Just spotted your blue line!

Another of my intended routes next year is a clock-wise loop from Swansea in South Wales that ends in Chepstow - which is just across from Bristol.

Here's my ride from Hull, heading north up the coast...

https://www.cycleblaze.com/edit-item/23224/

I see you're heading to Guinness territory! Debbie and I were there a few years ago and did some of the route that you've penciled in:

https://www.cycleblaze.com/edit-journal/11/

Your England route includes a piece I'll ride in 2022. One of my planned trips includes the town of Worksop in Nottinghamshire, which looks like a place you may ride through. It's just east of Sheffield.

I also intend to ride up the coast north of Newcastle. It looks like you ride will be around Scarborough, to the south, which is where I cycled a few years ago.

Isn’t that remarkable though? I’ve been watching that develop myself. Feels like we’re staying just one step ahead.

Once again how amazing your timing ... just escaping before this next big wave of infection is sweeping through Europe!

You’re right, passing through Gauting was one of the greatest highlights of the tour. I wouldn’t be surprised years from now I don’t recall sitting by Lake Starnberg with you two more vividly than anything else from these months.

Yes, come to France next year. You’re so close! Burgundy in the fall, maybe about the third week of September. We could go knock on Keith Kline’s door and see if anyone is home.

I was lying in bed this morning counting tours trying to get back to sleep (way more interesting than sheep!), and could only think of 48 of them. So I pulled up our document I’ve been maintaining for years and found that we’ve actually done 52 already.

So that’s bad news. I can’t call the upcoming one the Ace of Spades tour after all. Maybe Jokers Wild?

What a fantastic five months! Best part was that you came through Gauting. And now jet lagged and vaxxed you still have the energy to plan a whole new itinery and buy tickets to Nice. Nine months this time, what will this give birth to? Your route isn't taking you anywhere near Bavaria, but who knows if we might not be somewhere in France next summer. Some other Cycleblazers might be in the vicinity, too. Wouldn't that be a blast.

Other than maybe a different choice on a specific town or accommodation here and there, I’d say we were really happy with everything up through Trento. After that though it’s really difficult to say because there are so many great itineraries south from there. We went the way we did primarily because of weather, but I think we’d have had a great time too sticking with the original idea and going down the heart of Tuscany and Umbria.

Is there any part of the tour you would have changed (apart from that windy coastal, no shoulder, busy stretch in Italy)? We would love to replicate what you've just done next year!

Pressure, pressure, pressure. We’ll see how long I can hold out, but I do dislike updating folks’ routines.

I’ve just been thinking about those Finger Lakes! One of my homecoming tasks at the end of a tour is to unload and back up photos to clean up the iPad for the next round. I just finished America this morning, so I’ve been on a blitz tour over those months in the past few days. Certainly hope we get back there some year, if not this upcoming one.

Those are lots of impressive numbers, but the one that really blows me away is 52 tours! Wow. Your Grand Vision sounds pretty Grand, but hopefully you'll make it back to the US east coast some day. Remember those Finger Lakes.

Thanks so much for the journey Scott and Rachael! It was disappointing enough to sit down with my morning coffee and to find no new entry, but now there will be nothing .... aaargh! Can't wait for your next journal.

After being grounded for two years, we are definitely missing cycling in Europe. And our bikes, stashed in a garage near Geneva, are probably missing us. The best we can hope for, with closed borders and Covid raging in Europe, is Australia. Booked for a short organised road tour in Tasmania in March, fingers crossed!