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Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 12 Jan 2011
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Daily distance?
I'm starting to plan my European trip for the summer. I will be away 2 to 2 1/2 weeks, going from Blighty to the south of France (via le tour!), then up through the Alps, Zurich, Bruges and then back to England.

I'm fairly new to distance motorbike travel, and am planning between 200-270 miles per day, with some rest days in Cannes, Zurich and Bruges. Is this too much per day? I keep reading that people enjoy a slower ride, taking longer; I like this idea, but am anxious that the trip will end up costing more than I can afford (I'm plannig a bigger trip next year, and don't want to spend ages paying off the credit card!).

Any help / suggestions from those with more experience would be gratefully welcome
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Old 12 Jan 2011
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That should be plenty. Are you planning on tarmac or dirt, will you be riding constantly or looking around a bit? What size bike?
My longest days were 800 or 1000 miles but I was getting off the bike around midnight which was a bad plan in terms of finding somewhere suitable to sleep.
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  #3  
Old 12 Jan 2011
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if you are away for a fixed period then the slower you go the cheaper it will be, as you'll spend less on fuel.

if you're not used to riding over the Alps then 200/270 miles might be pushing it. There's the usual thing of weather, and you may well get stuck for a few hours behind a cycle race. But, also, you might just knacker yourself out with all those bends, or you might want to keep stopping and take in the vista.

I think an idea of daily mileage is not very useful. just go to the places you want to go to, and speed up/slow down if necessary, who cares if it's 60 miles or 300. You can always take a b-line for a motorway if you need to get back in a hurry.
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  #4  
Old 12 Jan 2011
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Really depends on you. My answer is don't worry about specific distances.

Do what you feel is right and just find accomodation at then end of the day.

My first europe tour I got really hung up on distance in the planning. In the end Just did what felt right every day I had a rough Idea of what I wanted to do every day and was generally ok.

My experince was 200 - 300 miles were good for Normal roads

Could do 400 plus on Motorway/ Dual Carraigway.

Just enjoy yourself
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  #5  
Old 12 Jan 2011
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D'oh! just realised my longest days were 800-1000km, italian speedo!
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  #6  
Old 12 Jan 2011
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ok, so a little weirdy thing...

I've done barcelona to london on the ZX6 a few times. And barcelona/santander to tarifa a few times on various 'adventure' bikes.

best seat for long distance ? the ZX6, no question about it. 13 hours in the seat and I feel fine.

One of the things I took a little convincing of when switching to long distance cycling (up to 150 miles in a sitting), was the Brooks saddle. this is a 2 ml thick leather panel stretched over some rails. conventional thinking (and marketing) points to you something soft and squidgey. but no, fellow long distancers, this is the wrong path. the reason is to do with your 'sit bones', and they need to sit on something firm to work properly and not give you gip.

so, if I'm on a long distance trip with very long days in the saddle I take the ZX6 with it's 1" padded seat. Rather than the DL1000 with it's 4" padding. 6 hours has me shifting around on the DL.

while motorbikers tend to reach for a gel seat or a sheep skin, cyclists on the long haul go for no padding at all and invest in a Brooks. I'm good on my Brooks for 10 or so hours, and my squidgey seat far far less.

weird, but true.
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  #7  
Old 12 Jan 2011
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Your mileages seem about right (I've done a few 180 mile days on a trail-bike, mostly off-road, without too much trouble) but don't get too hung up on a timetable. As others have said; it could end up ruining your trip. If you like a town or area then hang around for a bit. If you don't get to some places on your list then don't worry; that's a good excuse for another trip.

BYT
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