Coffee, Camera & Kilometers

Beautiful adventures on two wheels

[leitha-blog-blog]

At the close of our summer bike tour, we've racked up 1365 kilometers, three flat tires, one jammed toe, a handful of bonking episodes, an uncounted number of breathless hill climbs and a great deal of ice cream.

We also have close to 1000 photos, so I'll post a few at a time here.

This group of ten represents the beginning of the journey, from Berlin to Potsdam through Dessau to Wittenberg, where we camped along the Elbe Cycle Path.

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We met a couple from Amsterdam as we breakfasted in our campsite at the eastern foothills of the Harz Mountains.

They were traveling the R1 cycle path in the other direction, aiming for Berlin. We’d just passed the 600km mark in our trip from Berlin, and it was a much longer, harder 600km than any of us had expected.

Heart-pounding inclines. Windswept croplands. Biting horseflies. Our thighs hardened. Our skin browned.

After days of mountain climbs and misdirection, we were inhaling a breakfast of muesli, yogurt, coffee, boiled eggs, sausage, cheese, nuts, plums and bananas. We were unkempt, sunbroiled savages.

By contrast, the Dutch couple looked fresh and lovely. She styled her hair and did her makeup. They ate a light breakfast of melon and grapefruit.

He casually boasted about the boring flatlands they’d passed and the 124km day they’d recently done. (She quietly clarified that they’d only completed 22km the following day and had slept heavily.) He was excited for topographic variety.

We wished them well in the hills ahead and sailed down toward Münster at high speed, laughing as a black rainstorm slicked our skin.

[leitha-blog-blog]

We embarked last Monday, and the piles of experience since then makes it seem like ages ago. One of the most surprising things for me so far has been how easy it has been to get lost and misdirected. In an age of geolocation with smart phones and fairly precise mapping, we're still searching in bushes and scouting up pathways for obscured signage and missing landmarks. I've clearly underestimated the time it takes to get over mountains and across streams (sometimes while waiting for ferrymen to return from lunch), but we've gone 465 kilometers so far, and each day we rise, pack up the gear and embark with the hope of making good time. (Illustration today by Dave!)

[leitha-blog-blog]

What Should We Bring?

There are few guarantees in life, but I think rain is an awfully a good bet.

We're down to just one week before the bike trek, and everything's starting to seem much more real.

Especially real is the fact that we still haven't received our shipping container from the US, and most of our gear is presumably still trapped inside it.

Our poor little box has been held up with customs in England since the end of May (though we're promised by our man in the field that we'll see it this week). I found it particularly amusing that the customs agents wanted clarification on what I meant by listing "Camping Gear and Backpack" on the manifest.

IF the crate arrives in time, and IF some things we've ordered from the bike shop come in and IF our online shipments arrive by end of the week and IF Dave and Lauren are able to find everything they need on Friday and Saturday (because nobody buys anything in Berlin on Sundays... it's just not that kind of town)... IF all that happens, we should have the right gear to roll out next Monday.

That's a lot of IFs.

Here's what's on the bike tour packing list:

CAMP GEAR

Tent

Tarp

Thermarest Cots

Sleeping Bags

Headlamp (+batteries)

Pillow

COOKING GEAR

Jetboil Sumo

Frying Pan

Lighter/Matches

Plates

Cups

Titanium Sporks

Spice Kit

Collapsible Washtub

Sponge & Biodegradable Dish Soap

Swiss Army Knife

First Aid Kit

BIKE TOOLS

Tire Levers

Multitool

Air Pump

Patch Kit

Mini Pliers

Bike Bags

BAGS

Front Pannier x2

Back Pannier x2

Basket

ELECTRONIC GEAR

Camera

Gorilla Pod Tripod

GoPro + Accessories

Bike Computer

Phone + Charger

Solar Charger

NECESSARIES

Wallet

Keys

Journal/Pen

Passport

CYCLE CLOTHING

Cycling Cap

Sunglasses

Gloves

Arm Warmers

Cycle Shorts x2

Bandanna

1-2 Tank Tops

Riding/Hiking Shoes

OTHER CLOTHING

Sleep Mask

Stuff Sacks for Organization

T-Shirts

Long Sleeved Base Layer

Wind Breaker Jacket

Leggings/Pants/Tights

Shorts

2-3 underwear

2-3 socks

1-2 sports bras

Swimsuit

Flip Flops

Nicer In-Town Shoes

In-Town Purse

In-Town Skirt

TOILETRIES

Shampoo/Conditioner

Body Wash/Soap Bar in Plastic Bag

Toothbrush/Paste/Floss

Minimal Makeup

Razor

Nail Clipper/Tweezers

Lip Balm

Lotion

Bug Repellant

Deodorant

At least, that's the plan. We'll see what actually fits onto the bike and whether all our things (and people!) arrive here before we leave. One week to go!

