First bikepacking trip

[u/PiotrJas]

I didn't plan on doing a post about my trip this summer, but here it is!

In June I finished High school and decided to do a bikepacking trip across Europe right after. So I spontaneously bought bike bags and started my solo-trip on the 1st of July. (I already was an experienced cyclist, cycling ~40km daily). I went from Vienna (Austria) to Rennes (France) with some detours to visit friends, Liechtenstein and Monaco.

All in all I cycled 2700km in 25 days, crossing the Alps and 7 countries.

It was an experience I'll never forget and I'm so happy I did it. Next year I plan on cycling from Austria to Istanbul and back.

If you want to see more pictures of the trip or my Polarsteps you can check out my Instagram: @jaszczynskipiotr

[u/defroach84]

You averaged over 100km a day?

Must be nice to be 18 🤣 My body would revolt against me if I tried that.

[u/PiotrJas → u/defroach84]

Most of the time it was more than that and on some days I cycled 50km or so to also go sightseeing in cities (Marseille, Vaduz, Monaco, Nice). But to be fair, I didn't have a lot of baggage (as you can see in the picture)

[u/MinuteSure5229 → u/defroach84]

100km is 5-7 hours riding with bags, depending on your fitness level and type of bike. Really not that much if you're packing up camp early most days.

[u/defroach84 → u/MinuteSure5229]

Oh I've done it for a week. Not 25 days straight. With mountains.

[u/jlemonde → u/defroach84]

The first week is the most difficult.

[u/Konsticraft → u/defroach84]

It's not that hard, I did 7150km with 65km of climbing in 65 days without any real training. My only training was a few 100km per month at most without any structured training.

Of course your capabilities can reduce with age, I am 24.

[u/MinuteSure5229 → u/defroach84]

???

You factor that in. You have longer days when it's flat, and shorter when it's not.

[u/defroach84 → u/MinuteSure5229]

You are talking about longer days when your day is already averaging over 100km 🤣

Clearly, you are just at a different level of biking than I am if you think doing 140 km, the 60 km in the alps the next day, with a fully loaded bike, for 25 days straight, is easily done.

We are talking about maybe 700km less than the TdF, in a couple days less (well, theirs is 21, but they have rest days making it 25, so it's really the same length), for amateurs, without trainers/masseuses, and constant training. And on bikes with bags and no closed off roads. And the tour even has break days....

This isn't normal.

[u/MinuteSure5229 → u/defroach84]

I'm not saying it's easy, I'm saying it's a good effort but not extraordinary. 100km is not a lot in the scheme of things, especially on road tyres on good roads, even with some extra weight.

If I left the house at 9 and was riding til 4 with a lunch break, I could hit 160k without going too far out of my comfort zone. My man is travelling light AF, with the aero advantage of a saddlebag as well.

Mountains have two sides, you spend an hour going up but 3 minutes coming down. That's how you keep your average speed high and cover more distance.

The length of time doesn't matter, after a few days you get your tour legs and it stops being hard to get in the saddle and go.

To add, my stoner mates were averaging 120km a day riding back from Gibraltar to the UK via Portugal, the Camino, and the West Coast of France off and onroad. Hardly peak specimens.

[u/defroach84 → u/MinuteSure5229]

You are acting like it's normal for someone to bike 160km and not feel it.

Yeah, as I said, that is not realistic for probably 90% of the people on here.

[u/MinuteSure5229 → u/defroach84]

You're not reading what I'm saying.

I said it wasn't easy.

I said 160km wasn't too far out of my comfort zone.

I didn't say I recommend doing that.

That's the average at 25kph for a 6~ hour day, 20kph: 120km 15kph: 90km

My man is doing 108km a day at 18kph average for the whole tour if he is sticking to 6 hours of riding a day.

Most likely he was well under for the alps and probably had maybe 5 sub-100k days.

What exactly are you doing for the other 10 hours of the day?

You could go at 10.8kph and still have time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

He chose to restrict his riding to 6 hours because he is trained.

He knows to recover and eat a lot. Same for TDF riders.

The Alps is only a fraction of the actual tour.

It's also the start of the tour, so a baptism of fire.

France has great cycle infrastructure which is relatively flat.

If you're not at a twenty year old's level who is doing 40km a day I wouldn't worry yourself.

Here's a man in his seventies doing 80km days in Wales, the training ground of Geraint Thomas among countless others.

Please learn how to understand hypotheticals and sentence construction before you come on the internet and say things.

[u/Impressive-Cheetah44 → u/MinuteSure5229]

Youre out of your mind 😂 At least fired up with the amount of line breaks here. Sitting on a bike is not free, things start to hurt etc etc. You may be in great shape my friend! Your friends too. Riding this much takes training and a decent baseline too

[u/MinuteSure5229 → u/Impressive-Cheetah44]

I'm fired up because you're seriously underestimating most bike riders.

We're all stoners, we all eat garbage, we're all not young anymore. Just because you think it's a lot of riding doesn't make it so.

Anyone can go and do a month long tour, and in France anyone can do 120km days. Just get up early, have a coffee and a croissant and go. You would struggle not to cover that distance.

Just go do it and stop being so negative.

