Europe (all)

Listen to Africa is a collection of African sounds and voices recorded during an 18-month bicycle journey across the continent.

recorri todo Argentina y Chile, y mucho del alrededor, 30.000km. escribi una guia en espanol, con el estado de las rutas y el paisaje, y km. proximo viaje Bolivia.

tambien puse fotos y lazos j'ai parcouru aussi l'Est du Canada, 6.000 km et la Belgique 1.300km et j'ai ecrit un guide en francais pour parcourir ces 2 pays en velo.

il y aussi les fotos et des liens.

bike route between Gósol and col du Tourmalet. Circular Route 630 Kms between Gósol and Gósol by the most famous cols of Tour de France Pyrenees.

L'isola di Usedom era alle spalle dopo un'ora e mezza di traghetto. Kamminke, porto di partenza, aveva lasciato un caro ricordo e la conoscenza di una triste pagina di storia: la collina di Golm.

La nuova ciclabile ora si chiama Radfernweg Berlin-Usedom e viene percorsa in senso contrario. Il suo logo, nuovo, moderno e verde, appare presto in prossimità dello sbarco ed è facile conformarvisi per la nuova e copiosa segnaletica.

Il diario del mio primo viaggio cicloturistico (da Mantova a Parigi in 12 giorni in campeggio) dalla preparazione fino alla realizzazione. Oltre al diario è disponibile una mappa interattiva contenente tutte le informazioni riguardanti distanze, sistemazioni ecc. Il diario risale al 2003 ma credo che possa comunque essere utile sosprttutto a chi si avvicina per la prima volta al cicloturismo e come me deve superare tutti i piccoli scogli derivanti dalla mancanza di esperienza.

Cycling with my Lowrider Tricycle and my Bongo drum from Germany to Vietnam :o) stopping my bank career 1/2a ago to fulfil my dream and exploring alternative approaches to life; very interested in the current financial crisis and following future; doing interviews with citizens asking them for their approach to life, and opinions about the financial crisis.

Presenting results of my interviews, blogposts with GPS pics, video documentations,

Believing in One World, One Love, One Unity, Dread Marco

This was the first European bike tour I did after researching numerous alternatives. It begins in Vienna, goes to Regensberg, Germany and ends in Vienna. It was such an awesome experience that I have done two more since.

We packed our stuff in the panniers, stored our suitcases in a loft of the bike shop and hit the road. There is nothing like the feeling of leaving all your possessions behind except what you have on your bike, and striking out on a trip in a foreign country where you don't know the language, don't know a soul, and don't really care when you get back... It was finally lights out and I laid back in bed and it was such a surreal experience. Here I was on a night train to Munich, Germany, listening to the wind blow through the opened window, the clacking of the wheels on the track and the occasional squeal of the brakes as we pulled into the next station. Kinda like something out of an Agatha Christie novel.

In 2008 I cycled 1807 kms and 32199 m height difference in the Alps. I climbed the 3 ascents of Mt Ventoux in a day, had a nice tour in Provence and at the Riviera. I had huge memories: riding my bicycle from the sealevel to the 2802m high Cime de la Bonette that I reached in the evening.

I had a dangerous descent in the rain from Col d'Izoard. Also climbed Colle Agnello (top in fog), and another fantastic day with an italian guy, Mauro Repetti as we did the Trittico Mortirolo : 3 ascent in 1 day. The last serious ``task'' was Passo Stelvio (2760m) from Tirano.

Quando la ruota della bici si arresta sul bagnasciuga del mare, i sentimenti assumono due caratteristiche:

quella che rimanda al riposo e al benessere che il mare si presume possa dare, ma anche quella di partire, oltrepassare il confine visivo dell’orizzonte. Anche se i pensieri scivolano oltre, il bagnasciuga arresta la corsa dell’improprio mezzo e l’orizzonte rimane un insuperabile confine imposto.

This is a photo diary of a bike trip in September, 2008 from Paris, France to Blois and Chenonceau in the Loire Region of France. It also includes a description of cycling out of Charles de Gaulle Airport.

