The final preparations for the trip have been a series of stresses: the stress of fitting the bikes in the boxes, fitting our panniers and gear in the suitcases, finding a large enough taxi at 1:00AM for a 4:30AM departure, and checking-in at the airport. We got lucky at the check-in counter and the agent let us check in a fifth item at no charge (I’d heard of exorbanant unwarranted charges for bikes at the whim of the agents, but this guy was aware of the rules).

More than 24 hours later on the ground in Trieste, we found a Mercedes wagon taxi that we loaded to the gills, and after unpacking at the hotel, the bikes arrived in good shape.. The TSA unpacked Susana’s, and bent the rear rack mount when they repacked it, but it bent back and it’s a piece that isn’t structural.

The bikes are assembled and now very little stands between our bike tires and the pavement. We begin tomorrow morning.

We’re asked how we plan to communicate with locals throughout the course of our trip. Fortunately, between Susana and I, we speak four of the local languages we’ll encounter plus English (Susana speaks Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and English; I speak English). I understand that many Croatians also speak Italian, and Greece will certainly be a challenge.

Maps

While Susana handles our communication, I’ve been researching our routes and choosing maps. We ordered most of our maps in advance, and the map quality and availability has varied greatly by country. Resolution is one thing that matters a lot for cycling. 1:200,000 is perfect — enough to cover the smallest roads, but not too detailed that you have to buy too many maps. Campgrounds and places of interest and road grade and topography are other things to look for.

That said, Michelin maps of France are the best road maps in the world: they’re packed with information but not cluttered. Bright, distinct lines allow you to focus on one set of data such as roads, without confusing it with terrain or boundaries. As a graphic designer, I appreciate this superior cartography greatly. The paper is high quality and feels good in your hands, and it implies that it’s a precious document that you’re holding.

Another good find was the Greece Road series created by the Greek National Guard. These maps contain an incredible amount of information, including topography, campgrounds, footpaths and more, only slightly more cluttered than the Michelin maps, and waterproof, too. Since Croatia has only recently re-opened for mass tourism, this was the hardest good map to locate but the Dalmation Coast Euromap looks like the best available. In Italy we chose Touring Club Italiano and Spain we bought Michelin.

Route Selection

After choosing the regions of Europe we want to tour (near the Mediterranean, mostly to areas neither of us had been), route selection became a practical matter. Cyclists want to be away from major highways and out of congested, sprawling cities. Often this is impossible given where we want to go, but I consulted Eurovelo, an organization dedicated to creating and promoting cross-Europe cycling routes. None of the routes that concern us are complete, but we still printed out their draft itineraries that contain much practical advice and suggested routes. They work with local cycling groups to establish their routes although some of their documents seem fairly outdated. They’re evidently funded by the EU, so hopefully they’ll continue to be around to complete their goal of 12 cross-Europe cycling routes.

I also joined a bicycle touring mailing list, one that I had belonged to ten years ago during my first tour. It was refreshing to see that many of the same knowledgeable members still belong. I got some advice on route selection from posting our general itinerary, such as the existence of a 120km bicycle path that will lead us from Trieste into Croatia for the first two days. Already we’re changing our route based on this bike path, and we haven’t even started the trip.

About the web site

This web site was designed to allow our friends and family to follow our whereabouts as we travel by bike through Europe during the summer of 2006. It’s unknown how often we’ll update this site throughout the trip, but this will be the place to check for news of our happenings. The site is built with Movable Type and is configured to be updated via email from our Treo 650 cell phone from the comfort of our bicycle seats. We’ll see how that works out.

Origins of the Trip

Before we married, Susana and I thought of going on a trip that we’d remember, that we’d compare to every other bit of travel throughout our lives. The best types of trips, in my experience, are those where you’re able to go slow and notice the small things, emmerse yourself in the culture, and spend less money thereby removing the barriers between you and your surroundings. A trip where you power yourself gives a sense of purpose and accomplishment and offers greater rewards than packaged trips. I’ve found that it’s these trips that also offer the most unexpected pleasures.

