Want to see how many of Comova’s “25 for ‘25 Adventure Cycling Tips” are applied in a self-supported adventure cycling tour?
Below I talk with a cyclist who reached out a couple months ago with some questions about a self-supported tour he was planning with his friend. Rob and Nicholas aimed to start in San Francisco and then from Monterey more or less follow Comova’s Big Sur through the Backdoor route.
The trip was a big success. So I asked Rob to share some details about how he planned the trip and what he learned.
Read on to learn how Rob and Nicholas planned their adventure, how they handled logistics on the ride, and what gear and other recommendations they have.
Planning An Adventure Cycling Route
Steve: What was your route planning process like?
Rob: I started out with a rough idea of keeping the daily mileage at or below about 90 miles – I’ve ridden multiple centuries and knew that was a healthy mileage I could sustain on a daily basis.
Elevation was a factor in my mileage plan and I knew 5,000 ft was a pretty big day for me, so I was careful not to get too ambitious on my routes. Since my wife was coming out to meet me for the last two days, I front-loaded my itinerary to set the bigger days early in the ride, leaving the lighter days for a more casual pace at the end.
Steve: Being realistic is so important, especially on a first self-supported tour. There’s nothing worse than going into debt day after day trying to keep up with a plan that is too ambitious!
Steve: Was it a challenge to carry enough food/water?
Rob: The Greenfield to Lucia ride was the most remote day I had on the trip. It was 64 miles and 4,000 ft of elevation through some surprisingly beautiful terrain, but it was through a very remote area. There was a Chevron station near King City that gave me a chance to top off my three water bottles, but then not much until I got back to the coast at Kirk Creek Campground.
The stretch on Nacimiento-Fergusson Road was challenging, but the three bottles of water were plenty to get me across. This route back over to the coast is spectacular and should probably be on every rider’s bucket list.
Steve: Really researching a route so you know where the next opportunity for food or water is makes a huge difference. Covering 60 or even 100 miles without services is possible with the knowledge of where the next services are (and that they will be open!). (See Tips # 4 and 5)
Gear and Equipment on the Bike
Steve: How did you carry everything on your bike?
Rob: This was my first time doing an unsupported ride, so packing everything on the bike was something I was worried about. Based on recommendations, I chose the frame pack from Apidura and found it to be perfect for the trip. It fit the frame perfectly, held an amazing amount of gear, and was in a convenient spot for me to access frequently used items easily while riding. It also still left room for two water bottles to fit in the cages in the frame, with one more mounted below the downtube.
Steve: This is great to hear! It is so important to have a system for packing so that you know where everything is and can access the most frequently used items easily.
Steve: What was something you wore that kept you comfortable?
Rob: A few years ago, I spent 47 days riding across the country and I learned an important lesson about the value of good quality bibs. I had been buying cheap bibs online for years, but found that after about 3-4 long days of riding I had saddle sores that were killing me. So about halfway across the country, I got online and spent $200 for a pair of Endura Pro SL bibs that were shipped to me on my route when i got to Minnesota. For the rest of the trip, the improvement was remarkable. I now have 6 pairs of those bibs and wear them on all my rides. For this trip, I rotated 2 pairs on alternating days, and stayed comfortable for all 365 miles.
Steve: This is a perfect demonstration of Comova’s Adventure Cycling Tips #8-10: ‘Experiment with what works for you,’ ‘Comfort first,’ and ‘Dial it in’
Finding Accommodations
Steve: How did you decide where to stay each night?
Rob: I originally planned to do this trip as a camping trip, but I was having trouble finding campsites that would offer reservations or any confirmation that I’d have a place to pitch a tent. So, a few weeks before the trip, I changed to book cheap hotel rooms for lodging. I would love to do this trip again as a camping trip. Looking back now, it was clear that I could have found campsites without the need for reservations, but the route was new to me and I chose the safer option.
Steve: This makes sense. A big decision on any adventure cycling tour is how much to plan and firm up before departing. If you’re touring where campgrounds and motels might be full, it can be best to have everything booked in advance.
A self-supported adventure cycling tour is within your reach as long as you have some basic experience and confidence on the bike. The rest is just planning and then turning the pedals. Feel free to reach out to Comova like Rob did if you have questions about a tour you’re planning.
And, of course, Comova will customize a tour for you if you’re not interested in the planning. We can also guide you on a tour while teaching you the ins and outs of a self-supported tour so you can head out on your own. Just reach out to Steve with questions.
