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 Post subject: Cycling Dublin to Rome
PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:34 pm 
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Hawleytastic!
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In 1950 my grandfather, his brother in law and a group of lads cycled all the way to Rome from Dublin. It's something I have wanted to do since I first heard about it as a young lad. Unfortunately my grandad passed away in 2000. Anyway I have decided to stop talking about it and put a plan in motion. I am wondering if anyone here has ever attempted a colossal cycle like this before? The most I have ever done in a day is about 30km, this trip is over 2,000km. I am also entertaining the idea of cycling back, which they didn't do on the original trip. After a few days research I have decided that I'll probably need to put this off til 2014.

If anyone has any advice on the following I'd be grateful

- How much a fit man can reasonably cover in one day on a bike
- How often a days rest would be required
- The most sensible route over the Alps
- How much one person can reasonably carry that distance while on a bike. (Clothes, backpack etc, maybe a tent)
- how to get by for a month in a foreign country with no language, and little money.

I came across this site and have tried to contact the guy responsible, I suspect his father was part of the same trip, unless cycling to Rome in the 50s was in vogue. http://www.dublintorome.com/. My grandad's brother in law is still alive and I hope to talk to him about it soon.

The reasons for doing this are 1) I am not a fit man, I need a challenge to get me motivated 2) nostalgia, I was very close to my grandfather and 3) Travel on the cheap - I have unstable employment and have not done much travelling so far. Trying to take in a number of countries on the one trip. If it works out well I'll cycle back via switzerland/austria and germany.

So essentially any help on cycling long distance and traveling in continental europe would be great. Cheers.

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:00 pm 
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Oh Al. You know my views on the bike thing. I will just worry about you. And it will do unspeakable things to the crack of your arse and turn your body into a wiry, androgynous stick that is unpleasant to the eye. But mostly because I would worry. x


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PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:01 pm 
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Hi Alan, boss at my last job was fanatical about cycling. He would do 30km before work and another
30 or 40km after work, with 60 - 80km at the weekend. He would then save a week or 10 days of his
holidays for a mountain event in Italy, France, Spain etc.

A couple of things I remember him saying was, may sound obvious but, get the right bike.

He had several and would use each one for different events, so get advice on the best bike for such a
trip. He also said, plan well ahead and don't lose the momentum and fitness during the winter,
preferably get an indoor bike roller kit so you can exercise on the same bike you will be using for the
trip.

Depending on the time of year, obviously avoid the blistering heat of high summer, but also avoid dusk,
he came back from a race in the Dolomites looking like a dot to dot with all the mozzy bites!

Sound like a fantastic challenge and I take my hat off to you for even contemplating it. Good Luck! ..>


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PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 4:02 pm 
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Contact a cycling club in your local area - they will have loads of advice - maybe even help you with a training programme - otherwise get on your bike and ride!

I can't make it to the local off licence without getting bum chaff - which apparently goes away after the first few days of training - respect ..> ..> ..>


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PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:19 pm 
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helenwatson wrote:
Oh Al. You know my views on the bike thing. I will just worry about you. And it will do unspeakable things to the crack of your arse and turn your body into a wiry, androgynous stick that is unpleasant to the eye. But mostly because I would worry. x


Image

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 4:52 am 
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Sounds like a great adventure & challenge, go for it. Not qualified at all to offer advice on cycling, but I'm sure you already know to get up a reasonable level of stamina & fitness before you go & all that. However if you take it steady you'll improve as you travel. Get the best bike you can afford & take advice on the best tools & spares to take. If chosen carefully a good kit of parts & tools will cover most eventualities & needn't be too heavy or bulky. Everything you want to carry is best attached to the bike, not yourself. The lower down the better for the sake of stability. Strong luggage is essential and doesn't have to cost the earth. Perhaps look at gear designed for the military that you can adapt. Nothing that claims to be waterproof actually is! Pack everything in plastic. I use heavy duty rubble sacks in my motorbike luggage. Plastic cable ties are the best thing for securing stuff. And wear plenty of hi viz! I almost wish I was coming with you. On something with an engine, preferably :wink: Good luck ..>

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 10:56 am 
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I need a posse, come along if you like. It's gonna be next year id say

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 4:37 pm 
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Can't see the image you posted? It's not about the crack of your arse, is it? xxx


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 7:39 am 
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Sounds like a great trip idea! :D

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 11:33 am 
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helenwatson wrote:
Can't see the image you posted? It's not about the crack of your arse, is it? xxx


It was a double decker bike

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 8:47 am 
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We used to go out once a year on our bikes stopping at as many pubs as possible, lots of broken bones and very sore arses :shock: ,due to the saddle I hasten to add. :*:
Last year one of the lads I used to play football with ran 100 marathons in 100 days from Portugal to London......how incredible is that :shock: ..> This year he started in Scotland and ran 30 in 30 days with the last one at the London marathon :shock: ..> How incredible is the human body when we put our mind to it.
Good luck Alan :Hoorah


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PostPosted: Thu May 16, 2013 8:58 pm 
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I can't answer all your questions but you will need a bike suitable for touring, as well as being reasonably lightweight but strong it will have the necessary fittings to fit racks and bags (bikes designed for racing are unlikely to). If you are not carrying luggage then a road bike or perhaps a cyclocross bike will be fine, don't do it on anything that claims to be a mountain bike.

I am by no means fit (and 53 yrs old) but cycled to Paris a couple of years back we did roughly 70 miles a day. If you get reasonably fit this is easily achievable (5 to 6 hours in the saddle a day) with perhaps a day off every four days or so to rest. Lots of people do the 1000 miles from Lands End to John O'Groats in 10 days. I cycled 108 miles last Saturday in appalling conditions, it was doable but I wouldn't want to do it two days in a row.

I suspect the Alps will be seriously challenging. Finding a sensible route will be key.

It will be much better going with a group of friends, apart from the motivation and company you will be able to ride in a chain gang. This significantly cuts down the energy used and makes a huge difference on long distances. It takes team work but it is worth it (the pros do it for a reason). Nutrition and hydration during the ride is important as well so take it reasonably seriously (I'm sure chips and beer will be fine).

A good place to ask for advice would be here:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/index.php?c=5

Good luck

Paul

PS Just found this thread about getting from Paris to Rome. Might be some use:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... #p18109791


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 6:11 pm 
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Cheers for that. There's no update since the last post since I still haven't been able to afford a bike yet!

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 1:46 am 
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Finally got a bike.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:14 am 
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Alan Noir wrote:
Finally got a bike.

........so how's the training going? <*>


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