CONTENTS:

1. SURFACE VARIETY
   

2. PLANNING HILLS
   

3. AVOIDING RILLS
   

4. THE WIND
   

5. RIDING URBAN ROADS
   

6. THE UNEXPECTED
   

7. 
   

SURFACE VARIETY

On a long distance tour/trek/ride/adventure you are likely to encounter just about every road type and condition conceivable. Hopefully, if on a MTB, you are on more quiet dirt tracks than busy laned highways.  Riding on different surfaces means you have to modify your riding skills/behaviour accordingly.  

1. With sealed surfaces (it can be painted on) heed warning of the gravel that accumulates on the fringe of a sealed/bitumen/asphalt road, particularly when you are flying down at considerable speed or gradient with an excess load.  If a vehicle or animal suddenly appears your risk for a short flight with unpleasant landing increases.
   

2. Commonly traveled dirt country roads, national park roads and private roads have at the worst a few ruts, shallow potholes, some rills and/or soft spots.  Some of these roads provide the smoothest most enjoyable rides you will ever find.
   

3. Beaten vehicle tracks/4WD tracks on private property or in national parks can vary tremendously in incline in any plane, with the surface complicated by rocks, washouts, roots, no place to stop or restart etc.
   

4. Single track created by stock comes in a variety of forms.  Just remember that stock can step over things in their path, so be prepared for quick stops or little detours.  Most of these tracks lead to/from and converge closer to water sources, which is very important to understand.
   

5. On older or less used tracks/trails either entrance/exit can be difficult to determine and the clarity of the actual path may vary.  This is a issue when a path has not been used much in a season.  To stay on track you need to look for cues in the environment - does a power or phone or fence line follow the road?  Is it cut through a wooded area?  Does it follow a certain contour?  Is the ground firmer underfoot?   It is easy to go astray, so it is always good policy to glance behind every now and then if you are in doubt - at least you will know what it looks like where you thought you went wrong.  Alternatively, mark a point on your GPS at the point where paths become unclear.
   

PLANNING HILLS

On a single day, you don’t want to be riding too many massive inclines.  You are likely to get exhausted, injure yourself or worse.  1-3 significant climbs and descents are probably enough each day.  If riding though a wide mountain range then you need to choose your path carefully and try to have easy/hard days alternating. 

For a single hill/mountain, try to understand what you are dealing with before you start.  Go over your maps and try to get a feel for the elevation change, general path, possible rest points, likely track surface, what’s at the top, how long it should take up/down, if there’s likely any water etc.  If you know what’s in front of you you will find it easier to conquer it!

Throw in a bit of pushing... just for fun when you’ve run out of low gears and you can’t maintain momentum.  The first bit of pushing is always a bit depressing, but then you consider the alternatives and you accept the scenario and the slow pace.  Sometimes it is even very funny.  Only because it seems so ludicrous.  If going solo, you are also glad that you are not on camera.

If pushing, then push safely.  That means rotate pushing from each side every few minutes, being biomechanically aligned and trying to hold good posture, otherwise you may end up with an injury too quickly.  Pushing methods are relative to the incline and your load. (See an explanation here: “THE MJJ GRADIENT KEY FOR TOURING MTB USERS”)

If you are able to ride the incline and would like to continue doing this then make sure when you stop you are in a flatter area and can get going again.  Starting off on a contour angle across the path can help also to give you an extra second to engage your cleats in the pedals.

Cleats in pedals?  You lock your feet in?  Yes.  If your feet are locked to the pedals in the sagittal plane then you can pull up with one side while you push down with the other.  You almost double your torque with each crank rotation, and its easier to balance. With cleats you just twist your heel out to disengage the cleat from the pedal.  Without cleats, a moderately steep hill is very difficult on a bicycle.  (Another good reason to go solo - no photos of you falling over when you’re not quick enough to disengage.)

Which leads to the next topic - momentum loss.  When you lose momentum, you need to see it coming and you need a plan of how you are going to dismount.  The main difference with the touring bike is that it is heavy, like a motorbike, and if you fall or have to bail out, you have to consider where the load and bike are going.  If you have a good plan then you won’t have a damaged bike or have to reload everything.  Sadly and ironically, this is another one of those things where practice makes perfect.

