CargoBikeLifeMy brother is getting married in #Oslo in a little over three weeks. In absolute disregard of the limits of what I'm capable of I decided to fly to #Rome with my #bike, to see if I can make it up there in time. I want to climb over the #alps. I want to experience #Italy on a #bicycle. #Germany and #Denmark are in the way so I have to do those too. After living in the US for four years I need to re-experience European bicycle infrastructure. #Eurovelo here I come. #bikepacking #midlifecrisis
Bike arrived in the pieces it was supposed to. Rome is beautiful. Trip starts tomorrow.
First day is done! Only made it 75 miles as there was a lot more loose gravel terrain than I expected, but wow was it ever beautiful. I kept riding through these incredible old stone fortress towns. And there's these awesome fountains everywhere with fresh drinkable water that make it super easy to keep the water topped off, which was great as it was over 90 for most of the day. Hoping for less gravel tomorrow so I can make up some distance.
Day 2-7 done! Italy was great food, wine, and views. The alps were of course incredibly beautiful. The Gotthard pass was not as bad a climb as I expected, but the cobblestones definitely made it interesting. It's fun to see how the alps delineates Mediterranean and continental European culture. Spend a day crossing them and you're in a different world. About 1000 miles in or so and the bike packing setup is doing great. Body is holding up too. Tonight we hit Basel.
Day 8-13 done! I have taken stock and am on schedule, assuming 105 mile days (170km or so) and one rest day at my brother's place in Kristiansand, Norway (not the one getting married), which is very doable. I've tried different navigation methods and found that Komoot in conjunction with my garmin works really well, despite a few bushwhacks and highway mishaps. Riding along the Rhine was great. I spent my first rest day in Bremen with some great warmshowers hosts. Two days until Denmark!
Day 14-18 done! I'm currently sitting in a café in Hirtshals waiting for the ferry that will take me to Kristiansand, where I will spend a day with my brother before continuing the bike trip for two more days before I reach Oslo. Northern Germany and Denmark were great, very flat and with comparatively good infrastructure. Lots of cool warmshowers hosts. This trip ended up a lot more civilized than I expected!
Somehow, the more practical and simple the environment the less exciting stories and pictures. Highlights from the previous days include a ferry crossing over the Elbe, an underwater tunnel canal crossing, long straight and flat stretches of good separated bicycle paths, a bicycle roundabout(!), horses, and dogs.
lesighlepurr@CargoBikeLife it looks like a cool trip... nice tattoo too!
@lesighlepurr Bakfiets forever :)
Simon Gray@CargoBikeLife That sure is some nice infrastructure over by that river.
@simongray Just dreamy to glide along
🚲@CargoBikeLife @chlssbn We rode the length of the Rhine once and it’s easy to see why it’s a popular route. I found the amount of heavy industry still relying on the river to be eye opening.
@dx @chlssbn It's full of life! Lots of barges going up and down. It was funny though, while the entire day's ride was beautiful all I could use from it was a single picture. The river, the green flowing hills, a castle in the background. Every other picture, while beautiful, is basically exactly the same. No complaints though!
rcr@CargoBikeLife Thanks for sharing about your trip! Gotthard is quite a bump to cross by any means, so well done!
Day 19-21, and with that the trip, complete! I made it to Oslo as planned. 19 days of riding, 2 rest days. Total distance 1,880 miles or 3,025km, total elevation gain 71,251 feet or 21,717 meter. Rome to Oslo in as straight a line as I could make. It's been a wild and wonderful ride, a real adventure. Norway was wet, windy, chilly, hilly, and wild, and I loved every second. The final wild camp was under a moonlit sky. Body and bike has both held up admirably. The wedding was also a success!
@CargoBikeLife Hey, cool adventure you set out to do! Wish you an enjoyable ride!
Simon@CargoBikeLife words can not describe how utterly jealous I am of you. Ride hard and may tailwind find your way!
fnord99@CargoBikeLife hi, for Italy, do not underestimate traffic and reckless driving. Also, no music in earphones, always alert. You may want to google-translate some websites like https://www.bikeitalia.it/viaggiare/itinerari-cicloturismo/italia/ and https://www.viagginbici.com/cicloturismo/ - On Germany and Denmark I cannot say much. I live in Oslo, if any tips needed there. But your brother can advise there as well. Enjoy your trip!
@fnord99 Thank you for good advice! Hey at least the cars are small over here ;)
@CargoBikeLife :-) small but aggressive, beware ;-)
viNomadic@CargoBikeLife 😮 WOW. Safe travels, all the best-- may have to make an effort not to obsess over how you do!
Luis Villa@CargoBikeLife amazing, jealous. Good luck!
@CargoBikeLife such a romantic plan!
Peski@CargoBikeLife keep us updated I’d love to live vicariously through you