The goal this Summer was to make sure I have climbed every asphalted (at least one side) pass throughout the whole of the Alps above 1700m (which I have detailed in a list at the cycloclimbing.com site). I also wanted to include some difficult roads that are not passes.

(Length: 4916.7 km for 29 days = 170 km/day; Height metres climbed: 105454 m for 29 days = 3636m/day.)

We are entering our fourth year on our tandem adventure 'round the world'. We have visited Mexico, Central & South America, New Zeland, Australia, South East Asia, China, and Europe. We are now wintering over on the Costa Del Sol, Spain. Off to Morocco in Feb. 09 then back into Europe for 09.

This is a blog mainly about short rides in the south of France, mostly Languedoc. Each entry has a short description of the ride, pictures, and a Google Map at the bottom, outlining the route. I do have a few longer trips in there as well, with more coming as I get out on the road and do them!

Comenzaremos esta aventura a principios de primavera del 2009, partiendo desde Asturias hacia Estambul (Turquia). Desde Turquia seguiremos la Ruta de la Seda hasta Xi-an (China). Desde China continuaremos nuestro viaje hacia Lhasa, cruzaremos la cordillera del Himalaya terminando en Katmandú (Nepal).

Podras seguirnos en nuestro blog www.rutadelasedasolidaria.blogspot.com

The winter of 1963 brought the longest cold spell to central Europe in a many years, freezing the landscape deeper than it had in 100 years. Realizing that such weather probably would not occur again in my lifetime, if ever, I decided to do more than read about frozen lakes and deep frost [...] The ice was glassy smooth here [in Zürich], the sun and warmth from the city having melted the surface during the warmest part of the day. I walked down onto the lake and mounted my bicycle carefully. From having ridden on snow packed streets, I was aware that the best gear was the highest (50-13) to prevent undesired wheelspin that could dump me onto the ice. Traction would have been even poorer had it not been -20 Celsius.

Stelvio summit with Valle di Trafoi background. Weather in the picture was typically cool with constant chance of rain and snow. It was a cold summer.

Ibach - Rosenlaui - Hospental - Biella - Ivrea - Tenda - St. Etienne - Arvieux - Lanslebourg - Bourg St. Maurice - Lavachey - Brig-Ried - Bignasco - Thusis - Brusio - Stelvio - Astfeld - Marebbe - Brixen - Landeck - Urnerboden - Alpnachstadt - Brunnen

Certamente non si può dire che l’odierno stato di salute del mondo, malato di rumore, sia alla ricerca di silenzio.

Se per Pascal “il silenzio è la massima delle persecuzioni�, non sono pochi i medici che consigliano l’assenza di rumore come antidoto alla vita moderna. Grazie al silenzio irrompono nella mente salutari rumori. Il silenzio non è solo assenza di rumore è un “altrove� e può diventare “l’acustica dell’anima� (Novalis).

La bicicletta irrompe nella natura con la voce del silenzio. In questo itinerario di 400 chilometri (primo tratto del più lungo Berlino-Copenaghen), si può capire che quanto precedentemente asserito non è da considerare un’ingannevole retorica. Qui il silenzio ci abita regalmente nelle innumerevoli stanze di uno Schloss (castello) che si chiama natura. Il silenzio non parla, non scrive e non compone musica. Eppure si fa sentire. Una bicicletta può bastare per ascoltarlo.

www.velopourvous.com est le site de l'association ``Vélo pour nous, vélo pour vous'', qui à pour but de promouvoir la pratique du vélo.

Entre autres, il raconte les voyages en vélo de ses adhèrents, et pas seulement...

Une grande partie est dédié au voyage de Claudia et Thomas autour d'Europe. Leur but est de faire un inventaire de la culture du vélo en Europe. Des jolis photos et un impressionant carnet de bord vous attend à les découvrir...

After having attended a marriage party in Tallinn my wife and I cycled on to Riga, where we split up. In spite of the flat landscape in Estonia and Latvia the cycle tour was not uneventful.

Mit dem Rad unterwegs während der Apfelernte im schönen Etschtal

Von Meran in die Radmetrole Bozen, dann 'rüber zum Gardasee.

Bei Traumwetter ließen wir uns über den See schippern.

