Europe (local)

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.

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.

A tour along Rhein, Alsace, North of Switzerland

11 day trip from Inverness, onto Lewis, up to the top and then all the way down to Barra. Fantastic places including the legendary St. Kilda.

Cycling from Bassano (Venice) to Vienna. Google maps + gps tracking files included.

Reading Calmac's `Explore' brochure on the ferry from Claonaig to Lochranza rekindled my desire to visit the Outer Hebrides. My Mum and Dad had taken the boat to Barra during their courting days and forever regaled us with tales of rough seas where everyone on board including the crew were sea sick apart from them. Then when queuing for the boat at Brodick, I watched as lots of fully laden pannier clad bicycles disembarked.

I'm not getting any younger and the rucksack no lighter so a bike seemed the best way to carry the weight whilst sparing my vertebra. I resolved to take the boat from Oban, cycle from Barra to Lewis and return on the Stornoway to Ullapool ferry. The final details, including the logistics of getting self and bike to Oban and back from Ullapool seemed the least of my problems. Oh, and I needed a bike!

A seven day cycle trip from Nice in France to Santa Susana on the Costa Brava in Spain, a fabulous cycling adventure of 457 miles mostly keeping right on the coast and including some off road tracks such as the 'digue a la mer' going through the Camargue National Park to the seaside town Saint Marie de la Mer.

Ten day tour of the western islands and coast of Scotland - Skye, Outer Hebrides, Mull and Ardnamurchan. Beautiful beaches, mighty headwinds and plenty of sheep.

Wir haben uns in diesem wunderbaren Landstrich fünfzehn Tage lang von dem hier herrschenden Wind voran treiben lassen. Schöne Landschaft, guter Wein und die romanische Kunst geben einen guten Rahmen für eine vergnügliche Fahrt.

This was our first tour of the season and we have new bikes. In the Internet we saw a site describing a new bike route connecting Prag and Paris and decided to follow the French section. After cycling from here to the Rhine, we rode through Alsace-Lorraine, the Champagne Region and enter Paris along the Canal de l'Ourcq. We followed river valleys and canals, but still were in for a lot of climbs before we reached our goal.

Eine Radreise, die uns von München nach Augsburg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Nancy, Bar le-Duc, und schließlich nach Paris führte. (1050 km).

Il primo viaggio interamente in bicicletta, la classica ciclabile del Danubio, 360 km da Passau fino a Vienna costeggiando il fiume, dormendo in bed&breakfast e campeggi.

Il diario di bordo e tante foto che raccontano questa fantastica avventura...

We visited Spain in October 2007, for 14 days and our route followed from Malaga on the Mediterranean coast, north to Seville, Cordoba and Granada.

The roads varied in condition. Mostly they were in good shape although some of the back roads could be bumpy after being patched over several times. If we had one complaint about Spanish roads it was that sometimes we struggled to find a quiet alternative to busy routes and in cities like Seville it seemed almost impossible to leave without running into endless motorways.

We decided to make our honeymoon in Southern Germany at the border to Switzerland, riding our bikes from the Lake Constance (Bodensee) to the Lake Königsee. We did a one-week-tour in August 2007. The cycle route between the lakes sets out from Lindau toward the Allgäu hills. Tiny villages dot the landscape between forests and meadows. Offering a view over the Allgäu Alps, the route goes on to Füssen with its lovely houses. Passing the gorgeous Neuschwanstein Castle, Bad Tölz on the Isar, the route continues through the Upper Bavarian picture-book scenery to Lake Tegernsee and on to Lake Schliersee. The tour?s final destination is right in the heart of the Alpine countryside of the Berchtesgaden National Park: Lake Königssee is truly a crowning finale to a princely cycle tour.

A complete blog describing a ride across the Pyrenees from Hendaye on the Atlantic coast to Cerbere on the Mediterranean coast. 4 and a bit days diarised for 11 cyclists and 1 support car. The pain, suffering, cols and route are all described.

Die zweite Tour 2008 führte mich von Lissabon, entlang der Steilküste im Westen bis in die Sierra de Monchique. Hier regnete es sehr stark, deswegen fuhr ich wieder zum Meer um schließlich den südwestlichsten Punkt von Europa zu besichtigen. Ein Felgenschaden musste am vorletzten Tag in Lagos repariert werden. Die Algarve im nördlich umfahrend erreichte ich nach 680 Kilomtern mein Ziel in Faro. Auf diesem Kurztrip wurde ich mehrmals zum Essen eingeladen und lernte den ursprünglichen Teil Portugal fernab der Touristenströme kennen.