So, dear reader. You've now seen my list. What would you bring (or leave)?

[papotinturkish]

This summer, Lauren and I will be biking from Berlin to Paris. That’s a long way. In terms of training, our motto has mostly been “We’re Too Busy and Lazy To Properly Prepare”. But we did take one quick bike jaunt from our little inner-İzmir hamlet of Göztepe to the outer-İzmir beach suburb of Güzelbahçe.

Bicycling in Turkey is not the most straightforward task. Bike paths are a new arrival this year, and are limited to short sections of the urban waterfront. The streets are chaotic dealers of death filled with drivers both maniacal and oblivious. Sidewalk coverage is spotty, and those that one can find are filled with obstacles and rough terrain. Blazing a path is a hodgepodge adventure of sprinting across highways, tromping over brush, and finding yourself on a baking-hot 140kph highway.

Click the slideshow to see commentary.

[leitha-blog-blog]

Great to see our comrades on velos braving dust, sun and insane drivers for a practice ride! Just 10 days before we roll!

[leitha-blog-blog]

Bike-Tour Budgeting, or Touring with a Well-Filled Spork

During our anticipated three weeks on the road, we won't be working, and we certainly will be eating and exploring. And of course, that sort of thing costs money.

So, knowing that we enjoy really good food and niceties like hot showers, how much is enough to save up for cycling across Germany and France in three weeks on two wheels?

The folks at Traveling Two have done budget breakdowns for a number of locations, and for their around-the-world bike tour, they put the average daily spend at $23, including flights. Of course, they're factoring in countries where the cost of living is a bit cheaper than in Europe.

We do plan to camp, cooking breakfast and dinner at the campsite. Lunches might be picnic-style, or we might be wooed by the siren song of a cafe or bistro along the path.

I expect we'll also want to stop off along the way to enjoy historical sites, museums, breweries, hot springs and a range of other attractive distractions we encounter in our rambles.

We also tend to buy organic produce and grass-fed meat/dairy, and so I imagine we'll probably spend more on food than average bike tourists.

Based on what we normally spend here in Berlin, here are a few example prices and estimates for what I think we'll probably spend on our bike tour.

EATING

Example Breakfast for Four Hungry Cyclists: Omelette with Goat Cheese & Tomatoes; Coffee; Dried Nuts & Fruit

€ 2.50 8 Bio Eggs

€1.50 Organic Cherry Tomatoes

€ 2.90 Goat Cheese

€ 1.80 Goat Milk, .5 Liter

€ 2.00 Walnuts, 150 grams

€ 2.50 Apples, 4 pieces

Ground Coffee (€ 5 per 250 grams)

About €13.50 (€3.30 each)

Example Dinner for Four Hungry Cyclists: Pork Chops with Mushrooms, Green Salad, Red Wine

€ 26.00 Free-Range Pork Chops, 4 pieces

€ 5.00 Red Wine, 750 mL

€ 4.00 Chanterelle Mushrooms

€ 2.00 Bio Salad Greens

€ 1.00 Bio Red Peppers

About €38.00 (€9.50 each)

Clearly, my imagination is living it up with these example meals. I think we could also get away with a cheap 'n simple camp chili for €2-3 per person and be perfectly happy.

But, taking the gourmet approach into account, I think we can assume lunch has a cost between breakfast and dinner, so that's roughly €6.50 each, putting us at about €19.30 per person, per day for four exceedingly well-fed cyclists.

SLEEPING

As for lodging, I expect we will mostly camp and sometimes (perhaps when it's raining?) choose to stay in an inexpensive B&B or guest house.

Campsites range from €5 for a two-person tent to €25.

I'm seeing most B&B rooms ranging between €50 and €85 per night, depending on the location.

