On October 31st last year, I posted a short message to Twitter (and similar messages on Facebook and Instagram as well as on CyclingEurope.org itself) that I intended taking a break from the whole ‘Cycling Europe’ thing to spend a bit more time doing everything else in life. I signed off saying that I would be back on January 1st 2022 and, right on cue, here I am. Happy New Year! I hope you’ve had a good Christmas and are all set to make the coming year better than the previous two…
October 2021 has been a quiet month on CyclingEurope.org; just two substantive posts, one about episode 40 of The Cycling Europe Podcast and the second reflecting upon the possibility of embarking upon a cycling trip around the Baltic Sea in 2022. Well, after quite some considerable thought and an in depth chat with a German chap called Bernd who cycled the complete route in 2019 (that will be published as an episode of The Cycling Europe Podcast later in November), I took a significant step in committing myself to heading off on a long Baltic cycle tour next week by buying a ticket for the ferry from Hull to Rotterdam on Monday 20th June 2022…
In 2015 I cycled from Tarifa in Spain – the southernmost point of mainland Europe – to Nordkapp in Norway – the northernmost point. It took me over 100 days. In 2019 Dr Ian Walker – an academic at the University of Bath – completed the journey in the opposite directionโฆ in 16 days 20 hours and 59 minutes. In the process he became the fastest person ever to cycle across Europe north to south. Thatโs no mean feat for a man in his mid-forties who had only taken up ultra-long-distance racing a few years prior to breaking the record. I needed to find out how he did itโฆ
By Donald Martin With many people having been stuck at home throughout 2020, there is now a lot of budding excitement about near-future travel options. Along with coronavirus vaccinations, health and safety are expected to gradually return to Europe over the course of the year. And while it […]
It’s always good to from people that I have met on my travels. This week, two fellow continental drifters from the cycle from Spain to Norway back in 2015 have been in touch. First up is Peter Udell. I met him in northern Spain in the early part […]
From Kevin Mayne of the European Cyclists’ Federation:
(by guest blogger Samantha Long) “Winter cycling is growing in popularity and with it, the demand for suitable bikes grows too. Scott Road Bikes originate in Switzerland, the land of snow and steep mountain roads, so the makers know exactly what’s required for winter riding. The right kind […]
I really should spend more weekends like this. In bed at 10:30 on Sunday evening, I am knackered, but it’s a good knackered not a bad one. Following last night’s visit from South African cyclist Matt (see below) & my err… interesting experience driving and being driven by […]
