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!
Posts Tagged ‘World Cycling’
My first article in the paper. I’m proud!
Posted: September 3, 2014 in CyclingTags: Cycling, Eindhoven, Netherlands, World Cycling
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World Cycle: Route through Australia
Posted: May 20, 2014 in CyclingTags: Australia, Cycling, World Cycling
The last leg of my route planning for my big world bike trip – Australia. I start in Darwin, and end in Adelaide. I haven’t decided which way I want to get to Adelaide.
The shortest way is ‘down the middle’. I have done this before in the car several times, and would like to see something different.
Two other options are along the west coast, or along the east coast. The west coast is attractive as it is so remote and unvisited. I have never been there, and would like to see it. I have been to the east coast. There are a lot of attractions there, and also more people.
I will decide what I do when I am there.
Route across Australia
World Cycle: Route through South-east Asia
Posted: May 19, 2014 in CyclingTags: Cambodia, Cycling, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, World Cycling
The planning for my big world bike trip continues, extending the route through Europe, and then central Asia. The further away I plan, the more vague it gets. The aim is to see if the plan is at all realistic. Are there boats where I think there are? Can I get visas for these places? And for long enough? Actually, I suspect the answer may be no for some of these countries. Indonesia, for example, is so big, I may not be able to cross it while still having a valid visa. Visa extensions of one month at a time are possible, but take 10 days to process. All this kind of stuff will be addressed en route.
Route through South-east Asia
Also, the plan of south-east Asia may be turned completely on its head if I am able to enter Myanmar. If this is possible, I will cross to north-east India through Myanmar rather than passing through Laos and Cambodia. A possible fly in the ointment is if I can’t get a long enough Chinese visa. I guess I will have to just go with the flow. Maybe Pakistan and the KKH Highway instead of Tibet? I am hesitant about this. It may be too dangerous. Let’s see.
Here are the countries I will be cycling through with some thoughts on my route through them.
World Cycle: Route through Asia
Posted: March 5, 2014 in CyclingTags: Armenia, Bangladesh, China, Cycling, Georgia, India, Iran, Nepal, Tajikistan, Tibet, Tibetan Plateau, Turk, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, World Cycling
Why plan in such detail? And so far ahead? Well, that’s my ordered side. Things need to be arranged. Leave nothing to chance. And that is exactly what a trip like this can never be like.. That also makes it exciting. Still, planning can help make broad global decisions that will affect the whole trip. And it is also a lot of fun!
In September 2014 I will be leaving Eindhoven, the Netherlands, to cycle to Adelaide, Australia, where I was born. After cycling through Europe in 2014, the second stage of my trip starts in Istanbul in Turkey around March 2015, and sees me end somewhere in South-East Asia. There are lots of options, and lots of decisions to make. Here is the current planned route.
World Cycle Trip 2015: Route Through Asia
At first I was a bit irritated when I discovered that, perhaps, my timing was a bit skew. I have planned too much time. Leaving Istanbul in February/March to get to Tajikistan on June 1 where I would meet up with my cycling friend Chris. But, hey, this is a cycle trip of a lifetime. No stress. No hectic agenda. I am going to take my time and see places not many people have the privilege to see. I am going to take detours. This route is the basis. I am now collecting ideas for detours – interesting places to see and things to do!
Here are the countries I will be cycling through with some thoughts on my route through them.
- Turkey
- Georgia
- Armenia
- Iran
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan
- Tajikistan
- Kyrgyzstan
- China
- Nepal
- India
- Bangladesh
In Turkey I might stick to the Black Sea coast and enter into Georgia, Armenia, and possibly Azerbijan. But in the correct order. The relationships between the countries in the Caucus are complex, and in researching the trip I am discovering things I never knew existed – self proclaimed countries recognised by no-one except themselves – Abkhazia and Nagorna-Karabagh.
In Iran I may head south through Isfahan and Shiraz as recommended by Bernadette Speet. The major decisions that affect the global route take place in China. Strict laws in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), expensive (compulsory) tours that need to be taken there, roads blocked for tourists, length of Chinese visas, timing of wet and hot season in Bangladesh, lack of roads leading to massive detours on the Tibetan Plateau, the impossibility of crossing Myanmar. All these affect my route through China, and, inevitably, what the whole trip looks like. I would like to have a connected route entirely covered by bike – and I would like to see Bangladesh. The only option is to fly.
My planning continues – fine tuning the European and Asian route, and also putting together the third and final stage of the trip – the ‘South-East Asian’ leg.. 🙂
World Cycle: Route through Europe
Posted: March 2, 2014 in CyclingTags: Albania, Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, Cycling, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lichtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, World Cycling
My route through Europe, on the way from the Netherlands to Australia by bike is complete. Well, I have a draft route with lots of options. And I will definitely end up cycling something else. That’s part of the fun. Still, it’s nice to have a basic plan to make some timing estimates.
World Bike Trip 2014: Route through Europe
The starting date is 13 September 2014. Here are some expected dates (very approx):
- Stelvio pass 28.09.2014
- Trieste 05.10.2014 – then one week on the Istria peninsula
- Thessaloniki 30.10.2014
I plan to arrive in Istanbul the start of December. Clearly I will have about one month extra up my sleeve, so, depending on how I feel, I will do detours on the way. One I have in mind is cycle to Athens, then take the boat to Chios, and then cycle up the Turkish coast to Istanbul. Let’s see.
Once arriving in Istanbul, I will take a break for about 3 months for the seasons to change. I will spend Christmas in Australia before returning to Istanbul to continue the trip.
Many thanks to lots of friends and people from the cycling forums for their tips and advice. A lot of it has been built into the route. In fact, in many countries, I have lots of different options for my route, which are visible in the links below. See how I feel when I get there. Here are the more detailed routes and notes on the different countries in Europe.
Life is not a dressed rehearsal: Cycling from Holland to Australia
Posted: January 7, 2014 in CyclingTags: Adelaide, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, China, Croatia, Cycling, Eindhoven, Europe, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, the Netherlands, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uezbekistan, World Cycling
It has been a long road to arrive at this point, but actually, the road is just starting. Its exciting beyond belief, and bloody scary too. In September I will be leaving my job of 16 years and cycling from Eindhoven, the Netherlands – where I now live, to Adelaide, Australia – my birthplace. There is a lot of preparation to be done. I need to shed all my worldly possessions, learn a bit more about bike maintenance, arrange all sorts of paperwork, and plan the route.
You guys all helped me with my cycle trip in 2013 to the North Cape in Norway. You gave me great tips on my planned route, and I was able to meet up with some of you. I would like to do that here again with this more ambitious trip.
Here is a rough idea of how I want to get to Adelaide.
In the coming weeks I will be putting together a planned route through Europe. It would be great to get some feedback on the route – roads I should take, places I should go.
This dream I had always thought would remain just a dream. It is too risky, too scary, too thrilling. My life situation is such that I can do this now. I am fit enough. I don’t want to look back on my life when on my death bed and think – I had the chance, and I let it go. A good friend of mine summed it up perfectly: Life is not a dressed rehearsal. I am going to do this!
To be continued!
arctic-cycler.com 