Stats
This table shows each day of the trip so far. Click on the heading to re-order the table.
Date Comment Weather Distance Avg. Speed Max. Speed
16-5-09 Mostly followed the EuroVelo cycle way. Much of it off road on grassy flood banks. Sunny 27 tail wind 103 17.5 33
17-5-09 Left EuroVelo after lunch and headed directly south towards the Serbian border. Sunny 35 light head wind 120 18.9 34
18-5-09 Left Hungary. Short day to let the legs get used to all this. Sunny 30 head wind 38.5 18.9 25.7
19-5-09 Took normal roads to Novi Sad Sunny 31 head wind 104.3 16.8 35.8
20-5-09 Took EuroVelo to Belgrade. Normal roads all the way. First hills Rain clearing 31 tail wind 115.5 19.1 51.8
21-5-09 Slow getting out of Belgrade. Lots of hills. Sunny 30 little wind 132.5 17.6 52.8
22-5-09 Late start after grad party. Mostly quiet roads. Sunny 34 mixed wind. 110.8 17.3 47.8
23-5-09 Crossed two mountain passes. Slow day. Sunny 32 little wind 123.7 16.4 60.7
24-5-09 Crashed today, not too much damage, just one pedal needs to be replaced. Sunny 33 tail wind 109.8 16.3 49.5
25-5-09 Rest day, arranged my passport. Went out for dinner in the city. Sunny 30 0 0 0
26-5-09 Explored Sofia, got new pedals. Cooked dinner for my hosts and their friends. Sunny 30 0 0 0
27-5-09 Left city on busy main roads. Mostly up hill all day, hard work. Sunny 29 little wind 111.1 16.8 57
28-5-09 Beautiful mountains, mostly downhill. Sunny 30 little wind 87.9 20 50.6
29-5-09 Short day on either busy roads or through road works. Constant rain 27 47 20 33
30-5-09 Late start. Beautiful riding through the mountains. Cloudy 25 tail wind 94.9 17.3 53.7
31-5-09 Left the mountains for the plains of Greece and Turkey. Sunny 35 light head wind 129.2 18.5 51.6
1-6-09 Met two cycle tourist from Spain on their way to Israel. High cloud then sunny 32 73 15.9 47.6
2-6-09 Cycled on motorway and narrow roads with lots of trucks. Terrible air pollution too. Sunny 33 head wind 162.4 17.2 49.5
3-6-09 Tried to get Indian visa, no luck. Sunny 30+ 0 0 0
4-6-09 Walked around the city center, went to music festival Sunny 30+ 0 0 0
5-6-09 Walked around some other areas Sunny 30+ 0 0 0
6-6-09 Walked more and then met Olof Sunny 30+ 0 0 0
7-6-09 Went out to the islands Sunny 30+ 0 0 0
8-6-09 Moved bikes to Istinye and got stuff that was needed Sunny 30+ 0 0 0
9-6-09 Tried to leave Istanbul, ended up turning back Sunny 30+ 18 15 20
10-6-09 Long day of hills, hills and more hills Sunny 35 102.8 15 62.9
11-6-09 Lots more hills, met two Germans at lunch who we are now cycling with. Sunny 35 head wind 117.3 16.4 55
12-6-09 Left the Germans and passed more hills, then very busy narrow, truck filled road. Sunny 33 little wind 79 15.6 56.4
13-6-09 Highest pass so far, extremely friendly people, one of the best days riding ever. Cloudy some rain 25 95 14.4 45.5
14-6-09 Cycled in a beautiful valley with high mountains around. Passed through 13 tunnels. Sunny 30 little wind 67.4 15.3 53.9
15-6-09 Nice roads though LOTS of hills. Not many villages or people at all. Sunny 30 head wind 82.3 13.5 62.9
16-6-09 Mostly flat for once, busier roads but not a problem. Sunny 26 head wind 118.5 18.2 47.4
17-6-09 Great riding through mountains, past lakes and rivers. Quiet roads. Sunny 33 head winds 126 17.9 58.7
18-6-09 Said bye to Olof and took bus to Amasya for lunch with two CouchSurfer, then bus to Van. Sunny 28 6 15 20
