Day 20: Athens to Santorini - 11 miles

Santorini is beautiful. It is the quintissential picture of the perfect Greek paradise. A big thank you to everyone so far. We are overjoyed to hit the $3.00 per mile mark. It has been a big motivation for us thus far.

Day 19: Athens

We have completed 10 days of riding in a row and I think we are both feeling a bit tired. It is a good time to take a few days off. Our motivation for cycling during those 10 days was from various sources. A lot of it stemmed from the joy of rolling into a new town every night. Motivation also came from our desire for a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that we ought to paritally earn this great trip that we are doing. Our plan now is to take a vacation within a vacation by spending 2 days in Athens followed by a few days in the islands of Greece. After that it is off to the unknown of Turkey.

Day 18: Thiva to Athens - 59 miles

As you can see from the picture, Athens is a sea of buildings that never ends. Getting into the city was a great way to end 10 days of riding. It was harrowing and exciting fighting the trucks, cars, and scooters for a piece of the road.

Day 17: Delphi to Thiva - 57 miles

Thiva is just a nondescript town. No big reasons to visit except one minor detail, Hercules was born there. You know, son of Zeus.

Day 16: Agios Nikolaus to Delphi, Greece - 40 miles

According to greek myth, Delphi is the home of the omphalos stone, which is the center of the universe.

Day 15: Bari to Patras, Greece (Ferry) & Patras to Agios Nikolaus - 40 miles

Meet Matt, Lisa, Alex and Madeline...our new friends that we were fortunate enough to meet on our overnight ferry from Bari to Patras. They are from Malibu and are currently on a 6 month trip around the world...very inspiring! It was great to see how much fun they were having as a family and how appreciative both the kids, Alex and Madeline, were to have this opportunity...granted,they are doing some independent study work for school, though I think the history they have seen first hand thus far in Europe has been priceless.

It was definitely a rough night of sleep for Brady and I on the ferry being the budget travelers that we are, as we slept on "couches" in the bar area. Brady was pretty happy though to finally have TV that was in English on this Greek cruise line! He sure does love his movies!

Day 14: Matera to Bari, Italy - 46 miles

Matera is the city where Passion of the Christ was filmed. The amazing thing is that nothing had to be added to the set to make it look 2000 years old. This place is made of tufa stone, which makes it look ancient. It is filled with cave dwellings that date back to antiquity.

Day 13: Oppido Lucano to Matera - 42 miles

Beautiful scenery. The greenest hills I have ever seen with a number of olive groves and wineries. A tailwind and 2000 foot drop in elevation did not hurt in the least bit.
We have considered changing the pledge format. Due to the number of falls for sarah so far, we are open to a pledge per fall if that works better..

Day 12: Vietri Di Potenza to Oppido Lucano - 46 miles

We went through more charming small towns. We ended up in Oppido Lucano, which is not in any guide books that I know, but it could be our favorite place so far. We were shown great hospitality by Alfredo and Liliana.

Day 11: Battipaglia to Vietri di Potenza - 46 miles

We began the climb across italy to Bari on the eastern coast. We traveled through charming small Italian towns on a quiet country road. All the towns are located on hilltops because, historically, it was a better defensive location. The road travels through these towns and it creates a lot of climbing. We are staying at around 3200 feet tonight. The view is great.

Day 10: Positano to Battipaglia - 43 miles

More of the Amalfi Coast. curving roads wrap along steep rocky hillsides. Some of the bus drivers that manage these winding roads are incredibly talented. I would not volunteer to be that bus driver. On a bike it is easier, but looking at the constant impossibilty of this road makes me think "what if".

Day 9: Naples to Positano - 52 miles

Naples is the worst place to bike on the planet. Tablet sized cobblestones with jarring traffic created a slow crawl out of the city. It was amazing that we only had one flat tire. The Amalfi Coast seemed so far away. But, alas, Sarah and I were still married at the end of it and by afternoon we were biking along the Amalfi Coast, which is some of the most beautiful riding that can be found. Quite the contrast.

Day 8: Naples/Pompeii/Ercalano

A day of visiting ruins. Two sites: Pompeii and Ercolano (Herculaneum). An amazing find in modern history. Two cities were preserved by a violent eruption (Mt. Vesuvius). Ash, Pumice, and mud covered entire cities. It gives a brilliant look at how people lived 2000 years ago.