Die Abschlußetappe führte uns noch nach Brescia.

A boat based tour of the North Atlantic involving bad roads, strong winds and some freakishly hot temperatures.

Un cicloviaggio praticamente indimenticabile, 12 tappe da Saint Jean Pied de Port a Santiago de Compostela, passando per i monti della Navarra e i vitigni della Rioja, attraversando le immense distese delle mesetas tra Burgos e Leon, salendo in alto verso la Cruz de Hierro e il Cebreiro per ridiscendere infine verso i boschi e i saliscendi della Galizia. Il racconto di un viaggio di 850 km lungo le strade del mitico Cammino di Santiago!!!

Our 2008 cycling trip gave us a taste of France. We cycled in Paris, Burgundy, Alsace and Provence. We loved French bakeries and cake shops. This has had some not so good side effects - we came back with extra weight! And that's in spite of cycling over 1000km.
If you are planning a similar cycling tour you will find a lot of useful information in our trip Itinerary and day-by-day Trip Report. If you would like to see the beauty of cycling in France do not miss the Best Photos & Videos. You may also be interested in our recommendations for the best places to see, stay and eat in Top 5. If you have any questions or comments please write to us. Enjoy and have a great time on your virtual bicycle tour!
Glen and Margaret

This eight day trip around the volcanic region of Auvergne in the centre of France took us through some surprising ladscapes, nice valleys and some challenging passes (at least challenging for us). On our site you will find the description of our itinerary and brief notes on what we saw with some potentially useful tips for housing.

From 28 August to 08 September 2008 I surrounded Switzerland.

A varied tour of flat country side to hills and Alpine passes.

A relaxed trip on the Greek island named Rhodos.

Burgundy is a great place for cycling: whether your tour is to be short or long, flat or hilly, with emphasis on nature or architecture - in Burgundy you have your choice. For part of our short visit we followed bike paths following the Canal de Bourgogne and Canal du Nirvenais, otherwise we cycled on small roads with almost no traffic through pleasant, but hilly, countryside. We visited Auxerre, Tonnerre, Avallon, Pontigny, Semur-en-Auxois ...

An experience never attempted before by one person on an electric bicycle - an alternative form of personal transportation highlighting the use of cleaner energy sources and living with less reliance on traditional combustion energy.

Touring the world in an eco-friendly way, to promote and encourage the development of a global culture of energy conservation and waste reduction.

In collaboration with an NGO whose focus is on international environmental projects, a `one kilometre - one hope' sponsorship program will allow individuals to show their solidarity and become part of the tour.

A global adventure on an electric bicycle through 5 continents via two Olympic and a candidate city: Beijing, London and Madrid.

I ve actually done quite a number of bike-trips myself. It was always a pleasure to be out in the nowhere for longer period of time just moving forward on two wheels.

Finally, after a longer period of absence from travelling I could free two months again. This time the challenge was to find a way of cycling with the entire family, with Juri (4) and Lenya (1), and my wife Angela of course. Thanks to the great Swiss invention of follow-me tandem we could attach Juris bike and de-tach it from time to time if traffic allowed. The bigger challenge was to find enough storage for our luggage which lead to the ``convoi exceptionnell'': two trailers in row behind my bike.

If you want so see how that worked out on the way from Zurich to the French Atlantic, read this live-blog written during the tour on my mobile phone (German). There are plenty of pictures of course as well.

Nascondo il bagaglio presso il monumento che ricorda l'eccidio nazista di Kalavrita, che è un po' la Sant'Anna di Stazzema del Peloponneso [347], e per la prima volta mi godo dunque qualche km scarico. A cinque anni esatti di distanza dal 29 agosto 2003 in cui scoprii questa affascinante montagna, mi ritrovo dunque a calcare i 2341 metri del monte Helmos o Aroania [348], terza vetta della penisola dopo il Taigeto e il Cillene. Quest'ultimo è vicino e ben visibile, con il suo ampio costone sul quale Ercole si sedette a suonare le nacchere di bronzo per scacciare gli uccelli della palude Stimfalia... Quella fatica - la sesta - fu anche l'ultima che l'eroe portò a termine nel «piccolo mondo» del Peloponneso; per le altre sei avrebbe dovuto aprirsi al «grande mondo» - il Mediterraneo e anche oltre - spaziando dal Caucaso, dove si impadroní della cintura di Ippolita, fino là dove il Sole va ogni giorno con il suo cocchio a riposare, sul lontano Atlante marocchino, dove colse i pomi delle Espèridi.

