I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with sunglasses and goodness knows how much I’ve spent on them over the years. I remember the cycle from Tarifa to Nordkapp when they kept breaking and having to be replaced. Perhaps the secret is not to spend too much […]
If you are a long-distance cyclist in Europe, it’s highly unlikely that you have managed to avoid the EuroVelo network of cycling routes. Created and administered by the European Cyclists’ Federation, the 16 routes are a source of support and inspiration not just long-distance cyclists but also those who set off on much shorter trips within Europe. But what is the thinking behind the EuroVelo network? Why was it created? What can you expect if you choose to cycle one of the routes? And where is the network going in the future? All questions that we asked Ed Lancaster of The European Cyclists’ Federation, the man in charge of developing and promoting Europe’s greenest travel network.
With the Coronavirus continuing to hit hard, lockdown looking as though it will stretch well into May – perhaps even June – and with the consequences of ‘social distancing’ likely to impact upon our lives for many months to come, there are silver linings. The principal one from my perspective is time. The time to do things that ordinarily we would have put on the back burner; the time to finish old things, to start new things, to plan, to think, to dream… These latter three activities are particularly useful if, in the back of your mind, you have another long cycle tour in fermentation.
Last weekend was the virtual Cycle Touring Festival. I was planning on writing a few words about the event myself but then a chap called Graham Johnson from Derbyshire got in touch. He had never previously attended the (non-virtual) Cycle Touring Festival but had signed up for a few of the online webinars – including the one delivered by yours truly – at this year’s virtual event and was planning on writing something for his local CTC / Cycling UK group newsletter. Could he use some of my photos to illustrate his text? he asked. Yes, of course! Could I publish your article about the festival on CyclingEurope.org? I asked. Yes, of course! Mutual happiness all round. And here is what he wrote, illustrated by the photographs he chose to use. I think it’s all rather entertaining. He is clearly a man with a book inside him.
Earlier this month I talked about the annual Cycle Touring Festival going virtual for 2020 and the time is almost here! The festival kicks off later today (Friday) and continues over this coming weekend of the 25th and 26th April. Laura and Tim Moss, who have organised the festival every year since 2015, have done a magnificent job in putting together, once again, an eclectic, interesting and potentially inspiring programme of events.
It’s back! As we are confined to our houses with plans for long cycle tours temporarily on hold, what better time to dig out your cycle touring photos from 2019 and reflect upon past glories? And if you fancy being in with a chance of winning some great […]
Epic cycle tours come in many shapes and sizes. Some stretch over many thousands of kilometres, some take in dozens of countries, lots take months, perhaps even years to complete. But few cycle tours take 12 years and still claim to be unfinished. That’s what a group of Welsh cyclists have been doing since 2007 since they set off from the port of Holyhead in Anglesey, Wales. The Cycling Europe Podcast spoke to Geraint Rowlands, Owen Peak and Gareth Cadwaladr about their cycle tour of Europe with a difference.
If you listened to Episode 015 of The Cycling Europe Podcast you will remember that Paul didn’t make it quite as far as Nordkapp, for fairly obvious reasons. But he did make it as far as Nice in France and will hopefully one day soon return to complete the journey. But here in the written world of these CyclingEurope.org posts (as opposed to the spoken world of podcasts), Paul has just arrived in France and is heading in the direction of Nice…
“Although the physical festival has been cancelled, we will instead be hosting virtual events over the weekend of 25-26 April, for everybody to access. it will be free of charge, but we will be asking for donations to the National Emergencies Trust Coronavirus Appeal.”
I’ve travelled across Europe several times seeking out places of great beauty through which to cycle. Today, thanks to the Coronavirus, I found one on my doorstep. That’s a silver lining if ever there was one…
Spring 2020 will forever go down in the annals of history as the time of the Coronavirus. We don’t yet know how the story will end – this is history in the making – but we do know that the pandemic has had a significant impact upon the lives of most people. Schools closed, festivals cancelled, sporting events postponed, film premieres rescheduled… Yet with the majority of the population at home, what better time to pick up a book and start reading. And what better time to head off on a vicarious cycle across Europe. But fear not! This is not some shameless plug for my own books. (Although they are rather good…) It is about a new book that is being published on April 9th called A Time For Birds by Helen Moat.
