Hi everyone,
I’m planning a bike touring trip starting from Istria (Croatia), heading south along the coast through Croatia, Montenegro and Albania, then crossing to Italy and riding north back.
This is still a rough plan. I’d appreciate any suggestions, especially:
- scenic or less busy alternative routes
- must-see spots (nature, swimming spots, viewpoints, interesting towns) along or near the route
I’m planning to stay mostly along the coast, but I’m flexible if something is worth it.
A bit about my experience:
I haven’t done a longer tour before – the most I’ve done so far is 1–2 nights, so this will be my first proper multi-month trip.
I also had a bit of a setback recently with lower back pain. It didn’t come directly from cycling – I think it was more from stress before the trip + a lot of bending, and then I did a light ride which made it worse.
Right now I’m recovering and it’s much better, just a slight discomfort left. I did two easy rides in the past couple of days and it felt mostly fine.
My main question:
Would you wait until your back feels 100% before starting a longer tour, or is it generally okay to start while it’s almost gone and just take it easy in the beginning?
Also, if anyone has tips for preventing or managing lower back pain on tour (bike fit, posture, pacing, stretching, etc.), I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks a lot, really excited about this trip and looking forward to your suggestions 🙂
by MarinH323