Danneaux's Tour de Yerrup

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

In less than two months I'll be embarking on a 4-month ~9,000km trans-European adventure of my own, thanks to Forum member AndyBG's very kind offer to lend his Thorn Raven Tour and a wonderful deal on round-trip airfare (USD$149).

I fly into Sofia, Bulgaria 9May, visit Bodrum Turkey on the Aegean, then depart Bulgaria ~27May for places West, returning home 11September. I will consider the trip a success whether I do the whole planned distance (roughly Black Sea to North Sea and back again) or decide to spend more time exploring interesting areas in greater depth. I chose my route in part to reconnect with family heritage. Besides Irish, Scottish, and English, there's French, German, and Hungarian in my background -- all the cool, cloudy places that ensure I sunburn easily. I have found the sites of old family dwellings and even some relatives, so it would be nice to make contact as well as see friends who live along the way. I'm viewing this as a cycling survey of Europe from East to West and back again, with new sights and experiences each day.

I'll be tent-camping where possible and using homestay accommodations like Warmshowers and Couchsurfing. I'll continue to administer the Forum by smartphone, but won't participate much as a member while touring. Be kind to each other as usual while I am traveling and don't put beans up your nose*.

If any Forum members will be touring in these areas or live along my route, I'd love to meetup along the way. I'll be largely following the Eurovelo routes -- primarily 6, but also 4, 5, 9 and 12 as connecting routes between Bulgaria and Calais. I'll be touring between 27May and 11September. If taken in full, my route will be:

• NE Bulgaria to Bucharest, Romania, then west along the Danube via Eurovelo 6.
• Belgrade Serbia, through Croatia to Budapest Hungary, to Bratislava Slovakia, to Vienna Austria, all on EV6.
• Vienna to Brno and Prague in the Czech Republic via EV9.
• Prague Czech Republic to Frankfurt Germany to Aachen Germany all via EV4.
• Aachen Germany to Vaalserberg Netherlands to Belgium and Encival, Theux, and Spa-Francorchamps via my own routing overlaying tracks from my 2008 tour.
• Spa, Belgium to Namur and Brugge Belgium to Lille France to Calais. Then, Calais to Dinant Belgium to Namur Belgium by my own route.
• Namur Belgium to Luxembourg to Strasbourg France and on to Basel Switzerland via EV5.
• Basel Switzerland to Passau Germany (Lower Bavaria), Vienna Austria, Bratislava Slovakia to Budapest Hungary, Croatia to Belgrade in Serbia, Bucharest Romania and back to NE Bulgaria, all via EV6.

Time is getting tight as I prepare for departure and do more riding after an unusually cold, harsh winter derailed my usual cycling. I'm putting in several unladen hundred-mile days each week with rides in-between on the rando bike and the Nomad, so should be good to go by the time I leave.

Best,

Dan.

*When my older sister was at Uni, the father of one of her friends required surgery to remove sprouted beans from his sinuses. As a kid, his parents left him alone briefly and he got the idea to put beans up his nose and forgot them for decades until...! The lesson is to "be good" and don't put beans where they don't belong.

[jags]

Best of luck Dan hope you have a blast  and the  weather is kind to you stay safe my good buddy,look forward to the film.

jags.

[Danneaux]

Many thanks, Anto. I'll be taking video with you in mind. I've been working on the equipment, so should be good to go. I'll never have the video skills of your son Frank, but hope to give a bit more flavor than still shots alone.

All the best,

Dan.

[jags]

ah let the camera do the work dan i have faith in ya.

jags.

did you get another 100 miler in yet.

[Andre Jute]

I'll speak sternly to the Weather Bureau. What a trip!

[il padrone]

That is a wonderful trip Dan. Wish that I could join you for it. European touring is a very different experience to 'new world' touring.

4 months and 9,000kms? I do suspect that you are being very ambitious there. We were in Italy and did about 3,000 - 3,500kms in 3 months. One thing about touring in Europe is that you will feel like you are just passing by and missing too much if you aim for 120-140km days. We were often doing days of 50-60kms and working hard, because there were so many things to stop and visit - from the towm markets and wonderful foods; to the architecture, cathedrals, and museums; or just to take in the awesome views that appeared around every bend. The longer days we did in Europe were about 90-100kms, usually where there were fewer towns or scenic views to distract us.

Oh and don't forget those sightseeing days. In contrast to here at home where we plan one rest day every 4-8 days of riding, we were doing sightseeing, sometimes stopping one day every 2-4 days of riding.

We found that at a couple of points we needed to do train-hops to catch up on the planned itinerary rather than miss certain 'must-dos'.

I also recall a friend over 30 years ago who planned a huge tour of Europe in 3 months involving 140-200km days (he was extremely fit - going to Europe to do the PBP first), travelling from France down to Greece, north to Scandinavia then back to the UK. He ended up doing nothing like this as, unlike here in Aus where you ride 60kms and maybe pass through one small town, he found that 60kms would have him travelling through several larger towns and villages. He just had to slow down and smell the roses.

