This Saturday I set off on my trip around the Nederland. The
trip has two real purposes:
- Go and see my old friend Adam who lives out that way,
- Get out on the bike away from it all for a few days.
The main problem with any form of cycle holiday is getting
to and from your start. What is the point of starting at home if that means
that it would be several days of cycling to get to the bit you wanted to do? On
the other hand it seems extremely wasteful to transport my bike by train to
another country and only ride upon arrival. One potential long-term solution
for me would be to go back to using a Brompton for this type of trip. The bike
then becomes a travelling companion rather than a means to a holiday in itself.
For this ride I have to put the bike
into a bag (disassembled rather than folded) and carry it between trains.
Packing is quite amusing. My bike is the Kona Honky Tonk2009 that I used for the LEJOG ride last year. I have added a rack and panniers
(review upon return) but little else. A bike of this sort has clipless pedals
and a stiff saddle, which means special shoes and shorts. For comfort I will
also need gloves, cycling tops for different weather and waterproof clothing
just in case. One pannier is full of cycling gear, whilst the other has regular
clothes.
I would quite like to sort out a touring solution that
allows minimal dual kit. Seamless reinforced trousers and a brooks saddle for
example, would eliminate the need for additional trews and shorts... Especially
if I were cycling between trains or planes etc...
Anyway for now I have had to purchase:
- Ortleib back roller waterproof panniers
- Tortec tour ultralite rack
- Cinelli bike bag
- Plus vegetarian and vegan energy and protein snacks just to be on the safe side...
We’re on the Eurostar by Saturday lunchtime with a 36 hour
stop in Haarlem...
