Posts in category Trips

Shane cycles Europe

Spring 2022 I once again quit my job the get back to basics. The initial plan was to be on the road for three months starting in South West Portugal. Six months and 7700km later I finished the trip in Istanbul. The blog for this trip can be followed on my Polarsteps blog or on Strava.

Bikingman Oman race Pt 1

In an age when unsupported Ultra endurance events in all shapes and sizes are popping up all over the place Bikingman Oman is the package tour of Endurance cycling races which includes: Fixed published route with gps track and “survival map” showing food/water stops along the way. Mainly quiet main roads. Two manned [...]

Bikepacking Trans Germany (BTG): Pt 1

The pre race BBQ and briefing was a low key affair at a swimming pool just outside Basel. Riders dribbled in from around Europe and further afield. Trackers and race numbers were handed out and there was a short and simple briefing by Achim, he didn’t seem too comfortable talking to a crowd, but that is logical as the BTG has gone in 3 [...]

My Freedom Challenge. A story about a...

The Race Across South Africa takes place in June/July each year. It is a 2300 km ( with a total cumulative ascent is over 37000 metres), non-stop, self-navigated mountain bike race starting in Pietermaritzburg KwaZulu-Natal and ending in Wellington near Cape Town. Riders are allowed a maximum of 26 days to complete the ride. Blistered sore f [...]

Pt 2 :Bikepacking the GR 5,Trans Arde...

(Pt.1 of the story can be found >>here<<) I’d heard hikers arrive late in the night so thought I’d make their day by leaving my spare 4 eggs and extra coffee just outside their tent. I know how much it can suck to wake up hungry and still need to find an open shop, even more so when hiking than cycling. My half day res [...]

Pt 1: Bikepacking the GR 5,Trans Arde...

Inspired by the write up on Bikepacking.com I’d considered having a crack at the GR5 (hiking route) for a while. The last line of the blog “Continue on the GR5 in either direction to lengthen the adventure” intrigued me. When my current contract abruptly ended and knowing I’d be starting a new permanent job less than 2 [...]

Bike packing the Scottish Borders

Advertised as a challenging 3 day ride (+/- 240km/ 5000m climbing). I’ve been eager to try The Capital trail route since hearing about it. By starting in Berwick upon Tweed I was also able to add a couple of days and included an option to do the “Peebles loop” if I had time left over. By combining my traveling days straight [...]

48 hour Ride eat sleep challenge

Ever sat in the office and ask yourself ” How far could I cycle this weekend and be home for dinner on Sunday?” Well I have, and often. I’m smack bang in the middle of a busy summer at work, sick of looking at smelly noisy planes, not cycling enough (mainly due to a recent knee infection) not camping enough and desperately m [...]

Transandalucia Pt1 (Seville-Cadiz)

It was a cool sunny morning in Seville, after a quick ride around the sights I was eager to get cracking. The decision a fortnight earlier to do my first bike-packing trip in Spain had brought with it a lot of last minute packing stress and making my own frame bags had taken much more time than I’d hoped. The constant packing and re-pac [...]

An unlikely journey : Visiting ”...

I’d booked the Ijmuiden-Newcastle ferry a week earlier and hadn’t been disappointed by the price. After another summer season working more than I’d like to I was ready to hit the road again. Lacking inspiration, funds and interest for a far away or long trip I went for something closer to home and the fact I hadn’t vis [...]

The Vennbahn by Brompton

A year later than planned I once again teamed up with TravellingTwo point 5 and Stijn for an Easter weekend of cycling the VennBahn. The VennBahn is a converted railway line running from Aachen in Germany to Troisvierges in Luxemburg via Belgium. The route is about 125km and apart from a couple of small hills and some detours its almost flat, [...]

Winter Cycling in Canada

December 2013 I took the next step in my winter cycle touring experiment by heading to Canada to attempt to cycle the Trans Labrador highway. The Trans Lab claims to be one of the longest stretches of road in Canada without services. This winter had the coldest December in more than 10 years, bringing with it extreme winds and temperatures [...]