New Route?

I had always been happy with the choice of the Eurovelo 6. The idea of cycling across Europe appealed and the fact that the route followed two major rivers (the Loire and the Danube) would ensure that most of the route would be fairly flat. I didn't want any pesky hills getting in my way!

However, I have had second thoughts, after all I can cycle any way I want because I haven't got a plan other than my starting point as I have booked my flight to Nantes.

I started to think that the later sections of the route were more problematical:-
Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania all have there own currency.
They are less likely to understand English.
The towns will be further apart and it will be more difficult to solve any maintenance problems and more difficult to get accommodation.
Also, it will be more difficult to get back from Constanta as there don't seem to be any direct flights back to the UK.

What else could I do?
I quite fancy following the Eurovelo 6 as far as Vienna and then turning right and riding down through Slovenia to Ljubljana, Trieste into Italy onwards through Venice, Bologna, Florence, Siena and on to Rome. Visiting all these places gives a diversion to Italy quite a 'wow' factor. The distances seem similar to the distance I would have gone to Constanta. The difference is that the route to Constanta is very flat and the route to Italy will be undulating to say the least.
The route through Italy would include sections of Eurovelo 9 (down through Slovenia), Eurovelo 8 (westward travel from Slovenia into Italy) and Eurovelo 7 (down from Northern Italy to Rome). Despite the new alternative being on Eurovelo routes I am struggling to find clear cycle routes on the Internet in the same way that there is special websites for Eurovelo 6 but not for these other routes and I can't find any dedicated maps or route books. That's something I will have to keep working on so that I can find the actual routes.
If it turns out to be too much I would have potential escape routes to fly home from Venice, Pisa or Rome, all airports will have regular direct flights back to the North West of England.

Not surprisingly I am really excited about the Slovenia and Italy option. Who wouldn't be excited at the prospect of visiting those fantastic cities and cycling in the Tuscany countryside in sunny June. I do need to do some more research about the cycle routes involved otherwise I would need to navigate myself and whilst the countryside might be lovely I wouldn't want to continually cycle on main roads. I'll start on the research. I would welcome any suggestions from anyone who has cycled in Slovenia and Italy and can help me pinpoint the Eurovelo 9, 8 and 7 routes.

I hope I manage to cycle long enough to get to the point that I actually get to Vienna so that this discussion actually means something.

What bike?

I have 3 bike options.

1. Trek hybrid
2. Jamis Casanova Tourer
3. Marin Toscana Cyclocross

I am favouring the Marin at the moment because it is sturdy, it is fitted with a rear rack and mud guards and its slightly lighter than the Jamis. The Trek has a more upright cycling position but I'm not sure if its up to the distance.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the Marin is actually my sons bike but he has out grown it (he's 6 foot 7 inches now so I don't argue with him anymore)!

I've added a picture of the Marin. I welcome anyone's comments or advice oon my choice.

Doubts!!

Yes, I have doubts about whether I can manage to cycle all that way.

Over the New Year period I went skiing and came back with a dodgy left knee. The injury was not caused by any one thing but I noticed it about half way through the holiday but of course I carried on skiing despite the pain. Anyway, since then I have continued to train and exercise. The knee has actually been ok whilst I run but squats and leg presses are seriously dodgy. Fortunately my cycling doesn't seem to be affected. The weather hasn't been good for getting out on the bike so I haven't really tested my knee much. I'm just starting to get out and about on the bike. Of course on top of this there is still the fact that I am a 51 year old man who has never cycled more than 160 miles over 3 days...so why should I doubt my physical ability to compete the route!!

Another thing that could go wrong is the bike could fail and I'm no mechanic. I can change a tyre and I can replace brake blocks (unfortunately, my bike has disc brakes). I reassure myself that there are bike repair shops in Europe. To add to this problem I don't speak any foreign languages so I won't be able to explain what I want. My older brother, David, will start the route with me and he can speak French so I may survive the first week!

Lastly, I am not making any plan for my journey. So there is no chance that I can fail to keep to the plan. I intend to seek accommodation each evening after my days riding and I won't be carrying a tent. I feel reasonably confident finding somewhere to stay whilst I am in France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria but not too sure for the later stages of the ride. I guess I could be sleeping rough.

It's started to make me think......

Who am I?

This a short but challenging question. I guess most people who read this blog may actually know me and won't need me to say who I am but there may be some new readers who will need a pen picture of me. Here goes:-

I am a 51 year old retired police inspector from a small town in Cumbria called Grange over Sands. I have two children, Rebekah (19) and John (18). I was born in Burnley and still retain loyal to my Lancashire roots. Over the last year I have been working as a Personal Trainer as I enjoyed all sports and exercise of all kinds. I suppose my main sporting passion has been rugby union. I played at different times for Blackburn, Furness and Cumbria Police rugby teams. Since retiring from rugby I have done a bit of everything but mainly focused on swimming, rugby and cycling as well as doing spinning classes, circuits, free weights and Zumba. I am currently taking an Exercise to Music course (yes I'm far too old for that kind of thing but why not!).

On a sad note, during an 8 month period at the end of 2011 and early 2012 I lost both my parents and my wife Sue, she died of breast cancer. So, 2012 was a period of massive readjustment to say the least. Sue was a fantastic person who was extremely positive about the way she lived and we had talked about what life for me might be like after her death. She wanted me and my children to continue to enjoy life and to make the most of opportunities that came our way. That is what I intend to do.

I have 2 brothers, David who lives in France and will start the cycle ride with me and Peter who lives at Skipton.

I am determined to be happy and positive in my life and this cycle trip is something I have wanted to do for at least 3 years. I won't prattle on too much at this point about me but I guess this journey and his blog is about me and my desire to share my cycling adventure with friends old and new. So, here goes.