Pedalling for a Purpose

First day nerves kept me awake most of the night plus the Swiss penchant for soft pillows! Actually no, not pillows, more like mini donnas for your head. I packed and repacked my panniers for the 12th and 13th times this trip and I was yet to pedal. It was 8.00am by the time I got away ... I had hoped to get away early in case any of the Sunday drivers were actually unemployed, and instead of being back at their desks on this Monday morning, thought they'd have another crack at the F1. As I gained speed down the chicane finding its way down the valley I remembered that I, not known for my mechanical skills, had reassembled the bike out of a cardboard box that had travelled halfway around the world only two days earlier ... and I hadn't yet been for a test ride. Brakes don't fail me now! I quickly pulled back on my trusty (hopefully) steed and began a more sedate pace while listening for creaks or cracks.   I was to follow Mike Wells Rhine River Route from his book of the sa...

An early start saw me arrive at Zurich HB (Central Station) for my 7.05am train to  Oberalpass. I had booked online a few months earlier so was not sure how today would pan out. Booking my seat on the SBB (Swiss Rail) website was a fairly simple process however I also had to reserve a place for my bike on the first two of my four leg journey, and a bike day pass for the remaining two sectors. This was a bit more complicated as the website didn't make this process easy.  You can travel by train to Oberalpass via either Chur or Andermatt. Both are similar in timings however as I would be riding through Chur on my route I thought I'd see other parts of Switzerland on the train ride so via Andermatt it was. I thought 7am on a Sunday morning was smart. It would be quiet, more room on the trains, and perhaps a kindly conductor would let my velo on if I completely screwed up with my Swiss Rail ticket lottery and had booked nothin...

Eurovelo 15 – The Rhine River Route In 2019, my wife, Kathy, and I cruised the Rhine River with friends, and we got to see the cities, towns and villages of the Rhine, as well as the magnificent scenery in between suburbia. Perhaps as interesting were the myriad of well-formed bike paths along the river, and the numerous camping grounds dotted along the journey. Occasionally we took the supplied electric bikes for rides through those towns and even between towns, eventually meeting the cruise vessel upstream.  The idea to ride the the length of the Rhine River was borne. The cities of the Rhine are full of history - ancient or modern - and I'm looking forward to wallowing in the cultures of different nations along the river. Travelling through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands should see that box ticked. I landed in Zurich for an overnight stay before heading by train to Oberalpass where I'll start my ride. I'll need to change train...

After boarding in Brisbane and getting away on time, my Tile luggage trackers alerted me that my bike was onboard however couldn't confirm if my bags made it. I was quietly confident as I was flying Emirates ... although QANTAS provide the luggage services. Dinner was served soon after take off however they ran out of choices even though I was only in the 10th row from the front in Economy ... so beef and something it was - QANTAS also looked after catering services ... I'm royally screwed! My luck was turning. I managed to be seated next to a family from the Netherlands who said they didn't live far from the Rhine. When I told them about what I was about to do they seemed very impressed so I waited for an invitation to stay with them on my way through ... and waited ... and waited ... for the entire 13 hour flight. When I stood to disembark the woman of the house stopped me .... here it comes ... and uttered the words "we'll wave to you as to ride past" (here...

Somehow breezed through check-in, security and immigration ... timing is everything I guess. Apparently a full flight ... the joys of economy class are boundless (that's me psyching myself up).  Still another couple of hours before boarding so time for a G&T and contemplating the realness of what I'm doing .... (again, psyching myself up!). The first leg of my journey heads to Dubai for a 3 1/2 hour stopover which is enough time for another G&T and to see if my Tile luggage trackers really work and if my bike and bags have kept up with me. If not it will be an even harder ride along the Rhine! Then on to Zurich! While this is a solo ride I will have a couple of 'friends' with me.  The first is Bluey ... my photo of him below hasn't captured his best side (I'm on to my second G&T). Bluey is the official mascot and emblem of the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation. He's also been my travelling companion on all of my fund-raising rides...

 Below is my list of gear I'm taking ... Bike Merida Speeder 500 - a hybrid bike with a gear range that is not great for tour cycling but really comfortable - I've added a 'timeless' Brookes B17 leather seat. Still wearing it in so may not be the most comfortable for the first 100kms or so! I've also added Tubus Tara Big Apple front rack and the Topeak Explorer rear rack - the MTX trunk bag slides on brilliantly. I have a combination lock for the bike and a lightweight bike cover - this cover weighs next to nothing but can act as a deterrent for would-be thieves (and protects my expensive leather seat from the elements).  I'll also have 2 x 750ml water bottles (I'm reliably informed that there are plenty of places to fill up), a bike pump, a pedal spanner (taking this all the way there and back just to take my pedals on and off for flights), puncture kit, zip ties, and a multi-tool set. I did look to hire a bike in-country however as I was travelling one way...

So why Blue Dragon Children's Foundation? My connection to Blue Dragon goes back over a decade ago. My Number 2 son (as in birth not as in favouritism!) decided to travel to Vietnam for his 'Schoolies' trip rather than the typical Gold Coast sojourn. For non-Australians, 'Schoolies' is a 'rite of passage' for school leavers finishing secondary school, reaching adulthood, and travelling away to 'party' with friends, old and new. My son inherited my 'wanderer' gene and therefore the 'Coast' wasn't adventurous enough. My wife, Kathy, wasn't comfortable with him exploring unknown parts at such a young age so 'enlisted' me to travel with him. Most teenage age boys might be mortified with the notion of travelling with Dad however my son saw the opportunity to share costs - I book and pay for a room and he bunks down thereby saving him the cost of accommodation, etc! While on our father/son adventure, we took a motorcycle rid...

Committing to a trip away like this is part easy, part hard. I'll come to the hard bit later, but first collating the gear I needed to be self-sustainable has taken a lot of research. While I can buy food along the way I wanted to be able to camp out most nights. Although wild camping is frowned upon throughout most of Europe, the Rhine route is spoiled with campground options. I hope to try a mixture of both. As a hiker (although the knees and back dispute that fact) I did have some of the gear that would be useful along the trip - tent, sleeping mattress, sleeping bag, cooking gear. However I did need some other tour cycling-specific gear - this is going to be my transportation, home, and 'comforts', for the 30 days on the road. You get to realise quickly that every gram counts - I packed and repacked a few times, asking myself what could I leave behind. Other tour and adventure cyclist blogs came in really handy - most acknowledged that their first few days away on their...

I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved with Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, in my own small way, over the past few years. Many of you have supported that by sponsoring me on motorcycle rides through Vietnam, India and Tibet as we raised funds. I now embark on my biggest challenge yet to raise some much-needed funds for Blue Dragon. On the 19th of August 2022, I fly out from Australia to cycle (pedal power, not motor power) along the Rhine River, some 1400 kilometres from the source of the river in Switzerland to the sea in the Netherlands. I’m self-supported for the trip so all donations go to Blue Dragon. For your donation you’ll be helping the lives of some of the most vulnerable families in Vietnam. I’ll also keep you up-to-date on my trip where I can – the highs, the lows, the laughs and the tears (I’m sooooo unfit!) – that in itself is worth the price of entry isn’t it? I know many of you already support great causes and, unfortunately, there is that need across many p...