15

1. How did you get started touring? What do you really enjoy about it?

Started many years ago after growing up with tales of my grandparents about their pre-war tours.

2. What types of touring have you done? Camping, staying in hostels, both?

Whatever suits me at that moment, regarding the area I ride in, the equipment I take with me and the weather. So it can be anything from wild camping to simple hotels.

3. Do you tour preferably in groups or alone?

For serious touring I prefer to ride alone. Sometimes I guide groups of my cycling club. After reaching a certain level of experience and knowledge you'll inevitably end up as the tourleader if you're cycling in a group.

4. When touring, do you stick to a planned route, or find yourself changing things up a bit as you go?

When I'm not required to stick to a route (so when not audaxing) I change things as I go. So I always carry a good map with me.

5. What’s your favorite piece of gear that you use on a tour and why?

Brooks saddle. Prevents all sorts of seating problems.

6. What’s been your most frustrating touring experience?

Bikepaths. They never bring you where you are, end suddenly and are littered with debris, street furniture and even commercial signs of shops next to the bikepath.

7. What are the key challenges that come with touring?

The minds of roadplanners.

8. Whats an item that you have overlooked in the past, but now can’t go without?

Rainlegs

9. Whats the most valuable lesson you have learned from a touring mistake?

Always carry a chaintool. I once had to repair a chain with a stone and a rusty nail. Luckily that was when chains were still repairable with simple tools.

10. How do you feel the industry has been doing with providing gear that addresses your needs?

Big industry (especially Shimano) produces less and less interesting parts. I hardly use anything of their current series, OTOH I enjoy using their early 90-ies stuff. Small industry has made some superb parts, like Schmidt (SON) dynohubs.

16

For the sake of my half-damaged knees ...

1. How did you get started touring? What do you really enjoy about it?
It all started when I was a student, when I would enjoy nothing less than absolute freedom. Going long distance on a bike, you don't have to follow the bus schedule anymore, and you can stop anywhere, anytime and call it a day, as long as you can find accomodation there of course. Another great advantage of travelling on a bike is the unimpeded sighting. One has to sit on the roof of a vehicle to achieve it ...

2. What types of touring have you done? Camping, staying in hostels, both?
Both. I prefer relaxing accomodation after 100km hard pedalling, so mostly I stay in hostels. In some remote area one has to camp though ...

3. Do you tour preferably in groups or alone?
Always alone. Touring is serious business, completely different from backpacking or package tour. After some years a biker tend to form his/her own cycling pattern, eg. pedalling cadence and/or daily riding/resting/dinning habit etc. It's very hard to go with others and try to suit each other.

4. When touring, do you stick to a planned route, or find yourself changing things up a bit as you go?
Usually I try my best to stick to the plan, but in case some information I gather along the road suggests a better way, I am quite flexible.

5. What’s your favorite piece of gear that you use on a tour and why?
A pair of self-made rear panniers. It took me 2 weeks designing and finding the right materials, 2 more weeks sewing with quickly-swelling thumb ... all done in Asuncion. The bags accompanied me through the 10month tour in Brasil and the Guyanas, not even a single thread budged.

6. What’s been your most frustrating touring experience?
In Feb. 2005, I cycled from the border crossing between French Guiana and Brasil, to the provincial capital of Macapa. Very muddy road and the V-brake stopped working completely. After a day's struggle in the mud I gave up and hitched a ride on a passing truck.

7. What are the key challenges that come with touring?
To have very good knowledge of your body and mind. I don't mean the best way to travel, that's the easier part really. A biker must know the limit his/her body and mind can stand, and take into account of those factors when making the plan, either daily plan or monthly ones.

8. Whats an item that you have overlooked in the past, but now can’t go without?
An item? If you mean a piece of gear, that should be the heart-rate monitor. It's good to know how your body is coping and put it down in a digital format. At least you can show it to friends...

9. Whats the most valuable lesson you have learned from a touring mistake?
Being a human being I can do only certain deeds. Don't push yourself too hard.

10. How do you feel the industry has been doing with providing gear that addresses your needs?
Quite well, and financially very affordable.

17

If you want to invent something which all bike tourers will use, do a good sunscreen. I found I still got a bit burnt even after putting on sunscreen 10 times a day.