Bike touring S/D

Where dya wanna go on a bike?

if im to believe david byrne, not hong kong. in fact, it sounds like i wouldnt ever want to visit hong kong under any circumstance.

http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2009/01/011709-hong-kong-the-future-of-no-future.html

actually, i would not mind visiting it, you never know. but ill trust byrne about the biking there.

We are doing DC to Pittsburgh in five and a half days this summer. I am so up for this. Anyone want to come?

xpost

since that was a bit of a negative recommendation ill go positive:

someday id like to tour around the italian side of the dolomites. italian alps too.

obv, my negative recommendation was hong kong. i wasnt referring to dc-pitt

have you routed your trip ed? that sounds cool.

A friend here at CMU has done it 7 times I think, Basically it is trail all the way, along the C&O canal up to Cumberland and The Great Allegheny Passage trail which is rails to trails for he remainder. Pretty much the only road section is between McKeesport and Pittsburgh proper. It's pretty flat or gentle grades the whole way, one guy is proposing to tow a keg in a trailer if we carry his stuff. We'll be doing it semi credit-card style, camping and carrying stuff but mainly eating at bars and diners along the way, this goes against my nature but we are trying to shepherd a bunch of inexperienced distance cyclists an average of 65 miles a day. I shall be rebelling and bringing my kelly kettle, I must have my tea and burn something in the morning.

Other trips I would like to do:

US coast to coast
Rhine Source to sea
All kinds of lovely stuff in the alps (the swiss have some excellent long distance bike routes)
UK NCN 1 (basically following the east cost)
the West Highland way

Stuff i have done and recommend

Dublin to Galway and Back
Around Cork and Kerry
Normandy and Brittany (24 hours in a pannier on a hot day is the perfect way to ripen a camembert)

US coast to coast

^^^^did this

thinking about vietnam on bike (time constraints might lead to motorcycle tho)

vietnam and the alps, definitely.

Steve, how is bike touring in Japan? Cycling round Hokkaido feels like it might be a great thing.

i was wondering the same thing---isn't japan mostly rural/forested??

http://www.japancycling.org/v2/

http://www.japancycling.org/v2/aguide/hokkaido/

did a flickr image search of 'rural japan' and i'm actually kinda stunned at the scenery. genuinely had no idea

i had an idea: bike from MPLS to Spearfish Canyon, SD. FedEx my sport climbing gear ahead of me, climb for a week or so, bike back!

also: spokane to the bugaboos, climb a spire, etc.

really taken with this bike tour + climbing idea

How much gear do you need for bolt clipping? haul it with you.

draws, harness, belay tool, shoes, rope, w33d

it's really the rope that'd be a pain: heavy, takes up space. def doable with a trailer, but i don't have a trailer (or panniers or racks, for that matter. or the time, probably)

god that'd be so fun, tho

Sounds Awesome, I think my climbing days are well behind me but I'd hold a rope and shout things.

Come and do DC to pittsburgh with us.

Mark and I are totally off to Holland on our bikes tomorrow!