500 Free Articles About Bicycle Touring
Feb
One mile after another. That’s how I got through my first ten years of long-distance bicycle touring. I just put my head down and focused on the gravel road directly in front of me.
What I’ve discovered over the years is that if you think about the end goal too much it can become somewhat difficult to continue. Having an end goal is good, of course, and thinking about the thousands of miles ahead can be exciting. But it can also become downright depressing and scary if you start thinking too far into the future!
So, to keep your bicycle headed in the right direction, you sometimes have to forget about the end goal and concentrate on the road that’s directly in front of you. You gotta focus on climbing that short hill, and then once you reach the top, you gotta aim for next small incline on the horizon.
One mile after another. That’s how you do it!
And that’s how it’s been running the website here at BicycleTouringPro.com.
For a little more than three years now I’ve sat down at my computer on a near daily basis to write about and produce videos about my bicycle touring experiences. I never intended to produce this much material… and I never thought the readership here at BTP (as I like to call it) would ever be so large.
But that’s what happens when you put your head down, forget about the finish line, and focus on the next few steps. You make incredible progress!!!
This past Monday I published my 500th article here on the website. 500 free articles about bicycle touring and world travel. I can’t believe it!
On top of the 500 free articles I’ve written over the past three years, I’ve also produced 3 separate books about bike travel, created a feature-length bicycle touring movie, traveled through a couple dozen countries myself, and added several thousand miles to my personal bicycle touring odometer.
It seems like a lot to have accomplished in a little over three years, but then I think about how much more I’ve got to say… how much more I’ve got to teach… and how much more I’ve got to learn.
More than anything, publishing my 500th free article this past week makes me realize just how thankful I am that I can lead this incredibly bizarre lifestyle that I lead. And I realize that it is YOU, my readers, that help to make this possible.
So, I want to take this moment (the week after publishing my 500th free article about bicycle touring) to THANK YOU for being a part of Bicycle Touring Pro. I couldn’t have done this without you… your emails… your comments… your feedback… your advice… and your support.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I look forward to producing another 500 articles for you over the next several years… and I look forward to hearing about your future bicycle touring experiences.
From my current location in Cuzco, Peru… THANK YOU!
PS – That picture at the top of this article is a picture of me on my very first bike tour – cycling down the California Coastline during the summer after I graduated from high school. It seems like just yesterday.
PPS – If you need some help deciding which of the 500 free articles you should start digesting first, this list featuring The Best Of Bicycle Touring Pro should help you get started.
Thanks for writing and keep it up Darren. Everything is inspiring me right now, I have gotten in a few rides with this harsh weather here and what a differance. My rides are much more enjoyable. What does happen to me when I read these articles, floods of memories come back to me from years of cycling. Not only do I get a refresher on Touring, I am still learning newer and better stuff. One trip of mine was to Sugar Creek, near Caton Ohio on a Saturday morning early from the train station downtown, I toured where the Amish live. This is an adventure all by itself, carreening around the farms and school houses and all the Amish’s Bicycles. The Amish had better bicycles than me.
The one thing that I do get out of all of these articles is basically a How to Do it , concearning Bicycling Touring. Step by Step, and Plan by Plan on not only getting starting by planning and buying the gear, but in the actuall carring out the tour. I agree, though there is an ending I might as well enjoy today.
I have been doing my best to loacate me a gal to ride with me on a tour. I have had not takers yet.
I usually end up going by myself, now I feel that I can really enjoy myself and the trip more and actually finish what I do start, with all the help. Thanks Paul
You’ve got it wrong Darren! We should be thanking you for the inspiration, advice & great stories. Because of BTP I have changed my life from being a couch potato to losing weight, training & travelling. Not only that but I am opening a Biker/Hiker camp.
(More about that later) Glen
Glen,
That is so awesome about you losing weight and everything.
Where are you opening this hiker/biker camp? I’d love to hear more.
Just wondering, which bicycle lock do you use when touring. I’ve never seen one on any of your bikes in all the photos. Thank You, Steve F.
Steve, you don’t see a lock in my photos because I usually carry my lock inside my panniers (I don’t wrap it around my seat post or anything like that). I talk more about the lock in this article: http://bicycletouringpro.com/locking-up-your-bike/ and this article discusses where I carry particular items inside my packs: http://bicycletouringpro.com/how-to-pack-your-panniers-for-a-bicycle-tour-an-inside-look/