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Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024
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Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024

August - October 2024
A 2000 miles cycling trip starting in Barcelona, Spain. Read more

List of countries

  • Switzerland
  • Italy
  • France
  • Spain
  • United States
Categories
Bicycle, Couple, Vacation
  • 16.8kkilometers traveled
Means of transport
  • Flight14.7kkilometers
  • Train60kilometers
  • Walking-kilometers
  • Hiking-kilometers
  • Bicycle-kilometers
  • Motorbike-kilometers
  • Tuk Tuk-kilometers
  • Car-kilometers
  • Bus-kilometers
  • Camper-kilometers
  • Caravan-kilometers
  • 4x4-kilometers
  • Swimming-kilometers
  • Paddling/Rowing-kilometers
  • Motorboat-kilometers
  • Sailing-kilometers
  • Houseboat-kilometers
  • Ferry-kilometers
  • Cruise ship-kilometers
  • Horse-kilometers
  • Skiing-kilometers
  • Hitchhiking-kilometers
  • Cable car-kilometers
  • Helicopter-kilometers
  • Barefoot-kilometers
  • 53footprints
  • 46days
  • 606photos
  • 371likes
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  • Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024
    1

    Not the Rest Day we Anticipated

    August 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Lisa got sick in the night and we both laid around almost the entire day. Trying to nurse our fragile stomachs back toward healthiness. A lot of vitamin beverages, an electrolyte drink mix we got from the pharmacy, yogurt, crackers and a bit of sweet bread. We did eat a bit of pasta and potato for dinner. I am at about 72 hrs since first signs of sickness and Lisa about 48 hrs. The Airbnb (part of a 13th century castle) doesn’t have A/C so we laid in the dark bedroom with the fan blowing on us 90% of the day. We forced ourselves to take a 30 minute walk in the afternoon, but that drained most of our energy. Hopefully we can ride on tomorrow.Read more

  • Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024

    Maybe Recovered?

    August 29, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    43 miles / 2660 ft Cavaillon, France. We asked for a late checkout from our Airbnb and got enough courage to hit the road at noon. I’d say I felt about 75% ok and Lisa about 50% or less. We rallied our energy to push on through the arid climate with 90°+ temperature. The beautiful windy roads and change landscape, along with the dry warm breeze on our skin kept us motivated to push on. Also knowing we had a Warmshower family of 8+ years waiting for us with private room, laundry, and meals provided offered more incentive to push on. We could feel the Roman empire influence of the region as we rode by many ruins. Olive orchards and vineyards are almost as frequent as Iowa corn and soybean fields. A long climb brought us to Château des Baux-de-Provence (check it out on Google it’s amazing!) We could have spent hours here, but with our late start only had about an hour. Our WS family greeted us at the home on the quiet outskirts of the town of 26,000 pop. Xavier, Bastien (17), & Joaquim (12) were perfect hosts while mom, Cécile, was away for work. A great evening of snacks, cold drinks, ratatouille, cheeses, dessert and herbal tea, was followed by a nights rest in our own private camper in their backyard. Definitely a boost to our spirits after our sickness. WS is such a special experience!Read more

  • Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024
    111

    Fields of Lavender and still Recovering

    August 30, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    55 Miles / 4126 ft. Cavaillon, FR. We are still not 100% and Lisa further away than myself. We were lucky to be riding amongst huge fields of post harvested lavender fields, and the aroma was often still present. A special treat was a tractor pulling a huge stock of lavender in their wagon and we rode behind it for a km or so. It is getting more mountainous, and our eyes are always drawn to the hilltops with beautiful château or steeples. The air is still very dry, and the soil has no moisture in it. We also are intrigued by the white snails that are all over signs, plants, trees and anything they find themselves to attach to. We made it to our Warmshower hosts at 6 PM, enjoyed a delicious barbecue and lots of laughs and stories in their garden. Again, these special moments are why we enjoy these trips so much!❤️ Tomorrow is going to be a tough day, but with some help from our Warmshower hosts, they have alleviated some of the climbing and reduce the miles a bit.Read more

  • Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024
    11

    A Long Day to Gap, FR 🇫🇷🚴🚴‍♀️

    August 31, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌩️ 27 °C

    6:04 / 73 miles / 4600 ft. We knew I had a long day ahead so we set the alarm for 7 AM, and were on the road with Mélanie leading us out of Manosque a bit after 8 AM. Olive trees, vineyards, and harvested lavender fields were replaced with apple and pear orchards, large, drying sunflower fields, and an occasional cornfield. With the irrigation of the orchards, we could feel the moisture level changing. Also, as we are approaching the mountains, the air is smelling better and it is a bit cooler. In the morning we had a nice little break, where a couple was singing some old time French tunes karaoke style in the town center. Lisa bought a lavender essential oil. We sat for a while and enjoyed a drinkable yogurt and a few snacks . Then our keeping our break short we pushed onward. Sisteron, FR is a beautiful town with a citadel high on the rocks and a picturesque rock mountain across the river where we could see people climbing on the steep vertical face. We had one more nice little stop at a roadside oasis and enjoyed some crisp ravioli and tourtons with various fillings such as, spinach, potato, and cheese. The owner was super excited to talk with us and treated us to a couple of free apples and a free coffee for each of us. We arrived in Gap to nicely decorated streets from the Tour de France, and stopped for a cold beverage at a small bicycle shop. After enjoying our beverages, we found out we were less than one block away from our Airbnb. We got checked in, cleaned up, secured groceries for breakfast, and then took a walk near the cathedral. Lucky we decided to take a stroll because we found a delicious pizza restaurant near the city center, and Lisa and I shared a pizza and a beer. After our dinner, we walk back to the cathedral and they had it lit up with some nice green LED lighting. A perfect day and evening! 🥰 (Had some good tailwind today. 😀)Read more

  • Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024
    1

    Longer Climbs as we Approach Italy 🇮🇹

    September 1, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    4:27 / 45 miles / 5,400 ft. Mount-Dauphin, France. We are sitting in our hotel room, looking at the low clouds in the mountains, and listening to the gentle rainfall. It’s hard to believe we are slightly chilly, after a couple of days ago I thought I was going to die of heat exhaustion.Read more

  • Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024
    1
    112

    ITALY! 🇮🇹⛰️🚴‍♀️🚴❤️

    September 2, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    5:12 / 52 miles / 6300 ft. Thanks to a route shift from Abraham way back in Barcelona, we find ourselves in a super small village called Puys, Italy. We had about a 2 mile climb of an average grade of around 10% to reach our bed and breakfast. Puys may have more dogs in town than people. It is a super peaceful, little village way up in the mountains. A lot of climbing again today. We started the day with cool temperatures and light sprinkles. We knew the day was going to be difficult so we kept our stops short. We had a bit of a longer stop for lunch and a walk around an historical part of briançon, France. We both love riding in the mountains, the cool air, the long climbs, and the fastest descents.Read more

  • Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024

    Cruising to Turin, Italy 🇮🇹

    September 4, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    5:38 / 63 miles / 2265 ft. Turin, Italy. 🇮🇹 A peaceful morning and breakfast at the hotel Cicapuy. The owner confirmed there are 6 residents of the town in the summer and 5 in the winter, with more dogs than people. 😂It was mostly sunny down hill riding to Turin. We explored the town of Susa, which became part of the Roman Empire around the late 1st century BC. We rode around a Roman amphitheater and enjoyed the Arco di Augusto. We sat for about 45 minutes having a cappuccino near the city center, and enjoyed watching other tourist and many motorcycle groups. Riding into Turin was extremely hectic, in the city does not have the best network for cyclist. When we reached the heart of the city, we stopped for a famous Italian spritz. After our cold drink filled with luscious ice cubes, we headed to our Warmshower host, Jolien’s, flat. As Jolien finished up work, we cleaned up and got ready to head out for pizza. We each had a plate sized pizza, and then went backto hit the hay early. Another beautiful day.Read more

  • Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024
    1

    Touring in Turin, IT 🇮🇹

    September 4, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    A rest day cruising around Turin. Cappuccinos, cafe, markets, and trying to not get hit by a car. 😂 A relaxing day, and now at a Warmshower host outside the city center.

  • Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024

    🚴‍♀️Escaping the Rain and Turin🚴

    September 5, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    5:02 / 61 miles / 1526 ft. Candelo, IT 🇫🇷 It was a super rainy morning in Turin.
    We Took the advice of our Warmshower host Oliver and decided to take it easy in the morning and rest for a bit to see if the rain would let up. About 11 AM. The radar looked good, and it seemed like we would have a four hour window without rain. Lisa and I navigated the tricky trails and busy streets out of Turin to finally reach a more peaceful countryside. About 25% of our route was gravel today, and the gravel is nothing like Iowa! Huge potholes filled with water and giant baby head sized rocks. Also, they just throw smashed up bricks into potholes to try to fill them. We dodged puddles, and navigated the flat route to make it to our Airbnb with only stopping for a couple of bathroom breaks and no rain! 😀As we arrived a bit early for check-in at our AirBnB we stopped by a café for a beer and a spritz. We got to talking with the lady who is working there and she recommended the best pizza place in town , as we were talking the owner of the pizza place walked in, and I promised us a reservation at 7 PM. The pizza that evening was the best pizza I ever had, and we also enjoyed some local white wine.Read more

  • Europe 🚴🚴‍♀️ 2024
    11

    🐄 Medieval Village and Cattle Drive 🇮🇹

    September 6, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    4:51 / 54 miles / 3780 ft. Gravellona Toce, Italy. A normal breakfast in our Airbnb of yogurt, banana, smoothie, granola, and coffee. We were staying about two blocks away from a historical medieval village, so we explored that within the first couple of minutes of our morning ride. As we rode on, we approached a road that was blocked by a man and his car. He was holding a long pointy stick, and just watched us as we rode around him and down the road we needed to take. We continue down the Long narrow road toward the sunrise and saw some strange commotion ahead. Lisa and I both realized it was a large herd of cattle being driven down the road towards us. with nowhere to escape, we had to make a quick U-turn and ride back down the road to let the cattle pass. It was definitely quite a site, and a bit of a scare! Beautiful riding today in the lower mountains and getting spectacular views of the valleys below. We stopped for lunch at a cute little place of the mountains, and the owner made us some various things to share, including a small lasagna. After lunch, we went to a quite touristic area, Lago d'Orta, Italy. We had a cappuccino, wrote some postcards, and enjoyed looking out over the lake at the San Giulio island. In the late afternoon we arrived at our Airbnb, which was a cute apartment with a loft and an Alpine feeling to it. After cleaning up, we went out for pizza again, we just couldn’t resist!Read more

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