Tour de Europe 2022 – Bikepacking from Norway to France I Episode 1

This summer I decided to ride my bike from Oslo, Norway to Nice, France. I would go through Denmark, Germany. Switzerland and into France. A big motivation for the ride was to catch the Tour de France stage on Alpe d´Huez on Bastille day, the national day in France. I packed my bike with what I felt was essential for being on the road for a month and at the end of June, I set off from Oslo. Here is episode one where you join me from Norway through Denmark.

foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] well good evening and welcome to Lottery camping I’m on a bike packing trip and it’s not just a short bike hacking trip and it’s not a free day by packing trip it’s not a five day bike packing trip but it’s actually multi-week backpacking trip so I’m pretty excited I’ve had my first stage today from Oslo to Lark where I’m now 150 case and then tomorrow I’m going to take the ferry to Denmark and I’m going to continue down south all the way to France so I’m going to tell you all about it but now I’m gonna head back to tent and chill out and then I’ll give you more info about what’s going on as we get on the ferry tomorrow morning [Music] all right [Music] [Music] so welcome to Denmark welcome to hate Charles had to get up early catch the ferry and uh now I’m here and this is where the Journey Begins because here’s the plan I’m now All the Way North in Denmark and I have found this pretty cool gravel route that goes from actually all the way North from Norway to the south of Portugal so I’m jumping on the route here in Denmark and um I’m gonna follow it through the mark into Germany and into France a far bit down in France before I’ll head more East towards nice which is going to be my final destination in the end I have planned for two to three maybe four weeks we’ll see depending on how much I’m gonna do every day but uh it’s gonna be a fair amount of time for sure but let’s just say I’m super excited to get going it’s so hard to see [Music] [Music] a bit of a weird first day here in Denmark once I got going uh the route really wanted me to take me down to the beach and continue along the beach but I tried that for like 500 meters and I was like yeah that’s not happening at all because there were like no traction the bike were just sliding around and so much heavier to to ride the bike down compared to a gravel road or a payroll so small roads all around but uh yeah I just wanted me back on the beach all the all the time so Indiana just have to uh to just stop pushing myself away from the beach and just find the fastest route to the destination which is supposed to be artists but I don’t think I’m gonna make it so on to all body probably gonna stay in tonight and then and continue on from all boy [Music] so yeah welcome to all boy came here yesterday um I checked into this hotel because I forgot my 10 poles at the campsite so in lavik and um basically be difficult to Camp outside with no temples so hotel it is and which was quite nice because it’s rained pretty heavily last night so it’s not a bad decision even though it was a bit expensive 100 case yesterday and I’m trying to do at least 100K today maybe 150 I’ll see how I feel from the world [Music] [Music] she served been riding for a 5k so far today for five hours it’s just been amazing this Trail is just same it’s just a flat Gravel Road just going straight as an arrow all the way it’s not even slightly uphill it’s just flat flat and straight all the way I use more energy standing still I believe it’s just amazing uh so after all these small brick houses that um pass by all the time in this small cities or towns so I figured it would be a good place to go for lunch or early dinner I don’t know what it’s almost five o’clock so I guess early today um so I’m gonna ride for 30 40 kids before I find a place to sleep foreign [Music] hours I think in total with lunch breaks and film breaks and photo breaks and everything in between I think that’s enough so I’m pretty happy it’s been a pretty good day it’s been fun to ride easy Trails mostly gravel nice and straight flat yeah Denmark is proving me wrong at the moment um because um I haven’t been musher though Mark I’ve only been a bit of Copenhagen and I’ve been to oldberg before but I’ll all work everything north of Albury and all bodies in my mind um appreciate it so but everything start of all bike is actually pretty nice so pleasantly surprised pleasantly surprised so now I’m just gonna have some food and um chill out enjoy my evening maybe look at the tournament and have a good night’s sleep and then we’re gonna go at it again tomorrow maybe push for 200. we’re just gonna see how I feel [Music] it’s a good morning from another day in Denmark had a decent night’s sleep in a ghetto camp and now I’m rolling further south towards Germany but I’m not gonna be there I don’t know a couple of days maybe depending on how far I’m gonna ride today but sun is out slight windy but uh pretty much by myself on these back roads here so just enjoying life really [Music] [Applause] [Music] now yesterday was basically just straight as an arrow on the ground roll had lots of pancake and I thought for sure that okay Denmark you’re gonna be a piece of cake you’re gonna be chill as but then today is