Pakenham Upper

Now that we have entered the final countdown to departure, it is worth mentioning that this trip almost never got started. After putting together so many overseas cycling trips, it can still be hard to tell whether it will be hard or easy to make each concept into a reality.

We had previously ridden the Vltava and Elbe Rivers from Prague to Dresden, so I had a little idea of what to expect, however I wanted this ride to go much further than Dresden. I looked at a succession of towns along the Elbe, downstream of Dresden.

After considering that we could extend the ride as far as Magdeburg, I then started to dream a little larger. If we were going to ride to Magdeburg, why not just follow the Elbe all the way to its mouth ? It sounded simple. It proved to be anything but simple, especially when I also decided that, instead of starting in Prague, we could go the whole hog and start in Vienna instead.

I started looking seriously to see if any other travel companies offered such a ride. It was soon evident that, if we were to do this ride, we would most likely be the first group to undertake it. There were going to be serious logistical challenges, especially with a group size of around 20 riders.

For many months I worked with UTRACKS and various European adventure travel operators to find a workable solution. Along the way, the ride direction got reversed. Instead of starting in Vienna and riding through to Hamburg, we would be doing the ride the other way round. This of course meant that we would be riding upstream (and hence uphill), however we would have the assist of the prevailing winds at that time of the year.

On several occasions the challenge of putting the ride together almost became too great. It was at this time that Jaclyn Lofts got involved. Jaclyn was for many years the Sales Manager for UTRACKS, but had recently moved across to the World Expeditions branch. Although she was no longer directly involved in European rides, her extensive experience in that area helped to get the final hurdles sorted out. We finally had a workable plan, and a local operator who was prepared to make it all work.

The rest is history. When I conducted the Information Meeting, the initial 16 spaces filled immediately. Somehow the final group has now grown to over 20 riders, so it will be quite a team when we finally start pedaling our way out of Hamburg.

Since that meeting a year has now passed by. Flights have been booked. Accommodation has been sorted. Excitement has steadily grown. In exactly two months' time I will be in the air on my way to Europe. The dream will have become a reality.Read more