Worth 17 minutes of your time… I am reminded of my own trip up to Scotland in 2014 when I took the (old) sleeper train north eating haggis in the dining car and washing it all down with whisky. I must return to Scotland soon…
If you listened to Episode 015 of The Cycling Europe Podcast you will remember that Paul didn’t make it quite as far as Nordkapp, for fairly obvious reasons. But he did make it as far as Nice in France and will hopefully one day soon return to complete the journey. But here in the written world of these CyclingEurope.org posts (as opposed to the spoken world of podcasts), Paul is in Barcelona and about to set off in the direction of France…
Welcome to this rather special episode of The Cycling Europe Podcast. Since the inception of the podcast in 2017, we’ve featured many people with fascinating stories to tell; people who have cycled across the world, people who have inspired others, people who have displayed their passion for cycling in some extraordinary ways. But the guest on this episode of the podcast eclipses almost all others when it comes to long-distance cycling achievement, Mr Mark Beaumont.
Where were we? Or rather, where was Paul Gentle? The observant amongst you – well, the ones who listened to Episode 015 of The Cycling Europe Podcast – will remember that Paul didn’t make it quite as far as Nordkapp, for fairly obvious reasons. But he did make it as far as Nice in France and will hopefully one day soon return to complete the journey. But here in the written world of these CyclingEurope.org posts (as opposed to the spoken world of podcasts), Paul has just arrived in Valencia.
When was the last time you were instructed to stay at home for weeks (probably months) on end and told to do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t involve leaving your house (other than to buy food, pick up medicines or get a bit of exercise)? Mmm… It’s a first for me.
Imagine you set off to cross a continent on your bicycle only for a global pandemic to stop you in your tracks. That’s what happened to Paul Gentle as he attempted to cycle from Tarifa in Spain to Nordkapp in Norway. The Cycling Europe Podcast spoke to Paul about his plans, his cycle through Spain and France and his race against the clock to get back home to the UK while it was still possible.
The Coronavirus outbreak has upturned many of our lives. I am now unemployed, for example, but in the context of a medical emergency, even that seems quite small beer. A couple of weeks ago, I posted a piece written by Paul Gentle about the first leg of his cycle from Tarifa in Spain to Nordkapp in Norway. Alas, that endeavour has also become a victim of the virus and now been cancelled. A few days ago Paul returned back to the UK from Nice in France. To his credit, however, Paul has written a second piece for CyclingEurope.org about the second part of his cycle through Spain.
We live in surreal times. The world is approaching a state of lockdown. The shops are emptying of toilet paper and hand sanitiser. The Italians are singing from their Juliet balconies. We are encouraged to ‘self-isolate’ at the drop of a, err… handkerchief. Work from home! Wash your hands! Sneeze into your elbow! This is far from normal.
Mmm… Let’s hope I’m there for the opening but cycling the length of Japan in July & August 2020 seems a little less certain than it was just a few weeks ago…
Europe offers some of the best cycling routes in the world. Here are some of the best routes to take your eBike with you for an unforgettable ride.
