Here are some of my short cycling trips in Europe

Cycling in Greece

I started my cycling in Trikala, I cycled for 3 days, had a break for a day due to rain and then continued for another 3 days. In total i did 750 kms over 6 days. Greece has plenty of climbs for road cyclists. Most of the route I followed did not have much traffic,so safety was not a big issue, except when I arrived back in Athens. Traffic in Athens is a nightmare. I had an altimetre in my watch to check the altitude, it was quite useful. The placement of these ‘placemark-balloons’ in this map are not accurate, but just indicative – disclaimer!

Trikala-Elati-Trikala-Kalambaka (105kms) – Metsovo-Ioannina (115)- Arta (75) – Kapenisi (126) Polydrosso (133) – Libada-Thiva-Kiffisia(Athens, 180)

Tour de France route 2009

This map here shows the route that Ryan and I followed during our cycling holidays recently (19-26th July 2009) in the border areas of France, Swizerland and Italy. We had planned to do some of the big mountains that the Tour de France (TDF) were going to do. We were keen to watch the riders of TDF at 3 different spots along the route. We had booked the accommodation in advance and planned the route and distance before hand. In total we did about 625 kms over 6 days, excluding the rest day in Aosta (Italy) and Annecy(France). We had excellent weather conditions for most part of our ride. We did not expect so many riders on the road, but from my experience, this is the best time of the year to cycle, when the Tour de France happens. The festival atmosphere and the respect for cyclists during this time of the year is a big bonus for road cyclists. I have included links for pictures (balloon icons) and five videos (the bicycle icons). Hope you will enjoy.

Bulgaria Easter cycling trip 2010

I took my bike to Bulgaria to cycle in the Rodopi mountains. I planned my route based on the information from the website mentioned below. I stayed in Hostel Lavele in Sofia. I bought a hiking map from them, for the Rodopi mountain region. For road cycling it is advisable to stick to the main roads. The roads in the remote areas are not good for road bikes, lots of potholes. not much traffic on the roads anyway. I cycled about approximately 350 kms over 4 days. It was cold on the top of the passes, but otherwise it was quite pleasant. The route was thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended. There were several passes, at least one everyday, the lowest one was about 1600metres.

http://www.cycling.bg/index.php/cyclingtours/property/Cycling-tour/5.html

Tour de France route 2010

Here is a brief account of the latest cycling adventure. This was a short trip, just four days, neverthless exhausting and plenty of excellent climbs. In total approximately 475kms and 5 big mountains. We watched the Tour at two different places. I can’t wait for the next one!

Wales cycling trip – Easter 2011

Map of my short cycling trip to discover parts of Wales.Excellent countryside and lovely people. Very easy to navigate and if you stay from the coast, the roads are not busy. I did a total of 310miles in 3.5 days.

Tour de France route 2011

Here is a short account of my Tour de France 2011 adventure trip. I was a bit ambitious while planning, 160kms for three consecutive days including 5 big cols was more than sufficient to knock me down, so I had to abandon my plans to cycle up the legendary Alp d’Huez. I managed to get there to watch the Tour though. You can follow the action by clicking on the following items one by one in this panel. I have included three videos of the Tour at the end, please reload the page if it does not load properly. Enjoy.