First time

[ChrissoPerth]

Hey guys,
I have recently travelled over here from Aus (6months ago) and am planning a cycle tour through Harwich > ferry Holland > Hannover > Berlin > Krakow.

I am leaving early August and am hoping to do it in about 18 days for a charity back home.

This is my first time touring so I have very little clue as to what I need to do etc. other than train. LoL

Is anyone here able to offer me advice? Should I prebook all accommodation before I leave? What equipment is a necessity on my Merida Scultura? Is 100k a day a realistic plan?

Thanks in advance guys

Chris

[eileithyia]

If you haven't already, get the bike and the kit you will be carrying sorted out relatively quickly. Then have some try out rides, start with perhaps a shorter day ride, then try a couple of nights away from home with your kit all packed up... to see how it works together and what you need or don't need to carry.

Riding one day is very different to riding several days in a row. One day you have recovery time the following day, getting up and riding again when your b*m is uncomfortable from the day before, your muscles ache and you are tired, it is raining and blowing a gale... is a different game entirely.

Maybe book the first couple of nights, but then book as you go along... that way you have an idea of how far you might travel each day and where you might be aiming for.... (plans do change). You could get held up; mechanicals, weather, terrain all can eat into how far you might travel one day.

100k approx per day is not unrealistic.... bearing in mind some days might be shorter some might be longer according to the above, weather / terrain / mechanicals. Ideally split each day up into 4 segments; breakfast to 11's, 11's to lunch, lunch to 3's, and 3's to accommodation. 11's and 3's might not be full cafe stops in the CTC tradition but could be a village shop for a cold drink and snack bar. But it divides the day mentally into easy manageable segments 20-25km per segment. On hillier days you might not ride as far and flatter you might be able to go further.... Of course all depends on your cycling fitness and experience...

[foxyrider]

Your route is almost flat - 100km a day should be easily doable. When I say flat, it rolls a bit but there's nothing too exciting hill wise unless you go out of your way. Try to include a couple of 'no bike days' - it can be mentally exhausting moving on and riding every day.

Personally I would book all the way through - doesn't stop you changing plans but some places you can struggle to find much. Use something like booking.com and you shouldn't have to pay up front and can cancel quite late.

As to gear - the only stuff with your bike should be a second bottle cage and maybe some sort of mudguards. I'd add a bar bag which is where all your valuables travel - camera, passport, wallet etc, this will go everywhere with you.

You don't need a ton of gear - two sets of on bike gear, one off bike set, and some off bike footwear. That will get you through, I tend to take three sets of bike and extra off bike stuff - stuff like lightweight zip off trousers, a light fleece, base layers to use as t shirts - this stuff all packs small and light.

Set off with fresh tyres and a recently serviced bike (allow bedding time for new cables!). My standard spares set up is 2 tubes, puncture gear, tyre boot, quick link, one each gear and brake cable and of course a basic tool set (there's no reason to carry a ton of stuff, there are plenty of bike shops on your route for bigger breakdowns.)

I like to set off @ 9am and get a good chunk of the days ride out of the way before lunch using the afternoon for a more leisurely ride to the overnight and for sightseeing. Aim to be at the accomodation @ 17/18.00 at the latest which will give you time to shower, eat, relax and recover for the next day.Eat breakfast, stop at a bakery for coffee mid morning, do the same for lunch (most German bakeries have a cafe and do sandwiches/soup) or maybe a pub. It's worth noting that in the east of Germany (beyond Magdeburg) towns can be a fair distance apart so it's worth carrying some snack supplies as you won't always see somewhere to eat when you want it!

Most of all, enjoy the trip!

[yutkoxpo]

Hey guys,
I have recently travelled over here from Aus (6months ago) and am planning a cycle tour through Harwich > ferry Holland > Hannover > Berlin > Krakow.

I am leaving early August and am hoping to do it in about 18 days for a charity back home.

This is my first time touring so I have very little clue as to what I need to do etc. other than train. LoL

Is anyone here able to offer me advice? Should I prebook all accommodation before I leave? What equipment is a necessity on my Merida Scultura? Is 100k a day a realistic plan?

Thanks in advance guys

Chris

Hi Chris,
That's one hell of a route for a first time!

The advice above is all on the button:
100 km / day is doable.
+1 for rest days
Assuming you're going to be hotelling it, so 1/2 changes of clothes is good.
I don't think you can load too much onto that bike, so, like above, an extra water bottle, mudguards can be very handy. Basic tools/repair kit/spares. Rain gear. It's August, but when it rains in those parts in August it can really rain! Make sure you're comfortable on the bike. That's probably most important.

But.....
It might well be doable, but will it be enjoyable?
You're from Australia and you're going to zip through 1500 km or so of Europe? Everybody's different, but that wouldn't be my idea of a tour. Will you have a chance again to visit any of these places?

If you're raising money for a charity, I'm assuming you'll be doing social media updates every day to maximise donations? Have you built in time for that? Will you be able to do the charity justice after cycling 100 km in crappy weather and having to do laundry and eat and sleep?

Is your route in some way related to the charity? Will you be doing any local meetings/events/sponsorship requests en route? If so, have you built that into your schedule? If it's not, will your average Australian understand how far you're travelling on a daily basis? (No disrespect intended!)

How are your language skills? The Dutch will speak English willingly, the Germans less so, although more know the language now, but Poland will be more challenging to find English speakers.

I followed the story of a guy last year in the US who was also doing a charity ride. He had terrible luck with bike failures and injuries. The pressure of following a demanding route and the sense of being beholden to the charity aspect was very clear. He enjoyed his last day!

Look, I don't mean to be negative, I just want to throw a few other thoughts into the mix. By your own admission, it's your first time. The more you enjoy it, the more you'll want to do it again!