19-6-09 Hung out in Van, cycled and walked to top of mountain nearby with local. Rain 20 28 14.4 54.4
21-6-09 Train to Iran, 12 hours late, got out at first stop and hit the road. Cloudy 30 tail wind 44.9 21.8 40.4
22-6-09 Huge storm at night, mostly flat riding all day. Sunny 32 little wind. 138 20.1 37.5
23-6-09 Day off in Tabriz. Visited the market, university and a CouchSurfer. Sunny 30 0 0 0
24-6-09 Beautiful landscapes on good roads though lots of traffic. Sun and rain 30 strong head wind 113.8 17.4 56.6
25-6-09 Easy riding with lots of stops, great camping spot. Some cloud 28 tail wind 89 18 57
26-6-09 Many hills, hitch hiked to Razi after running out of food. Sunny 35 53.6 15.5 49.2
27-6-09 Huge downhill, picnic with people by the sea then volleyball with locals. Sunny 35 head wind 118.7 18.4 51.4
28-6-09 Early start, stopped for tea and stayed the night. Fixed the bike. Sunny 35 17.9 15.7 27
29-6-09 Late start with good conditions, found amazing place by the beach. Sunny 30 tail wind 115.4 21 37
30-6-09 Early start, flat road all the way. Sunny 33 tail wind 60.5 17.7 30.8
1-7-09 Late start with extreme tail wind, blown up 1000 m in record time. 30 km on not yet opened motorway. 82.6 18.6 55.2
2-7-09 Early start, 30 km on empty new motorway, upphill for 60 km. Sunny 30 tail wind 97.8 14.8 49.2
3-7-09 Sightseeing, four wheel driving in the hills. Sunny 35 5 13 18
4-7-09 Traveled to Tehran by bus, hung out with our CouchSurfer. Hot and humid 35 0 0 0
5-7-09 Indian embassy, but too many people, try again tomorrow. Foggy and humid 35 0 0 0
6-7-09 Indian embassy again, got the application done. Lunch with family. Foggy and humid 30+ 0 0 0
7-7-09 Holiday cause of dust storm. Relaxed all day. Foggy and humid 30+ 0 0 0
8-7-09 Still dusty, climbed mountain at 5 am. Slept afternoon. Foggy and humid 30+ 0 0 0
9-7-09 Indian embassy, no luck. Bus back to bikes. Foggy and humid 30+ 0 0 0
10-7-09 Lunch in the mountains with our Qazvin friends. Bus to Tehran, train to Esfahan. Sunny 35 21.8 18.6 40.2
11-7-09 Touring Esfahan with 4 locals on bikes. Dinner with a bunch of backpackers. Sunny 35 46.7 12.8 44.1
12-7-09 Got visa extension. Dinner in the square again. Bus to Tehran. Sunny 35 0 0 0
13-7-09 Frustrated at Indian embassy again. Afternoon in the mountains by car. Sunny 34 0 0 0
14-7-09 Slept in, went to market and cruising the streets. Sunny 38 0 0 0
15-7-09 Embassy again to pay then collect. Bazaar rest of the day. Bus to Esfahan. Sunny 39 0 0 0
16-7-09 Bused to Stefan, biked through the dessert. Sunny 42 head wind 85 17.7 57.2
17-7-09 Hilly day, caught truck up the worst. Searched for waterfall but didn't find. Sunny 40+ 90.2 14.8 60
18-7-09 Really hilly day. Found waterfall, had lunch with locals, beautiful nature. Sunny 40 89.1 13 61.2
19-7-09 25 km off road, 75 km flat. Very beautiful. Sunny 42 tail wind 132.5 17.8 43.7
20-7-09 Visited Perspolis, cycled to Shiraz on motorway. Sunny 45 tail wind 56.5 21.8 43
21-7-09 Checked out Shiraz city centre. Sunny 45 0 0 0
22-7-09 More sight seeting in Shiraz, preparing for flight tomorrow. Sunny 45 0 0 0
23-7-09 Packed everything, flew to Bahrain. Sunny 40 0 0 0
24-7-09 Flew to Delhi, bike arrived safely. Walked all over Old Delhi. Cloudy 38 humid 0 0 0
25-7-09 Arranged bus to Shimla. Relaxed. Cloudy 38 humid 0 0 0
