From Lot-et-Garonne to the North Cape

Hi there, Last spring, I set off from Villeréal (47) on a road bike and reached the North Cape after 6 weeks of cycling. I had a particular concept: I’d cycle each stage (averaging 140 km) and then return to the starting point either by carpooling, hitchhiking (not often), bus, or train. I’d meet up with my van (a Trafic) and then drive the same stage to eat and sleep there. This approach let me choose where I stayed for the night and, most importantly, ride the distance I wanted—my longest stage was 217 km—without carrying any weight, since I can’t imagine doing a fully self-supported bike trip. I did a first 3-week stretch that took me to the top of Denmark using this method. Then I drove back to Hamburg in my van, left it there, and flew back to Bordeaux. I spent two weeks at home because my autistic son was staying with me, then my wife and I flew to Hamburg. We picked up the van and drove back to the top of Denmark to catch a ferry to Oslo. For this second leg, my wife drove the Trafic, and we met up along the stages, which allowed me to focus solely on my ride. I chose to go through Sweden—it would’ve been much more complicated going up through Norway because of all the tunnels, frequent small ferries to cross the fjords, and a lot more elevation gain. I had favorable winds most of the time, a few hiccups, but overall everything went smoothly, and I stuck to my route and schedule. I kept a travel journal on My Atlas—here’s the link: https://www.myatlas.com/danielcramay/du-47-au-cap-nord

this post doesn't belong in this section—it's a van trip! 😊

Hello, I don’t understand your analysis—I covered 4,500 km on my bike, but I wasn’t weighed down by luggage. After that, when it comes to sleeping, everyone has their own preferences: full autonomy, guesthouses, hotels. If this post isn’t in the right section, you’ll need to report it to one of the admins for their input. Cheers, Daniel

whoa, get outta here!

Hello and congratulations on your bike trip! I just read your travel journal. It was quite an adventure. 👍🏼

Hey there, Yeah, it was intense, but so worth it! You just gotta go for it! 😊

Bravo! What an amazing journey and a fantastic travel journal. Nathalie BAILLON made this trip starting from southern Spain. She holds the women's record but couldn't beat the men's record—I can't remember who set it.

Hi, thanks for your feedback! It seems like I read Nathalie’s story in *Travel Adventures*—she went further east, if I remember right. Quite the challenge trying to break a record! I met a Spanish woman who had just returned from the North Cape on her own, and I think she was heading to Madrid. She was traveling with a Swiss woman, both of them over 70—I felt a little silly next to them!

the ladies are impressive

Well done!

But that’s a complicated method. You should try it with luggage. If you plan it right, you can manage with 12 kg of net luggage (including panniers) + 1 to 3 liters of water + 1 to 2 kg of food that doesn’t need cooking.

In the 12 kg of luggage: - There’s 5-6 kg of sleeping gear (tent + sleeping bag + stuff sack). There’s still room to lighten the load. - There’s nothing for cooking or dishes, but still a knife and a corkscrew (yeah, we’re not here to suffer).

You also need to account for 1 kg for a rear rack.

Anyway, given your physical condition, it’s not that big of a deal.

Now, if you want to do this with your sweetheart, I get it.

Hello, Yes, it wasn’t always easy, but I found solutions. I’m 69 and I like at least a minimum of comfort. I respect the choice of self-sufficient cyclists. It also allowed me to only do the outbound route.

I totally get the desire for comfort as we get older. I’m 70. When you’re twenty, you can handle sleeping under a tarp on bubble wrap, but as you age, you start wanting more comfort. For now, the tent works fine for me—we’ll see later.

Hi there, congrats on your bike trip! The van trick is a good call—logistics are totally different when you're cycling. FYI, I also traveled to the North Cape by motorcycle in 2019. P.S. Rediscovering the site after all this time.