Other people's travels

I thought I'd write a little bit on some of the other cycletourers that I have met after 7 weeks on the road. I'll put their ages down as I think in some cases it serves as a source of inspiration. 

Daniel, 34. 
He was riding from his home in Munich up to Hamburg to meet his brother, they were then going to carry on to Copenhagen.
He told me he was a keen skateboarder and his plan for next year was to cycle to Greece and stay with a friend in Athens and go skateboarding every day. His bike was 100€ off Ebay and his tent cost him 30€.

A couple outside Lidl, both 75.
They had so much stuff with them, it's a wonder the bikes could stay upright. They had left from Rome and were cycling back to their home in Amsterdam. We stood and laughed for 10 minutes. They were both great fun.
Then a teenage girl joined us, for a chat. She was riding for 3 days to stay with her grandparents, along the Rhine.

Henrik, 59.
He was going from Copenhagen to Marseille, he was on an old racing bike, no panniers. He was towing a trailer behind him with all his gear in one big bag. His plan was to get to Marseille and then his wife would drive down and bring him back home in the car.

German lady, 60.
She was riding alone, from Dusseldorf to Lyon and then onwards to a museum somewhere that had a stuffed giraffe that she wanted to see. After that she was heading to Paris, she wanted to get tickets to watch the German volleyball team at the Olympics. 

A couple on adult scooters, 65.
He was Dutch, she was from Poland. They were on scooters with full size wheels on the front. You stood on it and pushed along with the other foot. He was also pulling a trailer. I can't imagine the leg strength required. They were carrying a lot of gear, the tent was huge. He casually said that they were doing 20k a day. He also mentioned that 8 years ago, he'd scooted over to Poland from the Netherlands, a journey of 1400 kms.

A Dutch couple, 70.
They were riding from Amsterdam  down and around France, no set route. The lady said this may be their last long tour, she was finding the hills in Belgium a bit too much now.
I asked would she consider an e bike?
Her reply? No chance, not yet. Maybe in 5 years time. 

I've passed dozens and dozens of cyclists en route and I can honestly say, that a good 80% of them have been at least 60 years old. All waving, all smiling. Comfortable doing something that they love.

It's brilliant to hear these stories. And, nobody is bragging or saying they are amazing. It's just something at that moment in their life that they are doing and if other people can take inspiration then so be it. 
I don't think tourers set out to do these trips for attention. It grows organically into something much more than just a cycle trip.

It's not all plain sailing, of course it's not. Neither is life.
But any challenges can always be overcome.  
Keep it real, keep moving forwards and cherish every single moment. 


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