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A digest of news, interviews, reports, rides, readings, features… from the people at CyclingEurope.org. If you think you might have something to contribute, please get in touch. Whether you’ve embarked on an epic ride or simply decided to to get back into cycling after a long break, we’d love to hear your story.
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Episode 051: Freewheeling In France With Lyn Eyb
France is a top destination for cycle tourists and, with its great diversity of landscapes – from windswept cliffs in the north to vast swathes of forest in the west to sun-drenched villages in the south to vertiginous climbs in the east – it has (almost) everything that a traveller on a bicycle might want to discover. Lyn Eyb from FreeWheelingFrance.com has been exploring and writing about France ever since she arrived in the country over a decade ago. She shares her thoughts with The Cycling Europe Podcast and takes time to answer listenersโ questions about the practical aspects of being a cyclist in France.
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Coming Soon….
Episode 051: Freewheeling In France With Lyn Eyb
France is a top destination for cycle tourists and, with its great diversity of landscapes – from windswept cliffs in the north to vast swathes of forest in the west to sun-drenched villages in the south to vertiginous climbs in the east – it has (almost) everything that a traveller on a bicycle might want to discover. Lyn Eyb from FreeWheelingFrance.com has been exploring and writing about France ever since she arrived in the country …
Episode 050: Cycling The Way Of The Roses
To celebrate its 50th episode, Andrew P. Sykes takes The Cycling Europe Podcast out on the cycle path and travels from Morecambe on Lancashire's west coast to the county's historical capital at Lancaster, across the Pennines and through Yorkshire via Settle and Ripon, completing his trip in that county's historical capital at York. The Way of the Roses is a route of contrasting landscapes and, at times, challenging terrain; join Andrew (and his bicycle Wanda) …
Episode 049: Cycling Slovakia End To End With Rob Ainsley
Writer, cyclist – and now composer – Rob Ainsley is the master of the cycling โend-to-endโ: Britain, France, Spain, Poland, Cubaโฆ and now Slovakia, west to east. He chats to The Cycling Europe Podcast about his recent journey across the country, its people, its placesโฆ and its beer. He also takes time to reflect upon the attractions of the end-to-end cycle and reveals the name of the country that he believes is home to the …
Episode 048: A Mountaineer’s Guide To Cycling From Spain To Norway
The Cycling Europe Podcast mainly features, well, cyclists. The interviewee in this episode, however, is first and foremost a mountaineer. But heโs not just any mountaineer. His name is Tim Ralph and heโs a seven summiteer; a man who has climbed the seven highest mountains on each of the continents. In the last few years, heโs also taken up cycle touring and has just published a book called โA Life Accomplished: From Spain to Norway …
Episode 047: Planning A Four-Year Cycle Around The World
Nathan Molyneaux is a planning manager in the food industry. Heโs also a great believer in the Chimp Paradox, an understanding of which allows you to take control of your emotions in order to act in your own best interests. This theory, developed by Professor Steve Peters, has been instrumental in the planning of Nathanโs upcoming journey around the world. And itโs a proper round-the-world cycle; no planes, every continent, scores of countries and four …
The Making Of The Cycling Europe Podcast
I am in Hebden Bridge, experimenting. If you are reading this, congratulations! You are clearly a fan of the podcast as Iโm making no effort to publicise this secret episode of the podcast. It doesnโt even have a number! You may find the audio of interest, you may not. Have a listen to what Iโve recorded and let me know what you think, good or badโฆ
Episode 046: Tim Moore, Travel Writer
Tim Moore has been referred to as โBill Bryson on two wheelsโ. Any reader of his adventures – both on and off a bike – willย appreciate why the comparison is justified. In his first cycling travelogue, he set off on the route of that yearโs Tour de France just weeks before the professionals. He went on to recreate โthe most appalling bike race of all timeโ – the 1914 Giro dโItalia – on a …
Episode 045: The UK To Greece (And Beyond…) / Valencia To Gibraltar
Whilst recovering from cancer treatment, Candy Whittome was given a copy of Anne Mustoeโs book โA Bike Ride: 12,000 Miles Around the Worldโ. It inspired her to embark upon a long cycling journey herself, if not quite all the way round the world, then a good portion of it.ย Her doctors were supportive (although her family needed some convincing) and in 2021 she set off on the first leg of her journey cycling from Britain to …
Episode 044: The Canal de la Garonne & Canal du Midi / Trikes
Declan Lyons trained as a zoologist but after several years working as a journalist and management consultant he started to research and then write two Cicerone guides for people interested in cycling the Canal de la Garonne from Bordeaux to Toulouse and the Canal du Midi from Toulouse to the Mediterranean coast at Sรจte. Together the canals are known as the Vรฉloroute des Deux Mers – the โtwo seas cycle routeโ – and in this …
Episode 043: Monologue Special / Gavin Woodย
