I am planning an alternative lifestyle for 2016. I'll be doing light/modern traveling, e.g., traveling by airplane, through a few U.S. cities throughout January and February and in March, Lauren and I, will take off for our 28 day trip to New Zealand! Upon returning, Lauren will likely continue her career pursuits in the city and I will be packing up my bicycle to kick-start my four month trip across the continent.
The idea of bicycle tour was born three years ago while at a bar in Vancouver. There I met a person with a tattoo of bicycle on his wrest and when I asked him why a bicycle he said that he had cycled across Canada one summer. Three years ago I was not in the best shape both physically and financially to take on a bicycle tour of that magnitude. But I began making small strides towards one day going on my own continental bicycle tour.
So, now, three years later, I can confidentially say that my fitness is in good shape and 80% of my bicycle/camping gear is purchased. The map below is a rough estimate of the route and the destinations. The route will cover approximately 4000 miles, have close to 60,000 feet of elevation gain, pass through Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, and Calgary, and it will probably take close to 4 months!
Months of being on the road takes up a lot gear and planning. I will be stealth camping for 90% of the trip and potentially using AirBNB or Warmshowers to have a rest and shower day every 5 days or so.
My full gear list below is a starter and it can be downloaded here, Bicycle Tour Gear List. The list is still a work in progress and I will periodically update as all of the pieces are purchased and tested.