Everything you need to know to plan your own adventure.
Or to save you a LOT of time and money, my guide so you can follow the exact same trip I did:
https://www.ilikemountains.cc/product-page/ride-across-the-pyrenees-the-ultimate-guide
0:00 Intro
0:39 The ULTIMATE Guide
1:45 The Route – finding and plotting the perfect route.
4:41 Getting to and from the start. More complicated that I thought…
10:59 Food and drink stops along the route
11:40 The Guide in more detail and what’s included.
// Cycling eBook: https://www.ilikemountains.cc/s-h-o-p
// Instagram: http://instagram.com/katiekookaburra1/
// Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/3352833
// My Zwift Club: https://tinyurl.com/4wusdwxp
// Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/katiekookaburra
Super happy to have the following brands support me and my ol’ cycling adventures. So you will see some of their products I choose to use in my content 🙂
https://www.shimano.com/en/
https://www.garmin.com/
https://www.zwift.com/uk
https://exposurelights.com/
Shokz: https://shokz.cc/3Sq4IXJ
44 Comments
I have a week off at end of month planned to bikepack Hebridean way. I’ve watched all of this and think I might do this if weather is bad. I did a few days in Pyrenees last year and did a few cols including the tourmalet. This is something else though and not sure I could completely do it 😱
This whole trip series is one of the BEST video series you've ever done! Thanks so much, and can hardly wait for the sequel!!
KB — It seems you've "forgotten" how to plan to have Keira and her friends take us out for sushi in Girona. 😜 Perhaps you can release an addendum.
Thank you for doing this, love your channel!
As a journalist who also has an engineering background, I truly appreciate the meticulousness of your preparation — and your tutorial! The tutorial is artfully laid out, too!
Katie, your planning for these trips really is meticulous and you consider every possible detail. The guide is exceptional, and for those of us who lack the experience of planning these types of adventures you literally have done all the planning for us. It is also very reassuring knowing that you have ridden this route and provided not only a day by day video commentary on your channel, but a document that we can use to aid our own planning. Great work, thank you.
Brilliant, brilliant. This is some of the best content you have done, absolutely cannot wait for the next one.
Thanks for this great tour and for taking us with you! Would you say it's necessary to book all accommodations in advance or would it work out to go on the trip and then see where each day takes you to?
I think that sounds like a bit of a bargain considering how much work and effort that was put into it and the information you're providing absolutely marvellous.
Brilliant!
Hi Katie, how many bikes do you have and what types are they ? Loved the video thank you and love your positivity.
Absolutely fantastic Katie, thank you so much for putting together the guide it’s really so helpful 🙌🤗
Cheers Katie, very informative, 3 of us are going to do the exact route last week of Jun 25 so the guide will save us a lot of planning time 👍🏻👊🏻🚴🏻♂️
So generous of you to share this with us!
I may never ride this route but your big picture summary of every aspect of bicycle trip planning is very much appreciated … ta very much. Looking forward to the next big adventure! 🚴♂️⛰️🍊😄
My 1st trip was just my buddy winning 2 round trip air tickets in continental USA, so we boxed up the bikes with small backpacks & hiking boots & flew from Alabama to Seattle! We unboxed our bikes, put on the wheels & rode to REI where we bought provisions. Every night we stayed in a State Park usually after a ferry to another island! We took turns about who had to ride to a store for beer! 😂 We ran late biking one day & hitched a ride with a diaper service truck. 😮Yes, it stank but we made our campsite. Adventure is a bit of planning but understand their will be variables! The variables make great stories….like the time we got off rode in Colorado & came face 2 face with a bull in the middle of the road, pissed! Ahhhh adventure. 😊
Great planning Katie. My wife and I plan our Euro trips as you do. Most times we do loops so the storage of our hard shell bike cases are left with the hotel concierge. The one time we did Bordeaux to Barcelona with our hard shell bike cases we had DHL transport them hotel to hotel for a reasonable cost. You must make sure the cases meet the dimension requirements.