And by the way, other than the first night or two, I wouldn't book any accommodation. For me, it would be too restrictive. But that's just me.

In any case, the best of luck!

[LollyKat]

Years ago I did some of that route - we went Hull-Rotterdam then across the Netherlands and northern Germany to Copenhagen, then west across Denmark to get the ferry back from Esbjerg. We were camping so didn't worry about booking ahead.

We were experienced UK tourists but what surprised us was the relentlessness of riding so far on flat roads. The constant pace became quite wearing - no chance to push a bit more up hills or freewheel down them - and saddle soreness almost became an issue. Make sure you have plenty of stops to ease your bum, and neck if you have low bars. We were lucky with the weather but on the few rainy days were very glad to have mudguards.

If you remain comfortable and you don't have a stiff headwind, you should be able to do 100k easily and still have time to look around a bit. On some of our days there wasn't much to see and on several days we did 130k.

To repeat once more - COMFORT will be the most important thing of all. For me that meant and still means a reasonably relaxed riding position, mudguards, and tyres no narrower than 28mm. Also, don't carry anything on your back but fit your stuff somehow to the bike. Have fun!

[ChrissoPerth]

Thanks for the advice guys, It's good to hear from people that have done this before.

I know I am doing a fair distance over a shortish time but i don't have too much holidays available.

I am currently cycling around 150 miles a week around a 50-60 hour mon-fri job and will bump it up as much as I can fit in.

As far as equipment goes, I'm planning on taking a handlebar bag, in frame pack, a saddle pack and a light backpack for valuables.

My girlfriend is Polish so is helping me learn polish as best I can.

Good advice with booking accommodation guys, I was thinking to just book the first few days and then book as I go along.

[ChrissoPerth]

What is your advice with money in Europe guys? I have a visa debit card, should I just use that to withdraw euros or should I get a monzo card or something similar?

Also, best place to buy gear from?

[millimole]

I've travelled extensively in Europe although not by bike in recent years. I'd say that unless your bank has high charges for withdrawing cash then a debit card is the thing to use. I used to use a pre-loaded card, but the convenience of a debit card outweighs then these days (although might be useful as a second emergency card to keep separate from your main card and cash).
Your timetable sounds ambitious, I'd second the question 'it's achievable but we'll it be enjoyable?'

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly using hovercraft full of eels.

[eileithyia]

Thanks for the advice guys, It's good to hear from people that have done this before.

I know I am doing a fair distance over a shortish time but i don't have too much holidays available.

I am currently cycling around 150 miles a week around a 50-60 hour mon-fri job and will bump it up as much as I can fit in.

As far as equipment goes, I'm planning on taking a handlebar bag, in frame pack, a saddle pack and a light backpack for valuables.

My girlfriend is Polish so is helping me learn polish as best I can.

Good advice with booking accommodation guys, I was thinking to just book the first few days and then book as I go along.

Having toured in Poland a few years ago, we never had a problem with making ourselves understood or understanding some basic conversation... so wouldn't worry too much about the language.

[Warin61]

You will need to have some 'time off'. As in not moving. Things like washing, shopping and seeing things all take time.
I generally plan on 1 day in 7 not moving. That day could be the 7th day, or the 6th or the 8th .. just a day off every so often as you need it or find a present place to stop. You could even have it as 2 half days depending on how you go.

[ChrissoPerth]

You will need to have some 'time off'. As in not moving. Things like washing, shopping and seeing things all take time.
I generally plan on 1 day in 7 not moving. That day could be the 7th day, or the 6th or the 8th .. just a day off every so often as you need it or find a present place to stop. You could even have it as 2 half days depending on how you go.

Ok, I guess I was hoping to leave early morning, cycle for 6 or so hours and then have the afternoon to rest and sightsee. I have set a day off in Berlin though and am hoping to set one more day off

[eileithyia]

You will need to have some 'time off'. As in not moving. Things like washing, shopping and seeing things all take time.
I generally plan on 1 day in 7 not moving. That day could be the 7th day, or the 6th or the 8th .. just a day off every so often as you need it or find a present place to stop. You could even have it as 2 half days depending on how you go.

Ok, I guess I was hoping to leave early morning, cycle for 6 or so hours and then have the afternoon to rest and sightsee. I have set a day off in Berlin though and am hoping to set one more day off

Sounds a reasonable plan. As for washing... you won't have loads unless you are carrying a wardrobe. I would just take that day's cycle kit (shorts and short sleeve top) into the shower with me and wash as you wash yourself..... once you are dry, roll them in the town to extract maximum water and hang where ever you can in the room.... if still damp next day and it is dry... hang from rear bag to finish drying

[ChrissoPerth]

I would just take that day's cycle kit (shorts and short sleeve top) into the shower with me and wash as you wash yourself.....

Great minds

Are there any cycle shops around London that specialise in touring? I need a shop where I can buy all I need. I know Planet X and wiggle are good online stores but I need to know how things will fit my bike

[JakobW]

Not aware of any touring specialists per se, but Condor on Grey's Inn Road have a pretty good selection of racks, panniers, Carradice saddlebags &c. in the shop. Or one of the larger Evans branches? Or if you're out Croydon way Geoffey Butler Cycles is a CTC-type shop with a big mail order side, but I don't know how much stock they keep in the showroom.

[mjr]

What is your advice with money in Europe guys? I have a visa debit card, should I just use that to withdraw euros or should I get a monzo card or something similar?

It depends on the card, but some visa debit cards are horrible, charging you money on the transaction and also loading the exchange rate against you. I'd do whatever you can from the http://www.MoneySavingExpert.com list of tips, but some of the offers require good credit rating or a trip to a branch. (edited to fix link)