Susana and I started thinking about this trip when riding around San Juan Island one weekend last summer. Biking silently along those empty highways with views of the mountains and sea, having homemade lobster dinners next to the water, we wondered why we didn’t do this more often and for longer. We decided that a long bicycle trip would be our plan for the summer of 2006.

A person's job is often the biggest obstacle in taking an extended trip. But when considered in the context of which we'd regret -- taking the biggest trip of our lives thereby sacrificing some stability versus staying at home -- we decided that work could wait a few months. And if not, life will go on. It's worth it for such an experience.

Where & When

Having traveled extensively throughout the US, by bicycle for much of it, I wanted to go somewhere unknown to both of us. We chose our route because of history, relative safety, coastlines, cuisine, the chance to ride famous cycling routes of Europe, and the opportunity to cycle to Susana’s home country, Portugal.

The trip will take us through Croatia, Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. More information can be found about our intended route in the Route section. We will fly to Trieste, Italy on May 22nd, and expect to arrive in Lisbon in the middle of August to be welcomed by Susana’s friends and family. We return to Seattle on September 7th.

About Scott & Susana

Scott and Susana live in Seattle. Susana is taking the summer off her job in the advertising industry, having worked in the field for 11 years. Susana is originally from Setubal, Portugal and attended the Universidade Nova Lisboa.

Scott has worked as a graphic designer for the past nine years, mainly in the software industry. He graduated with an English degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Scott has gone on several other long bike rides, notably a 2200-mile trip from Omaha to central British Columbia.

Scott and Susana have been married since 2002.

We are often asked what we’re bringing with us on the trip, so I thought I’d share our packing list.

Bike & Racks

Co-Motion Americano bicycles
panniers, front & rear (Jandd on Scott’s & Ortlieb on Susana’s)
handlebar bag (Ortlieb)
fenders
cable lock & extra cable
rear blinking light

Tools & Accessories

bike pump
tire irons (3) spare tubes (3) patch kit
spare folding tire
chain oil
zip ties
metal brackets (for front rack)
rear-view mirror (glasses clip-on)
extra straps
bungees/elastic webbing for front & rear rack
photocopies of Leonard Zinn bike maintenance book
duct tape/electrical tape
small wire brush (to clean drivetrain)
zip ties
sewing kit

Tools

allen wrenches & screwdrivers
chain tool
leatherman tool
crescent wrench ?
cogset removal tool/hypercracker (for replacing spokes)
spoke wrench

Spares/Replacement Parts

spare bar end shifters (9 spd)
spare chain links & extra pins
spare brake pads
spare spokes
spare cables (shifter & brake)
cable housing
misc. nuts & bolts
replacement bolts for rack
spare bolts/screws for panniers
spares for fenders
patch kit for thermarest
repair kit for stove
hose clamps

Clothing Scott

1 bike shorts (Pearl Izumi)
integrated mtn bike shorts (Pearl Izumi)
hiking shorts
long pants
2 cotton t shirts
2 synthetic t shirts
1 synthetic long sleeve shirt
3 short sleeve shirts
cycling jersey
rain jacket
underwear
sweater/fleece jacket
bike shoes
sandals
2 lightweight bike socks
1 heavy bike socks
bike gloves
helmet
baseball cap
handkerchief
swimming suit

Personal

sunglasses
extra glasses
toiletries

Camping

tent (MSR Hubba Hubba)
2 sleeping bags (TNF)
2 therma rests
2 headlamps
compass
first aid, medicines

Cooking

MSR stove & fuel
2 coffee cups
big teflon pan & lid
MSR cookset
pocket knife
scrubber
fork & spoon

Other

maps & travel guides
ipod & charger
camera
mini tripod
Treo 650 cell phone/PDA
foldable keyboard for phone
European wall adapters for chargers
pocket radio
journal
altimeter watch
zip locks
sunscreen
books
length of rope/clothesline
passport/ID & copies
ATM & bank info
spare batteries

Mabton - Prosser - Patterson - Crow Butte State Park - Alderdale - Mabton
93 mi (2 days)
100’ climbing
10:00 ride time

We chose this route in south central Washington because (1) neither of us had been to this part of the state, (2) it’s drier than Western Washington this time of year, (3) it’s pretty desserted so you can put your head down and ride without too many distractions and with few cars. This plan would have turned out great except for one unexpected factor — the wind. South-central Washington is extremely dry and void of trees or any other feature that we’re used to in western Washington to block the wind.

