First Steps to Prepare

For better or for worse, my first concrete steps to prepare for my TransAmerican bicycle trip have involved spending money.. ;-)


Purchase #1 - Touring Bicycle

I am about to purchase a touring bicycle from the wife of a friend of mine. It's a Gazelle Medeo -- a sturdy but light bike, with front and rear racks, a multigrip handlebar, and excellent parts (it handles like a mountain bike). This photo below gives an impression of what the bicycle looks like.. (a photo of the actual bicycle will come soon, after I have had the chance to take it for a weekend-long test ride.)

Purchase #2 - Rear panniers

I have bought a set of waterproof rear pannier bags from Ortlieb. They are quite spacious, and easily clip on and off. (There's an optional extension, that I haven't purchased yet, that can turn a pannier into a backpack. That should be handy for the pannier I will keep valuable things in -- laptop, wallet, etc..) The photo below gives an impression of what the pannier bag looks like.

Purchase #3 - Reading Material


To help me plan for the trip mentally, I have bought a couple of excellent looking books..


Bicycling Coast to Coast: A Complete Route Guide Virginia to Oregon - Donna Lynn Ikenberry

"Author and veteran cycler Donna Lynn Ikenberry pedaled across the USA, and now she's giving you the inside scoop on how to get the most out of your trip! ... Based on the Adventure Cycling Association's popular Transamerica Bicycle Route, the tour is broken into 77 day trips ... including detailed route descriptions, with information on mileage, camping, and lodging options, equipment needs and more. " (From the book jacket)

Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook: Worldwide Cycling Route & Planning Guide - Stephen Lord

"Every cyclist dreams of making the Big Trip, the Grand Cycle Tour abroad. The Adventure Cycling Handbook is the comprehensive manual that will make that dream a reality ... whether cyclists are planning their own Big Trip or just enjoy reading about other people's adventures, the handbook is guaranteed to illuminate, entertain and above all, inspire." (From Amazon)

Handboek Fietsreparaties - Rob van der Plas

"De moderne fiets is een knap, maar eenvoudig stukje techniek – vooropgesteld dat hij goed wordt onderhouden. En daarbij wil dit nieuwste boek van Rob van der Plas u behulpzaam zijn. Aan de hand van duidelijke instructies kunt u zelf het noodzakelijke onderhoud van en de meeste reparaties aan uw rijwiel uitvoeren, hetzij thuis hetzij onderweg. En door aan uw fiets te sleutelen, wordt u ook een betere berijder, omdat u al doende meer inzicht krijgt in de werking van uw fiets." (From the publisher's website)

Other preparations

In the upcoming week or two, there's a few more things that I want to do to prepare for weekend cycle touring here in the Netherlands.

• To help further orient myself in the wide world of cycle touring, next Saturday I will be attending the 'Fiets en Wandelbeurs' (Bicycle and Hiking Expo) in the Amsterdam RAI. I will be going together with my friend Philip Homburg, whom I expect that I'll be making many training rides (here in the Netherlands) with.

• Purchase a tent - I have zero experience right now with bicycle camping, so I'm very eager to try camping out on a weekend long ride! I already have a bike + panniers + sleeping bag.. so a tent + sleeping mat are the last pieces of kit that I need to try my hand at bicycle camping!


• Do a weekend (2-day) bicycle camping trip. I was thinking that a nice first trip would be to cycle (part of the way) around the Ijsselmeer.

BTW.. as one last aside.. for those in Amsterdam who are interested in tour cycling (or other trips that speak to the imagination), I HIGHLY recommend these stores:

• De Vakantiefietser - Westerstraat 216
• Pied à Terre - Overtoom 135-137