Over three weeks, I imagine we'll average a lodging cost of about €35 per night, per couple.

OTHER THINGS

And then there's the miscellany. Why wouldn't we want to stop along the roadside for an attractive wine tasting or exploring a dripping cave or enjoying the simple purity of human nudity in the baths of Baden-Baden?

So, why not throw €15 into the daily "whatever" budget?

For those playing along at home, that brings us to €51.80 per person, per day for the 21-day trip. That's €1,087 and change.

Of course, that doesn't include the cost of gear, the train ride back from Paris to Berlin, any necessary bike repairs or that spooky category known as "the unexpected," but I think it does give us a ballpark idea of what riding in style costs.

Just three weeks before the big ride!

[leitha-blog-blog]

Maintaining Balance

With just five weeks until our bike trek, I'm back on gear.

Today I'm thinking about weight and balance, particularly with regard to packing up our bikes for touring. Once you start adding baggage, things get awkward.

On our last multi-day cycle adventure, J and I used a rack in the back with a load on top, a pannier bag on each side and a basket up front for cheeses, baguettes, bottles of wine and other roadside miscellany.

It worked, but the downside of loading all the weight on the back of the bike is pretty obvious: you can maintain side-to-side balance, but you lose your forward-to-rear balance.

When you need to go up hills, you may feel like the front wheel is jumping up. (Wheelies are fun when they're voluntary. Not so much when they're a surprise.)

From all I've been reading on tour bike packing (for example, this piece, The art of an ideal bicycle touring pannier set-up ) the smarter cycle setup entails side-to-side and front-to-back distribution of weight.

It seems like touring cyclists have struggled for a long time in the quest for durable front racks. (I found this German piece by a cyclist who's far more into home engineering than I am. I do not plan to own an arc welder.)

Thankfully, there are now a variety of front-mounted cycle racks in the marketplace. They're just a little harder to find than the back-mounted racks, and they're still a little trickier to fit to the bike. (Also, in Germany, they're commonly known as "Low Riders," so we must search for "Fahrrad Low Rider" to find what's needed.)

Since I have suspension on the front fork of my bike, I must seek a front rack that accommodates that. If I were in the US, I'd investigate the ones from Old Man Mountain which come recommended on the bike touring forums.

Here in Germany, there are a few other options, but much depends on where you have options to attach the rack. Some bikes come with threaded holes on the front fork; mine doesn't. So I need clamps to stabilize the upper section of the rack. I'll use the threaded holes in the bottom of the fork to fasten the bottom of the rack.

So, back rack, front rack. That seems pretty good for distributing our camping gear. Of course, there are a lot of storage locations and a lot of different types of bags for bikes. I've drawn a diagram of the most common bike storage locations.

A. The back rack: Two side bags (about 40 liters storage capacity for each) + one shallow bag strapped to the top of the rack.

B. Seat bag: A possibility if you're not packing anything bulky on top of the back rack.

C. Tube bag: You can strap a bag to the top-tube, but it's not my first choice. I like a water bottle holder and a space for my lock.

D. Handlebar bag: For lighter stuff you need easy access to. Like a map.

E. Front-rack top bag: Depends on the rack. Not really a possibility for suspension bikes, I think.

F. The front rack: Two smaller panniers (about 20 liters storage capacity for each)

I've seen a lot of touring bikes with a lot of different weight distribution setups (some cyclists just pack very light, using only front panniers and a top bag on the back rack... impressive, no?), but for this trip, I think I will try out options A, D and E: back rack, front rack, light handlebar bag.

Next time: bag shopping! : )

[leitha-blog-blog]

Consider the Perineum (And a Few More Thoughts on Seats)

And now, a tender topic: the perineum.

First off, what's a perineum? Wikipedia has a long definition with images, but in short, it's the area of flesh between your goodies and your anus.

As it turns out, you get to know your perineum pretty well if you cycle for long periods in the wrong position or on the wrong seat.

Let's just say that after our recent practice ride, J and I became very interested in bike seats.

One of the main problems with bike seat shopping is that you can't really judge the quality and effectiveness of the product by just holding it and looking at it. And there's no polite way to just mount a seat in the bike shop and give it a good workout without buying it.

Additionally, there's the lesser consideration of how it looks on the bike. Obviously, perineum wellness comes first, but a nice-looking ride can't be discounted in the buying decision.