The ride started in Mabton and made a right turn at Prosser up a 750’ climb to the plateau above. That’s when the cross-winds really kicked in, without anything blocking the wind for more than 10 miles — and we know because we could see that far — we rode like this all day. Except for the occassional fallen onion on the side of the road (Walla Walla would be a safe bet), there was little stimulation. And the wind kept pushing us all over the road.

Finally we arrived at the gates of Columbia Crest winery and a downhill to the Colombia River. It was another 15 miles up the highway in decreasing winds to Crow Butte State Park where we arrived after dark.

Sunday’s ride was much better. We chose county roads that ascended up a nice river valley onto the plateau, then a 20-mile false-flat as we crept up. There was more agriculture — vineyards and orchards, although the vines looked pretty anorexic this time of year; it’s amazing that they will grow into something edible within 6 months. Except for Alderdale, which consisted of a few farm buildings, we didn’t pass through a town all day. There was an amazing amount of trash on the side of the road, which made me wonder Where are people getting all of this Bud Light?

98 miles (2 days)
12 hours in the saddle
7000’ of climbing

Susana and I went on our first fully-loaded overnight trip on Whidbey Island this weekend with the new bikes. Satuday morning we caught the ferry to Clinton and started out riding the southwestern part of the island on roads I’ve never been on. The side roads were sparsley trafficked but there is development like crazy going on there. It will soon be just as crowded as the mainland.

We made it to Fort Casey by 5pm and scouted out the area to find a lot of trashy RVs occupying the campground.. we made a decision to head on to Ft. Ebey just 10 miles up the highway, some of it on the busier higway 20. Fortunately we found a bike trail that runs alongside the highway and took that to our camp site in the human-powered part of the park, completely unoccupied and on a nice pond.

Sunday we retraced some of our route back down the west side of the island, stopping in Coupeville for lunch. It’s always a great feeling whizzing by the 2-hour, 90-minute, 60-minute wait markers for the vehicle ferry line to get on the one leaving right that minute.

Susana and I purchased our touring bikes this weekend. I had considered using my 10-year old Bruce Gordon BLT, but didn’t want to worry about its hard life on every bump I passed — the corrosion from riding winters in the salty roads of the midwest catching up to it, the abuse of years of small tours and a few crashes. All of this would be on my mind as we rode through remote parts of Greece. So we’ll each have a new bike on this trip.

We opted for Co-Motion Americanos, which we’ve been thinking about for a long time. Co-Motions are hand-built in Eugene, Oregon, and after talking to the founders at the Bike Expo last weekend, and answering every question I had, it sealed the deal. Whereas my relatively new Look bike is built for speed, these bikes are stump-pullers, built for working hard. The rear wheels are slightly wider tandem wheels, 145mm versus the standard 135mm. The extra width allows them to be symetrical and thus stronger. All spoke breakage on previous trips has been on the drive-side of regular dished wheels, so hopefully we can put wheel worries behind us. I was concerned about the availability of replacement parts for tandem-sized hubs on the road, but the theory goes that these wheels won’t need replacements.

The standard component package is excellent — XTR derailleurs, DT-Swiss hubs, Velocity rims, Race Face 24/34/46 crank, 11-32 XTR cassette, 700c x 37mm Continential Top Touring tires that let you look up from the road… you just roll right over everything. I’ll put my new Brooks saddle on mine and outfit both bikes with STI shifting (we plan on bringing barcons as spares, at only 200g more), and replacing the V-brakes with Avid Shorty cantilevers. Fabian at Ti Cycles recommended against this, but I’ve only used cantilevers in the past on touring bikes and have had plenty of stopping power.