From June 16 to August 1 2008, I cycled from Alta to the North-Cape, there I started a 7-week trip through Finland Sweden Denmark Germany Netherlands Belgium and France back to Switzerland.

Day 3 Vilshäred to Kärradal

The day started early. Although the campsite itself was quiet, the road next to it had a surprising amount of traffic. Added to this there was someone racing around in the middle of the night on a moped without a silencer.

At around seven our neighbours decided to start rooting around their car for something vitally important ('oh my God where is my Thermarest inflatable dialysis machine I need it right now' or something similarly life threatening) and by quarter past, it was clear neither of us was going to get any more sleep.

'Oh well' we thought, 'there is always a shower to look forward to'.....Which in retrospect was another of those things you shouldn't say on cycling holidays. For Vilshäred campsite introduced us to peaceful and neutral Sweden's secret weapon: a variation of Chinese water torture known as 'the one kroner shower'.

It was an unforgettable tour of contrasts: from the baking sun in Sweden to the rain and floods in Norway. The gorgeous Swedish coast versus the majesty of the Norwegian fjords and glaciers.

The travelogue contains pictures, videos and trip statistics per day plus some things we have learned from this tour.

An account of a weeks bike trip to the Italian Alps (Bormio), (and a bit of Switzerland) in September 2008.

The legend that is the Passo Stelvio had been on my itinerary for a few years. Between us, we'd expanded that to include the equally legendary Mortirolo and Gavia passes, and anything else we'd regard as a bonus!

Includes a daily ride report and route maps, plus loads of pictures of each days ride in the gallery section.

Lost in the Seses.
Blackness you could touch. No moon to guide us. No bike lights only Simon's tiny maglite. The road was barely a path, which pinged and cracked as we cycled along it. Simon held the torch in his mouth, and its light wound a curving trail on our ''road.'' Several times we almost crashed into one another. Mumbled curses firing from Simon, unable to release the full volley for fear of dropping his light. Undoubtedly, this was to my advantage and I was able to retaliate with much vitriol, winding him up even more.

In 2008 the Hannover Bike Boys flew to Corfu and set off on a tour through Albania and Montenegro. Both countries are easy to visit challenging to cycle. We had no problem finding accommodation and decent food and beer, the scenery was wonderful but the cycling was hard with several high (1000m) passes.

Vagabondages autour du monde d'un apprenti voyageur.

Un ou deux ans de voyage au programme pour découvrir l'Europe du Nord, l'Asie et l'Afrique du Nord différemment.

Prochaine étape : la traversée de la Russie en hiver

Vagrancy around the world by a apprentice traveller.

One or two years to discover in a different way north Europe, Asia and north Africa.

Next step : from St Petersburg to Vladivostok during winter time

Per un paio d'anni, praticamente ogni domenica mattina durante il nostro giro in bici, il ritornello è sempre stato quello e cioè l'idea di un viaggio in bici che durasse qualche giorno e non solo le quattro, cinque ore domenicali.

Le strade di casa nostra ormai percorse in bici decine e decine di volte cominciavano ad avere l'orizzonte della cyclette in camera e dunque la domanda diventava sempre più martellante ``Nemo in Francia in bicicreta ??'' (Andiamo in Francia in bicicletta ??). Non ci è voluto tanto tempo per organizzare questo ``over 50 tour'' con lo spirito del cicloturista o ciclo viaggiatore e cioè con il preciso intento che velocità e media oraria non dovessero essere la nostra preoccupazione. Perché in Francia? Perché l'idea è nata per raggiungere la città di mia moglie Valence (Drome) un centinaio di km a sud di Lyon e perché in Francia si mangia bene e perché in Francia c'è del buon vino e perché in Francia i ciclisti sono veramente rispettati.

A tour along Rhein, Alsace, North of Switzerland