Three Month Bicycle Trip

[Strawberry-Jam]

hey there, y'all.

I have this personality trait where I'll have an idea and then get obsessive over it for a while before settling down again. now I am in an obsessive phase.

my obsession is CYCLING ACROSS AMERICA! W00T!

Just note that I don't plan on doing this until 2014 or 2015, and since that's a long ways away, the plan is likely to change several times before it is put into motion. However, this is a serious goal that I am going to work toward in my life. Once the initial obsession fades I'm not going to worry about it too much, because I'd rather focus on the awesomeness that is my life in Ireland in the here'n'now, but it will remain on my mental to-do list until it is done.

Anyway, I see a lot of "I'm going on a road trip what about food" threads, so this is mine. When touring on a bike, you need to take as little weight in gear as possible. You will have to either tow it all in saddlebags or a little bike trailer. After a while, every ounce really starts to count. So, while of course you pack plenty of food and water, you can't lug a whole cooler of "safe" food around the way you can in a car.

and you also can't afford to get badly glutened at restaurants or fast food joints because you're counting on your own two legs to get you from A to B.

I need to be gluten, soya, and dairy-free. At the *moment* my stomach is very sensitive and there may be other foods on the NO list, but I intend to fully heal my gut before this trip. I'm looking into starting the GAPs diet soon, actually.

My thoughts are such: live off grocery stores. Any town big enough to have a restaurant is big enough to have some kind of grocer. Buy fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, sports drinks (which are generally unhealthy but when actual athletes use them, they're ok), and meats for roasting in the campfire--like bacon and cuts of ham or beef, not processed crap that could be gluten-filled or gluten-CC'd. Live off calorie-dense foods like nuts, avocados, peanut butter, etc. Eat veggies and fruits and beans out of cans during stops, but don't bring canned food along on the bike (heavy!). Bring a big ziploc bag of hemp protein powder to add to boughtten smoothies and juices and drinks. Carry bananas and gluten-free protein bars in the handlebar pack for quick energy. Know where every Wholefoods and natural grocer is on the route, so you can stock up on things there that you can't get anywhere else. I'd be mostly camping rather than staying in motels, so I'd bring a decent set of camping cookware + a camp stove to make powdered soups (gluten-free of course), fried/roasted meats, tea, etc.

If you get caught at a restaurant you don't trust, ask for something like hard-boiled eggs or a baked potato/sweet potato washed and wrapped in foil. No butter, no salt, no nothing--just bring out the olive oil & vinegar like you would for a salad. No chicken Caesar salads, tho, not enough calories in one of those. Go into the kitchen to inspect your food's preparation if you have to. Tip really well so they don't feel resentful.

I heard something about new experimental gluten enzymes that work like lactaid does. Perhaps I could invest in some of those, and take only if I have to eat at a place I don't trust? Take a bottle of activated charcoal in case of a glutening. Take plenty of healing supplements and vitamins. Luckily, my gluten symptoms aren't debilitating, they just make it hard for me to eat full portions (reflux, slow stomach emptying, etc). If I did get glutened, I would just slow down my pace and force myself to eat anyway.

What are y'all's thoughts on this? Coeliac will NOT stop me from living out my dreams! Where there's a will, there's a way.

[Jestgar]

My thoughts are such: live off grocery stores. Any town big enough to have a restaurant is big enough to have some kind of grocer. Buy fresh fruits, nuts, seeds,

This is pretty much how I always travel.

Bananas and tomatoes squish easily, so not the best travel companions. Hard fruits and veggies are more forgiving.

You can usually find cooked meats in the deli if you don't feel like cooking your own.

Cans are heavy, buy as needed.

If you'll be on the road for three months you won't be able to afford restaurants anyway, so limit those plans right from the start.

[kareng]

There are a few freeze dried backpacker foods that say gluten-free on them.

Don't know if you want to go this way, but my son was telling us about groups & bicycle clubs that ride across the US in the summer. Someone drives a van or truck so you don't carry much on your back. You also have the van and others in case you get hurt.

[Jestgar]

There are a few freeze dried backpacker foods that say gluten-free on them.

Don't know if you want to go this way, but my son was telling us about groups & bicycle clubs that ride across the US in the summer. Someone drives a van or truck so you don't carry much on your back. You also have the van and others in case you get hurt.

