Trips

DC managed to get a good subway despite massive efforts by the highway building and car lobby. (Moses lost that one). The fact that bike infrastructure is also well developed is therefore not surprising.

Car drivers don’t see the beautiful features under this bridge but a cycleway passes below. There are a number of long off-road routes in DC.

Baltimore is only 40 miles away. The city itself is horrible for riding. But Maryland is making efforts to accommodate bikes. This pro-bike sign is in MD.

DC has a very impressive zoo.

Under one of the bridges across the Potomac.

Washington DC is quite easy to cycle around. Pedestrians are also well catered for. The subway system plays a big role in limiting the number of vehicles on the road.

One of the most vibrant colours in vegetation. It is an impressive city in so many ways.

The cycling level is not high but if you want to cycle in DC you certainly can. I picked up a bike carton at a shop and carried it on the subway to the airport and packed at the airport.

We have digital mapping sorted out and are able to travel through forests, and anywhere google maps takes us.

Amazing scenes from history on display in Berlin.

Berlin is a cycling town.

It is hard to imagine what was going on here only 60 years ago. History marches on.

A very artistic city now.

SE of Berlin the country is not rich. A bit sandy. Humour thrives though.

Cyclists treated well at the Ibis in Dresden. It is a sobering experience being in this city. City planners have not tried to cover over what happened here. Glad we went though.

We just love bike touring so much!

We test Swabia crossing the old Iron Curtain. Trying out the rear conspicuity device. If you spend a lot of time on a bike you need to pay more attention to safety.

We called in to Wagner’s birthtown, Bayreuth, for a lunch break. The funny thing was that the water cost more than the meal and when we queried this we were reassured it was “famous” water.

We move onto Bamberg, surely the high point of any bike tour. On a visit to a bike shop I pay attention to B&M mirrors and within six months they are standard on Vivente bikes.

At Ulm we visit the extraordinary Cathedral.

Boer goats. They don’t mind the cold but they don’t like getting wet. They seem to be doing well here in Bavaria. Not common though.

European farmers appreciate big eaves on their shed. It is a mystery why Australian farmers don’t demand them too.

We flew into Kununurra, put the bikes together at the airport, stayed in a local caravan park and in the morning headed out on the tar before the turnoff to the GRR.

Admiring the Cockburn Ranges. Note the corrugations in the road.

An early start after camping on the east bank of the Pentacost River. There are crocodiles here and we are hurrying as best we can. A few 4WDs pass us and they have their windows up. Leaping crocs maybe?

We have opted to travel light and make the 700km in 7 days. So no front bags and minimal food.

Most of the road is quite good. We are riding in early June, after the season and after the initial grading has been done. The three bikes were running 700 x 35-42C tyres.

As we go further west we encounter the amazing boab trees. They are a native of Madagascar and it is assumed that some of the big seed pods floated right across the Indian Ocean.

We camped on water every night. The freshwater crocs are not very dangerous. Only the “salties” are and most of the camps were far enough inland to be away from the salties.

The termite nests are truly amazing. This is one of the biggest we saw.

Pete was going to provide fish but the catch was just too small to provide the nutrition we needed. We all lost weight on this ride. There are two places where you can buy a bit of food along the 700km road.

Getting more shagged out `as we pushed further west. Note the bikes had no stands in 2013.

We arrived in Derby on schedule and spend a day looking at the sites. This is the Boab Prison Tree where Aboriginals were held captive. Their crimes were to live off the land as they had for millennia.

We got the bus down to Broome to catch the plane and the local bike shop obliged us with bike cartons. We rode to the terminal (which is literally in town) and packed there.

Having arrived in Baku on the Caspian Sea we head west across the desert country of Azerbaijan. The roads are good. Baku itself is awful for cycling but out of the city was fine.

This was an early test ride with a Rohloff hub, using a chain tensioner. This frame also was the first VWR to have a rear kickstand. It was mounted with two 5mm screws. It turned out that 6mm screws were required.

Sometimes its nicer to take the road with no traffic. Lots of Walnuts and Hazelnuts in western Azerbaijan.

Cyclists are always fascinated by other ways of carrying things around. This load of watermelons was just across the border in Georgia.

Devastation from a recent earthquake in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia.

Down on the Black Sea coast, figs are in season. It is mid-August. Some of the best roadside snacks in the whole world along here.

Cows on a decommissioned bridge in Georgia doing their best to amuse passing cyclists.

Crossed into Turkey. We will ride on the Black Sea coast to 20km past Rize before heading inland. This coast road features numerous and often long tunnels where touring bikes need lights.