In 2021 I put out a call for anyone who was interested in recording a short monologue about their experiences of cycling to get in touch and, in the past year, quite a few people have come forward to record such a monologue. In this episode you have a second opportunity to hear Laura Massey-Pugh set out her plans to cycle around the world on a tandem, Laurence Warren tell the story of round-the-world cyclist …
Episode 042: Cycling For Society / Baltic Sea / Climate Explorersย
In this episode of the podcast we hear from two groups who are using cycling to highlight important issues in society. Iris and Jan, from Berlin, are currently cycling around the world. As they travel, they are researching approaches towards tackling mental health issues in the countries that they visit.ย The Climate Explorers are a small group of cyclists who are aiming to raise environmental awareness. In 2021 they embarked upon the โPedal 4 Parksโ …
Episode 041: The Baltic Sea Cycle Route – Bernd Schadowskiย
The Baltic Sea Cycle Route is one of the longest of the EuroVelos. Itโs route number 10 andย passes through every country that touches the Baltic Sea; Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia (twice), Finland, Sweden and Denmark.ย In the summer of 2019 Bernd Schadowski & his 17-year-old son Tristan, two cyclists from Aachen in western Germany, said auf wiedersehen to the rest of their family and set off from Lรผbeck with the intention of completing …
Episode 040: Unsung Heroes – Anne Lawther And Colin Martin
The cycle touring world is not short of people who enjoy sharing their two-wheeled adventures in books, on social media, on YouTube and even on podcasts such as this. But for every known cyclist, there are thousands of unknown cyclists embarking upon journeys that often surpass the endeavours of more publicity-friendly adventurers.ย This episode of the podcast meets two of them; Anne Lawther, who has had a 40-year relationship with long-distance cycling and, via the words …
Episode 039 – Part 2: The Hebridean Way… On A Bike Called Wanda (Harris & Lewis)
In episode 038 of The Cycling Europe Podcast, Andrew Sykes spoke to a number of travellers about their experiences of cycling The Hebridean Way. Now itโs his turn to get onto his bicycle, Wanda, and cycle from Vatersay in the south to Lewis in the north along one of Britainโs most spectacular rides.ย In part 1 of this episode of the podcast he travelled from the island of Vatersay to the island of Berneray.ย In this second …
Episode 039 – Part 1: The Hebridean Way… On A Bike Called Wanda (Vatersay To Berneray)
In episode 038 of The Cycling Europe Podcast, Andrew Sykes spoke to a number of travellers about their experiences of cycling The Hebridean Way. Now itโs his turn to get onto his bicycle, Wanda, and cycle from Vatersay in the south to Harris in the north along one of Britainโs most spectacular rides.ย In part 1 of the podcast he travels from the island of Vatersay to the island of Berneray.ย Part 2 of the podcast will …
Episode 038: Cycling The Hebridean Way
Britain offers some amazing places to explore on a bicycle, but there can be few locations within the UK that offer the remoteness, drama and sheer spectacle of the islands of The Outer Hebrides. The Hebridean Way guides cyclistsย from Vatersay in the south to the Butt of Lewis in the north: โ10 islands, 6 causeways, 2 ferries and 1 unforgettable adventureโ. In this episode of The Cycling Europe Podcast, writers, travellers and cyclists reflect …
Episode 037: Simon Parker – Britain By Bike
The travel writer and cyclist Simon Parker first appeared on The Cycling Europe Podcast in February 2021when he talked about his โEarth Cycleโ TV programme. He returns to discuss his latest project; an end-to-end cycle around Britain in the midst of a global pandemic. His main aim was not to clock up the kilometres but to meet the people and hear their stories. He told his own story in a weekly column for The Daily …
Episode 036: Maike Brinksma – The Amazon Of Europe Bike Trail
Maike Brinksma is an athlete, academic, environmental activistโฆ and cyclist, from The Netherlands. In the summer of 2021 she will be one of the first people ever to cycle the โAmazon of Europe Bike Trailโ. She talks to the podcast about her plans to explore the riverine landscapes of the Mura-Drava-Danube UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. She also reflects on the joys of being a Dutch cyclist. (Or is she?)ย Plus: Caroline Burrows, the Bristol-based Scottish poet and …
Episode 035: Max & Varnum – Cycling Europe 1908-09 / Simon Garland – EuroVelo 15
In June 2020, The Cycling Europe Podcast dedicated the whole of episode 21 to the epic early 20th Century European cycle of the American Maximilian J. St. George. After discovering the podcast, Tim & George, both grandsons of Max got in touch, as did Juniper, great grandson of Maxโs travelling companion Varnum Parish. Varnum not only rode with Max for several months but wrote his own diary. The podcast talks to Tim, George and Juniper …
Episode 034: Steve Silk – The Great North Road / Laurence Warren – Austria
One hundred years ago, the Great North Road closed and the A1 opened, heralding a century of domination by the motor car. The Cycling Europe Podcast meets BBC journalist (and one-time San Franciscan cycle courier) Steve Silk who set off on his bicycle to cycle from London to Edinburgh to rediscover what remains of the old road, its stories, milestones and coaching inns. Steveโs book – The Great North Road – is published by Summersdale …
For a list of all episodes of The Cycling Europe Podcast please follow this link.
