Europe 2024

Introduction

In 2022, M1 (your intrepid blogger's code name) undertook a huge solo bikepacking trip that saw him and his bike The Mule passing through parts of England, France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain and crossing some big mountain ranges including the Swiss Alps and The Pyrenees. It was an awesome trip and M1 told everyone who would listen (or who were not listening) what an awesome trip it had been. This included his wife, M2.

The Swiss Alps in 2022

M2 had respectfully declined the invitation to join M1 on the epic 2022 trip, saying something like "You must be ******** joking! No way!". But something about the way M1 enthused about the 2022 trip must have had an impact. Or maybe it was just that M2 couldn't bear to be apart from M1 again :-) Or maybe it was something else. Because M2 decided to give bikepacking a try for the first time ever and joined the 2023 European bikepacking trip through England, France, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. 

M2 cycling by the River Meuse in 2023

Apparently it must have been OK because the 2024 bikepacking trip is once again a team event with both M1 and M2 taking part.

You can see a summary of each of the two previous European bikepacking trips on this page.

The Europe 2024 Route

This year we're cycling to Bilbao in Northern Spain. We'll cycle from our home just to the south of London, down to Portsmouth on the south coast of England and we'll take an overnight ferry from there to St Malo in Northern France. We'll then cycle a little to the west on Eurovelo route Ev4 and then cut across to EV1 which we'll follow all the way down the Atlantic coast, crossing the border into Spain at Irun. And then we'll roughly follow the Camino del Norte to the city of Bilbao. Hopefully there will be some time for sightseeing in Bilbao, after which we will sail back to Portsmouth and cycle home from there. 

We've allowed five weeks for the round-trip and expect to cycle about 1300 miles or 2100 km.

Preparation

Both M1 and M2 would freely admit that maybe they haven't done quite so much training for this trip as they should have! So, it promises to be a bit tough to begin with. The route south along the Atlantic coast looks quite flat though, so it shouldn't be too arduous. In fact the hardest day looks like it will be our very first, with 71 miles or 115 km to cycle all in one day and on heavy bikes. Have I mentioned that our bikes are quite heavy when loaded up? Well, they are.

M1 has serviced both his bike, The Mule and M2's bike, TBWNN (The Bike With No Name). Each bike has a new chain and cassette, new Shimano brake pads and new Continental Contact Plus tyres. We're both using 42 mm wide tyres this year which seems to be a good compromise, allowing relatively low friction rolling on roads but offering enough grip and cushioning for rougher surfaces.

That's it! We leave in just under two weeks. Watch this space for updates!