The London Freewheel Event

Whilst loitering in London, I noticed a sign for the London Freewheel, whatever that was. Upon further investigation, it turned out that it was a 30 000+ strong mass cycle ride through central London. I quickly signed up to be a mashal for the event, even though I knew/know nothing about London's street system.

It was a marvellous day, lots of bikes, (Malik was still the most impressive). Gonzalos, the dude I'm cycling with also signed up for 'Marshal' status. Hey, it got us a free lunch and an feeling of superiority, like a mall cop with a power trip, except we had no power.

Here's some pics

"Leaders"

Experienced cyclists (yellow vest) leading rookies (red vest) to main venue

Experienced Cyclist

Wind in my hair

Enbankment

Dr. Gonzo (can I call you that?) in photo mode

Continuing the loop

The BBC next to 'an experienced cyclist'

No-more-tramp

I had a haircut, and Steve (cycle partner in Germany), whom I am staying with, gave me a new shirt. London is cool, very expensive place though. Except for accomodation, because it's free for me, ha ha backpackers.

I'm getting a new bike, but Malik isn't going into retirement yet. I still need to find a job, and

even then I'll won't sell it. It will be shipped back home. It has sentimental value you see.

Last step in Europe

Here I am on my final day cycling in mainland Europe. It was a fantastic 70 or 80km or so ride from Ijmuiden through sand dunes and beachfronts, finishing in Hoek Von Holland where I caught the ferry to Norwich, England.



Scenery 1



Self Explanatory




Lighthouse





Typical Dunescape



The North Sea





Cockpit View



Scenery 2

Amsterdam

Im a bit slow at updating this, but here is some shots of Amsterdam. I visited the sights for two days, whilst stying about 20km out of town at the home of two cyclists I met in Italy. Tess and Nicole were the perfect hosts, they put up with my general grubbiness and slack cleanliness discipline and hosted me for three nights. Thanks guys!

The city itself is wonderful for bikes, as you have all heard, but it is also quite picturesque, especially one you get onto the outer canal rings where there are very few tourists.



Lion Statue in one of the many plazas



Fluter

Yours Truly

Canal

Easy rider

At a campsite in Houffalize (17km north of Bastogne), I met a two bikers - Bas and Will, riding a pair of awesome trikes. Upon heeding my fascination with these machines, and after hearing me whinge about the hard, boring scenery, they offered me and the bike a lift to Arnhem. How could I resist? It saves me money, sanity, and gives me the chance to spend a few more days in Amsrterdam. Their generosity was amazing, they even shouted me lunch!

Another change of plans

Well, after cycling a bit of the Rhine and declaring it a tad boring, I decided to detour through Luxembourg and Belgium. Luxembourg city is an underrated place, sterling views and a nice layout. The ride north proved harder than I anticipated. I expected rolling flatlands but instead I got soul-destroying neverending 7% grade hills. By the time I got to Bastogne in Belgium I was wiped.

Luxembourg City













Typical cyclepath scenery

Update

The Black Forest and Beyond...

I hqd a go at the Black Forest, quite hard, a 1300m pass and some snow. My hands and feet were freezing!

UPDATE: For LOTS of photos, look at my facebook profile:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=686314148




A little cold..



Nice scenery in the Jura mountains



Great hospitality



Repairs on the road



My 'wild camp' in the Black Forest

Sprung

The week has been lazy, as previously mentioned, relaxing in the apartment in Biel. The Swiss hospitality has been marvellous, so far as they have given me beers, food and even a new seat for my bike, a Brooks B66, similar to my ol' trusty, but it has ass-saving springs built into it. (Thanks Oli!)



Me and my new best friend

Special thanks for your hospitality and friendship: Regula, Oli, Käthi, Juri 'The Body' Jaquemet, Lars, Doris, Unknown beer shouting guy, Beppe, Dänu, Andrea

Visiting Bern with a (free) tour guide

Heres some pics of Bern, the capital of Switzerland. I visited toady, and was chaffeured around by my venerable host and guide, Regula.



Vista



Bear in the pit



Beppe and his magnificent smile



Münster chapel and the river



View of a bridge from the top of the Chapel



Regula (left) and Andrea (right)



From a Café