Slow Bicycle Touring
I like the opening sequences in the movie “110 hours”. The mad rush to exit the city, to get away, to get to the start of your real trip. It’s a characteristic of a weekend escape. Limited time. You have a destination that you have to be at by a certain time. To get back to work. It sets the tone for the weekend: go, go. On my latest tour, I consciously decided to slow it down. Yes, at a stretch I can do 90km plus. But I aimed for 70km per day. This time I went from Ballarat to Mt Buangor State Park to Maryborough and back to Ballarat. Yes, a circular tour. Why are circular tours good? Well if the wind is strong, it’s unlikely to turn around in a circle and follow you each day. But how to slow down? The challenge of slow anything is to get the mindset changed. I find that having a definite place to stop at the end of the day helps. Google Maps, and Google StreetView is your friend. Many times I’ve picked out a camp at the side of the road using StreetView. Having t