Some of the information I found on bike seat selection here at REI seems quite sensible: buy a saddle based on your posture, expected cycle usage and gender.

I like that they answer the "Why the center slit in some saddles?" question. (Again, perineum.)

They've also included special consideration for the leather seat.

J ended up taking a slender gel saddle with the interior cut-out. He reports that he's been happy with this arrangement so far.

For my part, I've been attracted to the rugged good looks of the Brooks saddle for years, but the question in my mind has always been about the comfort trade-off. (Not to mention whether they're okay in the rain.)

I particularly enjoyed this gentleman's evaluation of the benefits and drawbacks of leather bike seats.

Essentially, a leather seat is like a pair of leather boots. They're more expensive, need more care, require break-in time, hate the rain and sometimes bleed dye all over your clothes.

The upside is a seat that's cushy and custom-pressed to suit your booty.

Unfortunately for me, Berlin can be a very rainy city and my bike lives in the open courtyard. A wet leather saddle is not a happy leather saddle, so if I don't also purchase some kind of saddle bonnet, I'll need to go with synthetic materials.

But which bike seat is the best for touring? As it turns out, this question has been asked, and the folks at Bike Touring News have answered.

Surprise, surprise: it's not necessarily leather or synthetic. It's the saddle that fits your buns. And your buns are not like everyone else's.

BTN offers advice on a few ways to learn about your anatomy down there, so maybe I'll be getting personal with a pile of Play-Dough soon.

Make note: they do offer their information with a grain of caution. "Sometimes despite the best research, trial and error ends up being the answer. Taking your measurements and understanding your riding style are the beginning of your quest."

If measurements are the beginning, let's hope a happy, healthy perineum is the trophy at the end. (Ba-dum ching!)

[leitha-blog-blog]

Berlin Bike Signage... Trustworthy?

Ignore the political propaganda and check out that bike signage!

I'm sure there are brave/foolish souls who have successfully embarked on long bike adventures without a few practice rides, but when you have a beautiful holiday weekend, bikes and a destination, why put off such important preparation?

With all that in mind, J and I chose a mid-afternoon ride toward the pretty little town of Potsdam (about 28k from home base), figuring we could ride as far as Lake Wannsee and see how we felt at that point.

It was my assumption that practice rides would be good for building bike-ready muscle, but I wasn't expecting the other, equally important side benefits we discovered.

Note the happy Oreo-patterned pigs in the background.

One of the finest reasons to cycle is the opportunity for serendipitous discovery. Our practice ride passed by countless attractive distractions, including statue-filled city parks, a street fair, an educational farm museum and a bunch of shops and cafes I'd love to go back and explore.

We checked a map before leaving, but we kept it tucked away for the rest of the trip and allowed Berlin's bike signage to guide our way.

Big success there. The signs are placed in fairly obvious locations and spaced out at reassuring intervals. It's as if someone who rides a bike was doing the planning.

Giant chess at the Wannsee Strandbad (beach).

On arriving at Wannsee, we felt great and pressed on to Potsdam.

I was pleased to see there are choices in the paths from point to point... you can opt for the quicker, less scenic route, or the meandering forest path. We went for the speedy route to make the most of the light.

By Potsdam, it was clear to J that he needed to investigate a different seat, and my derailleur was acting up. Sensations that are tolerable on city rides become exaggerated after 20k or so.

In Potsdam, we road around town until we found a cute cafe (http://www.cafe-rothenburg.de/) with outdoor seating, which had the dual advantage of celebrating the summer evening while avoiding any olfactory offense to our fellow diners. (Though it turned out that they, too, were a pack of cyclists.)

Schnitzel with White Asparagus in the foreground, Matjes Herring Plate at the rear.

After dinner, it was growing dark, so we took the designated bicycle car on the speedy S-Bahn to get home, and we watched the sunset from the train windows.

I didn't bring an odometer, but I'll guess we went between 30-35k, tested the signage, dipped our toes in the sand, enjoyed the scents and smells of a forest-lined path and learned a little about our equipment. A successful practice ride all around!

Just as an aside, I continue to be impressed at the broader range of people I see on bicycles in Germany.

