A new adventure just dropped! Right off the bat, I need to admit that this trip will not 100% be mine. Uri is graduating with his Ph.D. (wee!) and is planning a 2.5 month cycling trip in Europe, of which I am tagging along for about a month. I am very excited for him, and this will be such a rewarding journey. I only wish I could be there for the entirety of it, but I know that there will be more adventures in the future!
The Inspiration
Three of us will be on this trip to some capacity (Uri, Claire, and myself), and we are all going into the trip with varying bike touring experiences. In the past few years, Uri and I have been ramping up our long distance cycling, beginning with Uri trying his first century ride on a whim one summer solstice. Now, we do weekend touring, many century rides, our first 150 rides in 2022, and we are attempting 24 hr hour rides (the last one didn't work out so well). I biked across the United States in 2022 on the Southern Tier, and Uri joined me from San Diego, CA to Phoenix, AZ. I have also recently biked from D.C. to Pittsburgh in March 2023. Claire fills a few other important niches: in addition to putting thousands of miles in on the bike, she has actually led bike touring groups! On top of that, Claire has her own bike shop, Claire's Repairs, and is very talented in all things bike mechanics.
The inspiration for this bike tour came from Uri wanting to do a long cross country tour to celebrate finishing his Ph.D. and needing a well-deserved break from work before continuing onto a post-doc. We are big backpackers, but we found out that with bike touring, you can go much further much faster, maximizing the experience of traveling. He had a couple ideas in mind (the Great Divide, biking across the U.S., etc), but he and Claire, who had agreed to join him on this tour, chose to go international. They wanted a continuous, point-to-point ride that included the Alps and Norway, and, with luck, Eurovelos provided the answer.
Eurovelos
Eurovelos are cycling routes in Europe, and there are many of them, which you can view interactively here and pictured below. I credit Uri with designing what he calls The Great Eurovelo, a mashup of multiple routes that begin in Montpellier, France and end in Oslo, Norway at the Arctic Circle.
The Great Eurovelo
This route is broken into 4 parts, all detailed individually below. For navigation, Uri has created these routes using Komoot, which include the turn-by-turn directions, elevation profiles, and other important information along the way (such as ferry and moving bridge crossings). The complete Google Map allows for further route exploration and visualization and the ability to view in Google Earth for more satellite imagery.
Part 1: Montpellier, France to Strasbourg
The opening part of the ride begins in Montpellier, France and winds its way through Switzerland. In 958 miles, there is 30,875 ft of elevation gain (Komoot map here). The route is relatively flat for the first 370 miles, and after Geneva, the incline picks up as you ascend the Alps. By mile 600, the worst of the climb is over, and you begin The Descent, heading towards Liechtenstein. Map 1 ends just north of Strasbourg. We are particularly excited for this section because of the Alps, even if this will be among the most challenging parts. The pictures and street views look absolutely stunning!
Notes: There are three moveable bridges which have certain times of operation, and there are a couple areas with steps that need dismounted and walked. According to Komoot (subject to being incorrect), the route is 31% cycleway, 26% road, 18% path, 11% street, 6% state road, and 3% single track. As far as surface type, it is 72% asphalt, 11% paved, 9% compact gravel 6% unpaved, and <1 cobblestone.
Part 2. Strasbourg to [almost] Denmark
This section is 903 miles with 9,600 ft of gain and 10,025 ft of loss (Komoot map here). From Strasbourg, you pass through Mannheim, following the river through multiple cities including Mainz, Koblenz, Köln, Dusseldorf, and Kleve, before crossing the border into the Netherlands. It isn't long before you reach Amsterdam, riding the northern coast back into northern Germany (it's possible we may route into Hamburg). Map 2 ends north of Hamburg but south of Denmark (~60 miles south of the border).
Notes: This section includes 5 ferries and many movable bridges (>20). It is mostly asphalt and paved, but there are considerable areas of cobblestone near cities (80 miles in total) and compact gravel (~30 miles).
Part 3. North of Hamburg to Northern edge of Denmark
This section may as well be called the Denmark map (Komoot map here). In 344 miles, there is a whopping 9,250 ft of gain (a third of the distance of Map 3 but the same amount of elevation gain). It begins with finishing out the 60 miles of Germany, and then you cross the border into Denmark, riding to the northeastern edge of the country. The main large city that you pass through is Aalborg in the north.
Notes: Most of the surfaces are asphalt (67%), but 18% are also unpaved. There is a moveable bridge and an area with stairs that require dismounting and walking.
Part 4 Denmark to the Arctic Circle
The final map! In 1,020 miles, there is 65,300 ft of elevation gain and just as much loss across Norway. The majority of the elevation comes from a major climb between mile 200 and 400. You pass through Oslo, Trondheim, and end in Bødo...the Arctic Circle! During this time, you ride through beautiful wilderness and along the coast/ fjords (and I try to suppress my irrational fear of Orcas, nay Killer Whales, here).
Note: Ten ferries are required along this route, so being able to catch these in time is important. Most of the roads are asphalt or paved, fortunately.
The Plans
Timing
Uri is setting off for Montpellier and will bike from Montpellier to Geneva, taking about a week to complete. Claire and I will be flying together and arriving in Geneva to join him, and the three of us will begin biking together. I will be with them for about 4 weeks in total before heading back to work (ultra sad face), and the goal is to reach (at minimum) Amsterdam or (at most) somewhere in Denmark. Claire and Uri will then continue the ride to Norway!
Sleeping
Along the way, we plan on camping as much as possible and using resources like Warmshowers when we need assistance, refuge from the weather, or an actual warm shower. This is a great app/website where cyclists host other cyclists during their tours, and Europe is loaded with hosts. It's quite possible that there are actually more cyclists than non-cyclists in Europe, so if we need bike assistance or a place to sleep and shower, we have got it covered.
Eating
Besides packing enough snacks with us everyday, we pass through many cities and towns pretty regularly along this route. Having access to food and water is not something that I am concerned about. However, when Uri and Claire get to Norway where it appears more remote, they will need to store more food for backup.
Other considerations
Going international, we need to do a few extra things to prepare, such as getting an outlet converter and international phone plan. We are also looking into some traveler heath insurance. Of course, starting at the Mediterranean and going to the Arctic Circle means changing weather and different country logistics. The Alps are still snow covered, so having warm enough clothing through Switzerland but cool enough clothing for European summertime is necessary. There will naturally be language barriers, but we are hoping that we can get by with the bit that we know (Uri speaks Spanish, I know some French, and Duolingo/Google Translate can help with the rest).
The Gear
The gear and equipment I plan on using for the trip can be found here while Claire's can be found here, and Uri's here. We will continue adjusting and changing our gear, even once we start the trip, so these lists will continue to change.
Stay tuned for updates!
Tailwinds,
Erin
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