RILLS

What’s a rill?  These are rills:

You may have heard of, know of or have a different name. Bone shaker, jitter bumps... whatever, same thing.  The above photo shows the deepest and widest ones that I had the ‘pleasure’ to encounter.  They made such an ‘impact’ on me that I had to take a photo. 

Here is the low down:

1. The appearance of these usually signifies traffic and/or heavy load traffic traveling at a certain speed on a particular type of road surface. 
   

2. Think wave mechanics rather than erosion mechanics.
   

3. They appear more on sand based soil surfaces than clay based soils surfaces.  Shale roads don’t seem to have them, but gravel roads do.  (The soil geology of an area can tell you other things as well - ability to pitch a tent or dig a poo pit, viability of the land, amount of choking dust to expect, muddiness/drainage after rain etc.!)
   

4. Rills are common on corners (usually deeper on the low/inside of the corner) and where traffic commonly reaches that critical speed where they form.
   

5. The rills are usually confined to the narrow bands that show where the center of each direction of traffic travels, so there are usually two bands running up the road.  They are between where the tyre tracks are, not under the tyre tracks. That is, it is caused by the air and dust moving beneath the vehicle, not the tyres on the surface.
   

6. Since there are usually a pair of rills, this means there are shallower or flat paths up the road between and on either side of the rilly path.  So ride there.  Problem is, there can be a build up of the softer/loose material where the rills aren’t.  You sometimes can’t win.
   

7. Be careful weaving around the road looking for the smoothest path.  No so much of a problem on quiet back country roads, but if there are vehicles about then suck it up, play it safe and ride it out on the edge of the correct side of the road.
   

8. There is an optimum speed to travel over rills in any vehicle, and the sooner you find it the better off you will be.
   

9. Bad rills (like the ones in the photo) stretch all the way across the road and you have no option but to ride them, trying to stick to the shallowest path. 
   

10. Your gear is going to be shaken up, and it may come flying off.  This is funnier than it seems, particularly in retrospect.
    

11. Grading the road gets rid of them.  And unless a local has a grader to fix it up, the grading schedule is up to the local council.
    

THE WIND

Wind and your speed on the bike creates ventilation and a wind chill effect on your body.  This can be good or bad, depending on the conditions.  For further discussion see the section on “Temperature Regulation”.

In terms of riding progress for the day a tailwind is always appreciated.  Headwinds can be a real problem if they are consistent in exposed flatter country.  In the mountains you move in and out of wind, and forests do a nice job of protecting you.  Cross winds on ridges can be a pest.  Your heavier load makes you a bit more stable, but this is nullified by the increase in surface area provided by your gear acting as a sail would.

Fire will sweep up or across a slope faster than it will sweep down it.  Think about that and remember it.  Smell smoke?  Work out where it’s coming from, take evasive action if necessary, and take it fast.

Wind picks up and carries things too.  Dust, ash, seeds, pollen, twigs, litter etc. Seek shelter with contaminated, gale force or gusty winds.  If in twister/tornado country then keep an eye and ear open for them.

Here is an interesting story about global wind patterns:  I did hear about a cyclist who had ridden practically around the world.  After a few months of riding into what seemed to be all too frequent headwinds in the northern hemisphere, he realised that, for the season and region, he was going against the general global wind current or Corolius effect.  If he had gone the opposite direction (eg. east to west) he would have had tailwinds. Bummer.

RIDING URBAN ROADS

The surface of these roads is not going to be a problem and you will find the smooth ride a relief if you have been in some bumpy territory.  A few things however:

1. The hills are no less steep in some areas coming up/down a range or in hilly suburbs - those other strategies (cutting contours across the [empty!] road, shifting body weight way way back, pushing etc.) may still need to be employed.
   

2. Sealed roads have more abrupt potholes, may have an uneven fringe on the side of the road, and have gutters and drains.  In some cases it is even better to be riding on the dirt beside the sealed road if space permits.  Stay off the sidewalk and don’t weave in/out of lines of parked cars. 
   

3. You are likely to encounter traffic very frequently, and so remaining alert for this different danger is your priority.  You cannot let your concentration lapse just because you don’t have to pay as much attention to the road surface, and you have less room to deviate and less options for bailing off your bike.
   