Even better: Start setting up a network of people from this site to 'visit'. You can probably line up a lot of safe, free meals, and an occasional bed and shower.

[heatherjane]

If you're not going for another few years, who knows what restaurants will be like then. Things have been changing fast in the gluten free world for the better, so maybe by then places will be even safer and more knowledgeable. One can hope, right?

[color-me-confused]

hey there, y'all.

I have this personality trait where I'll have an idea and then get obsessive over it for a while before settling down again. now I am in an obsessive phase.

my obsession is CYCLING ACROSS AMERICA! W00T!

Just note that I don't plan on doing this until 2014 or 2015, and since that's a long ways away, the plan is likely to change several times before it is put into motion.

Obsessive phase over some idea? You must be related to me! Cycling is a passion of mine. I don't do any long distance touring but am planning on trying some randonneuring rides in 2012. If you're putting in 3500 miles to cross the US consider Open Original Shared Link. Have you considered doing one of the group tours run by a group like Open Original Shared Link? Also if you like to mix your long distance cycling with insanity there's the Open Original Shared Link held every summer.

[Strawberry-Jam]

OMG YESSS I'll do a "Jam visits all the Celiac people" trip, hahaha

I wouldn't do a bike tour + van etc because I'm too hardcore for that. *looks down nose at people*

No, seriously, I wouldn't feel like I'd accomplished what I'd set out to accomplish, if someone else were hauling my stuff for me. I have this thing about self-sufficiency. and hating cars/vans etc with a passion. If I did do this, I'd do it camping in style, with fully loaded panniers or a trailer.

I do have a couple cousins who may be interested in doing it with me, and a few friends who have expressed interest, altho I don't know what their availability would be or if it would line up with mine. I wouldn't want to do it alone if at all possible.

[Googles]

My dad actually biked across the country a number of years ago (averaging 80 miles/day, range from 60 to 120). I don't know how much long distance biking you have done, so you might already know this. But remember that the number of calories you will need to do this is going to greatly increase. So the amount of food you need to ingest is going to increase. Keep that in mind when you make your plans. The amount of food you would usually eat will not cut it. Without support you will also have to carry all your own water. So keep in mind that water weighs a lot too.

[MenHen]

One idea is to set up shipments of supplies ahead of time to a post office at certain points. Especially in areas that don't have a great selection of gluten-free foods. I know it would be hard to figure out exactly when you will be somewhere, but that could reduce your shopping time and your load.

[ElseB]

Bananas and tomatoes squish easily, so not the best travel companions. Hard fruits and veggies are more forgiving.

Just make sure you have variety. I went backpacking around Australia just after I was diagnosed and was eating 2-3 apples a day because apples travel really well. I did that for 4 months. By the time I got home my body decided it didn't like apples anymore!

One idea is to set up shipments of supplies ahead of time to a post office at certain points.

I've done that before. Works great!

LaraBars are great for travelling - tons of energy and they taste great!

[Strawberry-Jam]

yeah, I know I'll need more calories. I was thinking of living off nut butters for when I don't have access to a microwave/fire... rotating sunflower seed, cashew, and almond butter when available, and settling for peanut butter in places not "advanced" enough to have anything else. It would go on gluten-free bread or rice cakes with jam or preserves.

I would also probably eat a lot of canned food at stops, but not carry it around with me. Canned salmon, other canned fish, SPAM (which is gluten and soya free!), etc has lots of protein in it. Canned beans would be good. gluten/soya/dairy free canned soups and stews.

rotating bananas, apples, pears, etc for snacks. larabars or equivalent when available. fruit & nut bars whenever labelled gluten- and oat-free. whenever dairy-free sorbet is to be found (hagen daz makes good ones; love the mango flavour) I would go for a whole pint at a time for the calories.

I was also thinking that I should take a list of "safe" brands, brands that don't cause CC reactions even in the sensitive, for things without gluten-free labels (instant rice, powdered soups, and so on). Also bringing a list of which "gluten-free" labels actually test to <20ppm and which just talk out of their rear ends. And of course a list of gluten-free friendly restaurants that can generally be trusted, and a list of restaurants to avoid at all costs.

A friend of mine did this trip himself but he lived on fast food the whole way pretty much... I wouldn't set foot in any fast food joint under any circumstances, except MAYBE wendy's chilli in an emergency. So it will take more planning in my case.