I am 18yo, just graduated high school on my first bikepqcking trip in Europe! The dream was Lisbon -> Rome along the coast in 5 weeks, with some intermittent train usage when milage fell short. Also planned on wild camping most of the time, and my only planned expense was going to be food and an occasional hotel/hostel to get clean or recoup, take a rest day, etc.
I am one week in. Have rode for only around 200 miles and am having a tough time deciding what to do. I am in southern Spain and it is HOT every day. Triple layer of sunscreen reapplied every hour and a half and my arms are still a little toasty. Two full camelbaks of water a day. I realized I really need to get clean every night between saddle sores and just feeling yucky, so I have been paying for more hostels than I thought I would for the entire trip. Have only camped one night so far… I have used trains for a ton of milage already too.
Is this normal? I figured that a 5 week solo trip fresh out of high school would have a ridiculous learning curve and I would be in for an awakening (and I have, I kind of wanted it). I have already learned so much already, I love the riding but I also love the quiet down time in hotels in the evenings and mornings between rides…
Is this something a lot of other people do? Ride low milage for a while, then take trains to bump milage when they fall behind, stay in hotels/hostels, etc.? I intended for this to be a completely unplanned trip except for the flights in and out of the continent, so really I can go anywhere and do anything I want (within my 3500$ budget for the whole trip), but is it normal for bikepackers to use other means of travel to boost milage or get where they need to go?
I love the biking aspect, but I have started debating on wether I leave at 2-3am and crank milage early to beat the heat, then relax in a park/beach until a hotel/campground opens. Also debating on leaving spain and jumping ahead in the trip to France (maybe catch some of the tour) or Switzerland (I planned on the alps, just later in the trip).
Mostly just looking for tips and ideas, also encouragement.
Also photo dump from the trip so far!
by Oh-HeckYea
14 Comments
Note: two different sets of panniers because the gray ones broke two days in. I got a pair of cheap fabric ones that were NOT up to the trip. I got the yellow ones in Cádiz, Spain and they have been great so far.
Bikepacking in Spain in summer is just a bad idea and outright dangerous! Try to get up north where it’s cooler (by train). Good luck!
One option is to look at WarmShowers as an option for free overnights. You will have to pay a one-time fee to join though. Also you can look at CouchSurfing.
Another option is to slow your roll. Enjoy the ride and the towns along the way. This may mean not making it to Rome at the end or having to train the rest of the way (if you already have plane tickets bought). The point is to enjoy the ride and the experience of the ride. Don’t let the setbacks stress you out. You need to take care of your body and not get injured or put yourself in a dangerous position by pushing yourself past your physical limits.
For riding in wild hot weather or climates try to bunk during the day and start pedaling just as the sun goes down and through the night to make your distance then rest during the day the next day, continue like this until reaching more appropriate climates! 🙏
Keep going man awesome initiative 🪷🪽 Ride safe duder!!
Everyone travels different and within their own budget.
Some trips I treat like vacation, ride, eat, hotel, and hitchhike when I want. Some trips I want to suffer, force myself to bike 8-10hrs everyday.
It’s choose your own adventure – there is absolutely no right or wrong way.
I’m flying to Athens Greece on Sunday for a vacation pace tour, planning to bike to Morocco in 6 weeks.
I will also bus or fly north and change the route if the heat is ruining the vibe.
Before I go on a trip, I check the climate diagrams for my destinations.
Did at a similar trip at 19 (2 years ago), new continent and no real plan other than starting point, destination and a couple of places I wanted to see along the way. Don’t stress too much about mileage and enjoy your time, you aren’t in a competition.
Covering less interesting/dangerous/tedious bits by train, bus or ferry has been done plenty of times and is a great way to see all the places you want to visit with limited time (I am waiting for my ferry to Åland as I’m writing this).
If you plan on continuing through the Spanish heat, make sure you get enough electrolytes. I get leg cramps when cycling in 100°F+ temps for many hours without supplementing in some way. Starting early and avoiding the midday heat is a good strategy.
Other than that, just have fun, you are creating memories for life.
You are having your own unique experience. Don’t compare it to anyone else’s. Doing what you want on the adventure was the point of the undertaking. You are also learning expectations vs. reality. This is the big lesson that can be applied to all things in life. Good luck traveler!
You sound pretty unprepared for such a long trip. Most people start off overnight trips, then a few days, then a week or more and only then for a multi-week trip. You are diving in head first. One positive way to think about your situation is its an adventure and you have to improvise every day to get through the day and you’ll have great stories to tell your kids and grand kids later and random strangers you meet before then.
