Q: How did you get started?
A: I was a guide in the North Woods in Maine, leading canoeing and backpacking trips. I had aspired to hike the Appalachian Trail and realized that with a bike I could go twice as far in half the time and it wouldn't interrupt my schedule as much.

So I decided to bike across the country. That was my first cycle tour. I had never bicycled more than 50-60 miles in a day and I had never done an overnight trip until I set off. I don't recommend this as a way to begin!

Q: Why did cycling appeal to you?
A: One thing that attracted me to cycle touring is that the bike is carrying the burden of the weight. Yes, you have to pedal this thing, but it's not like you're physically carrying a pack on your back. Also, it allows you to see so much more area. You can go from oceans to mountains, through a variety of terrain. You have so much more flexibility. If you need to make a run into town for supplies and you're camping 10 miles out of town, it's much more doable if you're biking instead of hiking. You're even more independent and self-sustainable. That's the thing I love. .

Q: What are some good places in Maine that you'd recommend?
A: My favorite places are in Washington and Aroostook County. There's so little traffic and some of the views are so incredible. You've got mountains, ocean views of islands, it's just dreamy. Washington County with all its blueberry barrens is a gold mine for cycle touring. Aroostook County has a few more hills, but it's beautiful. One of the things we're blessed with in Maine is that we have a lot of beautiful little back roads.

Q: How would someone find a good route in Maine?
A: Look for established, recommended routes. The Maine Department of Transportation has 25 recommended routes. There's a book, "The 25 Best Tours in Maine," that's good. The Adventure Cycling Association publishes two route maps for Maine, one coming in from the west one and one going up the coast, that have good routes. The East Coast Greenway route is good. The DeLorme Gazetteer is a another great resource. Don't take it on the bike, just photocopy the pages to where you're going. It's a great scale for biking. [See Resources for full details]

Q: Is there anything that's different about cycle touring in Maine?
A: It's much less populated than many other parts of the country and we're more rural than much of the East Coast, but you do have a hard time going five or ten miles without bumping into a hamlet. It's a lot slower than cycle touring out west where you've got miles between towns and you just get motoring.

Also, we may not have lots of big mountains, but we have a lot of rolling terrain and that suprises and wears people down a lot more. You're always shifting, always going down or up, and that catches some people off guard.

Q: What are some things to think about in planning and packing for a cycle tour?
A: If you're doing an overnight tour, then the lighter you can pack, the better. If you can, contain yourself to two panniers. The easiest is to have two on the back; that doesn't affect the steering of the bike. Having front panniers takes a special rack and that takes some getting used to.

If you are using two panniers on the back, I recommend a handlebar bag as well. It's so handy for the things you access during the day like snacks, camera, map, wallet, sunscreen. Most handlebar bags have a clip or quick release so you can take it with you if you stop.

When you are just starting out, it can be tricky if you have two rear panniers, two front panniers and a handlebar bag. You'll be saying, "Let's see...where did I put my fork?" So have some sort of packing plan. Put your clothes in one area, utensils and cooking gear in another, tools in one place. Think about things you want to access often, like your patch kit and tools. Make a conscious effort to put them near the top or in a pocket so you don't have to unpack everything to find an inner tube.

It takes a couple of weeks to get a system down, to know where to pack everything. After a bit of time, everything just becomes second nature. All the bags become part of your body and it becomes very graceful and fun because you're not having to think about these things.

Q: How important is it to train for a trip?
A: If you live a sedentary lifestyle, you need to do something to get your heart and lungs in shape. Most people who are attracted to this have some base of physical activity, and for a lot of those folks, I'd say don't sweat the training too much. To do a three-day 150-mile tour, it's not like you have to bike 150 miles before you do it. I'd say make sure you can ride 25 miles a couple of days in a row back to back.

One of the things about touring is that you've got all day. That's very different from going out for a regular ride where you might only have three hours. When you're touring, you can stop, take lots of rest breaks, photographs, check out a little shop, whatever.

Don't hold yourself back from trying out a three-day tour just because you haven't been biking 50 miles every day back to back. Do be realistic and don't be an overachiever on budgeting distances for your trip.

Q: What kind of mileage should you budget for?
A: If you have never toured, do not plan anything more than 50 miles a day. If you're going more than three days, schedule frequent rest days or half days in there. A common mistake people make is to set these overly ambitious goals. Sure, you can pedal 100 miles a day but are you going to get to smell all the flowers along the way?