As promised in the previous post – Surprise Surprise! – below is the first of what will hopefully be a series of posts written by Paul Gentle who, on February 1st, set off from Tarifa in Spain (the southernmost point of the continent) with the intention of cycling […]
The world is indeed a small place; the cycling family even smaller. I know this as three things have happened this week and they all have nice connections with my third book, Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie. First up is an email, but before you […]
The Cycling Europe Podcast returns with a celebrity interview! Mark Beaumont? Tim Moore? Josie Dew? Not quite… This celebrity not only has surprising long-distance cycling credentials but also some thought-provoking comments to make about the joys of heading off on your bike for a long-distance adventure. His name? […]
If you follow @CyclingEurope on Twitter, you may have noticed that over the past couple of weeks, short videos have been posted recounting the story of my cycle from Santander in Spain to Coimbra in Portugal last summer. The reason for the appearances of the videos is two-fold. […]
One for the maps geeks. (Of which I am one…) You may wish to turn away if you have a dodgy internet connection as clicking on the links below is likely to test your patience in terms of download time, but I will persist. It is often a […]
I note that the Parthenon (‘Elgin’) Marbles are in the news… Back in 2013 at the start of my cycle ‘Along The Med…’ I was given a guided tour of the Parthenon and New Acropolis Museum by a woman called Maria from the ‘Marbles Reunited’ association. For those […]
Meet Cat, a woman who loves bicycle touring. I’ve just watched this video whilst sitting on the bus, stuck in a traffic jam, here in my little corner of West Yorkshire. Inspiring stuff! (Cat, not the traffic jam…) It’s also beautifully filmed. Here’s another one. (You really should […]
A few weeks ago, I watched a short series of beautiful BBC natural history films called Japan: Earth’s Enchanted Islands. Alas they are are no longer on the iPlayer but a few short clips are available on YouTube. Here’s one of them: Bears… They featured several times in […]
The British people have spoken and, by popular demand, The Cycling Europe Podcast returns with episode 013. In this latest audio extravaganza of all things cycling, we head to Matlock in the English Peak District to meet the travel writer and long-distance cyclist Helen Moat. In 2015 she […]
Every EuroVelo could do with one of these… Hopefully sometime soon they will. A glossy 90-page brochure giving an excellent overview of the EuroVelo 8 Mediterranean Route that I cycled back in 2013. The route is broken down into 15 sections starting in Cadiz and finishing in Cyprus […]
By Melissa Page Just like high-speed F1 racing or mountain climbing, cycling is a sport that depends heavily on gear. This becomes truer year after year as cycling-equipment technology evolves with advanced research to improve the performance of the bike and the cyclist. This is why getting a gear […]
It’s time to cast your mind back to the summer of 2019 and my cycle from Santander in Spain to Coimbra in Portugal (via a train along the Douro Valley and Porto). A welcome return to continental long-distance cycling for the cyclist and a shakedown for Wanda the […]
May was once just another month albeit a nice month in spring with thoughts turning to the longer, warmer days of summer. Then in May 2015, two things happened. Hot on the heels of the visit of the Tour de France to Britain’s largest county in 2014, the […]
Another mind-boggling feat of cycling and filmmaking from Danny MacAskill. And a suggestion to stay out of the gym and on your bike?
I’m delighted to say that I have a new talk in production for 2020. It focuses primarily upon my 2019 cycle across northern Spain to the Douro Valley in Portugal and onwards to Coimbra. There is still much to prepare before the talk gets its premiere in Halifax […]
Wonderful film! So many wise words spoken here but they are summed up in the title to this post. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! Meantime in Britain so many are fixated on (cue grunt) “getting Brexit done!“. Sad, sad, sad… This is what progressive nations are doing on the continent. […]
By Ryan McDonald There is something magical about riding the routes previously covered by the cycling greats. As well as getting as a sense of history, you also get to view some spectacular scenery, and the Milan-San Remo is no exception. Also known as the Spring Classic, the […]
Wednesday 2nd January 2020, 9am A long, long time ago… well, back in 2008 when I was living in Reading, I decided to head off to London to see a document at the British Library. The document in question had been written by Archbishop Sigeric. He was the […]
Europe is my home and, for the past ten years, has been my playground on a Bike Called Reggie (and more recently Wanda). However this planet is large one and, however much my heart is in exploring every nook and cranny of my own continent, I am keen […]
