Post-Touring Depression

It might be time to call Brooke Shields and Tom Cruise for a debate on my post-touring depression (PTD). While I guess it should come as no surprise that re-entering reality brings you back to reality, there are definitely some unexpected consequences of the tour.

First off, riding locally just doesn't compare to the beauty of Italy. It's very similar to skiing in Vermont after you've experienced Colorado for the first time. Just doesn't cut it. Second, the timing of the tour was bad in some ways as it came near the end of the cycling season. For all intents and purposes, it has now ended my cycling season. I don't want to fight my instincts and have my love for the sport suffer as a result. I'm moving on to squash season. Click on the link to The Bully Backcourt if you are interested in reading up on my squash endeavors (just kidding).

While I've transitioned my focus to squash, I will still be doing random rides this fall -- essentially I'm done with the "mid-season" structured ride regimen. I think this is also a fallout from PTD as the trip was very structured -- in fact, I'm thinking for my next Italy tour I'm just going to fly into Milan and head up toward the lakes region with no predetermined schedule and just see where the riding takes me. I may try to get my buddy firsst on this tour as we can really do it in a light fashion and I can carry his gear for him since he only has a carbon bike at this stage.

Aside from a lot of enjoyment, my first tour also brought a lot of lessons/experience. While doing research for the tour, a consistent theme I've heard from experienced tourers is how they are always looking for ways to refine their load and carry less weight. I now understand where they are coming from. Here's a list of things I wrote down for next time:

1) Only bring two pairs of merino wool riding socks (I brought four to Italy).
2) Buy a kevlar spoke (which is foldable and takes up less room than regular spokes).
3) Extra tire should be foldable (my spare tire wasn't foldable and took up way too much room in my pannier).
4) Always travel the smaller/less congested roads.
5) Explore the large cities on bike (vs. foot) and then stay in hotels outside the city (this is cheaper and easier on the legs bc walking hurst after riding).
6) Only bring three spare tubes (two if touring with a partner) if you are in a developed country.
7) No need to bring extra riding shorts or jerseys -- these are not critical items/can be bought on tour if you get a rip or whatever.

-The Bully