Europe Bike Tour
London to Sevilla, August-October 2019
Intro
In August 2019, I set out on a European bike tour starting from London, England. Over 2.5 months and 56 days of cycling, I cycled 3000 miles (4800 km) across 10 countries from London to Split, Croatia, then ferried to Barcelona via Italy, and then cycled along various Camino de Santiago routes from Barcelona to Sevilla. It was my longest bike tour to date, eclipsing my first tour in 2016 along the Pacific Coast from Seattle to San Diego.
This post includes total stats, links to posts containing daily recaps & photos, and closing thoughts.
Stats
Route: London, England to Split, Croatia; Barcelona to Sevilla, Spain
Dates: August 12 – October 24, 2019
Days: 56 touring days (plus 17 days rest and local rides)
Distance: 4800km (3000 miles), average 82km (51 miles) per touring day
Elevation gain: 30k meters (average 533 meters/day)
Moving time: 285 hours (average 5 hours/day)
Average start time: 9:16am
Average finish time: 5:21pm
Average speed: 16.0 km per hour (10 mph)
Camping: 22 nights (no wild camping)
Hotel/private room: 21 nights
Friend: 17 nights
Hostel/shared room: 9 nights
Overnight ferry: 3 nights
Warm Showers host: 2 nights
Countries: 10
England: 2 nights
The Netherlands: 2 nights
Germany: 20 nights
France: 3 nights
Switzerland: 1 nights
Austria: 5 nights
Slovenia: 4 nights
Italy: 1 nights
Croatia: 10 nights
Spain: 24 nights
Friends visited: 20 friends in 6 countries
Chains replaced: 1
Flat tires: 0
Bike issues: 0
Weight lost: ~10 lbsDaily Recaps & Photos
Day 0 to 6: London, England to Dusseldorf, Germany
Day 7 to 12: Dusseldorf to Strasbourg, France
Day 13 to 19: Strasbourg to Munich, Germany
Day 20 to 24: Munich to Salzburg, Austria
Day 25 to 30: Salzburg to Koper, Slovenia
Day 31 to 38: Koper to Split, Croatia
Day 39 to 48: Barcelona to Zamora, Spain
Day 49 to 56: Zamora to Sevilla, Spain
Closing Thoughts
Traveling with a bike: This was the first time I traveled on a plane with my bicycle and gear. I was nervous about logistics from start to finish: finding a box, dismantling and packing the bike, getting to/from the airport with big boxes, hoping the airline didn’t damage or lose the bike, reassembling everything, etc. And then doing it all over again from wherever I would be finishing the tour. In the end, everything turned out fine with minimal issues. I learned a lot going through this process for the first time, and I’m sure that going forward it will be much easier.
Gear: I used essentially the same touring gear as on previous tours with some minor additions (laptop, extra clothes, etc). The Surly Long Haul Trucker, once again, was a rock solid steed with zero issues, other than replacing the chain once. The 4 pannier setup worked great overall, but at times I wished for a lighter setup, especially on rocky terrain. I’m thinking about a bike packing setup in the future for off-road tours. One thing I definitely want to change before the next tour is swapping the drop handlebar for a flat or trekking handlebar, as my wrists started hurting quite a bit towards the end.
Solo vs group riding: I started this tour with 2 other riders for the first week. This was my first bike tour starting with others. I figured group riding would simplify planning logistics and it would be nice to have camaraderie, particularly in the evenings at camp. This was also my first tour where there was a planned route and schedule ahead of time.
In the first week, I learned a lot about group dynamics and the importance of having similar expectations and goals when touring with others. It made me think more clearly about our individual expectations for this tour as well as what would allow everyone to meet their own goals. When I reached my friend’s place in Dusseldorf, I decided to stay back for a few extra days to hang out with my friend and exploring the area. Then I continued the tour solo with an open-ended plan. This turned out to be the right decision for me at that time, and ultimately for the other riders as well who also had a successful tour.
Visiting friends: I visited 20 friends across 6 different countries on this tour. Most of these friends I had previously met on camino walks or while traveling. On the camino, we all have similar lives: walking the same path, eating the same food, staying at the same albergues, and have a common singular goal of reaching Santiago. However, we all have very different lives in our respective countries. It was a wonderful opportunity to see friends in their homes, meet their families, and get a sense of their lives. In all of my adventures over the years, it’s always the people you meet along the way that makes the adventure memorable. Once I have a home base again, I look forward to hosting friends and warmshowers guests from all over the world.
Route: Once I was solo, I continued without a final destination or overall route. I enjoyed the daily serendipity of events, from finding out I was just a few hours ride from a friend I met years ago to discovering incredible bike routes that I had no idea existed (e.g. Bodensee-Königssee route through the Bavarian Alps and the Alpe-Adria from Austria to Italy). I enjoyed the daily flexibility, but not having a final destination made my mind churn constantly on which direction to head, which proved to be exhausting. The next time I embark on a long tour, I hope to have a final destination in mind ahead of time, while still maintaining day-to-day flexibility.
Camino on a bike: I have walked several Camino de Santiago routes in Spain over the past 3 years. This was the first time I was on a camino route on a bicycle. The experience of being a pilgrim while walking is totally different than on a bike, especially when cycling solo. You never meet the same pilgrims again since you’re covering 2-3 walking days for each cycling day. I missed the sense of community that I always enjoyed on a camino. I did appreciate being able to stay in pilgrim albergues while I was cycling in Spain (and hence I rarely camped in Spain). Further, following the camino routes made route planning/navigation very easy, which was a relief.
Final thoughts: This was my longest bike tour, both in distance and duration. After the first week, my body was accustomed to 5+ hours in the saddle each day. After two weeks, my legs felt strong as I started climbing in the mountains. I settled into a “9 to 5” daily routine: start around 9am, cycle for 5-6 hours, take 2-3 hours of breaks to explore, shop, and eat, finish around 5pm, shower, eat dinner, and sleep. I took a rest day approximately once a week, which kept my body from getting too fatigued.
I can now picture myself going on longer and more epic tours that I previously thought were reserved only for the most hardcore adventurers. It turns out that if you can cycle a few hours a day, fuel yourself with plenty of calories, and take a day off once in a while, you can cover vast distances on a bicycle, across continents and with enough time even around the world. Let’s see what epic tours are in my future.