You are reading a single comment by @cg5154 and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@cg5154
[Edit] I've never been to Canada so I can't say anything about the route itself... the advice below is more directed towards long-distance cycling trips in general, and cycling n00bs thinking about embarking on long-distance trips... [/Edit]
I did 1326 km from London to Barcelona last August. It took 11 days, all on-road (although the roads varied in quality), and it was a supported ride (support van carrying our luggage, support staff setting up snack and meal stops, etc).
I didn't even own a bike when I signed up for that trip, and I hadn't cycled since I was 10 years old. I hadn't exercised regularly since I graduated high school and gym class was no longer mandatory. I bought a geared road bike 3 months before the trip, trained about 300 miles (lots of London-to-Brighton runs), and I managed to finish the trip without too much pain, including the day we went through the Pyrenees (sea level to 1900m in half a day... coming down the other side was fun).
Physically, you guys will be getting stronger and HTFU each day of the trip, so by the time you hit the Rockies, you'll be in great shape. I don't know exactly how flat Canada is, but try to include some hill climbing into your route before you reach the Rockies.
Psychology is probably the bigger issue to contend with. As other people have said, flat land with unvarying scenery is boring as hell after a few hours. It also takes mental discipline to force yourself to wake up early and get back on your bike, day after day after day.
If your friends calculated that you have to do 60 miles each day, remember that's the average distance per day. You'll do less distance on days with hilly terrain, so you'll have to make up for it on other days with flat terrain, especially if you have days off (which you will definitely need).
Every summer, students at the university I went to do a US east-coast-to-west-coast ride from Baltimore to San Francisco. Basically it's 4000 miles (not km) in 2 months, but bear in mind that it's a supported ride as well, and they have scheduled rest days fairly regularly. The website has a map and details... I know it's not Canada, but it might give you an idea of target distances each day, how frequently to schedule rest days, etc.
http://www.hopkins4k.org/map/2007/
Hope this helps!