US cyclists tend to be younger, and most often, they're men, but in Germany, cycling seems to be more common across age and gender. Packs of old people cycle. Families cycle. People cycle with their groceries and garden supplies. It's all so ordinary, which is wonderful.

Seven weeks until our mighty bike adventure!

[leitha-blog-blog]

A Brief Interlude While We Change Venues

All but the clothes on our backs...

The summer bike trek from Berlin to Paris will be greatly simplified by starting our journey from a new home in Berlin!

You'll notice I haven't been blogging recently. As it turns out, moving overseas is kind of a major project.

After spending the last two months organizing, selling, giving and donating the great majority of our things, we were able to bring some little things and summer clothes in the bags that accompanied me on the plane and rest of our belongings went into the box you see here, roughly 5' by 5' by 5'.

This box (from a company called UPAKWESHIP) will soon float across the sea on a container ship (modern miracles combined with ancient transport technology!) and join us in our new nest.

And no, our bikes did not fit into the box.

Truthfully, our NYC bikes were fine ponies... good, sturdy beasts... but they were purchased for city biking in a city that loves to devour bikes through theft, through potholes, through hazard-filled streets and through bike lanes filled with pedestrians, emergency vehicles and delivery carts.

On the other hand, Berlin is a city of dedicated bike lanes shaded by trees. And so, the new home provides us with an opportunity to start fresh.

With that in mind, we say goodbye to my old pony, this handsome blue vintage FUJI Gran Tourer road bike:

And hallo to the new bike, this Wheeler Ecorider:

(Pay no mind to that cucumber and the leeks nestled into the rack.)

The Wheeler is a city bike, so it's heavier than the road bike, but it comes stocked with lots of city bike charm, including fenders, chain guards, integrated lights that charge when you ride, an upright posture and fatter tires that are much smoother on cobblestones than my skinny FUJI rims.

Jack swapped his fixie Schwinn Super LeTour for a similar city bike style, and while we wait for most of our camping gear to arrive on the slow boat, we're looking forward to scheduling some test rides to the lakes around Berlin.

So, the blog begins anew. The countdown to the adventure resumes.

Our go-date now looms in mid-July. That's just about 8 weeks!

Will the big box with our camping gear arrive in time? Will our knees blow out on the practice rides? Time will tell! Stay tuned, dear reader!

[leitha-blog-blog]

Gear. A Confession.

Eggs. In my trusty Jetboil. On the windowsill of an Italian hostel.

Can I confess something? Some people have alcohol problems. Some are powerless in the record shop or the shoe department or at the makeup counter.

My problem is outdoor gear. I love the promise and possibility in every titanium cook set, multi-tool and ultra-light backpack.

I steer myself away from REI and Paragon and Eastern Mountain Sports like an addict avoiding the path that parades past the bar. These places are dangerous toy stores full of OOOO! LOOK AT THAT!

So yeah, it's minimalist-travel inspiring and mentally soothing to read something like this Lightweight Tour Packing List. Thinking minimally helps my rational adult mind to tell the greedy inner child to just chill out already, but sometimes comfort or convenience is a great argument and the gearhead wins.

This'll probably end up being a multi-post entry as we move along with the planning, but here's the first:

Top-5 Toys I'm Already Intending to Bring on Our Big Bike Tour:

Jetboil Ask Jack. He knows how gaga I am over my Jetboil. We took the Jetboil to Italy and boiled eggs on the windowsill of our hostel. We took it to Mexico and I made my morning coffee with the French Press attachment. We took it to the Florida Keys and made very respectable fish stew. We took it to Montreal and I boiled hot cocoa all over the porch of our yurt. I'm aiming to get the pot support so we can do more than boiling, and I think the Sumo Companion Bowl Set might end up being fun for enjoying morning coffee with Dave and Lauren on this trip.

iPhone (with a European SIM) GPS! Selfies! Connection to the great internet oracle! Yes, I consider an iPhone to be necessary gear for 2014. I promise I won't spend all my time on Twitter...

And if you're going to bring a phone, this Goal Zero Switch 8 Solar Recharging Kit ends up being totally justifiable based on its planet-friendly charging abilities, right?

Alien Bike Multitool. The kids these days are buying the Alien 2, but I got this little guy back when it was just the Alien. It's over 12 years old now (retro!) and I rarely need it, thankfully, but it's comforting to know it's packed along for the ride for quick work on flats and wiggly parts.