The mileage budget changes dramatically if you are riding with others. You are only as fast as your weakest person and it compounds. The bigger the group, the slower you're going to be. Forty miles is a good day; 50-60 miles is nothing short of miraculous with a large group.

Q: So one common mistake is to have overly amibitious mileage plans. What are some others?
A: The biggest mistakes that I see beginners make are: riding on mountain bike tires; carrying way more than they need; having overly ambitious goals and not listening to their body and brain; and sticking too much to a schedule and forgetting that they're supposed to be having fun.

Some people like to plan every day of the trip. But for me, the key is to be open to the opportunities as you're rolling along and not to miss these because you've got some preconceived schedule that limits you. Otherwise it's just a checklist, and an adventure is very different from a checklist.

Q: Is a group tour a good way to get started?
A: It's a great way for many people to get into cycle touring because there are a lot of benefits. Someone has already figured out a good route. On many group tours, you don't have to carry your gear. There's a lot of camaraderie.

Q: Are there any challenges to riding in a group?
A: One difference between riding in a group and riding with one or two people is that when you are with a group, you're not going to meet as many people, unless you're really reaching out to folks. So you miss out on that, getting an appreciation for people and places.

It really depends on how independent a person you are. You have to give in to what's best for the group. If you have your own way of doing things, a group tour might not be right for you. I'd say a group ride for anything longer than a week can be challenging if there are any conflicts. But for vast majority it is a good way to begin.

Q: For beginners, is it better to start out not carrying your own gear?
A: It does takes a higher level of commitment, a little more research and awareness. It's similar to people who like day hiking vs. backpacking. It just depends on your goals. I love carrying a loaded bike. One benefit is that it rolls over bumps so much more smoothly. You don't feel a lot of the tiny bumps because you've got so much more weight, it absorbs the road shocks. But there's no right or wrong way. The right thing is to get out there and do a ride of any kind!

Q: What should you look for when booking a bike tour?
A: With most businesses, you can ask for references and they should give you numbers of people who've taken their rides, and those people are very frank. There's some money in the business but generally it's rooted out of real passion and love, so I have not heard any nightmare stories of tours gone wrong, especially here in Maine.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who has been on guided tours and wants to transition to a self-contained tour?
A: One of the better resources out there is the Adventure Cycling Association. The ACA is an international touring organization that produces excellent maps, a magazine with gear reviews, and guides. Their maps are nice and detailed; they have two for Maine. They show which towns have bike shops, where the grocery stores are, where the campgrounds are, all the little things that are really key for a cyclist.

Your bike shop is a good resource. Ask around to find resources in your community.

Q: Are there any biking skills you need to learn?
A: You need to be comfortable riding in traffic, so you have to learn to assert yourself. With a loaded touring bike, you're bigger and you tend to command a little more respect from other road users.

But you do have that extra width to worry about. It's sort of counter-intuitive. If you're on a narrow roadway, you need to ride farther in the road way to force cars to pass you. You'll also need to learn your hand signals, learn to communicate with drivers.

As far as pedaling techniques, standing up and pumping up a hill on your touring bike is a pretty tricky thing but with practice it becomes second nature. The first time you stand up on a loaded bike, make sure it's a low traffic road so if you go off in a ditch, it's okay.

By and large, you're going to do a lot more spinning [pedaling faster in lower gears] and sitting than standing and pumping. With a heavy bike, it's more efficient. So learning how to spin is good.

The slower you're pedaling the more strain you're putting on your knees, especially when you're pedaling a heavy bike. It's that much more work so you might as well make it as easy as possible and get in to a lower gear.

Also, if you have a heavily loaded bike, it will take a lot longer to come to a stop, so you need to brake differently. Your steering might be altered, too. If you only have bags on the back, your front end is going to be light and it's going to be a bit easier to lose traction if you're turning, especially if there's any gravel or sand on the roadway. If you do have front bags, they need to be evenly balanced on both sides.

Q: Any last pearls of wisdom or words of advice?
A: It's important in anything in life, but especially in cycle touring, to be really polite. Reach out to people and be a good bike ambassador. The loaded bike serves very well as a passport, so be open and welcoming to that.

Pat Michaud Photography

Jeff Miller on his fully-loaded bike, with front and rear panniers and a handlebar bag.

