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Tomo187
Tijs
Just came back from my first tour and thought I'd share some pictures and stories!
I've always thought about bike touring, and when I saw an old school steel 26" wheels MTB frame with a cracking paint, I thought "this could work". The bike once it was dialed in:
PedalRoom for more info: http://www.pedalroom.com/bike/muddy-fox-pathfinder-29624
The plan for my first tour wasn't too shabby: cycle to the south (coast) of France and back in 4 weeks, starting from my hometown of The Hague, the Netherlands. After 11 days (averaging between 80-100k a day with 1 rest day), I got as far as Mâcon and called it a day. Didn't really know how to go further (cycling routes kind of ended) as I didn't properly plan my route and was getting a bit tired. I ended up going this way up (or rather, down):
Stayed there for another day and then cycled home in 9 days via a slightly different route (through the Belgium Ardennes):
6-7-16: Off we (I) go:
Some pictures of along the way:
All went well basically, with some expected ups and downs. But on the second last day (in Belgium), 'disaster struck':
I took a little detour because the cycling path next to expressway ended and I didn't want to cycle next to cars rushing past with high speed. The detour roads weren't all that great though; country roads and tractor paths, which ultimately costed me my rear derailleur. I think the huge amount of mud caused the drivetrain to jam, destroying the derailleur. So much for my 'Muddy Fox'!
Luckily I was close to the camping I planned on staying that night, so continued the (short) trip singlespeed:
Next morning (on a Sunday!) I lied down before the local bike shop waiting for it to open to get a new derailleur. Once I installed and adjusted it, I was ready to continue my journey home:
Now I was ready to do 160k to my parents' home in Zeeland, and then the next day the last 80k home.
And then of course around Antwerp one of the panniers broke:
Nothing a zip-tie can't fix!
25-7-16: After losing some weight (from the bags of course), it held on fine till I finally got home.
All in all I had a great time and will definitely be touring more. I met some cool people, had a blast cycling and it was satisfying to do everything by bike. Cycling great distances, camping in nature and doing everything yourself. Next tour will be in the UK maybe, or through Germany. Haven't decided yet; too many options!