Therm-a-rest Luxury Lite Cot Sleep is SUPER important to me. I'm not 20 anymore, and we're not hiking into the wilderness, so my need for "Lite Luxury" sleeping wins over ultralight travel on this trip. Also, the last camping trip was on a Big Agnes air mattress, and I now realize that experience is not for me. Too wobbly. Too bumpy. Made me too lightheaded after blowing up the mattress.

(Not to be a brand loyalist, but if I do buy another sleeping pad, it'll be a Therm-a-Rest, probably the ProLite Plus, which is thin, not wobbly and doesn't make plastic noises when you roll around on it, which I did when I tested it over at REI last week.)

[leitha-blog-blog]

What Do You Do in the Garden of Forking Paths?

The other day, I posted a note with Draft One of a route plan, but then I was doing more research and I discovered that Eurovelo 15 is opening up this year.

It's the Rhine river route, and they're promising sauerkraut and gorgeous river views and The Dragon's Rock. Dragons, people! It's kind of compelling.

On the other hand, taking Eurovelo 15 means we'd miss the glorious Vennbahn, which also promises good food, wonderful views and has an amazing set of gorgeous photo evidence like this mossy-wall image from the Venbahn "Picturetrak"...

How does one choose between wonderful and wonderful? Which wonderful looks more wonderful? Can you even know until you're there?

Should we make an arbitrary decision now, cycling forward with our heads high, never turning our minds back to the fork in the road?

Should we map out both routes and make a last-minute decision at Cologne, south of Münster?

Should we flip a coin and leave the choice to random chance?

Our Choose Your Own Adventure story is met with a key conundrum.

[leitha-blog-blog]

Bike Break!

Tonight, a sketch I made based on a pretty picture of the night sky in Patagonia (done with Paper 53). I kinda like it. It looks a bit 3D.

I'll be back to bike blogging tomorrow.

'Night, everyone!

[leitha-blog-blog]

Choose Your Own Adventure

Every trip is a Choose Your Own Adventure story, and everyone is different in when and how they make those adventure choices.

For instance, Jack often chooses to make decisions on travel details in the moment. I'm a planner. Even if I don't end up sticking with the plan, I want to have a plan and a good idea of where I'll end up spending the night.

With all that in mind, I've done up a route proposal for the summer excursion.

My organizing principles: maximize use of existing bike-ready paths through the beautiful countryside, minimize the steep hills over mountains.

We are quite interested in experiencing the Eurovelo project first-hand, so this trek combines completed sections of the Eurovelo 2 with the award-winning Venbahn Line (a rails to trails project) along with a couple of canal paths.

This tour would take us from Berlin across to Münster, Germany then down to the north of Luxembourg, then over to south-east Belgium, along through the Champagne region of France and a wrap-up in Paris via one of two suggested ingress paths. Beer! Cheese! Wine! It sounds nice, right?

In the course of research, I also discovered that Münster considers itself to be Germany's bicycling capital! Very charming. That, in itself, might be worth a stop.

Sections are chopped up by available path information rather than expectation of time. For this exercise, I assumed date estimates as a future step.

Note the areas where my routes are sketchy, the "Little Info" sections. I'd love more detail on those. But, for now... THE ADVENTURE!

**BERLIN TO PARIS, 2014 **(Proposed Path, Draft 1)

Berlin to Münster [Eurovelo 2: Berlin-Dessau-Goslar-Munster]

Münster to Aachen [Some Info]

Aachen, DE to Troisvierges, LU (The much-applauded Vennbahn Line)

Troisvierges, LU to Bastogne, BE [Little Info]

Bastogne, BE to Rochefort, FR [Little Info]

Rochefort, FR to Givet, FR [Little Info]

Givet to Charleville-Mezieres, FR [A Promising Canal Path]

Charleville-Mezieres-Reims, FR [Charleville-Mezieres-Sedan-Rethel-Reims]

Reims-Epernay-Meaux, FR [A nice diversion? Page 124 in the Lonely Planet Cycling France book]

Meaux-Paris, FR (Canal Path) Either Route 1 or Route 2

Got intel? I'd love to hear. Leave it in the comments!

[leitha-blog-blog]

When Is It Time to Begin Ambitious Things?

