If you’re an American cyclist embarking to bike in Europe, consider these points:
– local highways: if you’re on a major road and see a large bike path nearby, then you’re biking on a local highway. Trucks might honk at you and they will drive as if you’re not there, because you’re supposed to be on the bike path. Before riding, check that the route given to you doesn’t have a large bike path nearby. Think you’re fast and safe with a radar and a rear-facing mirror? It just means you will hear and see the grim reaper moving slower. Unlike American highways, these have either stone walls or cliffs for shoulders, so don’t count on just getting out of the way.
– hydration: everything will be OK if you drink more water, right? Wrong. Hydration mixes which are usually widely sold in the Americas are probably not going to be available in local stores and high end bike shops will be sold out. So look for local alternatives like mixing coconut water with salt (yuck) – actually that’s all I found – hoping you will have better luck.
– hydration again – water quality: stick to large supermarkets which carry same brand name water as you’ve drunk in the past. A lot of restaurants will readily serve you tap water, as will hotels. Feeling parched at night and want to get some water from the hotel lobby downstairs? Everything is closed and you’re either dehydrating or drinking more local tap water. Getting locally-branded water from supermarkets might also make you sick. Google “why travelers get sick drinking local water” for more info.
– elevation, temperature and social media likes: is it cool to participate in a hill climbing race/competition? You betcha!! Is it cool to do the same climb with a lower gear ratio, taking much longer by essentially grinding in a lower power zone with breaks? You’ll get the same picture at the top and to a non-cyclist it might seem impressive. In reality you’ve spent a longer amount of time inhaling cold mountain air at the top and that’s assuming you brought warm enough gear to not catch hypothermia; but you probably didn’t bring extra warm gear because you were too busy weight weening – mountain climbing competitions have support crews with blankets and paramedics up top – you don’t. And now you have to descend, which means you’re getting blasted by the same cold air now.
– descending: remember how local highways don’t have shoulders? Well, in some places hairpin turns have massive drops – and not the fun kind that we send on our mountain bikes but the kind where you will plummet to a very ugly death. Most roads have barriers, but not all – needless to say, any kind of equipment malfunction such as a tire blowout or brake fluid pressure loss can cause death – descend slowly without gaining any momentum for epic GoPro footage.
I hope you found these points helpful and educational.
TLDR is: just because someone came back from a war doesn’t mean going to war is safe.
Please feel free to share and re-post. Happy riding!