26-7-09 Met Bridget and Carlos. Looked around town. Cloudy 42 humid 0 0 0
27-7-09 Went to Old Delhi then caught the bus to Shimla in monsoon rain. Extreme rain 40 5 12 16
28-7-09 Checked out Shimla, got information for the trip. Cloudy rain 23 3 10 12
29-7-09 Left Shimla on back roads to Baghi Cloudy 25 89.1 12.9 36.6
30-7-09 More stunning mountain scenery, mostly flat with big downhill to finish. Sunny 30 62.9 13.3 35.5
31-7-09 35 km uphill then down through spectacular mountain scenery. Broken cloud 25 71 9.5 38
1-8-09 Steady uphill through lots of construction, very dusty and hot. Sunny 32 tail wind 92 13.5 42.2
2-8-09 Day off since permit office opens on Monday. Sunny 27 0 0 0
3-8-09 Short very steep uphill after getting permit for Spiti Valley. Sunny 35 7.3 6.9 21.1
4-8-09 Wild off road, 5km pushing on rough rocks. Exhausting day but beautiful. Sunny 35 tail winds 74.3 11.2 48
5-8-09 Tough up hill all day, many switchbacks. Totally dry landscape. Sunny 30 40.4 9.7 43.2
6-8-09 25 km downhill then gradual uphill for the rest of the day. Sunny 36 62.2 14 48.6
7-8-09 Nice ride along the river then 8 km switchbacks to the monastary. Sunny 30 30.7 10.5 43
8-8-09 Bike problems but could ride anyway, will fix it in Kaza Sunny 27 head wind 44.9 11.4 35.7
9-8-09 Back out of the valley to main road and on up the Valley to Kaza. Sunny 30 50 17 38
10-8-09 Lazy day off in the sun with two other cyclists. Sunny 26 0 0 0
11-8-09 Short ride to Gompa then out and back to high village. Cloudy 25 48 10.5 33.7
12-8-09 Fast downhill then tough uphill through amazing villages. Sunny 30 40.4 9.9 50.3
13-8-09 Passed through a high valley before dropping back to Kaza. Sunny 30+ 47.2 11.1 36.1
14-8-09 Headed up the valley all day, no major climbs. Cloudy 25 strong head wind 62 12.2 39.4
15-8-09 Passed 5000km on top of Kunzum La pass. Basd roads. Cloudy some rain 17 37.8 8.3 28.6
16-8-09 Very bad roads but beautiful mountains, glaciers and rivers. Cloudy some rain 17 49.8 10.5 31.1
17-8-09 Sandy road to Manali-Leh Highway then mostly sealed. Sunny 28 67.6 13 60
18-8-09 Very lazy rest day in Keylong Cloudy 20 0 0 0
19-8-09 Nice ride to bottom of pass, road mostly ok. Cloudy light rain 14 tail wind 53.4 11.1 36.8
20-8-09 Second pass 4875 m. Easy downhill after on great roads, very beautiful. Sunny 18 54.6 11.8 43.5
21-8-09 Decent then 30 km uphill then down through beautiful mountains. Sunny 16 tail wind 75.1 11.8 36
22-8-09 Easy ride through a beautiful valley. Camping with 8 cyclists. Sunny 16 tail wind 44 12.6 33.1
23-8-09 Long uphill to 5310 m then easy and beautiful decent. Sunny 20 mixed wind 64.7 12.1 41.4
24-8-09 Amazing downhill down a wide valley to Leh. Sunny 25 head wind 78.3 16.4 43.4
25-8-09 Teachings with the Dalai Lhama near Leh. Sunny 28 20.2 16.7 60.5
26-8-09 Spent the day in Leh. Sunny 27 0 0 0
27-8-09 Visited Tikse and Shey Monastery with the local bus. Sunny 28 0 0 0
28-8-09 Arranged permits for Kardung La. Sunny 25 0 0 0
29-8-09 1800 vertical meter ride to top of Kardung La and back to Leh Sunny 22 78 12 48.2
30-8-09 Rented motorbikes and tried to go to Lamayuru, many problems. Sunny 25 0 0 0
31-8-09 Made it to Lamayuru and back to Leh on motorbike. Cloudy with rain 18 0 0 0
1-9-09 Start of Leh festival. Cloudy 20 0 0 0
2-9-09 Cycling down the pass again with the others. Cloudy snow 15 37 27.7 49.6
