Klaipėda - Vilnius, Lithuania
2009
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The Beginning
In 2009, some missionary friends offered us two second-hand Swedish bicycles that no one else had wanted. They were good, solid and very old bikes. Mine had three gears and some kind of internal braking system. Sharon's was purple with a big heavy basket on the front.
We weren't cyclists, we were hikers. At the time we were living on the west coast of Lithuania and I had already walked the length of the country and not even climbed a single hill or tramped through mud. We received the bicycles on a trial basis. We were going to see if we could trade the tramping for cycling. If the bicycles were not going to facilitate adventure, then the plan was to give them away again. Soon after receiving the bikes, I purchased cheap but sturdy 'Wave' panniers and a rather useless bar-bag. |
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Within a couple of months, we had planned our first overnight tour cycle. We cycled 123.45 km from Klaipėda to Nida and back, up and down the EuroVelo 10/13 bike route. I carried our hiking tent, sleeping bags, bedrolls and stove. Sharon had her clothes in a small backpack on her carrier and her jacket in the front basket. We stayed at the Nida camping ground.Our experience was zero, our bikes were very basic and even our adventurous hearts were more than a little apprehensive. Looking back at the photos, the weather was predictably sunny with little wind. Most of our riding was through spruce and pine forest on sealed, independent cycle tracks. Though it was hard work for us, we couldn't really have experienced an easier introduction to tour cycling.
A seed was sown and we realised that this was perhaps something that would quench our thirst for travel and adventure. It was also something we could enjoy together and would help relieve the pressure from our stressful jobs.
We very quickly learned that Sharon's city bike was not going to be up for the task. We gave it away and purchased a very cheap second-hand German bike.
In 2010, we upped the anti and planned a slightly more challenging ride. This time we ventured down the rather intrepid LT5 cycle route, crossed the Kuršių Lagoon on a rickety ferry and then rode back home on the same EuroVelo 10/13. This was a four day, 170 km exploit that took us down unpaved tracks and corrugated gravel roads while battling strong winds.
We spent our first night in a grubby cabin in Minija, our second night in a camping ground in Ventė and our final night in the same camping ground in Nida. For us, the LT5 was a hard ride with lots of loose sand and mosquitoes, but it gave us a healthy taste of something we wanted to do more of.
Shortly afterwards, a friend sold me a much better bike at a cheap price and in 2011, I cycled two trips alone, doing about 1000 km. By this stage, a faithful friend had given me four Ortlieb panniers.
By 2012, the dream was born and Sharon and I ventured out on our first week-long tour. Our journey took place on the Estonian island of Saaremaa. Since then, we have regularly toured.
I want to stress that on our first foray into cycle touring, we were operating on a pretty much non-existent budget with hand-me-down bikes. We gathered our gear slowly, year by year. Now riding is something we do and will be doing into old age.
A seed was sown and we realised that this was perhaps something that would quench our thirst for travel and adventure. It was also something we could enjoy together and would help relieve the pressure from our stressful jobs.
We very quickly learned that Sharon's city bike was not going to be up for the task. We gave it away and purchased a very cheap second-hand German bike.
In 2010, we upped the anti and planned a slightly more challenging ride. This time we ventured down the rather intrepid LT5 cycle route, crossed the Kuršių Lagoon on a rickety ferry and then rode back home on the same EuroVelo 10/13. This was a four day, 170 km exploit that took us down unpaved tracks and corrugated gravel roads while battling strong winds.
We spent our first night in a grubby cabin in Minija, our second night in a camping ground in Ventė and our final night in the same camping ground in Nida. For us, the LT5 was a hard ride with lots of loose sand and mosquitoes, but it gave us a healthy taste of something we wanted to do more of.
Shortly afterwards, a friend sold me a much better bike at a cheap price and in 2011, I cycled two trips alone, doing about 1000 km. By this stage, a faithful friend had given me four Ortlieb panniers.
By 2012, the dream was born and Sharon and I ventured out on our first week-long tour. Our journey took place on the Estonian island of Saaremaa. Since then, we have regularly toured.
I want to stress that on our first foray into cycle touring, we were operating on a pretty much non-existent budget with hand-me-down bikes. We gathered our gear slowly, year by year. Now riding is something we do and will be doing into old age.
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