I had the honor of biking across both America and Europe over the last two years and they were honestly the greatest experiences in my life thus far. Group bike touring especially is the best way to see the world and if you're ever thinking about doing it, here are a few things you should know.

1. Bike touring isn't a race—it's a journey.

When you're on a schedule of biking 8-12+ hours a day, you tend to get into the mindset of "bike, eat, bike, sleep, wake up and bike again." When you're in this constant receptive mindset you will want to get to camp as soon as possible (in a perfect world before lunch), so you can have the rest of the day to relax and hang out before you have to bike again the next day. This is fine sometimes, but the point of bike touring is to see the world through a different lens. When you bike tour, you will most likely be taking back roads and going through crazy towns and cities and seeing things you mostly likely wouldn't have seen if you were driving the same route in a car. When you constantly are in the mindset of get to camp ASAP and book it to camp, it not only adds stress to the group, but you won't have as many great memories as if you had just stayed on the bike a few hours longer. Bike touring is basically living by the saying "don't forget to smell the roses."

2. It doesn't matter when you get to camp—as long as you get to camp on the bike.

Bike touring is hard. It's as simple as that, and if someone says its easy, they're probably lying or they're Lance Armstrong. It can be so hard both physically and mentally that at points you will want to throw in the towel, give up and go home. The amazing thing group bike touring does is that it puts you in that vulnerable position and the group will help you finish the ride. Your group will constantly tell you between their words of encouragement, that it doesn't matter when you get to camp as long as you get to camp on the bike. You will always get to camp on the bike as a team and it doesn't matter if you get in at 8am or 8pm; each finished ride is viewed as a victory and an accomplishment proving that you may have more strength than you may have originally realized.

3. Staples become your best friend.

Staple foods and bike touring go together like peanut butter and jelly! You will tend to have the same delicious breakfast of peanut butter and a bagel, with some nature valley granola bars throughout the day, a nice delicious turkey sandwich for lunch topped with a tortilla and some beans for dinner. Oh, the classics are what got me through the day. By the end of the trip you will probably not be able to even look at a can of beans or a box of pasta without puking a little bit.

4. No matter what happens, you always have each �other.

If you decide to tour with a group, your journey will automatically be a thousand times better. When you're in your most vulnerable state, and you feel like you can't do it anymore, your group will always be there to bring you back up. When you're climbing a mountain and you're about to make it to the top, your group is always waiting there to cheer you on. When it's hard and you just don't want to do it, your group is always there with a joke or a story to make the time go by faster. Your group is there in your victories and your failures and no matter what happens, you will always have them to lean (or sometimes fall) back on. I wanted to take this moment to thank everyone in both my ACC and ECC groups because I couldn't have done it without you guys!

5. Waking up at 4:30 and going to bed at 8:30 during the summer is a norm.

When you're biking 60-110 miles a day, you want to get as many miles done before it gets hot. In order to do that, you have to start biking at first light. With that crazy schedule, it's not uncommon to want to start getting ready for bed at 6:30. Oh, the joys of summer, where you go to bed early and wake up even earlier!

6. You will meet some of the best people.

Besides your awesome tour group, you will also meet some of the best people you've ever met in your entire life! I remember on America Coast to Coast, we stayed at a ranch for a couple days and the family welcomed us in as if we were their own. I've never felt such an open environment and really enjoyed swimming with their pet goose Ryan Goosling. Another awesome place we stayed was in Pie Town New Mexico. It was just this small town with a population of 36ish. The entire town welcomed us with a banner and a potluck and the queen of pie town even graced us with her amazing presence. There are so many people you will meet that support your journey and will try to help you in any way they can; it really opens your eyes to the positivity humanity can bring in a world where negativity seems to overpower it.

7. You will have the weirdest inside jokes.

When you're with the same group of people for weeks at a time, you tend to have some pretty ridiculous jokes. My personal favorite is our fifteenth member, Jesus, and slant rhyming our way through New Mexico. When you tell these jokes to other people, they might question your sanity, but to you and your best friends, they're what got you through the day.

8. Bike touring will not change you, but it will help you.

I had this false hope that in a matter of six weeks I would be this entirely new person with a new insight in life. Unfortunately for me, that was not the case. I left as a new person for awhile, but once I adjusted back to society, I was typical ol' me. The thing that did help was that I left with fourteen new best friends who I knew I could call in times of need. I knew that even though they were states or sometimes even countries away, they would still always be there ready to help. I know they know that I'll always be there when they need help too.

9. You will talk about your tours for the rest of your life.

Bike touring is an incredible experience, but also an incredible accomplishment— no matter how big or small the tour was. You will want to talk about your experience with everyone you know, even if they don't necessarily want to hear it for the fiftieth time in a row. I can promise you that group bike touring especially will be such a highlight in your life that your stories will always have to do with something that happened on your tour. I know I have some insane stories that I find every chance can possibly get to tell.

10. Electrolytes are literally your life saver.

With the heat and the daily bonking after lunch, it is very easy to, as my former leader would call it, "diedrate." Popping one or two electrolyte tablets in your water bottle (my personal favorite is mixed berry) will give you the energy much needed to make it to camp without literally more than figuratively dying.�

11. Your leaders are fantastic...nuff' said!

I wanted to add this in just to give a quick personal thank you to all four of my leaders just in case they're reading this (which I hope you are). My leaders were always there to talk to me about literally anything when I just wanted to talk, and they were always there to tell me a terrible joke when I needed it—even if I denied I needed it. They are there to bring you up and they are there to make sure you not only get from point A to point B safely, but as a better person then where you started. Your leaders will be the reason you never gave up, and your leaders will easily become your biggest role models. I mean everything I say and will never find a way to thank them enough for everything they've done. But thank you!

Bike touring is such an amazing experience, but if you can do it with a group then it will make the trip not only go by faster but it will be a thousand times more memorable. Even if it's just across the city or across the country, bike touring will be an experience you will never forget!