3-9-09 Organising the next part of the trip. Rain 18 0 0 0
4-9-09 Bus was full so yet another day in Leh with everything closed due to a strike. Sunny 22 15 9.9 30.7
5-9-09 Bused to Kargil then started towards Padum. 35.8 11.3 29.4
6-9-09 Tough day with kids throwing stones and bad roads. Sunny 18 mixed wind 48.3 8.8 30.2
7-9-09 Amazing mountains and peacful roads. Sunny 16 tail wind 39.8 7.8 20.3
8-9-09 Spectacular glaciers and high peaks, worst roads of the trip. Sunny 16 mixed wind 63 8.3 28.2
9-9-09 Bus last bit to Padum to buy food for trek to Darcha. Rode on to Raru to find horses. Sunny 22 head wind 22.3 8.2 32.5
10-9-09 Cycled to Ichar then loaded everything onto horses to continue on foot. Sunny 25 6.3 6.1 13
11-9-09 Walked and cycled up the valley to horseman's home. Light rain 15 8.1 5.3 22.3
12-9-09 Walked to bottom of pass. Cloudy 12 0 0 0
13-9-09 Crossed the pass at 5010 m. Sunny 12 0 0 0
14-9-09 Walked out to road end then rode downhill to Manali-Leh Highway. Sunny 18 7.1 14 34.1
15-9-09 Bused it to the top of Rhotang then cycled down to Manali. Sunny 18 53 18 53
16-9-09 Admin, washing, fixing and eating day. Cloudy 16 0 0 0
17-9-09 Relaxinf day again, not feeling well. Sunny 26 0 0 0
18-9-09 Walked to waterfall, moved to Old Manali Sunny 26 11.5 14 43
19-9-09 Took the bus to Delhi Sunny 24 0 0 0
20-9-09 Arrived in Delhi, went to hospital. Sunny 35 0 0 0
21-9-09 Applied for Chinese visa and visited hospital again. Sunny 35 0 0 0
22-9-09 Collected Chinese visa. Sunny 34 0 0 0
23-9-09 Relaxed, recovering energy. Sunny 36 0 0 0
24-9-09 Moved to central Delhi, updated website. Sunny 37 2 8 13
25-9-09 Packing, sightseeing and flying to China. Sunny 32 0 0 0
26-9-09 Arrived in China, arranged second bike for Marie. Light rain 20 2 11 15
27-9-09 Cycled to bamboo garden and bike shop. Sunny 30 15.9 17.8 23.8
28-9-09 Chengdu sightseeing and fixing my bike. Marie arrived. Sunny 30 0 0 0
29-9-09 Going by train with millions of others south to start biking. Cloudy 30 6.9 10.5 19.1
30-9-09 Cycling out of town and into the mountains. Sunny 32 68.5 11.2 43.4
1-10-09 Tough 35 km uphill, hitched final 10 km to pass over 3000 m. Sunny 28 62.6 10.4 50.3
2-10-09 82 km downhill then 40 km uphill. Spent the evening with many locals. Sunny 25 122 14.3 60.7
3-10-09 Followed the lake then up over pass, got a lift for last 50 km. Some rain 18 53.7 9.2 46.6
4-10-09 Up out of town then massive downhill, much of it stones. Rain 18 57 14.9 48
5-10-09 Downhill from camp then 32 km uphill before decending to Lijang. Cloudy 22 47 10 53.1
6-10-09 Sightseeing in Lijang then cycling north. Cloudy 24 tail wind 55.5 18.1 54.8
7-10-09 Tough river crossing to Tiger Leaping Gorge. Cloudy 22 41 9.9 49.5
8-10-09 Flatest day for months through farm land. Cloudy 20 head wind 83.6 14.2 42.1
9-10-09 Easy day south through lots of rice paddies. Cloudy 22 head wind 56 14.5 55
10-10-09 Another easy day along the lake to Dali. Cloudy 22 head wind 58 15.5 46
11-10-09 Cycled to bus then bused to Kunming. Marie left for Sweden. Sunny 26 18.6 18 26
12-10-09 Flew to Chongqing, dinner with Chinese workmates from Sweden. Fogy 28 0 0 0
13-10-09 Visited research lab and sightseeing in Chongqing. Fogy 24 0 0 0
14-10-09 Sightseeing with people from the lab. Fogy 26 0 0 0
15-10-09 Tea with army general and hospital president, dinner with hospital management. Fogy 28 0 0 0