So another year draws to a close – a decade even (and more of that later) – and it’s been another interesting 12 months in the life of CyclingEurope.org. It will go down as the year that Reggie the Ridgeback Panorama touring back was replaced by Wanda the […]
Only five shopping days until Christmas. And if you are looking for that ‘inspirational’ cycling read for a loved one, all three ‘…on a Bike Called Reggie‘ books are widely available online or in bookshops. Read in 2020 in preparation for episode 4 of the great cycling saga […]
Dear Andew My name is Attila Bartha, I’m 29 years old, and in spring 2020 I would like to go to around the world with my bicycle. Right now I’m in the preparation section. I got all my camping, clothing, survivor stuff, I manage the visas, the vaccination, […]
The beauty of a democracy – even a half-baked one like the one operating in the UK – is that you can vote for whoever you want; Conservative, Labour, SNP, Plaid, Lib Dem, Green, Brexit, UKIP, DUP… The key thing is that you think about the consequences of […]
What is the point of a cycle touring route if no one knows it is there? That’s the question that Kevin Mayne has posed on his website IDoNotDespair.com. I met Kevin back in 2015 as I was cycling from Spain to Norway, staying overnight with him and his wife […]
Earlier this week I was alerted by Twitter follower Dominic Carroll to a video that is available on YouTube. Made in 1971 by the BBC, the film – in two parts online – tells the story of Scotsman Bill Houston, a former soldier and, at the time of […]
Perhaps it was the anticipation of watching tonight’s episode of The Apprentice. Actually, probably not… But anyway, I spent a little time this morning sprucing up the ‘brand’ of CyclingEurope.org. It’s something I do on an irregular basis, usually when I’m a bit bored. This time, however, I […]
The Cycling Europe Podcast is back in the UK and heads to Scotland to chat with Paul Cheese, musician and long-distance cyclist. His travels took him on an astonishing journey to almost every nook and cranny of Britain with a bicycle between his legs and a microphone in […]
Well, if you live in Yorkshire that is. I’ve done a fair bit of speaking about my travels on a bike (called Reggie) since I returned from that first adventure back in 2010 from southern England to southern Italy – the full list of speaking engagements is here […]
By Aaron King Italy is a beautiful country, full of striking scenery, historic sights, and famously passionate locals. Cycling is a great way to see Italy for tourists and locals alike. Whether you’re visiting the Italian Alps or Dolomites, or taking a trip to the famous Italian lakes, […]
Despite the rather dull, wet weather (at least it wasn’t too cold), I went for a little local jaunt on the bike this afternoon with a friend, setting off from the very Christmassy Piece Hall in Halifax… …keeping out of the bottom of Calder Valley by taking a […]
Have you noticed that there will be a British general election in December? Hopefully you plan on voting. (If not, why not for goodness sake?!) As I did in 2017, I have looked at the different party manifestos for mentions of the word ‘cycling’. All the main UK-wide […]
I’ll be honest. Since writing my own books about long-distance cycling, I have steered clear of other books about long-distance cycling. That’s certainly an error on my part as there are, without doubt, some great books out there. The reason I shy away from diving into new books […]
It’s always nice when people get in contact either to give their own perspective on cycling in Europe (or indeed elsewhere) or seeking advice and guidance. Jess contacted me back in June via this post – The Alps, Security, Water & The Ciclopista Del Sole – that was […]
These are nice: “Walking and cycling charity Sustrans has teamed up with mapping experts Ordnance Survey (OS) to launch a series of video clips that explore the National Cycle Network – a network of traffic-free paths and on-road cycle routes spanning the breadth of the UK. Created by […]
By Kevin Raneri European cities provide a great experience for anyone looking to explore their destinations on a bike. Exploring beautiful routes with the wind in your hair is a unique experience. The cities boast excellent cycling routes, stunning views of the countryside, infrastructure for cyclists, and bike-sharing […]
It seems an appropriate day to post this. Indeed an appropriate time as the eleventh hour of Remembrance Sunday approaches. I have been exchanging emails with a chap called Gavin Parnaby for some time now. He is currently cycling across Europe, raising money for the charity Combat Stress […]
“Absolutely adored this book. I’ve recently finished the trio of books and thoroughly enjoyed each of them in their own right, but, this was my favourite. I loved the raw vulnerability displayed by the author as he shared his anxieties with us before and during his journey. I […]
Still maintaining its position at number 9 in the list… Bike Packing Bicycle Touring Pro Life in Travel Cycling About Tom’s Bike Trip Freewheeling France The Path Less Pedaled World Biking Cycling Europe Cycling Challenge Biciclown Bike Tour Global La Vida de Viaje Znajkraj Going Slowly With Saddlebags […]
