I had put together a smashing JOGLE route (that's John O'Groats to Land's End, or the length of Great Britain). The only problem was, I wasn't sure we could squeeze the distance into the 30-or-so days we had available to us. The alternative was a direct route that bypassed a lot of great countryside.

Then something happened. Something big. Yes, boys and girls, we are officially retiring in just a couple of months! Cue the confetti and balloons! Retirement is one of the not-so-well-kept secrets to touring success. No longer will we have to squeeze in as much riding and as many interesting places as possible into a relatively short time frame.

Don't get me wrong. We are fortunate to have careers where we can take a few weeks off here and there. Heck, last year, we were able to tour for two whole months! Alas, even that wasn't enough to satisfy our wanderlust completely.

So now, Britain feels kind of small. We want to spread our wings and hit a few items on our bucket list, namely:

1. Alsace-Lorraine
2. Massif Central
3. The Pyrenees
4. The Camino (you know the one)
5. Portugal
6. Madrid

We're new at this take-your-time business, so bear with us while we test the waters. For now, it's going to look just like any of our recent tours, only a little longer.

Actually, there is one difference. For the first time ever, we're starting an overseas tour during the summer. Time off has been difficult for us to obtain during the summer, but we didn't mind. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have some of the best summer weather on earth, so why leave it? Plus, we have always enjoyed taking advantage of the slower spring and fall shoulder seasons.

It'll be nice to roll up to a campground in August without even checking the closure dates. On the other hand, it might be full. Hopefully we can convince them to squeeze in one little tent and a couple of bikes.

To that end, my dear wife has been studying French and Spanish enthusiastically. Me, not so much. I'll get to it any day now. I promise. I'm the navigator, mechanic, journalist, and (most importantly) pack mule. I am not the great communicator.

You probably won't hear from us again until pretty close to the start date. We will have lots of training rides, but as of now I don't plan to include them in the journal. Maybe I'll document any shakedown tours, which I feel like we'll now have the time to do.

In the meantime, if any of you all are likely to cross paths with us, let me know. Meetups are always super fun!