After riding from Marseille to Menton, I headed north into the French Alps. The inspiration to buy a bike came from the idea that I could see more small towns if I was riding on a bike rather than hiking. The train would deliver me to big cities only, passing the real places I wanted to visit. So a bicycle became the answer. While in Berlin, I did research on bikes and ended up buying a gravel bike and mailing it using Alltricks to my hostel in Marseille. Gravel bikes ride on the road pretty well as well as gravel paths and single track, but don't do great with rocky paths.
There were a couple points during this bikepacking trip that really challenged me mentally. This was the first. Days started to feel repetitive. Wake up, pack up the tent, bike for 40km, eat lunch, cycle for another 20k, find a campground, eat dinner, and hang at camp until bed. The campgrounds were sparsely filled and not many of the people spoke English, so I relied on video chatting with friends at home to stave off the loneliness.
Often times I would have deep feelings of homesickness only to wake up the next morning feeling reenergized for the journey ahead. Never let one bad night ruin a trip.
Instagram: / ladders_jacob
Music from Epidemic Sound
#Bikepacking #FrenchAlps
26 сен 2024
