Title: “We’re not dead yet!” – A couple of retired grandparents currently cycling the Adriatic Coast (and how a bad knee started it all).

We are a couple of retired grandparents who have fully embraced long-distance cycle touring. Our kids honestly don't know what to think, but they're happy we're having a good time and (usually) return home safely!

We’ve been out for a few weeks on our latest adventure. This time, we started in Bologna and are heading down the Adriatic coast towards Bari. Like most of our trips, we make plans but have to stay extremely flexible because it never ends up the way we think. Case in point: there was that one time we started in Barcelona heading for Croatia, but somehow ended up in Amsterdam. It always reminds us of that old Bugs Bunny cartoon: "Must have made a wrong turn at Albuquerque!" 🥕

How we got here: We actually got into this after a doctor recommended road cycling every day to help me rehab a knee injury. It completely changed my life. Soon after, Grace joined me, and now we just hop on our bikes and follow our noses across Europe.

A massive inspiration for us was meeting "Running Granny" from the UK while we were riding LEJOG (Land's End to John o' Groats). She was running the JOGLE! Her message to the older folks in her country has become our unofficial motto: "Get up, turn off the tele, go outside. We're not dead yet!"

The Gear Evolution: On our first trip, we were way overburdened and had very little idea of what cycle touring was actually like. Looking back, we've done a lot of silly things, and to be honest, we still do. But we keep improving, tweaking our setups, and enjoying the incredible people and places we meet along the way.

Over the years, we've significantly lightened up what we pack… although the "winter snacking" weight seems to stay with us. 😂

If you're interested in the gear we rely on now, I’ve posted it on our little website. It’s mostly a journal for our friends and family, but we thought we’d open it up to an audience of like-minded adventurers: 🔗 Everything We Take (Gear List)

If you want to follow along with our current Adriatic loop, you can check it out here: 🔗 The Adriatic Loop Journal

Disclaimer: We are currently behind on the journal (Past three days we've been in Albania). We've been too busy enjoying the actual ride, dealing with spotty internet, and trying to figure out how to navigate our touring bikes across massive landslide washouts. Also, the website was created early this year with Ghost. It's a work in progress.

Enjoy the ride!

— Ian & Grace