However you do it, have a great time, and post plenty of photos.

[John Saxby]

Just a wonderful trip, Dan, and I wish you the very best with it. ("How you gonna keep 'em down on the farm/After they've seen Paree?")  Make sure you take some time to just wander and ponder and soak it all in, as Il Padrone says.  The cultural density and diversity--not to mention the food & drink and architecture--make it all so different from North America.  I think that's what keeps our daughter in Berlin, where I'll visit her in late summer.  Will look forward to your fotos and perhaps stories from time to time -- but don't make "reporting" a burden for yourself.  Safe journeys!

John

[Danneaux]

Thanks for the well-wishes all, and very good suggestions from Pete and John to take it as it comes and simply enjoy the experience. I often find myself going faster farther alone and in my usual remote locales than when I ride with others or in more reasonable places. While it is nice to have an itinerary to lend a framework, this is about the experience, not distance. I do very much want to see and enjoy things along the way; if that means I don't keep to my itinerary, that's fine.

One of the nicest parts of my last tour through NL, BE, and FR in 2008 was the many wonderful people I met along the way. Unfortunately, my riding partner's circumstances meant having to decline frequent offers of extended conversation, dinner, overnight stays, and guided tours. I took care to get contact information, and some of those I met have remained email pen-pals and Facebook friends to this day. I very much hope I can make similar connections on this trip. Those are the things that transcend a mere journey and make for memories to last a lifetime.

I figure a high level of fitness makes any tour easier and more enjoyable -- I feel like a slug after this winter's relative inactivity -- so I'm putting in some distance now. That has its own rewards -- spring lambs in the green fields, sunshine (!), warmer temperatures and longer days. It's not drudgery and time on the bike sure beats time in the gym or on rollers for me.

I'll keep you posted as departure draws nigh and may have some questions to put to the you all as well. With luck, the occasional photo or linked video will make its way here once I'm on the road.

I'm so looking forward to all that awaits and thank Andy and his wife most sincerely for their kindness in making the Adventure possible.

All the best,

Dan.

[Relayer]

That looks like a fantastic tour Dan!  Now I understand why you are training so hard.

[Neil Jones]

Wishing you a fantastic and safe adventure Dan What a fantastic gesture from Andy, this is why I love this forum so much, people are always willing to help.
Looking forward to reading your account and hopefully some photos but like John says don't burden yourself.
I'm also mightily impressed with your training for the trip, you put me to shame,
Neil.

[alfie1952]

Dan,
Your tour sounds absolutely brilliant and  with  the photographs and film you send to the lads in the forum,  it will feel as though we are pedalling along beside you. Have a blast and enjoy every part of your tour.

Jags  will be ok with Andre, Ian, John and the rest of the lads whilst you are on your travels.

Regards , Alfie

PS, forgot to mention what a super gesture by Andy.

[martinf]

4 months and 9,000kms? I do suspect that you are being very ambitious there.

I think it depends on your aims and whether you travel alone or not. For my 2011 trip I had just one month available, with some specific sites I wanted to visit in N and NW spain, plus one in the extreme NE of Portugal. I was on my own, so could choose what pace to go at and where to stop. I also did several months of training before my trip to make sure I would be fit enough for the hilly bits in the foothills of the Pyrenees and the Picos mountain range.

So for the approx 1,400 kms of the French part of my trip I did 150-200 km/day, this was in fairly flat terrain I already knew quite well. I did less daily mileage in Spain and Portugal (it was also much hillier).

I even ended up doing 50 to 90 kms on each of the 6 "rest" days I had reserved for just pottering about and visiting.

Average daily distance was 123 kms for the 27 days of my 3,335 km trip.

The house swap holidays I have taken with my wife in the Netherlands and Denmark were completely different. On these we did between 20 and 70 kms on the days we cycled, on other days we used public transport or walked.

[George Hetrick]

Whoah -- have an awesome time, Dan. I am hugely jealous!

[Andre Jute]

Dan,
Your tour sounds absolutely brilliant and  with  the photographs and film you send to the lads in the forum,  it will feel as though we are pedalling along beside you. Have a blast and enjoy every part of your tour.

That's the key thing, being virtually along for the ride. It's what's so fabulous about a conference of tourers like this one, all the places you see that you've never seen before, or through new eyes if you have seen them before.

We'll be beside you every inch of the way, Dan! It's a grand thing you've done, Andy.

[Swislon]

Oh my this sounds wonderful Dan and what a man Andy.
I am really looking forward to following your progress and living the trip through your camera lens whilst I am tied to the desk and computer. It will certainly be bringing us all along for the ride.

When ever I have done any trips or challenges I have enjoyed the training as much as the trip itself. It gave me a sense of purpose and I got out on days I wouldn't have ventured out on otherwise. That in it self was a great bonus. Enjoy the whole journey Dan.

Steve