June 28, 2023
About this tour
Overview of the coming two weeks on the bike
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
June has been a whirlwind of activity. Three days ago, I finished my nine-day stint as Camp Services Manager for the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA). I managed the campgrounds for 1,100 cyclists as they toured 4 cities in Northeast Ohio. I am ready for a vacation!
The final countdown… In twenty-four hours, I depart John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio for Strasbourg, France. I will be accompanied by six Ohio cycling friends. Two will be on my Columbus flight and four on a Cleveland flight. We meet up at JFK in New York for our red-eye to Paris.
I used biketours.com to select this tour through the Romantic Rhine. I find this website to be a good research tool when looking for European tours. It is nicely organized with a wealth of information. It’s a good place to start dreaming of exploring Europe by bike.
I booked a tour cycling around Lake Constance through biketours.com and was very satisfied. It is a portal that simplifies the process. Think of it as Expedia for European bike tours. They handle the logistics including the payment with touring companies. My experience is the cost of a biketours.com booked tour and a tour operator booked tour is the same.
I am starting the tour in Strasbourg, France where I quickly cross the Rhine into Germany. The first stage heads north on the Rhine for six days to Mainz. The tour operator for this week is EuroBike. The second stage continues north on the Rhine from Mainz for five days to Cologne. The tour operator for this week is Velociped.
My first impression of both touring companies is very good. The materials provided appear to be thorough. Each has an app that can be used for navigation. One provides Ride with GPS navigation. Both have thorough guidebooks in print and the app. I will review my experience with both companies at the end of the tour.
I tour in a variety of ways. Most of my tours are domestic. I love the experience of touring as a self-supported cyclist. I also love the camaraderie of touring with a group of friends. My first European self-guided tours were my 2019 Lake Constance and Swiss Mittelland tours. Both were extremely enjoyable.
I settled on touring Europe on self-guided tours. I like the convenience of a luggage shuttle to small inns as I pedal. I set my own pace and schedule. I do not need to worry about keeping tabs on the luggage. I enjoy the benefits of riding my bike using the experience and knowledge of the touring company.
Self-guided touring also fits well with my Rhineland group. The people are very similar in abilities. Some are experienced bike tourists; others are not. Self-guided touring allows the cyclist to experience more of the country. The average miles per day of cycling is 30 on this tour. Ideal for free time to explore and immerse oneself in the culture.
Time to finish my packing and last-minute details. I hope you join me on the other side of the Atlantic in the coming weeks.
Tom
Today’s Trivia
The Rhine River flows 765 miles to the North Sea from the Alps of east-central Switzerland north and west to the Netherlands.
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 1 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |