Generic Touring Thread

Class!

Well done on avoiding the coast roads, never have I had my life and welfare so disrespected than on those roads. Just a bug in a helmet waiting to be splattered on a windscreen.

I have many snaps but WiFi isn't playing ball where I'm at just now.

Ach I'll be that guy...the trips on here
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfOwik3MdLc/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Anyone put a loaded bike on a chair lift?

Asking for a daft friend...

How do you reckon its weight compares to an eMTB?

28kg. I've...he's...already gone off the idea completely.

French Divide…anyone done it as a ride not a race?

The other day I put a big shift in and ended up camping. No way to rinse bibs, jersey etc so stuffed them in a pannier and cinched it up. Rode another big day in the sun and was too shattered to do anything that night.

When I opened that bag again I almost choked. It sucked the air out of the room, a real chemical smell that was hard to breathe around.....fuq is that? My initial thought was ammonia...but I hadn't pissed myself (I don't think)

Anyone had that. I rinsed the stuff and it seems fine.

Yeah, I'd get that a lot. It's your body eating itself.

Drink more, eat better, yada yada.

https://www.cyclingforums.com/threads/strong-ammonia-smell.408373/

and mine has a lot to eat. #inb4fat

I've lost 8kg....rubbish at fuelling as previously discussed.

Am I the only person that went cycle touring for 4 months and came back heavier?

It must take a special type of effort to do that.

Not really. Not that special actually. I'm pretty good at eating. :)

I came back half a stone heavier after an 11 days of 100 mile+ LEJOG. All the breakfasts, all the beers 🤷

Depends when you weigh yourself post-event. I'm always heavier until my body stops repairing and then I get lighter. I was definitely fatter after my tour though. Eat and drink ALL THE THINGS.

It is ammonia, when your body goes into starvation/ketosis but you don't have enough fat to burn, your body starts using amino acids (either from food or your muscles) for energy which, by some chemistry, results in you producing ammonia which you should be urinating out but if you are not hydrated enough to do so, you will sweat it out.

@hippy I've also got heavier after touring, it's an excuse to eat way more than you actually need.

Ooh yum. OK well it was a particularly savage week. Don't want them muscles gobbled up.

I don't think that's quite correct. Your body is always breaking down amino acids and it's more likely a lack of carbs that will increase ammonia smell (due to breaking down more amino acids for more fuel because you don't have enough carb fuel) or lack of sufficient water (because you'd normally piss this out rather than sweat out ammonia smelling sweat.

I guess I should have clarified that by fat, I meant fat in your diet, rather than body fat.

But ye, if you smell ammonia you need to eat and drink more, which is what you already said before I did....

Sat on the ground in a car park eating a huge sandwich, croissant d'amande, banana and an oasis for breakfast.

2 days to the Channel, quick ferry hop, wee pedal to St Austell to sit on my grans couch with the dog n stuff home made cake into my gub.

Now I want second breakfast.

It's taken me nearly three weeks to lose the weight I put on during a five-day tour of northern France/Belgium.

Yep, beer in central Europe is too cheap to pass up. Cans of radler for 30 cent?

It was literally cheaper than water.

Thought this might be interesting to some here. Eurovelo routes now (finally) have GPX files to download: https://bikepacking.com/news/eurovelo-routes-gpx-files/

Finished my tour today:

5551 miles/8933 km
116 days
16 countries
2 punctures
No bike mechanicals
10000000 ice creams

Tailfin shat it completely in the last two days but bodged it to get across the line.