Training

Your one key goal should be to come to the event ready to ride it. “Riding yourself into shape” is not really a viable option on a 7-day tour, so getting yourself into decent shape is a baseline requirement. Does that mean you have to be King or Queen of the Hill on the Strava climbs in your area? Far from it – you just want to be able to enjoy your time in the saddle each day.

Here are a few thoughts for you – and be sure to check out our monthly training blogs.

1. Know what you’ve signed up for

Both 2024 routes have several stout climbing days, so you’ll be best served by including extended climbing in your training. And both routes have more than 25,000 overall feet of elevation gain – not brutal, but that’s an average of 3,500 feet per day. (Of course, layover days are optional rides.) So for either tour, make sure you get in as much climbing as you can within your training schedule.

That doesn’t mean you have to replicate the entire tour mileage and elevation gain in a week during your training; if you can ride 60-70 miles on two days back-to-back, with extensive climbing on at least one of those days, you should be fine on the tour. The key is for your body to be used to being in the saddle for long stretches; it’s not just your legs and lungs you have to get in shape.

2. Don’t wait until the last month

Find a way to keep some base fitness over the winter – spin classes, an indoor trainer, cross-country skiing, a rowing machine at the gym – and then transition onto the road bike as the weather allows. Slow, steady work you did in the cold and dark months will make the bright and sunny ones so much more fun. 

3. Build up to a peak

You don’t have to go out and start clocking centuries in April. Keeping in mind the terrain of the BRNW tour(s) you’re doing, gradually build up mileage and climbing over the spring and into early summer. Work in some interval repeats, including climbs, to really build strength. Don’t think that a long, slow ride once a week doesn’t help – it does. Push yourself in the last few weeks before the tour, and then ease up the last week before the event. Come in fresh and strong!

The bike

A critically important part of a bike tour! People ask what kind of bike is “OK to bring.” The answer is: Bring the bike that works for you, is mechanically sound and safe, weighs 40 pounds or less (tandems excepted) and is comfortable seven days in a row for hours each day. (See our e-bike policy here.) Two big tips: Consider a professional bike fit; it can do wonders for your comfort level; also, think about a tune-up or complete overhaul for your trusty steed before the event.

Need to rent a bike?

Neither of the local bike shops we’re working with on the 2024 routes offers rental bikes. Your best bet is to rent through Sunnyside Sports in Bend (541-382-8018); they have a limited number of rentals available for either ride. You can make the reservation, and we’ll bring the bike to camp for you. Make sure your rental period begins on the Thursday before the ride and ends on the Monday after the ride, so we can pick up/drop off your bike.

The bike gear

It all starts with the helmet; you can’t ride a single mile of BRNW without one, and it must fit your head in order to protect it. Beyond that essential, you’ll need two water bottles (or the equivalent) to carry for hydration on the road, basic flat-repair equipment (and skills!), a portable pump or CO2 setup, and anything like handlebar bags, GPS units or distinctive decorations that you find important.

The clothes

We’ve picked the timing of our tours to try to avoid heat and forest fires; that means it could get pretty cold at night, or rain a little, early in the summer… be prepared for anything! Bring the full range of rain and cold-weather gear as backup, while still focusing more on lightweight summer gear. This goes for camp as well as on the bike; consider that if you’ve ridden in the rain, you don’t want to spend the evening in the same rainwear. Think layers – one of the cool things we offer is the chance to shed and drop some gear at the rest stops, as the day warms up. You get your stuff delivered back to camp in the afternoon.

You

If you’re driving in, simply follow the directions to our start/finish site; you can leave your vehicle in our long-term parking area all week and it’ll be ready for you when you finish. If you’re flying in, find information on airport shuttle service on that event’s Tour page.

Your bike

Don’t let the idea of shipping your bike discourage you from coming to ride with us. You can ship it ahead to Jefferson Bike Company (CA) or Adventure Peddler (WA), and we’ll make sure to get your ride to the ride. See the column to the right.