4. Assume motorists are the following: non-cyclists, half asleep, talking or eating, driving with one hand, obnoxious, poor judges of distance, in a hurry, and/or rubbernecking.  When someone passes you in a vehicle who knows how to pass then they deserve a friendly wave.  Hopefully in your travels you will wave more than gesture.  (In my OPINION, a bicycle riding test should be given as part of the process of obtaining a motor vehicle license.)
   

5. No driver can see you in a parking lot because a person on a bike is the last thing they are looking for and you appear from nowhere, quickly. 
   

6. T-junctions and vehicles rolling through stop signs are not far behind parking lots in terms of inherent danger.  Eye contact, pointing, waving, whistling loudly and any other choice method to ensure you are noticed is worth the investment when you see any vehicle rolling toward you from any other merging/intersecting road.
   

7. Remember that you are wider than usual, bigger and heavier then usual, and are slower to deviate than usual when loaded up.  You should be more visible, but always lights at night.  Make sure no loops of cords or rope or anything similar is hanging off your load, getting snagged by a moving or stationary vehicle is not fun.
   

THE UNEXPECTED

Some things you are not going to know about or expect, or some local is going to tell you about at short notice.  (Read example at Week 13, Friday.)  You will be delayed by a few minutes to half an hour or so, but it is usually an interesting challenge!

1. Rocky Roads - This is not a gravel road.  This is the road where soil is merely filling in the gaps between embedded rock.  You have to pick your way over it with riding often too slow to be able to weave and stay upright.  The good news is that these sorts of roads are rare, usually short, and often a shortcut between two isolated or difficult points.
   

2. Fording Rivers - If you choose your route carefully and pick a safe and logical point to cross, then these shouldn’t be a problem.  If it has been raining recently and the depth and current have increased then this will be a problem.  Slipping and dumping your gear in the water as you walk across will be a problem.  Submerging your bike components as you push or carry it across may be a problem ...if you don’t check and/or re-lube as necessary immediately after.  Waterproof socks are not much use unless the water is particularly icy.
   

3. Locked Gates - Now these are very random.  Private property and national parks are your main culprits.  On private property the gates are flimsier and getting stuff over a little more delicate.  And you have to wonder what sort of greeting you might get from the property owner since you are going through what is obviously a deliberate barrier.  (You should have contacted owners beforehand to let them know at least!)  In national parks you can come across almost any type of gate, with or without fence.  (See gate encounter in journal Week 9, Sunday, item M)
   

4. Washouts - Most are easy to navigate just by staying on your bike or pushing your way through the most stable area carefully.  Others require you to stop, investigate or bush bash, dismantle your load and carry everything across, then reassemble and continue.
   

The road in this photo was in great condition, except for this very short section where the creek had washed away the road AND the concrete drainage pipes.  There were no warning signs.  If you were not paying attention driving or riding, you’d have had a very big problem very quickly.

1. Livestock - Unfenced roads are common in rural areas and in national parks.  Have a general idea about how stock move in relation to weather, drinking patterns, response to oddities such as yourself, risk of attack, general disturbance, being ‘spooked’.  If in doubt as you approach, give stock plenty of space and make your presence known.  Startling stock or forcing stock in any one direction may result in damage to the stock or property (fences, gates, troughs) and/or stock busting out of their enclosure.  Property owners will be UNHAPPY... very.  Stock can also appear in fenced road/laneways - here they have only 3 options - up the road, down the road, on/through the fence.
   

2. Wild Animals - These encounters should be regarded as a privilege and appropriate respect given.  Usually animals will present as singular (snakes, goannas, magpies, dingoes), in pairs (emus, pigs) or a loose group (kangaroos, birds).  The only risk from an organised group would be wild dogs, and a pack of these are rare.  Regardless of animal type, let them know you are there, and if they threaten you it is usually a good policy to make yourself bigger and noisier. Try not to run over animals, snakes in particular.  Never get between a mother and her offspring. Glue a pair of big eyes on the back of your helmet for the likes of magpies.  Don’t be fooled by or enticed to reach out to a wild or domestic animal exhibiting ‘tame’ behaviour.  If you are on a different continent, then do a bit of research on the wildlife before arriving.