— Interview by Melissa Kim, MaineToday.com
April, 2002

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ESSENTIAL GEAR "There's tons of gear you can get, but all you really need are a bike, bike shorts, a helmet, and a sense of adventure." Bike: "Touring-specific bikes are pretty rare and aren't specifically stocked in bike shops. You can modify a hybrid or a mountain bike. Mountain bikes can be just fine for touring. The important thing is that it fits you and is comfortable. I do highly recommend, unless you are off-road or on gravel roads, using slick tires — higher pressure tires that are smooth. It will make a world of difference in the miles you can cover." "Use drop handlebars instead of the straight mountain bike handlebars. You have a lot more hand positions. When you're riding all day long, the points of contact - seat, hands, and feet - are where there's a lot of action. Shift around so you are sitting and gripping in different ways." Clipless pedals There are two basic ways to keep your feet attached to your pedals. One method is called a toe clip, made from metal or plastic clips and leather or nylon straps. No special shoes are required; the toe of the shoe slides into the clip. The other method uses clipless pedals. This requires both special shoes and pedals. The shoe has a cleat mounted either on the sole or recessed into the sole. This cleat snaps into a corresponding clip or cleat on the pedal. Jeff says, "A good pedal system is great. There's nothing wrong with toe clips but with clipless pedals, you can do a little more pulling back and lifting up than you can with toe clips. I recommend the Shimano M35 or SPD system. It's worth experimenting before you do a tour." Fenders "Also called mud guards; highly recommended - keeps you and your gear so much cleaner." Helmet Comfortable bike shorts Comfortable bike shoes Gloves Handlebar bag and panniers Pump, tool kit, extra spokes First aid kit Energy bars Long underwear Iodine crystals "If I run out of drinking water and can't find anything, I can always purify water from a stream or pond." Sunscreen "This is big, big, big. The back of your neck, nose and ears can get fried so easily." Sunglasses and glasses " Try clear yellow shields for riding in grey or foggy days or just for eye protection. If you are riding all day, you can easily get dehydrated through your eyes." Water bottles "Reaching down for the water bottle helps force you to stretch, so reach with both arms - first right, then left - so you are forced to change positions." Lights "I don't use a headlight but usually have a flashlight that fits on my helmet or handlebars. I always have a rear red light. If you are out in dusk it's important that people see you from behind." Yield Triangle "A big bright yellow or orange fluorescent triangle - about 8-9 inches wide - that you can attach to the back of your rack, either off your gear or the rack itself." Rearview mirror "I typically tour with a handlebar mirror. I love to have it. It still doesn't replace looking behind you before you signal or make turns but it makes it easier to monitor traffic without having to turn your head every three seconds. When you're on the road all day that's a big deal." Personal favorites License plate "I have a little metal license plate that has "JEFF USA" that my mom gave me, when I was three, to put on my tricycle. I used it on my round the world tour and it's been on all my big tours. It's a little good luck symbol." Bell "I like to collect bells while I'm on the road. My favorite is a china bell, a revolving two tone bell." Cycle computer "I love it. I entertain myself with it. I can measure my average speed, how many miles I've gone, how fast I'm going. I consider it a real tool." RESOURCES These are a few of the many organizations that lead bicycle tours in Maine: Can Am Wheelers are based in Norway, Maine and lead tours in Maine and Canada. Maine Wheels Bicycle Club organizes the Moose Tour, from August 4 - 9, 2002; and the Coastal Tour, July 14 - 19, 2002. Bike Riders Tours lead at least two Maine tours. Summer Feet, Maine Coast Cycling Adventures, is based in Portland and leads tours throughout the state. Guides to cycle touring in Maine: Bicycle Coalition of Maine The state Department of Transportation has a list of 25 bike tours, including trail routes and detailed descriptions, that provides information on where you can find bike shops, accommodations, points of interest, places to eat and more all along the route. The routes vary in length from 20 to 100 miles long. We've got a sample tour, the Portland-Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse tour, plus you can get all the details of the other Bike Tours in Maine on the Office of Passenger Transportation, Bike and Pedestrian Section Web page. Adventure Cycling Association has useful information, route guides and maps. The DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer is a great map resource for cycling in Maine. You can purchase it at most book shops and online at DeLorme. "25 Bicycle Tours in Maine," by Howard Stone, is published by Countryman Press. The East Coast Greenway explains its plans for a bike trail from Maine to Florida. More useful links... EVENTS Jeff will be taking part in "Break Out Your Bikes" day at the L.L. Bean Store on Saturday, May 11. More details... Getting Ready for Your Big Ride May 28 in Biddeford, May 29 in Augusta, and June 27 in Portland A two-hour workshop with Bicycle Coalition of Maine experts who will review and share tips about how to improve your bike fit, pedal efficiently for more power, ride in a large group safely and dress more comfortably. More details... More bike events To top of page