A short trip north to Scotland to speak to a group in the cycle tourism sector who are meeting here in Balloch, Scotland for a EuroVelo 1 themed conference. The hard work for me was last night and the talk seemed to go down well. Having cycled long […]
I’ve been on cat-feeding duty this week and this means an extension to the normal cycle from home into Halifax. It more or less doubles the length of the journey. This is no bad thing, especially as the road climbing from my house to the ridge that forms […]
As you might imagine, I receive quite a few emails from companies trying to persuade me of the virtues of their latest cycling product. E-Bikes, cycling helmets, innovative bicycle lights and cycling gloves from China seem to be the most popular topics of the emails I read and […]
In 2015 Emily Chappell embarked on a formidable new bike race: The Transcontinental. 4,000km across Europe, unassisted, in the shortest time possible. On her first attempt she made it only halfway where she found herself suddenly on her back in a field, floored by the physical and mental […]
The Cycling Europe Podcast berths in Santander, Spain for two weeks of adventure across the Iberian Peninsula via Potes, Riaño, León, Puebla de Sanabria, Bragança and Porto to Coimbra in Portugal. Join Andrew P. Sykes as he discovers the cycle path less travelled up and over the remote […]
Some names are easily forgettable. David Evans, Margaret Butcher, Terry Wilson… (I just made those up. Apologies if you are offended because you have one of those names.) My own name isn’t that exciting; Andrew Sykes. That’s why I stuck the ‘P’ in there for the purpose of […]
It’s not quite the deep mid-winter but today, with the heating on and me having yet to leave the house, it could easily be so. My mind turns to the heat and humidity (that was the topic of the last Japan-related post) of next summer, Japan and… a […]
Shorter days, colder weather and excess moisture do not mean you need to place your bike in storage until summer rolls around once more — it simply means you need to be smarter about how you bike. Winter cycling is not for everyone, but if you think it […]
The morning when an email arrives informing me of a new edition of Bicycle Traveler magazine is a good one. What a great way to cast aside the Monday-morning blues. Grace Johnson (no relation to our own idiot-in-chief I hope…) is based in The Netherlands and the series […]
With Typhoon Hagibis moving over Tokyo, it seems an appropriate moment to consider what the weather might be like when I cycle the length of the country in July and August 2020. Let’s start with typhoons. Here’s an image from the Windy.com website of Japan with the current […]
Awake at 2:30 this morning, I switched on the radio, Radio 5 Live. Dotun Adebayo was in discussion with the travel expert Simon Calder. He happened to be in Tokyo so I tweeted a question… …and, a few minutes later, came an answer: My tweet, perhaps, didn’t contain […]
Celebrate the freedom of movement in Europe! Links: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie Along The Med on a Bike Called Reggie Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie (£3.99)
A nice little film to start your weekend from Cycling UK, aka the CTC…
I did have tentative plans to head over to Harrogate today to see the UCI World Championship cycling but, with the weather being as it was, I decided to watch from the warmth and dry of my living room. I have to say, however, that the rain made […]
Listen to the full episode of the podcast of the podcast page of CyclingEurope.org, via iTunes or search for The Cycling Europe Podcast on your preferred purveyor of podcasts. Read all about the two-day trip to the Isle of Wight in the following post on CyclingEurope.org:
On the day that sees the world’s best female cyclists competing in the women’s road race at the UCI World Championships here in a very wet Yorkshire, I am reminded of a day – now over 11 years ago – when I was living in Reading, Berkshire. It […]
In the first of a series of posts, I look back over this year’s summer of cycling that took me and ‘a bike called Wanda‘ to Spain and Portugal preceded by a short visit to the Isle of Wight. Indeed it is on England’s largest island where we […]
The Cycling Europe Podcast is heading to northern Spain and Portugal* but pauses en route for two days of cycling on the Isle of Wight. Andrew P. Sykes follows the Round-the-Island Cycle Route in an anticlockwise direction before hooking up with the Red Squirrel Trail for a return […]
The Cycling Europe Podcast is heading to northern Spain but pauses en route for two days of cycling on the Isle of Wight. Andrew P. Sykes follows the Round-the-Island Cycle Route in an anticlockwise direction before hooking up with the Red Squirrel Trail for a return to Cowes […]
So… what’s up next? Well, we have the UCI World Championships here in Yorkshire this coming week and I’d like to venture over to one of the nearby starting points (Bradford or Leeds) and perhaps even the Harrogate ‘loop’ to see some of the cycling action. I have […]
Back from the mainland, wandering more locally with Wanda… Hopefully the answer to the question is ‘no, not yet!‘.
