Well…it’s taken me quite some time to finally getting around to finishing thia section of The Wandering Idiot. I do apologise to those of you who have so loyally followed along and given me support during my trip. I definitely owe that to you. It probably wasn’t too cool to just drop out of the interweb like that…Rome and then *poof*! As you have probably already gathered, my trip came to a close in Rome…so there you have it…Brighton to Rome it was. And a good trip it was. I learned a lot and my appetite for touring has grown insatiably.
I thought I would touch a little on why it has taken me so long to finally draw this part of the blog to a conclusion. I guess for one, I was embarrassed. Embarrassed that I had set out for Istanbul and then failed. There was no celebration or feeling of ‘I made it’…I feel like I got to Rome, and then the trip just ebbed away. Then there was the public nature of it all…all of the readers that were following along, sending me emails and posting comments…I guess I kind of feel like I let you all down…and it took me ages to come to terms with the fact that I was no longer cycling…and it’s taken up to now to admit this to all of you.
I have ready so many blogs of long distance riders…covering distances many, many thousands of miles more than I, and I guess I kind of feel like I did not achieve what I had set out to.
I did not get the wild camping experience I wanted…I guess you should choose your cycling seasons better! It seems that I carried a lot of gear that I hardly used…tent, exped downmat, cooking supplies, etc. It just feels so…so…unsatisfying. Here I had set out for this big adventure to test myself, sleep rough, travel freely and endlessly, and I hardly got away from the UK at all….just down the road…
So why did I stop riding? Well, for one…it was getting cold, and once I hit Rome, the big ‘freeze’ that took hold of Europe back in December hit Italy as well. I stopped enjoying myself…fighting the cold, and I was afraid of a repeat of the rain that I had on the early part of the trip in the north of France…I was tired and just wanted to be with my family in Zagreb. Two…money was starting to become an issue…I still had funds remaining, but I was afraid of running out completely and then starting somewhere with nothing…I guess I wasn’t brave enough to just go for it, live a little more recklessly and just push. I should have budgeted A LOT more.
So…where does this leave me now. Well…quite unsatisfied…I’ve got a bug for bicycle touring now, that I’m not sure how to satisfy…I just know that I need to try again…
For starters, I have every intention of completing this trip…perhaps cycling the Zagreb to Istanbul stretch in the summer months…but beyond that I’m already daydreaming of longer tours…planning better (this trip was dreamt up last August, by September I’d bought my Surly and by October on the road!) and riding more.
If you were afraid that I may never want to see another touring cycle or pannier again, I have good news for you…that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Travel by bicycle is one of the most amazing ways to cover distance, get (or stay) in shape, enjoy scenery, meet new people, have time to think, and travel on the cheap. I’m so glad that I’ve discovered this form of travel…and I have plenty of time to explore on two wheels…
So for now this is Vinko signing out. I will shelve this trip as Brighton to Rome…and hopefully add more chapters to ‘The Wandering Idiot’.
Watch this space.
5 Comments
Still quite an achievement though, and no doubt you’ve learnt some useful lessons to put towards another attempt.
A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, and all that…!
Good luck for the next attempt!
It was your tour, and you had the right to make it what you wanted it to be, and change when you wanted to change. I would have swapped my cubicle in New Jersey with you, but right now I can only ride vicariously through you. Your readers didn’t pay you, we have no expectation except to read your posts of the ride. I enjoyed your posts, and read most of them.
Don’t be down on yourself, or embarrassed. You did something you should be proud of, and I for one respect what you did, even it was “only down the road”. My longest trip has been 5 days, sleeping in bed and breakfasts every night. Chin up, be proud. I look forward to your next planned or unplanned adventure.
Hiya Bob…thanks for your kind words. All in all it was a great trip. It’s fun now to read through the blog for me as well…helps me remember the funs bits and the not so fun bits…
next trip is in the making…will keep you all posted.
Thanks John…definitely have learned a lot…and really looking forward to the next attempt!
Hey Vinko,
Glad to see you are ok. As others have said, don’t worry a jot about what people think, you rode under your own steam to Rome!! I know people who won’t ride at all, let alone to the end of their street – you went as far as circumstances allowed – this time.
Inspired by you (and others) I am riding round Holland for 10 days in May. Watch my blog for a laugh at my ineptitude at touring – which will show you just how much experience you have gained.
All the best,
Paul