I'm going on an adventure!

Obligatory picture in Maastricht

Embarking on a bike trip for a year. The idea took hold a few years ago when having some drinks with friends: leave Belgium by bike and head towards Bali. A dream that was always in my mind and will become my reality very soon. I will leave Belgium on the 13th of May for a year and will cycle towards Indonesia (and maybe beyond).

It was a plan made one night in a bar with a group of friends. We would leave Belgium and cycle towards Bali. A lot has happened since then, so instead of 4 cyclists it will be just me. Luckily I will be joined along the way by my girlfriend (Istanbul to Bishkek), my brother and my parents (yes they are quite the adventurous types and also like to travel by bike).

Planning the trip was one of the best and fun things I did the last few years. I started planning the trip a few months ago. Searching the internet for fellow world cyclists, reading their blogs and looking up the gear they are using during their trip, comparing different types of stoves, which mattress will I use... I’m lucky to have some friends who also travel by bike and already completed their world trip, I received a lot of good advice from them.

The plan is to ride from my home in Ghent to Bali, and maybe even beyond. There is no exact route planned out, just a few big stops along the way. The first one is Istanbul. I’m planning to arrive there in early July. My girlfriend, Eef, and my brother, Jo, will be flying to Istanbul and will join me on my way through Turkey, visiting the south, Cappadocia and in to Georgia.

From Georgia the journey will continue to Azerbaijan to cross the Caspian Sea to Kazachstan and Uzbekistan.

After Uzbekistan, the first highlight of the trip will begin. The Pamir Highway. From Dushanbe to Osh. The second highest road in the world. It should be completed by the end of October. After the Pamir I will fly to India to meet up with my parents to cycle to Kathmandu. From Kathmandu I will continue through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and back into Thailand to go south to Malaysia, and finally finish the trip in Indonesia.

a rough sketch of the route

By mid april it was time for a little test trip. Loading up the four panniers with all the gear made me a little bit nervous, knowing that the things I packed would be my only belongings for the next year or so. Eef and I were very lucky, on Tuesday 16th of April the sun was shining as we set off for the first day. For Eef it was the first time she would travel by bike, let us hope she likes it. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and there was a light breeze. For me it was awesome, finally back on the bike (it has been a year since I set off on my cycling trip through Thailand). We could camp in the garden of some friend’s parents, a perfect ending to our first day on the bike.

Camping was also a great test of our sleeping equipment. Eef didn’t slept that well, her sleeping bag wasn’t warm enough. It was about 8°C, a new sleeping bag will be necessary if we will take on the Pamir Highway.

The second day was more a mental test. It was a long day: Eef rode more than 100km in one day for the first time and we were faced with headwind, grey weather, and of course the straight road along the Albert Canal. We made it just before closing time at the camping site at the border of the Netherlands.

We woke up with the sun. It was going to be a beautiful day. We left our camp spot and headed for Maastricht. Maastricht is a beautiful city, and after cycling through the city center and taking the obligatory picture in front of the town hall, we left Maastricht and headed to the 3 borders point.

Another milestone for Eef: some climbing. Not a big mountain in the Alps but climbing to the highest point of the Netherlands (321 meters). It sounds easy but try doing it with a bike and equipment weighing over 40 kilo.

The last day was an easy one. Only 65km on a smooth cyclepath, the Vennbahn, an old railway track converted into a cyclepath through the forest and passing small villages.

It was a perfect test trip. The bikes were tested, equipment checked and we are both looking forward to the real thing. Just 3 more weeks...

Day 1: a little break along the Schelde heading to Lier.

Day 3: At the 3 border point (Netherlands, Belgium and Germany)

Day 4: having lunch in the fields

Day 4: one of the old villages on the Vennbahn.