Posts Tagged ‘Cycling’

The first Green Pedals activity a big success

Posted: September 4, 2014 in Cycling, Sustainability
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See below for English.

Vandaag hebben Mansi Jasuja en ik (arctic-cycler) aan het eerste Green Pedals activiteit deelgenomen – een leuke, interactieve sessie over duurzaamheid en wereldfietsen op de Willemsparkschool in Den Haag. De kinderen waren tussen 10 en 12 jaren oud, en waren fantastisch. Ze hebben echt goede ideeën gehad hoe ze kleine dingen in het dagelijkse leven kunnen doen om het milieu te helpen. We hebben de kinderen gevraagt om hun ideeën op de Green Pedals Facebook pagina te delen, klaar voor de pre-cycle kick-off volgende week vrijdag. Wij zijn allemaal benieuwd naar hun ideeën!!

Today Mansi Jasuja and I (arctic-cycler) took part in the first Green Pedals activity – a lively interactive session on sustainability and world cycling at the Willemsparkschool in Den Haag. The kids were between 10 and 12 years old, and were fantastic. They had some great ideas about little things they can do in their own everyday lives to help the environment. We asked the kids to share their ideas on the Green Pedals Facebook page for the pre-cycle kick-off next Friday. We are all keen to see their ideas!!

 

In front of Willemsparkschool in Den Haag

In front of Willemsparkschool in Den Haag

Mansi at Willemsparkschool for Green Pedals

Mansi at Willemsparkschool for Green Pedals

Talking about the trip

Talking about the trip

My first article in the paper. I’m proud!

Posted: September 3, 2014 in Cycling
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Last week I was interviewed by @SimonRood from the Eindhovens Dagblad (newspaper), and today it appeared in the paper. There’s a bit of a party atmosphere at work today. Really nice!

Article in the Eindhovens Dagblad

http://www.ed.nl/regio/eindhoven/australi%C3%ABr-fietst-vanuit-eindhoven-36-000-kilometer-naar-huis-1.4513483

Here is a pdf of the article in the Eindhovens Dagblad

Green Pedals

Posted: August 18, 2014 in Cycling
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arctic-cyler will cycle for Green Pedals – cycling for sustainable schools

The children are our future, and they inherit the world that we leave them. I want to leave them a habitable world, where each can lead a healthy and satisfying life. This is only possible if we treat the world as our home, look after it, and use its resources in a sustainable way.

Green Pedals (also on Facebook) is a movement to promote the topics of sustainability and health in our schools around the world. It aims to maintain a dialogue on sustainability, organise activities to encourage engagement in the environment and health, and work with schools to build sustainable infrastructure that exemplifies sustainability, stimulating engagement and ownership of this topic in local communities.

In September 2014 I will leave my job of 16 years, and my home of 21 years, and cycle 36000km from Eindhoven in the Netherlands to Adelaide, Australia where I was born. On my way I will meet people, I will observe, and I will write. What are the sustainability issues people face across my path, and how do they deal with them? Who are the people? What are their stories? I will also try to raise money for Green Pedals to promote this dialogue, and use to realise sustainable infrastructure in selected schools on my route.

2014 World Trip Preparation Cycle: Eindhoven – Limoges

Posted: July 6, 2014 in Belgium, Cycling, France, Netherlands
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With two months to go before leaving Holland to cycle to Australia, my equipment needed testing, and friends needed visiting. I cycled back to La Jonchère in France – where I spent 3 months as an exchange student in 1988-89. This was the start of my relationship with Europe.

And, yes, I am glad I tested my equipment. I need a new pedal axle, and the baggage-holder has broken off from the frame. I’m glad I have time to fix all that before I leave!

As I only had one week this year, I started in Paris – last year I cycled from Eindhoven to Paris, so that stretch was already covered.

