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Big trip!
When I traveled Europe with friends (not on bikes) we used to grab as much bread and meat etc from the buffet breakfast as we could to make lunch.
It will save a lot of money over your journey. You may get bored of eating ham and cheese rolls every day but nothing will be easy. They'll have yoghurts and fruit and sort for you to have as well.I know you're steering down the hostel path but you could still take a sleeping bag and bivvi bag to do a bit of wild camping and save a little cash also. It could help if you need to push the miles one day but don't want to have to worry about being in a certain place/town when you finally need to sleep.
Bon Courage!
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Yea, interrail is a 'great' experience. I came back with a lot of memories from going it alone in October 2009, with a small backpack and a bivvy bag. Can't say I had the same level of fun when I went with a girlfriend in summer 2012. Not her fault I had to go to hospital, nor that some of the trip turned shit. But hey, sequels, eh?
So cycling should be very different.
The route is slowly coming along. It seems daft to do such a big thing and not try raise money for charity. But then, maybe that's the done thing to. I am planning to ask for some corporate sponsorship of some kind, sell my kit real estate for a local business or two, if any are interested.
As for charity, it will be either Ehler's Danlos, or Nuffield Orthopaedic; mum's trips to Nuffield must be at least every year, so it would be a worthy cause close to home. All to be confirmed though. Not sure how to go about charity vs running cost sponsorship (if any).
Route update:
The old man will accompany me from:
Swindon - Portsmouth/Southampton
Le Havre - Evreux
Evreux - Paris
(rest / dad goes back to UK)
Paris -> South FranceSouth East France -> East (via Italy? Switzerland? Alps??) Europe
Or France - Germany -
Ha, 6 months later and I've done next to no planning. But it's been mulled over, in the background.
Plan has changed as of this evening. With open invites from a friend in Leer, and another in Kiel, it makes sense to go (approx mileage):
Swindon - London (90 miles)
London - Harwich (80 miles)
Hoek Van Holland - Leer (322km = 160km/160km + sleep somewhere)
Rest/hang out for a couple days
Leer - Kiel (263km = 160km/100km + sleep somewhere)
Rest/hang out a couple daysThen maybe....
Kiel - Berlin (349km = 3 days somehow)
Berlin - Warsaw (607km = 5 days)
Warsaw - Bratislava (670km = 6 days)Somehow from Warsaw I want to get to Paris, then the Evreux/Le Havre/Portsmouth-Southampton/Swindon (...Or Hong Kong!)
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I have now set up a justgiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/swindonberlin
Thought it would be nice to change the tone of this, and do it for a good cause.
Maybe best to lock this thread and start a proper one that's specific, since this one isn't quite right, 6 months on.
santino
Tomo187
laeAbout
It begins... planning 'the' Eurotrip (TL:DR WARNING)
Posted by
@pdlouche
TL:DR WARNING!!
Big rant planning thread! Help appreciated! Thinking aloud!
Thanks to many physical complaints, family concerns, etc, my travel this past year has been way more limited than I'd hoped. So next year I'm going to cycle across Europe. I've done it by train, twice, and I've flown to the odd city to see friends, now it's time to do it totally unsupported. @Santino and I did London-Paris-London, 24 hours per direction, day's rest, it was killer but now I know I can do that kind of thing...
Route: TBC
Pace: 50-100 miles per day, maximum 5 days per week.
Set-off date: March/April
Timescale: 2-3months max
Budget total: £/€TBC
Budget /day food: €TBC
Budget /night sleep: €TBC
Clothing: 2-3x bib/jersey kit + civi's for rest days
Bike kit: Geared 2x10, carbon (Kuota Kalibur TT / Cannondale Synapse)
Funding/Sponsorship: Charity etc?
Finished my belated degree, so I am 'free' to train now. Currently selling as much of my possessions from my old room at my parents' to build up a buffer of cash, trying to avoid getting a shitty that will impact on my health/training. But, need cash, so that will work itself out.
Route:
Starting in Swindon, my late-50's ironman dad should be getting fit with me so he can do the first leg of the journey. We will go to Paris first, via Dieppe. The London-Dieppe-Paris I did with @santino may be too grueling in one shot, so we will pace it over a few days. Either Swindon-London-Newhaven, or Swindon-Southampton-Newhaven.
After Paris, it's a big ??? until Warsaw. Ideally I will skirt around Europe, visit cities I have friends, places to stay for cheap/free, and wash clothes have good fun recovery days.
The route will determine the length of some days, maybe there is a day where I must travel much further, more than 100 miles, but I would really like to avoid that, so route planning will be important.
Either, South through France, then East, then North, then West, maybe an ideal route for weather, so I hit Northern Europe as it's warmed up more.
Pace:
Comfortable riding 50 miles a day, but depending on terrain/speed. I would prefer keeping around 20mph on flats, realistically this will drop below 15mph if I'm fatigued or too much hill climbing, which I would like to avoid, so I believe 100 mile days will be unrealistic long-term, and probably unnecessary. Rest stops, hydration, weather, etc.
Set-off date:
March/April seems ideal, Europe gets a little warmer, but it still rains, but I won't die of heat exhaustion by the end of the trip. Minimal base layers should suffice.
Timescale:
I'd like to cross the EU, as far as Poland and back, so that means I need a few months. I must be realistic on cost, and time, but it could still take me a month to Warsaw if I went direct. So far, emergencies/family permitting, I could take all year if I had the funds.
Budget /total: £TBC
Hydration, nutrition, spares, contingency/emergency, bribes, fun times on rest days, clothing...?
Budget /day: €20?
I think I could keep this figure lower depending on diet. Emaciated isn't the plan, must keep my body strong enough with food and hydration, but with a good breakfast at a hostel, and a lunch stop, dinner could be simple? What else will I spend on?
Budget /night sleep: €20+?
I could do the hostels, because of breakfast, shower, etc. I would prefer a good sleep and less to carry, than to carry camping equipment and worry about all that stuff that comes with it.
Look up: Hosteling International, etc.
Clothing:
Someone said before about washing their spare kit in the hotel/hostel (I used that trick after my only jeans stank of smoke in Berlin), totally okay, but I must consider if the kit I wear + one spare is enough. Lightweight civi's for the rest days, maybe underwear shorts and tshirts, cycling jacket doubles up, lightweight trainers. Base layers? Check weather.
Bike Kit:
Cannondale is ideal, it's light enough, geo isn't too aggressive, but worried about saddle pack on the seat post. Kuota held the saddle pack no problem, more aggressive and bike needs more work done to be totally trustworthy for a few thousand miles more. Both have survived Iron Man/Challenge rides, and lots of London roads, hills, etc. Either will be a lot lighter up hill than the steel Koga I used to Paris! Probably Cannondale + Adamo saddle, two bottles, maybe hydration pack in backpack, saddle pack with main clothes. Essentials on back. Wheels tbc, the old Aksiums are bombproof but old now, maybe a set of basics from @varno? Something strong, not too heavy, and good for a long, long trip.
Must organise a Bikefit asap, get the setup correct for riding both on hoods/drops and on clip-ons when churning out the miles.
Funding/Sponsorship:
Thinking about asking local businesses if they want to buy some real estate on the kit I wear. Maybe using social media/twitter/etc documented trip can help persuade some funding. Must look into doing it for charity - big question, does 100% always go to the charity........?