If I don't take a rest day, my next bike tour will take 6 days, but it should be manageable. 40-50 mile days, < 2600 ft of elevation gain per day. 262 miles. 12,200 ft elevation gain
I'll be starting from my folks' place and returning there after doing a loop through Moose River Plains.
- day 1 Belleville to Lowville Whetstone Gulf NY state park, 41 miles 2200 ft gain
- day 2 Whetstone to 8th lake campground, lunch in Old Forge/Inlet, 53 miles 2600 ft gain
- day 3 8th Lake to Wakely Dam, detour to Indian Lake for lunch at Stewart's, 43 miles, 2400ft gain
- day 4 Wakely to Otter Brook to swim then double back camp closer to Inlet,
- maybe Limekiln Campground, 30 miles 1700ft. if hungry i could bike to Screamen Eagle in Inlet for dinner.
- day 5 Limekiln to Whetstone Gulf, 53 miles 2000 ft
- day 6 Whetstone to belleville. 42 miles 1300 ft
I've done plenty of 2-3 hour rides to prep. If anything I notice my back gets just a tiny bit sore on the longer rides, but if I focus on straightening my back while I'm pedaling, or if I just stretch a little it goes away. Not bad for 53! Way better than my butt getting sore.
Speaking of, and just as a reminder, towards the end of my Erie Canal ride last September, I was standing on the pedals as often as I could the last couple of days. Every downhill, I stood up while coasting just to give my butt a break. My butt is comfy on the new seat and better suspension post. After the Erie Canal ride I did more googling on the seat I had and it had mixed reviews. One person described it as a cheese grater for their a$$. I think light riders loved it, but heavier riders like me, we bottomed out the foam and the grippy 3d texture on the saddle was the cheese grater. Anyway, fingers crossed, my butt, legs and everthing else is good now.
So I'm think I'm ready for some long day rides. Not getting any younger, and I try not to think in terms like, you only 5 or 10 Summers left where you can do big trips like this. The good news is that once I am too old, I can just switch up and buy a nice camper van and do day trips from a cushy van with all the amenities. Good consolation prize.
The trip from my folks will be far easier than the VTXL route I want to do in Vermont later this year. On this Moose River trip, there will be good food options most days in Lowville, Old Forge, Inlet, or Indian Lake. And I've routed my trip to avoid the busy roads as much as possible. Click on the photos to make them bigger.
I'll update this blog later with my packing list. Just for giggles. I post some links about the Vermont trips I'm considering below the map photos.
The VTXL has 5,000ft of climbing every 50 miles. https://bikepacking.com/routes/vtxl/ It's a 320mile trip with 30,000ft of climbing. There are guys that do it all in one go. Like a marathon 24 hour ride. Nuts! Even in my prime I doubt I could have done that.
The Vermont Gravel Growler, is a little easier. 250 miles, 21000ft of climbing https://bikepacking.com/routes/green-mountain-gravel-growler/
I also need to plan on doing a some weekend gatherings with other nutty bikepacking people. Like the Farm Ride in Amherst MA in August or the Nutmeg in Connecticut in October
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