Day 1. 145km. Eindhoven-Brussels: A day along the canals of Belgium, staying with Kevin in Brussels.
Day 2. 191km. Brussels-Guise: Following bike paths (existent and non-existent) along rivers and train-tracks to beautiful France.
Day 3. 205km. Guise-Paris: I was awake before the sun. It was crisp – well, cold outside. My tent had a layer of ice as I left it to start my morning ritual. Today was a long and eventful day. It saw me cycle 205 km into the Parisian dusk.
Day 1. 155km. Paris-Égreville: A ride through the old and the new. The old: beautiful Paris – overflowing with memories of the last 26 years. Bathed in warmth and sun, I cycled through memory lane. The new: Following the Seine upstream I discovered the meandering valley, and met my lovely Warmshowers hosts – Nicole and Claude – at their house in the rolling hills of wheat.
Day 2. 120km. Égreville-St Cyr en Val: Along a sand path next to the canal – on and on along the green, shady waterway. A bit bumpy, but peaceful and pretty. A cycle of solitude, finished with a lovely dinner invitation at the camping ground.
Day 3. 165km St Cyr en Val-Montbazon: Sun, castles, views overlooking the Loire, minor bike problems with improvised fixes. Very very bright. It’s summer. I like!
Day 4, 125km. Montbazon-Luzeret: Sun, sun and sun. Leaving the Loire valley, the hills are getting bigger, and the sun is bringing out the sweat. Rolling fields along the Indre River, and then a landscape of lakes in the Brenne region.
Day 5. 95km. Luzeret-Ambazac: South of the Creuse River, the hills get bigger, they said. They did. They also got more familiar, those hills, and I got more emotional. I am here again, and by bike – I laughed with joy. My arrival at La Jonchère was marked with thunder and lightning.

With the equipment tested, and all the farewells made, arctic-cycler is ready for the big trip. Bring it on!

Day 5. 95km. Luzeret – Ambazac

Posted: June 27, 2014 in Cycling, France
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South of the Creuse River, the hills get bigger, they said. They did. They also got more familiar, those hills, and I got more emotional. I am here again, and by bike – I laughed with joy. My arrival at La Jonchère was marked with thunder and lightning.

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Day 4. 125km. Montbazon – Luzeret

Posted: June 26, 2014 in Cycling, France
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Sun, sun and sun. Leaving the Loire valley, the hills are getting bigger, and the sun is bringing out the sweat. Rolling fields along the Indre River, and then a landscape of lakes in the Brenne region.

(more…)

Day 3. 165km. St Cyr en Val – Montbazon

Posted: June 24, 2014 in Cycling, France
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Sun, castles, views overlooking the Loire, minor bike problems with improvised fixes. Very very bright. It’s summer. I like!

(more…)

Day 2. 120km. Égreville – St Cyr en Val

Posted: June 23, 2014 in Cycling, France
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Along a sand path next to the canal – on and on along the green, shady waterway. A bit bumpy, but peaceful and pretty. A cycle of solitude, finished with a lovely dinner invitation at the camping ground.


Click here for map and gpx download.

(more…)

Day 1. 155km. Paris – Égreville

Posted: June 23, 2014 in Cycling, France
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A ride through the old and the new. The old: beautiful Paris – overflowing with memories of the last 26 years. Bathed in warmth and sun, I cycled through memory lane. The new: Following the Seine upstream I discovered the meandering valley, and met my lovely Warmshowers hosts – Nicole and Claude – at their house in the rolling hills of wheat.

(more…)

World Cycle: Longer route through Greece?

Posted: June 16, 2014 in Cycling
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Its less than 3 months now before I leave on my big bike trip from Eindhoven in the Netherlands to Australia. I have done the first wave of sorting out my clothes, papers, other ‘stuff’. Next week will be my training run – testing out all my equipment, when I will cycle to friends in Limoges in the centre of France. Stay tuned for a practice blog on that trip.

But now, I am updating and refining my planned route. I will have a whole 3 months to make it from Eindhoven to Istanbul, and I think I will really need 2 or less. No problem. Europe is beautiful, and there is a lot to see. If I have time, I would like to see more of Greece and then south western Turkey. It is hard to find suggested gpx routes through Greece. This alternate route through Greece is the Eurovelo 8 route ending in Athens. After Athens, I could take the boat to Izmir and continue on in Turkey. Click here to see a zoomable version of the map, and download the gpx.

Alternatives in Albania and Greece

Alternatives in Albania and Greece

 

Do you have any tips for getting to Athens? And, more importantly, do you know about which boats run in the winter (November)? I could even think about cycling along Crete, then to Rhodos, and catching a boat to Fethiye in Turkey, although, I don’t think there are any boats running in the winter. I guess and hope there will still be boats between Athens and Izmir in the winter..

I’m looking forward to seeing more of Greece. I hope it eventuates!

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