16-10-09 Sightseeing with lab guys, 26 hour train back to Kunming. Fogy 32 0 0 0
17-10-09 ...still on the train. Cloudy 0 0 0
18-10-09 Cycling around Kunming looking for bike shops. Rhianna arrived. Some cloud 24 16 12.9 30.2
19-10-09 Left Kunming late and headed south in terrible traffic and dust. Cloudy 24 head wind 50.6 15 2.4
20-10-09 Left the hustle and bustle as we passed through nice villages. Sunny 26 68 14 48.3
21-10-09 Mostly downhill, quiet roads and friendly people, what more to ask for? Sunny 24 82.2 14.3 54.2
22-10-09 Great views and mainly downhill. Cloudy 30 79.5 13.9 57.8
23-10-09 Long day along river, lots of small hills. Sunny 32 head wind 94.7 13.7 43.6
24-10-09 Followed the river to the border, hot and humid now. Sunny 34 head wind 66.2 14.6 42.3
25-10-09 Crossed from China to Vietnam the up up up to Sapa. Cloudy 35 21.5 9.935.2
26-10-09 Lazy day recovering from the race to the Chinese border. Cloudy 24 0 0 0
27-10-09 Stunning mountains and noisy hotel again. Sunny 32 73 12.5 49.5
28-10-09 Beautiful jungle and tough road. Sunny 35 head wind 93.6 14 50.6
29-10-09 More jungle and many hills and road construction. Beautiful villages. Sunny 35 70.5 12.2 52.8
30-10-09 Rest day to visit war relics and relax. Sunny 32 4 7.7 22.6
31-10-09 Lovely ride to boarder and down into Loas. Sunny 28 67.4 11.8 38.4
1-11-09 Short but tough day over many steep hills on bad roads. Sunny 30 38.5 9.2 37.2
2-11-09 After much negotiation caught a boat down river. Sunny 30 0 0 0
3-11-09 Caught 2 more boats downriver to Luang Prabang. Sunny 30 0 0 0
4-11-09 Sightseeing in Luang Prabang with Kristoffer. Sunny 28 5 12 23
5-11-09 Massage and relaxing day, organising exhibition for Cambodia. Sunny 30 0 0 0
6-11-09 Short bike trip to a beautiful waterfall. Sunny 30 32.4 15.8 47.5
7-11-09 Tough day of endless uphill, 1950 vertical meters total. Sunny 32 79 12.7 45.1
8-11-09 Some big hills in the morning then downhill in the afternoon. Sunny 35 94.5 16.8 52.3
9-11-09 Easy ride to Vang Vien where I stayed on an organic farm and taught and English class. Sunny 34 54 19.6 67.2
10-11-09 Day off helping to build an Adobe house on the farm. Sunny 30 8 18 27
11-11-09 Fast day to eco-village with snakes monkeys and insects. Sunny 34 89 18.4 58
12-11-09 Last remaining hills made for hot work. Sunny 35 135 18.6 57.4
13-11-09 Day of checking out Vientiane. Sunny 32 0 0 0
14-11-09 Rode into Thailand, huge contrast from Laos. Sunny 28 81 18.6 36.5
15-11-09 Flat, hot and fast, not much else to see on another busy road. Sunny 34 90 21.6 38
16-11-09 Crashed into a stopped car, paid $50 to fix the light, no major injuries. Sunny 34 85 20 31
17-11-09 Long day biking back to Laos. Cloudy 28 head wind 119 19.4 42.7
18-11-09 Easy day just cruising south. Sunny 25 head wind 85 14.2 40.6
19-11-09 More of the same, relaxed day. Sunny 26 tail wind 107 15.9 36.4
20-11-09 Rolling hills and nice tail winds. Sunny 32 66 20.5 53
21-11-09 Day off to rest and sort out the last days to Phnom Penh. Sunny 30 0 0 0
22-11-09 Uphill to Bolevan Plateau, many coffee plantations and waterfalls. Sunny 28 87 15.2 58.3
23-11-09 More uphill and dusty roads but beautiful. Sunny 30 85 14.2 47.1
24-11-09 Cruzy downhill and then accross the Mekong to Champasak. Sunny 30 93 20 55.2
25-11-09 Amazing day on dusty track through beautiful villages. Sunny 32 103 16.8 31