Day 7: Mondragone to Naples - 36 miles

Naples has a funny way of welcoming you. Upon entering the city we were forced to go thru a half mile tunnel that was as dark as night. you get out and you are in Naples. I suppose we had to pass a test to show a certain fortitude. Naples is hard nosed. A chaotic city really. This is evidenced by scooters taking over sidewalks during rush hour and mothers using baby strollers to nose their way across busy streets.

Day 6: Sperlonga to Mondragone - 35 miles

Sperlonga was too nice to leave early in the morning. The ride was along a hilliside partially along the sea. We had to travel through numerous tunnels at the start of the ride. Rain cut our day short. Also, we saw an internet cafe that has been nonexistent since Rome. We are getting used to biking all day, but right now we have sore legs, butts, and arms. We could use a laundromat as well.

picture: A good home cooked meal.

Day 5: Anzio to Sperlonga - 52 miles

The coastal areas in Italy are beautiful. Sperlonga is no exception. The sea, hillsides, and architecture are stunning. The ride today was nice, but a constant headwind will make us sore tomorrow.

Day 4: Rome to Anzio - 38 miles

We finally got the trip going. We took a road out that dates back millenia. we thought it would be good since there are no cars. it turns out they havent updated the road in centuries either. After a few miles we diverted to the trusty asphalt.

Day 3: Rome

Our bags finally landed. We quickly got to putting together our bikes and realized one bike arrived with no seat or seatpost. I have no idea how a bike seat could disappear. Yet, it happens to me all the time. Out of 4 bikes mailed or flown over the last couple of years, 3 have arrived without seats.

Day 2: Rome

Still waiting for bags. Sarah has shown great patience. Rome is a great place to be stuck. We have been enjoying all the fruits the city has to offer.

Day 1: Rome

Waiting for our two bags is more difficult for Sarah as she has no clothes. Rome is not a bad place to have to go shopping. Also lets talk about the espresso for a minute. The Roman version of the drive thru coffee stand is a pedestrian coffee bar. Come in, get a quick fix, pay the piper, and take off. Usually straight espresso, but maybe a cappuccino or machiatto if they are feeling lucky. They dont sit down. they are in and out in 2 minutes. It has a rhythm to it and it is great to be a part of it. It goes a little something like this.

ciao, grazie, prego, ciao, ciaograzie, pregociao, ciao a tutti, ciaogratzie, prego, ciao gratzie. like a musical.

it is good to be in rome.

Rough Trip

Getting to Rome was no easy task. We were flying on a day that United cancelled 31 flights for maintenance. Getting rerouted was chaotic, but we made it with only one additional connection and only 8 hours late. Unfortunately we were two bags short.

T-Minus 36 Hours

Departure 7am Wed! We are very excited, but will be more excited if we can skate through the baggage check-in without any surprises. We will each be checking one bag at 50 lbs and one boxed bike at just under 50 lbs. The picture shows how Sarah and I will carry all the gear we need for three months. A total of eight saddlebags with sleeping bags and tent on the back all held together with metal racks and bungie cords.

First stop is Rome then on the cobblestone down to Pompei and the Amalfi Coast. wish us luck!

Generosity

Thank you very much for all the contributions thus far. If we keep our end of the bargain we are currently over $2,000 towards worthy causes. I wanted to take a moment to let everyone know the significant difference they are making. Fusion is aiding an area of the world that is in dire need of services. This is emphasized by the following:


"Internally displaced people in Colombia are subjects of one of, if not the worst humanitarian crisis in the western hemisphere,” and yet they remain “invisible, not only internationally, but even in Bogotá.”- Kamel Morjane, Assistant United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2004

Ninety-two percent of internally displaced persons in Colombia do not make enough money to meet their basic needs and 80 percent live in situations of extreme poverty. - World Food Program, 2003

For the last six years, internal displacement in Colombia has been voted one of the top ten most underreported humanitarian crises in the world by the medical relief organization Doctors without Borders.

A Good Cause

We feel this bike tour gives us a great opportunity to raise awareness for two charities, ALS and Fusion (click for more details). Our goal is to get enough pledges per mile to realize that every mile we travel will make a difference. We believe that we can turn every $0.01 pledged into $20 by the end of the trip. Please email bikingforacause@gmail.com with a pledge and include your mailing address. It would mean a lot to us and would prevent us from claiming that we pulled a hammy after one week of suffering. If direct donations are preferred than we have a personalized giving page here.

Revised Route

Departure set for April 2nd. Here is our best guess at our route for the trip. Of course, everything is subject to change. It begins and ends in Rome. We will be traveling counter clockwise. Click on the map for a larger image.

Red = biking

Green = public transport