Thankyou so much for sharing this , you've worked really really hard and to share it for others to use and learn from is amazing .😊
Thanks for a great series. Loved the views. Did you consider flying to Biarritz then going to San Sebastian? 50km good train service or a good cycle. Just wondering if it didn't cross your mind or maybe it wasn't a viable option. Thanks again for the great content.
Could you not have used Komoot for the planning? Komoot allows you to set a start and end location, it'll layout a rough route you can amend. You can then split it into a multi-day trip which you can amend amount of riding days, each days distance, select hotels, cafe stops, etc
Have you ever tried MTB?
Apologies if Ive missed this but tech question. How did you edit, store and upload all of the footage you took on a daily basis.
Awesome video. I admire people who can plan their adventures. Alas I am not one of them (I try sometimes)
My trips are a vague idea of where I am going and wing it when I get there.
Just purchased 👍 Love things like this. I'm lazy so happy for others to do the work. Great job and looks like a cracking trip to do in September. 👍
I admire the way you plan your trips, taking all possible detail in account, I wonder if all this preparation does not prevent an adventure for being an adventure with all its sides, that include a certain degree of nice surprises or unpleasant unexpected situations. ( But I have seen in your videos how you did always face all unexpected situations with a positive mind in every case, and this confirms me what I'm told, that the worst fear to fear is the fear of fear)
This was one of the best trips you’ve done and absolute genius to provide a tutorial at the end, hope to see more like this. Giving some serious thought to doing this 👍
What did it cost?
Excellent stuff Katie. This is defo your ‘thing’
Tenner for cash ? 😂
I came across this route even before your videos about it (on another YT-cycling channel) and immediately put it on my bucket list. But I couldn't really find any information about it. So, there come you – with the perfect guide book. Although I don't even know when I will do this tour (or even IF) I instantly bought it (and while I was there, also the other one 🙂 just to appreciate the work you put into it, the beauty of it and the channel in general. 🙏
PS: Just a practical remark. Maybe you should make clear somewhere, that it is an eBook, like with the other one.
Brilliant Katie. I may never do this exact trip, but several of my TFC teammates may have some interest. Sent tip…as I thought we should support your efforts.
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing, some really useful tips and your preparation is far better than mine. Was really interested to hear how you got your bike back. If you ever go to Verona there's a luggage room where you can leave a bike box for a few euros a day
By gum Katie the amount of meticulous planning looks more scary than the actual trip. Loved the whole series of videos of the trip and really looking forward to the Dolomites trip. Wonder which trip will offer you the most/best climbs, rocks and scenery 🤔enjoy the Alps and enjoy your trip into Italian cycling🥰
Thanks you so much for this guide and for sharing your ride!
What about the southern part of Japan????
Oh dear. I’ve been putting this one off for about 20 years – no excuse now 😂 Looks super-helpful, thanks.
🙏
Thanks Katie, this has been on my bucket list for years.Riden just about everything else big here in Europe.Unfortunately after losing my livelyhood during COVID gaining 20kgs, then getting motivated to start riding and training again during a Zwift session I had a heart attack, got stented up and have been getting back into it slowly again. Doc say go for it but its always in the back of your mind although my numbers are better than before its the mental hurdle I somehow have to jump. Your trip and the way you present it are a wonderful motivation to maybe just do it and if I drop dead out on my bike so be it . Thanks for putting the trip together for us still on the fence 😉
Sounds like a very useful and comprehensive guide.
Really helpful info, thanks
Hi Katie. Absolutely love your videos. You've inspired me to do a similar coast-to-coast trip. Can you tell us anything about the training plan you used to prepare for this trip? Thank you. Keep on riding
Thanks Katie , Inspired by these great videos , I've just booked my flights to do this trip so I can't bottle it now 🙂 . I noticed the official RAID route is different , Any reason why you chose a slightly different route ?
Thank YOU , Thank you Thank you!!!!