Pre Tour Jitters (PTJ)

Yesterday I added an article about Post Tour Depression (PTD) to Bicycle Touring 101. It only seems natural, especially following a couple of requests, that I also mention the Pre Tour Jitters (PTJ) that many people seem to have prior to going on a tour. I will reveal a relatively well-kept secret and mention that I too have experienced this especially before my major tours around Lakes Erie and Huron.

Do you feel like you are walking right on the edge?
Click to enlarge.

A bicycle touring adventure is often a new experience for people. Even after several tours, when your "big" tour start date approaches it's natural to feel some hesitation and nervousness. After all a bicycle tour usually includes at least one element that requires you to step away from your normal day to day life and try something outside the box.

Once the tour starts then this "doing something different" element will be one of the things that you come to treasure the most about your bicycle touring adventure. Unfortunately in the days before the big departure most people you know will already think you are nuts to travel by bicycle so you are unlikely to find little, if any, reassurance from your friends.

So what can you do about it?

Well I think that the best way to handle it is to carefully think about the aspects of your upcoming tour that most worry you.

Back when preparing for my Round Lake Erie tour I was worried about two things, the bike and if I could handle the distance day after day.

I took care of the bike by going to my local bike shop and having them give the bike a very close inspection. Anything marginal was replaced. I doubt if the bike shop considered this much fun because it was likely very obvious that I was a bit high strung about my approaching tour around Lake Erie.

There wasn't much I could do about my ability to handle the distance day after day. By the time the tour start date arrived I had done my pre-tour training rides, built up my strength with weights and become much healthier through nutritious eating and lots of restful sleep. I was tuned and all that was left to do was leave through the door and get out on the road.

The funny thing is that on the departure date when it came time to push the first pedal stroke the worries and fears dropped away. At that point I was committed and whatever problems I was going to experience I would just have to deal with along the way. (By the way on the road I don't have problems, I have adventures, similar but different if you know what I mean).

The jitters were not as strong prior to my Round Lake Huron tour. By then I knew the kind of daily distance I could do, I had experienced the joys of multiple week touring and my bike equipment was even better prepared then for the Round Lake Erie tour.

What worried me a little bit was whether or not I could get around Lake Huron in the time available to me. In the end I actually returned home four days ahead of schedule.

So what's the solution for this problem?

1) If you are worried about things that you can fix then fix them or at least give it your best shot. Of course I am not only referring to your bike here but also to things like having a reasonable schedule. If you aren't sure that you can do a distance in three days then plan on four at the start so that you can slowly ramp up to it.

2) Have managable goals. Think of it like this. If you plan on a 50 km first day and you do 70 km instead because you felt good then you will end the day on a positive note. If instead you plan on a 200 km day but only complete 150 you end on a negative note for what should be a positive achievement!

3) Believe in yourself with some experience to back it. Experience could take the form of lots of little tours or just long bicycle rides day after day prior to the tour. Even bicycle commuting to work helps. Frankly I believe that bicycle commuting is an excellent way to prepare for a bicycle tour in advance. Every little bit of riding helps both to improve your physical fitness and to verify that the bike is working the way you want it to be.

4) Take care of the itch. For some people cleaning the house relieves nerves (not me - grin) while for others giving the bike a proper polish helps. Others like to pack a few extra times to make extra sure everything is ok. Find the stress relief that works for you and treat yourself!

At the end of the day if you really don't feel comfortable and ready to go then don't. If however you recognize the problem is just nerves then start pedalling. Likely the worries will disappear as soon as you start moving. If you are still a bit tentative then have a few bailout plans for the first few days.

Jim Oliver is currently crossing Canada in sections. Like many cyclists embarking on a "major" undertaking he also suffers Pre Tour Jitters until he gets underway. Here's his story.

As soon as the decision to ride a bike across Canada was made public, a slight sense of unease set in. True, most of the time spent daydreaming of the big ride produced only pleasant thoughts. However, every once in a while, a niggling of doubt would manage to creep in.

This niggling doubt suddenly became a raging insecurity when a friend confronted me and said that I was overly ambitious. Riding Canada in 60 days was impossible. She showed me the math and it did look impossible. Oh my, the worse case scenario: a publicly shared objective that can’t be met. Of course doing Canada in 60 days is quite reasonable and I might do it one day just for sport.

That night I had some serious thinking to do. Do I stick to the course and try to do Canada in one shot and fail? Or, is it time for Plan B? After Plan B became the direction a great calm came over me. The new plan was to make touring a life style. I will do Canada in easy pieces!

My first trip, a 2000 km practice run had gone flawlessly except for a minor panic attack. I had left home about 4 am. It was a glorious day. Probably 6 above at that time of the day and the wind was dead calm. My first day was scheduled for an insane 242 km which was making me a bit nervous. After 3 km I glanced back over the valley where my little town lies. Suddenly it felt like I could not breathe. My heart was pounding and it seemed like I was going to have to lie on the cold ground to keep my sanity. After forcing myself to calm down, my respiration and heart rate returned to something close to normal.

OK, now what? I have been on my trip for only a few minutes and the starting point was still visible. I headed out and almost instantly felt better. By noon I crossed my first provincial border on a bicycle and was convinced I could ride forever. I did not know it at the time but I had made an important survival rule: if you don’t know what to do, pedal.

The first leg of the Cross Canada Adventure was planned to the last detail. Every time daydreaming of the big trip caused stress, I would get on the Internet and do research. Most of the data I gathered was never used but it offered a lot of security.

On the first morning everything was perfect. My bike was ready as promised and within an hour of claiming my ride, I was mobile.
My first pit stop was only 400 m from the bike shop. After a few minutes my camel pak was filled with liquid and my snack pack was bulging. We were ready to rock! I took a ceremonial picture of the trailhead and off I set.

After about a 500 m or so, things began to rapidly deteriorate. The shoulder was not nearly adequate and the trucks were incredibly close. One came way too close and I turned off the shoulder into soft sand nearly dumping Susie (my bike). After I got Susie under control, I started losing control. My heart was pounding and it was getting difficult to breathe. I pushed Susie for a few minutes and can still recall actually contemplating pushing my bike from Northern Ontario to Eastern British Columbia. The road got wider and the trucks gave me a break. I started pedaling and within a few minutes, everything was fine.

On the second leg of my big adventure, my body decided not to wait to get on the road before having a panic attack. I had a panic attack while still in bed in my motel. The anxiety was much harder to work off as I could not get on my bike and ride. I was having serious doubts that I could negotiate Quebec. Negative thoughts filled my head so completely it was making me feel slightly nauseas.

What about my next trip? The goal is to do 4000 km in the hilliest parts of Canada. Will I have a panic attack? Maybe.
The trip that really makes my heart pound is my commitment to Inuvik in 2006. Can I cope with the bears, black flies, mosquitoes, isolation, camping continuously, carrying huge loads, and riding on gravel for days on end? I am looking forward to it.
If thinking about a big ride makes you anxious, prepare yourself as best you can and then just go for it. I never gone on a ride I have regretted!

Submitted by Jim Oliver

Jim achieved his goal of crossing two segments of his Cross Canada dream. He has now completed from near the eastern border of British Columbia right through to St. John's, Newfoundland. His next leg will complete his east/west/east crossing and he will move on to his next phase. Unlike most cross Canada cyclists Jim intends to do a North South crossing too. He will ultimately travel from his home on the eastern border of British Columbia north to Inuvik located on the Artic Ocean. After that he intends to ride to Dawson City in the Yukon to complete his ride across Canada. Impressed? I sure am!

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