Reading the pre-journey comments of Lauren, Jack and Dave this week, I realized that I’ve felt vibrations of recognition in each of those accounts.

When Lauren says, “For most of my life I felt hopelessly un-athletic and klutzy. The last few years have involved crushing this old identity…”I nod in agreement. Oh yes! Me, too. I was always one of the slowest and least-coordinated kids in my gym classes.

When Jack says his first bike was “not just a conveyance, but a lesson in freedom and self-reliance” I remember how I then felt — and still feel — the truth of that lesson. Always a library card. Always a bike. These are must-have belongings that make us powerful.

And when Dave tells us, “Bike-camping Europe has been something I’ve assumed I would do since I was 13. Only in the last few years have I realized that I actually have to go do it, else it won’t get done.” I can’t help but think, Yes! Yes! The time is now! And if you don’t plan it, you’ll never do it!

As for my own reasons… I’ve already enjoyed a lot of truly wonder-filled experiences on much shorter bike treks (including an awe-struck Canal du Midi cycle/camping tour with Jack).

I’ve always wanted to commit to this kind of adventure across Europe in particular. I’ve heard that the countries we’ll pedal through have very bike-supportive cultures, and I’d like to understand that first-hand.

And finally, tripping across articles such as “The Top-Five Regrets of the Dying" has only reenforced my sense of urgency.

When my father died a few years ago, he was just a few months short of retirement. After 30 years in the postal service, he anticipated that retirement would bring newfound freedom. There was still so much he wanted to do.

Now that I’ve observed what age does to bodies, I realize I won’t be young and able forever. The time to begin ambitious things is now, while it’s still possible to do them. We never know how long we have.

For all these reasons, we now prepare to pack our bags, stretch our legs, find our paths and ride.

[leitha-blog-blog]

What's Your XYZ?

Do you have longstanding daydreams? Something you've always imagined you might do? An unanswered desire that crawls along the crevices of your mind? "Someday I'll xyz..." What's your xyz?

We plan to bike from Berlin to Paris this summer. Today marks part three of a four-day series on why the members of our summer bike team are motivated to cycle for three weeks across several countries.

We've already heard inspiring stories from Lauren and Jack. Today, we'll hear from Dave.

On this trip, Lauren and I will be using the same tent that my parents bike-backpacked across Europe with, circa 1980. Bike-camping Europe has been something I've assumed I would do since I was 13. Only in the last few years have I realized that I actually have to go do it, else it won't get done. 

The other side of it, the more practical side, is that seeing places site-by-site has been expensive and unfulfilling when compared to self-directed travel that spans the cities and the spaces between them. I want to really sink my toes into the rich mud of doing "nothing" between sites. 

Also, to my mind the bike embodies adulthood. Getting full bike-into-town privileges at age 10 was like my bar mitzvah. It is the most splendid form of transportation. Yet, I have never done any truly long rides.

[leitha-blog-blog]

Why Bike So Far, So Long?

Before we embark all the little details of planning our Berlin-to-Paris bicycle trek, I wanted to understand why the involved parties were interested in doing such a thing.

As it turns out, they had fascinating answers. Yesterday, we heard thoughts from Miss Lauren on strength and the evolution of self-perception.

Today, Jack gives us a peek into his long love affair with the stately metal steed.

When I was just a boy, nine or ten years old, I heard that the bones of a herd of ex-bicycles were rusting away in a shed on a neighboring property. I cobbled together a working road bike from the bits and pieces I found, and as it turned out this simple machine was the real-life version of the Seven-league Boots of which I'd read in fairy stories. The bicycle didn't burn fuel or eat food, required nearly no maintenance, and it was always there, waiting to carry me wherever I wanted to go. It was not just a conveyance, but a lesson in freedom and self-reliance [1,2], and I've never been long without one since that time. As for why I'd choose a bicycle for this summer's ramble: I have traveled extended distances on horses and motorcycles, in cars and caravans and kayaks, asleep aboard overnight trains and intercontinental airplanes, in steerage on ferries, and on foot for hundreds of kilometers at a time, but there remains something magical about seeing the world from the seat of a bicycle. [1] "The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world." — Susan B. Anthony, 1896 [2] "On my tenth birthday a bicycle and an atlas coincided as presents and a few days later I decided to cycle to India.” http://www.dervlamurphy.com/about.html