The turnoff to Erzurum, 20km west of Rize. The 1,000km ride from Baku has been a preparation for this climb.

The lower slopes going up to the Anatolian plateau are covered in tea plantations. It is gorgeous scenery.

As the country becomes steeper and more prone to avalanches, cable systems are used to deliver supplies to remote houses.

Coming down, we reached a long line of cars at the front of which was a massive avalanche that must have happened a few hours earlier. It was cleared after an hour but the ride to Ispir had to be completed in darkness. A tough ride.

At last. The pass at 2,640m. There was not one meter of level road in the 70km from the black sea. Now it is 40km downhill to Ispir where there is lodging. The Rohloff was fine for climbing but after this ride the chainwheel was changed from 44T to 42T.

Armenia is a poor Christian country surrounded by richer Islamic countries. Much of its prior land has been taken. During WW1 the Turks committed genocide against Armenians and still won’t admit it. It is mountainous and roads are poor but traffic is light. As long as you take care it is safe.

We have miscalculated on the road to Goris. The climbing has taken too long. We are taken in by a farming family. It is amazing how, when you are really in need, someone appears and offers help.

The southern section of Armenia is disputed by Azerbaijan. There are land mines on the roadside. At least there are warning signs.

After crossing at Nordooz, the road to Jolfa is bristling with Iranian forces. No photos. Amazing though. Then turning south we are back in the real Iran, hanging out with the spectacularly friendly people.

A goat herder along the way.

Iran is a vast country with the resources to build perfect roads over great distances.

Whilst looking for a hotel we are spotted by locals who ask us to be their guests. We take a rest day and join their family and friends on a picnic.

There is plenty of climbing and awesome scenery.

Every morning there is a “water loading” session. We need to take on as much liquid as possible. There won’t be anything available for a long way. This was a 9kg watermelon and just two of us eat it over an hour.

I am on my tourer with 35C tyres and am invited to join a MTB ride in the hills with a local club. It is rocky but the Marathons hold up really well. With no luggage I feel like I have turbo power.

The green on this sign says 45 degrees. It’s a heat wave lasting a few days. Regardless of averages being ok, there is always the chance of extreme weather.

We have made it to Tehran. Often cardboard is easy to find but not today. We have ridden over 10km around looking before finding some. With previously bought tape and rope we pack the bikes where we find the cardboard.

The final packages but at the airport there is a plastic wrapping machine. We hire a blue ute to take us to the airport (which is 40km out of the city). 24 hours later we cycle out of Sydney International Airport.

Cotton picker on the road to Warangal.

Its getting a bit late and the animals are being brought back in. We still have a 40km forest to ride through.

The main road is straight ahead but we want to go to Konta. It would have been easy to not notice on this sign that we need to go left.

For a few days we are in western Orrisa. This is a fish trap.

Woodgetters. These women don’t just stroll. They jog. And today we saw one of them jogging whilst also breastfeeding.

This is a load of leaves. They will be going to a big market, probably some distance away. They are used with beetle nut, a stimulant that men and women chew. It makes their mouths red and causes them to spit out red saliva. All a bit gross but what an impressive load!

An animist roadside totem top. One of the world’s largest tribal populations lives in the forests of Chhattisgarh, where they follow a religion that blends animism and witchcraft with the worship of multiple gods.

Arranging a boat ride. It is already a 120km day and if we can’t pull this off it will be 170km. The rivers become massive in the wet season and would just be too expensive to build enough bridges over them. In the wet season this would be impassable.

Chhattisgarh family with corn.

Women bringing leaves in from the forest.

So many bikes have only pedal spindles, the rubber having fallen off. I have started carrying pedals and when I see one of these I do a very quick free service and in one minute depart leaving the bike with brand new pedals and the locals scratching their heads saying “what just happened”. I did three bikes today.

This is the largest number of people I have seen on a single rickshaw. I can see 11 but there might be as many as 20.

The road is rough but there are lots of local cyclists. They have their own tracks on either side and it is quite easy to travel at 25-30kph on these perfect bike tracks. On the road you’d be doing less than 20.

The bridges of Maharashtra. Surely someone has made a coffee table book of them. They are beautiful. Today a woman washing clothes flashed her boobs as I rode past. We all laughed.

Departing Nagpur. Yesterday was a rest day allowing time to score cardboard and wrap the bikes after they had the front wheels, saddles, pedals and handlebars taken off. This remote and not-modern part of India pulls at my heart as I take off.