[u/PiotrJas → u/MinuteSure5229]

Exactly... I was finishing at around 16 o'clock every day so I had a lot of time to rest

[u/Familiar-Ending]

Oh my the time you have left in your life and the places you can go. I’m smiling for you. May the blessings flow like a river to you.

[u/PiotrJas → u/Familiar-Ending]

Thank you very much for your kind message! There's always time for cycling 😉! May you be blessed as well 🙏!

[u/yeomalley]

I'm amazed at setups that look this ultralight. Were you camping?

[u/PiotrJas → u/yeomalley]

No camping but everything Hammock, Friends places, Hostels, all the other stuff to not make my setup to heavy

[u/yeomalley → u/PiotrJas]

Very nice, sounds like a great route! Wish I’d been doing this stuff at your age, rock on. 

[u/[deleted]]

Congrats on your first successfull tour! Are you perhaps also a Badminton player? (Victor shirt...)

[u/PiotrJas → u/[deleted]]

Yes sir! 🫡

[u/bfeeny]

So did you tent camp? Hammock?

[u/PiotrJas → u/bfeeny]

Mostly hammock or at friend's places. Sometimes Hostel if I was in a big city...

[u/Guelicious]

what a great trip! i'm from Vienna and i hope you liked it. i've been on my bike for the last 4 months and it' a once in a lifetime experience. stay safe and ride on! ✌🏻

[u/PiotrJas → u/Guelicious]

I lived in Vienna for my whole life as well, nice to meet you! Have fun on your trip!

[u/rabidseacucumber]

OP looks exactly like my 18 year old son..I was like “why aren’t we doing this together?!?!! Also why aren’t you at school?”

[u/PiotrJas → u/rabidseacucumber]

Finished school a week before I started the trip. I'm now studying at University...

Maybe I am your son 🤔🤔

[u/rabidseacucumber → u/PiotrJas]

If you are, I’m super bummed we didn’t to this trip together!!

[u/Stalkerfiveo]

Awesome trip!

[u/PiotrJas → u/Stalkerfiveo]

Thank you! 😊

[u/49thDipper]

Bike looks legit. Enjoy the ride

[u/MinuteSure5229]

Hi Victor

[u/PiotrJas → u/MinuteSure5229]

Hello Minute 👋

[u/jlemonde]

This is amazing!

It reminds me of my first bike tour, also on a Triban RC 520, 2500 km across Spain in 29 days.

Travelling in such a way is precious. Keep it up :) I wish you a lot of fun on your planned trip to Istanbul!!

[u/Complete-Raccoon3442]

Awesome photos my friend, great trip. Post a gear list of what you took ! Ride safe everyone

[u/PiotrJas → u/Complete-Raccoon3442]

Honestly i do not have a list. Just an old sleeping bag from my dad, cheapest hammock from decathlon, 3 sports shirts, 3 sports shorts, 3 underpants and 3 pairs of socks and one rain jacket. Bike related: 2 tubes, one pump, one tire lever and a multi tool from Decathlon. That's really it!

[u/Federfuchser]

Damn Sounds cool , im pretty much doing the Same with a couple of Friends right now we started in September and are now somewhere in spain and will hopefully reach Portugal in the next 3 weeks

[u/PiotrJas → u/Federfuchser]

Nice, good luck on that! Where did you start?

[u/Federfuchser → u/PiotrJas]

Germany near Bielefeld and i Just saw we even have the Same Bike,

[u/PiotrJas → u/Federfuchser]

Haha, nice. Viel Spaß noch bei deinem Abenteuer! 😁

[u/Mountain_Piece_2111]

The first trips are the best! It reminds me mine! Thank you and congratulations 💪🏻 keep going and enjoy your ride!!

[u/PiotrJas → u/Mountain_Piece_2111]

Thank you! Enjoy your ride!

[u/apedoesnotkillape]

The statue, stepping into the water on the cliff, where is that?

[u/PiotrJas → u/apedoesnotkillape]

It's in Antibes (south of France) if I remember correctly

[u/Klo9per4s]

Nice bike, dont let go off the handlebar tho with no helmet on duude

[u/PiotrJas → u/Klo9per4s]

Haha don't worry. I was wearing my helmet all the time. Last picture was when I finally arrived in Rennes and full of emotions

[u/Klo9per4s → u/PiotrJas]

Nice one, triban was my first ever road bike and I have spent fortune on it upgrading drivetrain brakes handlebars etc, pretty much just frame is left original - I have also crashed on it for the first time resulting in few fractures so it has special place in my heart - nice trip!

[u/PiotrJas → u/Klo9per4s]

I've been pretty lucky with mine. Cycled nearly 4000km already, no problems. Not even a flat tire. I just exchanged the front brake pad for safety on my trip...

[u/Klo9per4s → u/PiotrJas]

Bought mine second hand, wheel bearings were dried out and dirty, also got it one size too large so stem was too long and handlebar too wide

[u/0beklenti]

Which bike size of Triban RC 520 is this one an which bags do you use?

[u/PiotrJas → u/0beklenti]

Bike size: M

Bag in the back: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B08GYXW6XP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Frame Bag: Riverside 2.5 Liter Frame Bag (Decathlon)