The Bon Ton Roulet – A Festival on Wheels Through the Finger Lakes: #1 in a series

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by Dr. Kurt Grabfelder on December 13, 2013 in Adventure Cycling, Dr. Kurt Grabfelder

I bike. So when my wife and I set up our retirement home in beautiful Central New Jersey, in the middle of some of the best biking country anywhere, that is what I did, I biked. Eventually, I joined a local bike club, met some other roadies, and started hearing stories of week-long bike events up and down the east coast, in North Carolina, Virginia, and in the Finger Lakes region of New York. I was intrigued, but never joined until a bike buddy invited me to go along with him on the Bon Ton Roulet last summer. I was all set. I just needed the final nod from my lovely wife. Figuring a week with me gone would be a good thing, she gave the okay and I sent in the registration fee.

The Bon Ton Roulet is a seven-day bicycle tour through the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of New York State. The gist of this event is to ride around 50 miles a day to a park or community college, get your camping gear from the gear truck, set up camp, swap stories with the other riders and the next day, pack up, throw your gear in the gear truck and ride another 50 miles to the next park and so on to the end of the week. During the rides, these are rides not races, you are encouraged to take in the scenery, the wineries, and be a tourist.

How does a retired guy, who likes to ride 30 miles, three days a week, making sure to have a rest day between rides, get ready to ride twice that distance every day for an entire week?

Relying on years of coaching experience and common sense, I figured I would slowly build up my endurance by kicking up my training routines in the following ways:

  • Increase my usual 30 miles per ride to 40 or 45 miles (An easy way for me to do this was to ride to and from my club’s ride starts)

  • String together several days of riding in a row

  • Participate in various 60, 70, and 80 mile rides with other cyclists for support and motivation

  • Join a gym to add weight training to your routine, two or three days a week

  • Plan weekend bike trips to specific destinations with friends (I went on a bike trip up Maryland’s Eastern Shore, with some Pennsylvania friends. We rode about 150 miles in three days, including a century ride in some pretty brutal heat. It was good preparation and a great confidence builder.)

It’s hard to determine what’s enough preparation without over-doing it. Do what you can do and listen to your body once you’re out on the course. Most importantly, get out there and do it.

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