Which is your favourite? All Cycling Europe’s videos can be found on the Cycling Europe YouTube Channel.
Which is your favourite?
Soon back home in Yorkshire to my pipe and slippers. Well, without the pipe and slippers bit… Thanks for following this little adventure. More to come, hopefully very soon. And remember to keep fighting the impending horror that is Brexit. All of what I do here came about […]
Just the final train to Santander to go. But while I’ve got a few hours in Palencia…
The big ‘training’ day. There are going to be three of them and, as I type, the 7:05 from Vigo to León is just starting its long trundle across northern Spain. We are scheduled to arrive in León at 13:23 (I’ll leave you to work out just how […]
There could be technical issues over the final few days of this Iberian cycle of 2019. Apologies in advance. All is explained in the video:
I’m sure the purists out there will heartily disapprove but, as I have to get back home to earn some money, my journey home from Coimbra will, alas, have to be aided and abetted by several train journeys – probably quite a few in fact – and one […]
A day off the bike and a journey south by car to the town of Batalha and its Gothic monastery to have a look at the completed church… …its people and birds… …its colours… …and its unfinished church… The cycling returns tomorrow. I have three days to make […]
It’s a non-cycling day. Indeed I haven’t set eyes upon Wanda since I locked her to a large pipe in the underground car park of my hotel here in Porto. I hope the authorities never read that last sentence out of context. She’ll be released in the morning… […]
A late update from Porto after another epic day of cycling. More details tomorrow but here are the statistics and here is the video: You can read the story of today’s ride in this post on CyclingEurope.org.
I’ve arrived on Portugal after a much shorter ride than yesterday (see previous posts) and it’s nice to have a few hours to sit, sip wine, soak up the atmosphere and watch the world go by which happens to be exactly what I’m doing right now. I’ll do […]
I really should read my guidebook more often. Or perhaps not… Yesterday’s long ride was a tour de force when it comes to cycling (for me) coming in at 150 km, but it had its frustrations towards the end of the day. Sometimes, when you open your map […]
A long, long – epic perhaps – day with a frustrating end. Look at the stats and watch the video. I’ll update the details at some point soon…
Well this is rather nice… 100 km of cycling and I find myself in a little local bar in a small square close to my hostel – the Hospederia Rincon De Leon – which must surely be run by the world’s most friendly and useful hotelier. If Basil […]
What a day! This post may or may not contain the usual video summary. It seems that I have no space remaining on my iPhone to store the edited video (to subsequently upload to YouTube) but the finest technical minds are working to solve the issue. Well, I […]
I’m getting back into the swing of writing these end-of-day posts. And this year, they come with added video! So here is today’s cinematic epic: Hope you enjoyed that. The full route details are available to see by following this link. That’s the visual and quantitive boxes ticked. […]
