Day 1: Fredericia to Føns

July 4, 2023

Compared with how frantic everything had seemed before setting off to Belgium last year, the preparation for the start of our trip this year was pretty chill. True, the evening before departure I had suddenly decided that I really did need a front derailleur and had taken apart my old road bike to get the brake/gear shifter off that to make it happen. It was the only way to get a gear shifter at such short notice, and although I could sense Dea’s concern at my embarking on a last minute project to replace my brake levers and install new brake and gear cables, and get a front derailleur working properly, I somehow pulled the whole thing off with an almost alarming level of competence. Long time followers will remember that the brake levers were the only part left from the original bike I set off to cycle the world on in 2010 and so I was now down to one set of brake levers supporting my claim to still be on the same bike, but it was at least a bike that worked now, and we were off again.

We departed from our community at 9:30, my decision to install a front derailleur instantly vindicated by how easily I cycled up our steep driveway with a loaded bike and towing Kevin behind me in his trailer. We wanted him to see as much as possible from his bike seat but the forecast was mixed and the sky was grey, so the trailer it was. Three kilometres later and we arrived at our friends house. Marie and Lukas and their two-year-old daughter Anna would be joining us for the first three days. By now the skies were blue so we switched Kevin up to the seat on Dea’s bike and we were all off, a caravan of bikes and trailers heading off to see (a bit of) Denmark.

First task was to cross the Little Belt Bridge. It was super windy up there and Anna didn’t like it and had to be moved to her trailer. Kevin seemed to be having a good time though.

On the other side of the bridge we turned off to make a loop through a deer park. I’m not sure I need to explain what a deer park is but it’s a big fenced off area with deer in. Like a super low-budget safari park. It was a nice place to cycle, felt really good to be out riding, but then Lukas had a problem with his bike. He and I were just chatting about the gears on his bike when they stopped working and the chain refused to move around anymore. I had a look and saw that the chain had become jammed in a hole in the framework of the rear derailleur and a link of the chain was completely deformed. It felt a bit early in the tour to be having such a serious mechanical. Marie even suggested that Lukas could run home and get a different bike. But instead I dug out my chain tool and removed the broken link and reconnected the now slightly shorter chain with surprising efficiency. Frankly, my sudden level of competence at fixing bikes properly was pretty disturbing, but the bike was fixed, and the tour could go on.

Kevin figured out this hack for getting his feet out of the holding straps way too quickly.

Next stop was a rest break at the harbour south of Middlefart but it was too windy by the sea so we backtracked a little to a park that was more suitable. It was sheltered from the wind and there was a place we could hide from the rain if it came, there was a playground that doubled as a volleyball court and even a pen with goats and various birds for the kids to look at. Kevin had a nice time looking at the animals but he was overdue his daily nap. Last year he slept his naps when we cycled but this year we thought he should sit in his seat and see everything when we ride, and sleep in the trailer in the middle of the day. The only problem was he was still wide awake and wasn’t that taken with the idea of lying on the nice blanket bed Dea had made him on the bottom of the trailer. Eventually after enough laps of the park Dea got him to sleep.

These goats went a bit weird when I went over with my peanut butter and jam sandwich.

We continued on following cycle route 8 across the south of Denmark. Out of Middlefart there were some fairly busy roads and some nice and quiet ones. We took another break at a playground in Kauslunde, then pushed on towards our planned sleeping place at Føns.

We had been lucky that the weather had held and the forecasted showers hadn’t materialised. Still, it was very windy and we had pre-booked shelters right by the sea where the wind was blowing in off. It was a real battle just to make it out along the coast to the location, but we were rewarded. These shelters had clearly been constructed with the elements in mind and both were closed off, little cabins really. And there was also a seating area that was turned away from the wind. It was just exactly what we needed with the weather turning and the rain starting to fall. These outdoor shelters are one of the very special things about Denmark, and meant we could enjoy being outside camping with kids despite the bad weather. Whether we will enjoy things so much tomorrow, I’m not sure - the forecast is for a significant amount of rain. Wish us luck!

Today's ride: 31 km (19 miles)
Total: 31 km (19 miles)

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