Give me some training ideas for a long distance biking trip I want to make?

RIde five miles every day ride lots of long sloping hills (up them not down) lift weights protein drinks jog

I'm from Baltimore, too and I'd be interested in seeing the route! There are some river crossings that make designing the route a challenge. How are you going to get over the Potomac? Going around it adds a lot of miles. Bicycles aren't allowed on the Harry Nice bridge, RT 301. Please send the route to me! To get ready, google for "how to train for a century." There are lots of plans available. http://www.maccfund.org/trek100/riders/train.pdf is an example. Most of them have you increasing your mileage gradually over a period of 8-10 weeks. You end up getting half your weekly mileage in 1 or 2 long weekend rides. There is usually a day off, too. Have you ridden a Century before? If not, do some of the charity rides on the Eastern Shore, usually starting at Salisbury University. Then do some of the harder ones. The classic touring bike is the Trek 520. I think you could also adapt a cyclocross bike as well. You need something with powerful gears because you may be carrying a lot of stuff. Strong winds are another reason to have powerful gears. That's why the Wright Brothers picked Kitty Hawk for their first fight. You will also need a bike with eyelets for racks and/or panniers so you can carry the stuff you need. HTH

That's at least 7 hours a day in the saddle if you're loaded and if you aren't fighting persistent head winds. You really are gonna need to be in good condition and have the mind set required. Find yourself a 20 mile training route that includes a good mix of hills and flats that you can run every other day. As time allows, gradually up the mileage to include some 50-75 mile runs. No need to do a full 100 unless you just want to. Do at least 1 back to back 75 miler to test your physical and mental state near the trip date. Lay off for 3 days before you start the trip. While training you'll be tweaking the bicycle and testing the saddle. You may have to try several saddles to get the least abusive. Pay attention to your nutritional requirements. You'll be burning 400-500 cals/hr, and if hot, sweating a lot. I like to swig apple juice instead of water for it's calories and minerals, including lots of potassium. As for the bicycle, any solid road bike can be made tour ready with a couple of racks. Proper fit is the starting point. The Surly LHT and Trek 520 are popular touring bikes. Check out http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/, best touring site on the web. Have fun.