These pages describe a series of day rides based around Lucca in Northern Tuscany. The rides visit

• Diecimo
• Bagni di Lucca
• Collodi
• Castelnuovo di Gafangnana
• Isola Santa
• Galleria del Cipollaio
• Forte dei Marni
• Marina di Pietrasanta, and
• Camaiore

Cycling from Bassano (Venice) to Zurich, passing Ofenpass, Flüelapass and Albulapass. Google maps + gps tracking files included.

Un percorso alla scoperta delle Alpi Orientali che combina in maniera piuttosto equa bicicletta ed escursionismo in montagna.

¡ Mira la bici ! c'est un site entièrement monté avec la pipe et le couteau, consacré au voyage à vélo couché et qui parle de ce premier périple en 2007 à travers l'Espagne entre Toulouse et Gibraltar.

Mais ¡ Mira la bici ! ( ``Mate le vélo!'' en espagnol) n'est pas seulement le carnet d'un voyage à vélo couché à travers l'Espagne, c'est aussi le point de convergence entre le voyage à faible empreinte environnementale, la photographie et le vélo couché.

Et puis parce qu'internet m'a été d'une aide précieuse pour la préparation de mon périple, ces pages vous en diront un peu plus sur ce petit bout de chemin et donnent le maximum d'informations sur ce voyage en particulier, sur le voyage à vélo en général sans oublier deux ou trois mots sur le vélo couché.

The travel diary and the technical features of the trip are also available in English

A six-day tour from Bilbao to Valencia in Spain. 710km cycled, stopping over in Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Calahorra, Calatayud, Teruel and Chelva.

Highlights included: tasting percebes in Bilbao, wine for lunch amidst truckers at Los Arcos, tailwinds out of Calahorra, the plateau south of the Sierra Moncayo, 35K of downhill to Calatayud, Man Utd winning the Champions League (watched in Teruel), and getting a true taste of rural Spain at Bar Neutral in Chelva.

From dodging bandits to sidestepping trucks, surviving the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrim's way in Spain hasn't changed that much since the sandal made way to the cycling shoe. This is a trip report of my two week mountainbike tour on the Camino, following the route from St. Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Included are a background history, detailed packing list and some tips on preparation and logistics for your own tour.

This is the story of a three-month solo cycle ride around Norway, starting in Bergen, and exploring the Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark counties and a bit of Sweden. The scenic Atlanterhavsvegen (voted one of the world's best road trips) is also described.

Rodadas es un manual para aquellos que quieran iniciarse en el cicloturismo. En esta página encontrarás información sobre cómo elegir tu material, trucos para solucionar algunas de las situaciones con las que se enfrentan habitualmente los cicloviajeros e información sobre iniciativas cicloturistas en España y allende de los mares.

Además, te contamos nuestros viajes a través de Europa (en junio-octubre 2005), Escocia (2003) y Holanda (2002).

Il lago di Costanza (Bodensee) è un percorso ideale per i ciclisti grazie alla bellezza del paesaggio e all'abbondanza di strutture appositamente pensate per loro: dalle piste ciclabili agli enti turistici e alberghi che offrono una particolare accoglienza con tanto di depositi custoditi, assistenza tecnica e materiale informativo a disposizione.

Il periplo completo del lago attraversa tre stati (Svizzera, Germania e Austria) e misura circa 260 km, considerando anche la propaggine occidentale formata dai bacini dello Zeller See e dell'Untersee; non ci sono praticamente rilievi; è possibile abbreviare il percorso sfruttando una delle numerose rotte che collegano le due sponde del lago (Bodensee-Schiffbetriebe). Lungo il tragitto si incontrano villaggi con le abitazioni dalla tipica architettura del Baden-Württenberg e alcune splendide isole e penisole collegate alla costa da ponti e quindi facilmente accessibili anche alle biciclette: Mainau, Reichenau e Lindau, su cui sorge il nucleo dell'omonimo villaggio. In tutta la regione si trovano numerosi centri balneari e termali oltre a un'infinità di spiagge che ben si prestano a un intermezzo rilassante fra una tappa e l'altra.

Cycle tour report from Bassano (70 km from Venice) to Munich.
This time I include a google map with the GPS tracks :-)

This is the exciting journal of my cycling adventures in the wild lands of Europe. Will my knees hold up? Will I simply be too lazy and return after a week? Will I make it to Istanbul in time to host a WILD party? Read on......

Via dei Saraceni: 12 (junior) e 13 luglio (senior) 2008, tracciato di Salice d'Ulzio (Souze d'Oux).

Competizione aperta a tutti, professionisti e non. 38 km con un dislivello totale di 1050 metri quasi completamente su sterrato.