26-11-09 Relaxed day on the islands, swimming, eating and enjoying. Sunny 30 51 11.4 23.3
27-11-09 Uneventful ride to the border and into Cambodia. Sunny 34 86.2 19 29.4
28-11-09 Wonderful start and finish to the day, saw Mekong river dolphins. Sunny 34 mixed wind 158 18.5 35.5
29-11-09 Day off to not arrive too soon in PP, very chilled. Sunny 34 0 0 0
30-11-09 Amazing day riding on rough roads. Very friendly people. Sunny 34 tail wind 114 17.5 40
1-12-09 Final day into PP, boring main roads. Sunny 32 tail winds 121.5 19.6 29.3
2-12-09 Welcome at the Cambodia Trust. Sunny 30 20 14.8 25.4
3-12-09 Day spent sorting photos for exhibition. Sunny 34 5 14 23
4-12-09 Day spent sorting photos for exhibition. Then traveling to Siam Reap. Sunny 34 0 0 0
5-12-09 Angkor Wat Bike Race!! Sunny 32 90 29 42
6-12-09 Visiting temples and ruins at Angkor Wat and around. Sunny 34 20 15 23
7-12-09 Arranging photos and framing. Sunny 34 0 0 0
8-12-09 Arranging photos. Sunny 34 0 0 0
9-12-09 Arranging photos. Sunny 34 0 0 0
10-12-09 Visited the Killing Fields and hung photos. Sunny 34 40 18.6 34
TOTAL 9804
As time goes on I meet more and more cycle tourists, so I have made a list of them all to keep track.
Meeting Place Country of Origin Trip Length
Hungary 2 x France Danube River to the Black Sea 4 weeks
Hungary German Danube River to the Black Sea 6 weeks
Hungary 2 x German Danube River to the Black Sea 3 weeks
Turkey 2 x Spanish Spain to Israel 8 months
Turkey Sweden Northern Turkey 2 weeks
Turkey Swiss Iran to Switzerland 3 months
Turkey German Turkey to Germany 2 months
Turkey Austria Austria to India and maybe beyond 1 year or more
Turkey The Netherlands The Netherlands to East Asia and beyond 2 years or more
Iran Iran Northern Iran 4 days
Iran 2 x France France to India and back 1 year
Iran 2 x Sweden/France Norway to China 6 months
India 2 x Spain/South Africa Northern India - Shimla to Leh to Padum to Manali 2 months
India 2 x German/India Northern India - Rekong Peo to Manali 8 days
India 2 x Australia Northern India - Manali to Shimla 3 weeks
India 2 x Swiss/German SE Asia,India,Middle East to Switzerland 2 years
India 2 x German Northern India - Manali to Shimla 8 days
India 3 x Australia/Japan Northern India - Leh to Manali, Nepal, Bhutan Unknown
India Switzerland Switzerland to Nepal 15 months
India England Northern India - Manali to Leh with rented bike and 25 kg backpack 10 days
India 2 x England Northern India - Manali to Leh 10 days
India Japan Northern India - Chandigar to Leh on Indien single speed bike 3 weeks
India 4 x France Round the world 2 years or more
India 3 x Czech Delhi to Leh to Delhi 3 weeks
India 2 x French Beijing to Paris 1 year
India South Africa Leh to Manali and around 1 month
India Spanish Portugal to NZ 2 years plus
India 3 x Russian Manali to Leh 2 weeks
India 2 x Swiss Manal to unknown unknown
China French China 2 weeks
China 2 x Spanish Africa & Asia 2 years
China Australian China to Laos 3 weeks
China 2 x unknown unknown unknown
Vietnam 2 x USA SE Asia 1 year
Vietnam 1 x Australian SE Asia 6 months
Vietnam 3 x Belgian SE Asia & S America 8 months
Vietnam 2 x Canadian Vietnam 1 month
Laos 2 x Canadian Asia & Europe 1 year
Laos 2 x German Laos 2 weeks
Laos Russian SE Asia 3 months
Laos 2 x Dutch Laos 3 weeks
Laos German SE Asia unknown
Laos Australian SE Asia 1 month