the complete opposite it’s a lot of cornering like left right up and down a lot up and down and uh quite hilly actually so yeah I’m basically in the forest all day uh whilst yesterday was more open I think I prefer yesterday but I’ll manage I’ll manage looks pretty good though isn’t it just came into this town and I saw this pancake house and I was like yeah I’m stopping it’s been uh it’s been a long day I’ve been riding for almost 100 now 1992 maybe and uh I don’t know six and a half hours or something six hours it’s been a bit but it’s okay it’s been like a couple of uh Arc breaks you know taking some photos flash drone but also fixing with the bags because I wasn’t sure that good enough this morning and um yeah just had a pretty long lunch as well earlier today so but that’s how it is I’m just enjoying it’s not been too bad it’s just a bit tired so sometimes just in and out of towns and on gravel roads other gravel roads up and down a little bit and um yeah there’s like no clear point of where I’m going I feel it’s just like and I’m getting a bit dizzy almost better than that I’m Joy I have the pancake and um I’m gonna do at least 40 more I think then we’re gonna set Camp somewhere or find a place to sleep but 40 more and then we’re good [Music] [Music] pretty heavy day actually started off really and I thought it would be as nice as yesterday we just flat gravel roads just cutting across the landscape but it was the exact opposite with lots of turds here and there and quite hilly so I felt impressed but I managed and uh did 140 case came to this Danish town called and went to this Recreational Sports Center in the town and they said I could just put up a tent on one of their yards outside one of their buildings so that’s what I’m that’s what I did and um and I’m gonna sleep and hopefully be purple rested for another long day on the bike tomorrow I think I’m gonna try to hit the German border a little bit furry to Germany I will see after that well good morning leaving Ryan that’s a pretty good night intent actually um it’s like pretty good it’s starting to get more comfortable in the tent so that’s actually very nice excited to see if I can hit the German border and uh I feel good bit tired but I woke up and but uh managed to grab a big cup of coffee and I’m ready to hammer down some case so we’ll see how that’s gonna turn out foreign I mean taking safety precautions during a backpacking trip maybe isn’t a Bad Thing uh just funny how they are like rocking high waist jackets and high waist triangles while I’m just rocking all black and also pretty light compared to them they’re going to Belgium I’m going to perhaps it’s much cooler to go to France [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] I think that was the border of Germany but that little bridge I just passed I think that just might have been been the border so that’s kind of weird that was the most strange border crossing I ever done I think but uh all right I guess I’m in Germany then foreign [Music] restaurant and bar so basically I’m gonna have myself a burger and then I think I’m gonna ride five or six more kilometers till I get to a campsite and I’m gonna end the day there so yeah so that’s around 120 K’s today a bit over I think that’s okay still early in the afternoon it’s nice to maybe have some time in the afternoon just chill out look around a bit because the last few days I’ve been riding fun and Care Sports setting up tent and then fixing and doing everything else with still cameras and stuff and then basically going to bed so maybe it’s nice to have some time off the afternoon to just do nothing I was a pretty Epic Burger not gonna lie exactly what I needed be expensive but pretty good heading to the campsite and just chill get ready for another long day tomorrow I guess foreign [Music] there are three things to consider when it comes to bike packing cheap light and durable but you can’t have all three things at once so you can be cheap and light but you probably can’t be very durable and you can be durable and cheap but you probably won’t be very light and it can also be durable and light but it probably won’t be very cheap so I go for a more durable and light setup I would think also I hope I mean it’s been going well so far so it is pretty light so I would say I’m in that range of durable and light because well it haven’t been really cheap now on the complete opposite side you have this woman right here like she’s gone for the more probably cheap and durable person maybe it’s not even cheap I don’t know but it’s it’s not as expensive as my setup and I respect the hell out of that because she’s going to Bergen and what she’s got like an old bike and uh luggage board or whatever it’s called and then a couple panniers and a basket case yeah she’s you know she’s coming from Nuremberg I don’t know it’s probably in the middle of Germany or something so yeah so that’s pretty cool I just um shows that you don’t need um a fancy bike like like mine to do this I basically just need a bag and a place to fit your panniers and you’re good to go whatever it takes just get out there love it absolutely love it all right made it to the campsite as you can probably see so gonna charge up some batteries charge my batteries and then get some sleep and then we’re going at it again tomorrow