Anyway, onto some advice for your trip:
Spain to Italy this time of year is going to be brutally hot. You need to get up before dawn and ride out when or before the sun rises and then find shelter between 10am – 4pm, then ride until sunset. Use this “ciesta” time to eat out, go shopping, lounge around, rest etc. Especially important to rest as you will be sleeping less on this schedule.
One of the virtues of wild camping bikepacking is you set your own pace. You don’t have to reach X town to get to Y hotel by Z date. If you just ride 20 or 30 miles that day, its ok. If you get diverted to something interesting off your route, its OK. Revel in the adventure of your trip and remember its the journey and not the destination that is your reward. If you have only so many days for your trip then wherever you end up take a train home from there and be happy with whatever happens.
You do not seem well prepared in terms of hygiene for your trip. You really, really need to know how to clean yourself in the absence of a shower every night. I don’t know about its availability in Europe but your best options are wet baby wipes. One on your crotch, one on your pits and hands and one on your face at the end of every day is crucial to staying anything remotely like fresh. A small wet towel over the rest of your body is strongly recommended. If you can find a place to swim or public showers use them. Also avoid cotton clothing to not have stagnant moisture on your skin. Wool and quick-dry nylon will keep you dry which is very important.
You will consume a lot of water, true. You will need to figure out how to source it on your route continually. My understanding is almost every small town and village in Spain and Italy have public water fountains so look or ask for them. If you take a ciesta in the middle of the day this is a good time to do so and also just avoid the sun during this time of the day.
As for sunscreen: this doesn’t work for me so well and I honestly just wear lightweight long-sleeve shirts instead and frankly just accept I will burn everywhere else. I keep a small bottle of aloe vera if my skin begins to actually burn and I need to avoid scratching it and making the situation worse. I do not carry sunscreen.
You have been riding through one of the worst heat waves in Spain ever and you are still at it!!!
Move North and avoid the Mediterranean coast because even if the temperatures are lower, the high humidity makes it quite worse.
Depending on your current location, you can move to Irun/Hendaye (train via Madrid) and cross France north of Pirinees to Perpignan, or if you are already in the Mediterranean coast, take the train to Girona and continue from there.
I am in central Spain and the last few days, I have been riding until 10:30-11:30 without issue, so, maybe crossing Spain is not impossible. Just that the central hours of the day are going to be quite boring!
I’ve been in similar situations and usually try to adjust my trip strategy before changing location / mode of transport. Obviously there is no right or wrong here, it’s your trip and it’s meant to be enjoyable just for your own pleasure, but adapting to unexpected circumstances has been very rewarding for myself.
Extreme conditions like heat definitely require a lot more management or strategy than moderate weather. It’s hot, so think about when can you make progress (cycling), how can you cool down, what can you do while it’s too hot for cycling and still enjoy the country you’re in?
Personally I find that waking up early (6-7am) and trying to leave at around 8am works quite well, this way I can push until lunch time and then have a more relaxed afternoon, eating proper food, swimming and only eventually cycling a bit more.
Swimming in a lake/river/sea is usually enough hygiene for a couple of days, as long as I can do it last thing in the evening + before heading of in the morning. It’s not essential but it’s something I enjoy.
Food, music and general mood also has a strong effect on my progress under extreme conditions like big mileage and high heat. Fries, cold fruit / juice or iced coffee will get me out of any bad situation, so think about what could be your mood lifters. Looking for music I enjoy and just adapting my cycling pace to it also lifts my mood while on the bike. And if I happen to question the whole trip or cycling in general, I often will take a longer break and look at rerouting to add more pleasurable destinations along the way.
If all of that fails, there is no shame in skipping to less extreme conditions and surroundings. It’s meant to be fun, you’ll gain worthy experience that have a lasting impact wherever you choose to go, it doesn’t have to be in 40 degree weather. But it might as well.
No one care about if you take train or not. Switzerland or France should be much more suitable now. Or Northern Europe in general
Night riding is your friend in this heat – start at 4am, stop by 11am, chill in shade/cafes til evening, then maybe ride another hour or two after sunset (good lights tho!).
Bicycling hits different with 20kg of crap on your racks. I like to keep daily rides between 65-80km. That gives me enough time to get lost and enjoy myself while making progress.
Staying clean is super important as you have found. Get some wet wipes for when you can’t find a shower. Put some diaper rash cream (boudreaux’s butt paste in the states) on your butt at night so you’re healed up in the morning.