Hi!! I was planning to do the EV8 joining from around Milan to Albania. Since I’ve started googling I’ve found a fair few people on Reddit saying it’s not the most developed route and that there are some patches of sketchy sharing the road with cars as well as gravelly bits.
I’m personally tragic at navigating so I’d love something with good signage so I can conserve battery on my crappy phone (I do have a power bank)
I’m not the most experienced rider and have been riding so far on a cheap second hand Dutch city bike and doing a mixture of wild camping and paid camping with my cheap tent as well as staying in hostels (really trying to stretch the Aussie dollars in Europe 😅).
If you like nice bike gear maybe close your eyes and scroll past the photo 😂.
So far I’ve ridden about 1100km from Amsterdam to Milan (had to train through the alps unfortunately due to an avalanche and rainstorms/floods).
The bike is super sturdy (but ridiculously heavy). That being said, I am more than happy to push her up hills need be.
What I’m wondering is:
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how long are the stretches of road with traffic/cars in Croatia? I don’t feel super confident next to cars but i don’t mind if it’s just a couple days of riding. Im averaging about 70kms a day.
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how much is gravel? I have disc brakes and only a small multi tool so im kinda screwed if I get a flat (this has already happened and thankfully a nice Swiss couple helped me). Again though, if this does happen and I have to walk a while, then I’m happy to walk.
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Is there a more paved route or somewhere with less cars/gravel? Im quite happy to go inland or a longer way if I have to.
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Any other thoughts or considerations?
Any help is super super appreciated! This is the first time I’ve ever made a Reddit post/question so I’m grateful to anyone who has used their time to respond 🥰
NB: It’s worth noting I’m quite happy to suffer and push the thing up large hills and would rather do that than deal with loads of cars.
NB: I have roughly a month to get out of the Schengen to Albania. I’m averaging about 70kms a day, but if I don’t make it all the way there I’m happy to swallow the negligible amount of pride I have and hop on some transport 😅
Thanks so so much in advance! 💕
by bsssstty__
6 Comments
How about you cycle to Bari Italy and take the ferry to Durrës Albania?
I don’t know anything about your questions, but I love your spirit of just going for it on the gear you have. May you continue to enjoy the kilometres ahead.
It really boils down to looking at a map and taking smaller roads. In general, the further east you get the poorer infrastructure becomes. Smaller roads however tend to come with having to make more distance to get somewhere and more altitude to bridge. EV routes are designed to avoid climbs, but this obviously comes at a price. Also, EV8 experiences seem to vary strongly depending the season. During the busy tourist season, people tend to complain about traffic, while early/late in the season people seem to be fairly satisfied about the route. Though I’m not a fan of EV routes, a bit further inland EV6, EV11, EV13 can be alternatives that are less impacted by tourist season traffic. My recommendation however is to make my own route so you can adjust it to your own preferences instead of following something that somebody else, that may have wildly different isdeas about what makes a good route, dreamed up.
Ha this is awesome! Your rig is awesome and averaging 70km per day is really good! Somehow I find this cooler than all the fancy bicycles and fancy gear riders (which I kind of became myself). This is what touring is about, just some wheels. your stuff and the freedom to go where you want. Maybe get a small pump and learn how to fix a flat tire.
For the rest I have no advice or anything just wanted you to know that you’re awesome 😎
Just commenting that I love it that you do such a crazy adventure on a crappy (no offense) bike! 🤣
Also love Australia, lived there for almost 3 years, love the beaches and hot weather!
Keep up the spirit, than you gonna have a great time no matter where you go! 🙂