Itinerario:
Partendo dal centro di Sauze D'Oulx ci si inoltra all'interno del Parco Naturale del Gran Bosco di Salbertrand; attraversando un fitto bosco di conifere si giunge sulla strada più alta d'Europa tra la cresta spartiacque che divide la Valle di Susa dalla Valle Chisone. Questo è il tratto più impegnativo, con una salita di 15 km che permette di raggiungere la vetta del monte Genevris a quota 2540 mt. Arrivo in leggera salita.

Die Suche nach einer neuen Herausforderung führte uns diesmal ins Grenzgebiet von Frankreich und Spanien. Es stand nichts geringeres auf dem Programm als die Pyrenäen von West nach Ost zu überwinden. Wir starteten in Bilbao und radelten zwei Etappen am Atlantik bis zur Grenze nach Frankreich. Auf der französischen Seite fuhren wir dann in die Pyrenäen. In den Bergen konnten wir viele bekannte Pässe abfahren. Zudem erlebten wir äußerst gastfreundliche Franzosen und grandiose Landschaften.

Das Wetter spielte auch fast immer mit. Bis auf zwei Tage hatten wir den gesamten Tag über Sonnenschein und Temperaturen von knapp 40°C im Schatten. Auch eine durchgebremste Felge, Mückenschwärme am Mittelmeer und die zahlreichen Stunden bergauf konnten uns nicht unsere Motivation nehmen. Nach zahlreichen anstrengenden Bergettappen hatten wir das Mittelmeer erreicht. Von dort war es nicht mehr weit bis nach Barcelona wo wir unseren Urlaub mit einigen Cocktails entspannt ausklingen ließen.

Erst hatte ich vor, die Tour-de-France-Strecke (einmal rund um Frankreich) abzufahren. Aber für dieses Vorhaben konnte ich keinen begeistern. Als zu strapaziös wurde mein Plan bezeichnet. Ich war mir mittlerweile selbst nicht mehr sicher gewesen, ob eine komplette Runde nicht zu viel für mich ist. Ich plante also um. Es entstand die Idee, zum Tour-de France-Finale nach Paris zu fahren. Stilecht sollte die Fahrt von unserer Haustür [in Jena] starten. [...]

Wir hatten nun acht Tage Zeit, bis nach Paris zu kommen um Zabel, Ullrich, Armstrong ... zu sehen. Mehr als 1000 Kilometer lagen vor uns. Die gnadenlose Sommerhitze forderte ihren materiellen und körperlichen Tribut.

Am 4ten August 2004 begann unsere Tour in den hohen Norden. Wir kämpften mit Hitze, Mücken, Einbruchsniederschlägen und uns selbst. Nach 19 Tagen erreichten wir dann unser Ziel den Polarkreis in Finnland.

Im Herbst kamen Robert und Conrad auf die spontane Idee eine Radtour zu starten. Aufgrund der fortgeschrittenen Jahreszeit kamen nur noch mediterane Gebiete für die Tour in Frage. Nach einer Nachtschicht vor dem Rechner und über den Atlanten entschieden wir uns für Korsika. Die Insel galt als gebirgig jedoch schreckte uns das nicht ab, denn umso schöne Aussichten erhofften wir uns von den Gipfeln. Auf der Insel angekommen erwartete uns zuerst bedeckter Himmel. Die Wolken verzogen sich jedoch bereits am zweiten Tag und so hatten wir traumhafte Aussichten am Cape Corse.

Unsere Tour führte uns letztlich immer entlang der Küste. Von Dublin über Cork nach Galway. Wir schafften dabei mehr als 1100 Kilometer und erlebten auf den spannenden Tourtagen die Gastfreundschaft der Iren, die uns mehrrmals einluden. Zudem war das Wetter ausgesprochen gut - es regnete nur an 2 Tagen!

Erst hatte ich vor, die Tour-de-France-Strecke (einmal rund um Frankreich) abzufahren. Aber für dieses Vorhaben konnte ich keinen begeistern. Als zu strapaziös wurde mein Plan bezeichnet. Ich war mir mittlerweile selbst nicht mehr sicher gewesen, ob eine komplette Runde nicht zu viel für mich ist. Ich plante also um. Es entstand die Idee, zum Tour-de France-Finale nach Paris zu fahren. Stilecht sollte die Fahrt von unserer Haustür [in Jena] starten. [...]

Wir hatten nun acht Tage Zeit, bis nach Paris zu kommen um Zabel, Ullrich, Armstrong ... zu sehen. Mehr als 1000 Kilometer lagen vor uns. Die gnadenlose Sommerhitze forderte ihren materiellen und körperlichen Tribut.