Good advice.

I wish I’d listened to #5. 😀

I can’t fix a chain. Nor am I carrying a link.

Almost ANYONE could get into multi-day cycling. So long as you can sit on a bicycle seat a few hours a day.

Sleep in a tent. Or in a hotel each night.

Some campgrounds in Germany have E-Bike charging stations.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

IF you were to try bikepacking, I’d recommend renting the bike for your first multi-day trip.

Europe is the easiest place to give it a go.

Chiemsee is a freshwater lake in Bavaria, often called “the Bavarian Sea”.

I took my bike on the train from Munich to Prein — and cycled the 54.7-km loop of the lake using AllTrails.

This area is super popular with tourists.

I saw thousands of other cyclists.

That said — it’s not a particularly interesting route. You only see the lake infrequently.

Trip report

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

In 2023, I cycled the Danube — finishing in Lindau on Lake Constance.

I stored bike and gear with friends in Munich, returning 2024 to cycle the Rhine.

Got as far as Düsseldorf before diverting north towards Denmark.

I started in Lindau. The first of 5 drenching rainstorms over the next 2 weeks.

Mostly I followed the EuroVelo 15.

The river Rhine from source to sea is about 1368km. I probably did close to 1000km of that PLUS many side trips. No rush. About 2 weeks.

My biggest detour was over to the Black Forest for a couple of days.

Early in the trip, Rhine Falls (Rheinfalls) was a major highlight.

Germany is probably the best nation in the world right now for cycling. The Deutschland Rail ticket is still next to free in 2024, so I could hop local trains as needed.

I’d long wanted to visit Strasbourg, France. And it is great.

Of course I stop and click much old architecture. It’s evocative.

I often detoured to parks and botanical gardens.

There are a surprising number of ferries crossing the Rhine.

I was back and forth, both sides of the river.

Vineyards. Vineyards. Vineyards.

Campgrounds are plentiful and inexpensive along the river.

I only wild camped 3 times.

Many fish the Rhine. I assumed it would be fished out — until watching a father and son reel in this monster.

Another highlight was seeing castles up on high points above the river.

I can’t say much about the cuisine as I mostly ate my own food. Plenty of good bread, blue cheese, hummus.

Certainly Germany is one of the easiest places in the world for bikepacking.

The campgrounds have chargers for electric bikes !

I’m more than a little worried about Faroe Islands and Iceland …

… Coming up SOON.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

After being sternly advised NOT to go to the tourist trap of Titisee — I hopped on a train to Titisee. 😀

BUT like every tourist trap, IF you divert anywhere away from the tour buses, it’s lovely.

Titisee was a quick and convenient way for me to sidetrack from the Rhine River to visit the Black Forest — my first time.

To be honest, the hiking did not look all that spectacular. Cycling is better.

I opted to cycle around the lake, as everyone does in Germany.

Then headed out to Stage 4 of the Black Forest Panorama Cycle Path.

Over 2 days I did at least 100km in the Black Forest. Nice.

Wild camped.

Sadly, the final town no longer had a working train station. I scrambled, taking over 4 hours on three trains to get back to the Rhine. And into Strasbourg, France.

By coincidence, same day, France was playing Spain in sports ball … losing to Spain, 2-1.

My cycle touring began July 3, 2024.

Getting off the train from Munich in Lindau, I first cycled to Bregenz, Austria to test the bike with a full load.

NO PROBLEMS.

I’d read that the cycling north of the lake was more interesting than the south, so planned to put in another 40km on my first day.

BUT it rained hard. And was scheduled to rain until 9pm … so I checked into a hostel rather than camping.

Lindau is very pretty, even in the rain.

Cycling Europe I see a hundred interesting things a day.

For example, this water fountain in a hostel. Choose TAP or CARBONATED.

The main cycling route is great and (usually) easy to follow. I only share with motor vehicles about 25% of the time.

I was intrigued by Friedrichshafen.

The Zeppelin factory here, 1942 and 1945, used slave labor of hundreds of concentration camp prisoners from Dachau and Dora-Mittelbau.

Terrible history. But interesting tourist stop.

I’d planned to cycle around the lake into Switzerland — but by coincidence I rode up to the ferry one minute before it departed.

KARMA

Switzerland is far more expensive than Germany. Double the price for some things.

It’s more rural on the Swiss side of the lake. Many vineyards.

Finding no place to wild camp, I finally checked into a pretty campground on the lake.

Camping is highest priority for families with kids. A paradise here.

Like last year, there has been a lot of flooding in Germany.

Water is still very high.

Next day I rode on to Rhine Falls (Rheinfalls), Switzerland — the highlight, so far.

Wow.

Of these nations, the one that appeals to me most is Iran.

Second most … Turkey.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I’ll be arriving Seydisfjordur on the east coast via ferry on Aug. 8th, 2024.

Some buses and vans in Iceland transport bicycles. So I’ll probably cycle and bus, working my way to the west coast.

The most popular cycling area is the westfjords.

I really enjoyed a brief stop on the Westfjords (or West Fjords) during my 2011 rent-a-car tour of Iceland.

Very mountainous; the coastline heavily indented by dozens of fjords surrounded by steep hills. These indentations make roads very circuitous. Sounds like the west coast of Norway.

Total total population in 2020 was 7,115.

CHRIS BURKARD put together a gravel tour of the region he called WESTFJORDS WAY.

• 575 Mi.(925 KM)
• 40% unpaved
• pushing your bike about 10% of the time

Biggest worries for me riding solo are the weather — “Riding in fjords guarantees a headwind and a tailwind. The wind can be so severe that it will push you off your bike …” — and the remoteness. Not many bike shops or resupply points.

BUT I downloaded Lael’s map from the adventure to Komoot. So I’m ready to try it if I get the chance one day.

In a perfect world where everything goes right 😀 … I might even try it summer 2024 as part of my planned Norway & Faroe Islands cycling tour.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

My cycling hero — Lael Wilcox — is one of the top ultra-endurance racers of all time.

She does not have a driver’s licence. 😀

In 2008 she and a boyfriend started a trip, cycling over 100,000 miles through 30+ nations.

What’s next?

Guinness Record Attempt: Around the World

My goal is to ride the 18,000 miles in 110 days. The current women’s record is held by Jenny Graham at 124 days, 10 hours and 50 minutes.

At this point, in regards to the record, there’s no distinction between supported and self-supported rides. I’ll be carrying all of my own equipment and food and figuring out all of the logistics on and off the bike. That’s how I like to travel– with a sleep kit and winging it along the way.

I like open-ended adventures and I like competition and riding around the world as fast as I can feels like a great combination of both.

Rue will be documenting my ride and I’d love to encourage people to come out and share a few miles with me along the way.

I’ll be starting in Chicago May 26th.

18,000+ miles without a chamois: Lael Wilcox is aiming to set a world record by circumnavigating the planet in 110 days

Wilcox hopes to set a new Guinness World Record and admits that even she is “really terrified”