be capable and prepared to deal with minor repairs, but some things can't be
dealt with roadside unless you're pulling a trailer full of tools. Limping to a
rest stop with a bike on the verge of a catastrophic
meltdown or waiting for help by the side of the road are no fun.

You should be training in some fashion now. Do lots of cardio stuff. Weights
would be okay if your goal is endurance more so than muscle mass. If you have
access to rollers or a stationary resistance trainer for your bike, that would
be great. A spinning class would help a lot and is more likely to keep you
interested and not burnt out from the boredom of indoor training. Ride outside
when the weather permits. The tour comes early enough in the year that you have
to obsess a little to be truly ready for it. I will say that anyone who is
reasonably fit could probably complete this thing without much preparation. The
advice I'm giving you is so that you can do it and have it be fun, not an
ordeal. Also, you need to keep in mind that if the weather is bad (which is most
often the case)your level of fitness can make the difference between finishing
the ride strong and being forced to give up because you're unable to continue.
The more you train, the more likely you're going to enjoy the
ride no matter what the weather.

Take cycling-specific clothing, tools, gear. All of that stuff is designed the
way it is for a reason. It may look goofy and cost too much, but it won't seem
that way if you try to cut corners and it doesn't work out for you. Be prepared
to deal with both hot and cold, wet and dry conditions, regardless of the
forecast.

darkspector78 <dark_spector00@...> wrote:


This year will be my first tour. I was wondering what advice
everyone can give me to get ready for this tour. I have signed up
for the entire tour not the half tour.








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