If I follow bike paths the zig-zagging takes forever. This map is not much help either. I’ll just use the compass and go SW.

It seems wherever apples grow, so does hops.

At Eurobike, a trade show with 40,000 visitors, hotel accommodation is booked out for 60 kilometers. In the nearby town a hotel room costs upwards of 250 euro. But at this camping only 500m from the show, a tent is provided and it costs 6 euro (2007) a night. It is in a local sports club and we use the showers in the changerooms. Every year there are a few hundred mostly European bike shop people that stay here, many having arrived on bikes. It is a great atmosphere.

Can’t get that beer out fast enough.

A tour in Germany is a tour of woodstacks.

This is Bavaria. The roads are duplicated for bikes and it is not a question of which way to go. More a case of…where will I go and knowing there will be a bike path also.

The Danube or Donau. Only 100km to the west of here it is a tiny stream.

Some impressive things along the way.

The Ulm Minster, the tallest church in the world and the 4th tallest building in the world that was built pre-20th century.

By the time the Danube reaches Ulm it is getting big. In the city there are extensive bike paths alongside the river.

First impressions count a lot and this ute load of mangoes, 3kg for $2 was a great start.

Iguanas abound. They must be very successful in this environment as there are so many.

Scarlet Macaws. We are starting to notice it is not only humans that do well here. Wildlife is everywhere.

Along the Pacific coast heading towards Manzanillo. So many beautiful places. No tourists either.

Howler monkeys. We watch them and they watch us.

There are a lot of horses in Central America. It is beautiful to see them out in remote and peaceful places.

Many rivers to cross. It would be nice if the bottoms were sandy and shoes could be left off but mostly they are stony. Josh is going for barefoot on this one and the sole reward is dry shoes.

As we climb around a headland we get great views down the Pacific coast on the Nicoya Peninsula.

A mantled howler male (obviously). They run along power lines that are plastic coated. Often in large groups so it’s quite a sight.

Gringos being taken for a horse ride along the beach.

There are lots of roads like this in Costa Rica. The country has no army (abolished in 1949). It intends to be carbon neutral by 2021. It ranks as one of the best environmental performers in the world.

In the 2008-11 period Vivente had models with frame coupling. This is the Ritchey Breakaway and is, in effect, the same as the alternative S&S coupling. It is intended to allow the bike to be packed in under the 62” IATA limit for normal baggage. The trouble is, with big frames, long chainstays, rear carriers, mudguards, big tyres and long fork steerers it doesn’t work. Even if you take the cranks off. Perhaps the S&S works. The Ritchey doesn’t.

Hanoi has a charming combination of French and Asian style. Good coffee. Good bakery items. Good fruit.

Land is scarce and buildings are being erected over water. This is not a flood. It is the normal water level.

From the sidewalk the sea of traffic looks scary. So many bikes, scooters cars and trucks. But once you launch into it is quite ok. Then you see schoolgirls riding alongside and stop worrying.

In morning peak hour, the number of scooters coming into the city is extraordinary.

On day rides around the city I am soon in clean, calm and beautiful places.

Having grown up on an irrigation farm I am fascinated by different ways people have to deliver water to their crops.

The modernisation and industrialisation taking place alongside traditional farming is sobering.

I am flying on Vietnam Airlines and their website asserts luggage must be no more than 62”. Even going to this amount of trouble my XXL bike with a coupling system doesn’t make it. But I am not charged extra. Soon after this VWR ceases making coupling bikes.

It’s summer and fresh fruit is plentiful. Kiwi fruit here. But cherries and apricots are also in season.

The scenery is stunning. So many people comment on how they run out of superlatives to describe it.

The Matawai pub. Iconic old hotels offer very reasonable lodging often in tiny towns that long ago were much larger.

An unconventional but seemingly good idea. To catch the olives.

40 South. It also passes through Bass Strait.

At Pukaha Mt Bruce nature reserve we see the remarkable migratory eels. These ones are in the wild.

Whilst having an ice cream someone says “are you hear to ride the trail?” In fact we had no idea but soon we riding the Rimutaka Cycle Trail.

Rimutaka is an old railway with lots of informative plaques and great tunnels.

What a treat.

A road through a long gorge. One must admire the kiwi roadbuilders. The country has under 5 million people but they have built roads in treacherous places and regularly have to rebuild them after earthquakes.

The sign at the south west end.

Coming into Wellington there is a very cool bit of infrastructure. There is a sensor that spots bikes and activates that bike sign you can see on the left. As you go through a squeeze-point, the traffic is warned you are there.