Home from la Bella Italia

The last day of my trip was October 5, 2024. After a last lap walking the dog, Wytze drove me to a nearby breakfast place where we had gone two years ago. Ype and Joke biked over and we had a lovely breakfast. The setting is so gorgeous it’s hard to even comprehend, although it just seems normal there. It was the third straight day of perfect weather which is probably uncommon for this time of year. We sat outside and I was so thankful for the company, the day and the whole trip. Wytze, you were the most wonderful host and touring partner! Thank you!

Wytze dropped me off at the station, and I had an easy trip to the airport. I was already checked in but bag drop took some time. It’s always such a nice feeling to leave the bike box with its tracker and proceed to the gate with just a carry-on.

The flight was a little late, full, my neighbor was large and spilled over into my seat, I couldn’t sleep, in short it was normal for coach. But three meals and four movies later I landed at San Francisco. Just like last year, immigration took no time, passport not required. Just look in the camera and Global Entry does the rest. The whole giant baggage claim hall was empty which was a good sign and sure enough, my bike box came out quickly – I had seen via its tracker that it flew with me.

Katie drove over from the cell phone lot and while she did I opened my box and assembled my bike. She had her aunt from New York along and a box cutter so the big box could be cut and folded up in the back of the car, bike on the rack, and three people could fit. It was strange as there was a heat wave and the evening temperature was 33°C (over 90°F). As we drove home everything felt surprisingly normal. Soon I was showered and tired as it was 5 am Holland time. I slept so well in my own bed!

The part I didn’t mention was that since the day before I had some slight congestion in my nose. I had worn a mask the whole time in the plane, but when I got home and tested for Covid, sure enough I was positive. I don’t know where I got it. I wrote to all the people I had contact with at Wytze’s and no one had any symptoms so I guess I wasn’t contagious then. Ype replied: “Hi Nathan, take care and get well soon! Feel fine but if I would get ill; small price to pay for a great party with good company!” That seems like a really good way to think about it. Reading that somehow made it feel easier for me.

I’ve been thinking about the biking, about going on trips like this independently versus on supported tours. I thought it would be harder than it turned out to be. And financially, it’s much cheaper. In fact, we made a daily budget for our trip which was equal to the daily cost of the equivalent Bike Dreams trip we could’ve done. When multiplied by the four of us, we couldn’t ever come close to spending that much even with 17 course dinners and nice apartments. On the 17 course dinner day we actually did spend just over half the budget but on most days we spent under a quarter, while intentionally living about as large as we could.

Carrying your own luggage sounds harder than it is. We each carried 4-5 kg of clothes, tools and spare parts etc. I did somewhat miss having a laptop, but really could do everything on my phone. In fact I could’ve reduced my luggage a bit and still been fine. Sure it’s a bit harder climbing hills with your bike weighing 4-5 kg more, but it’s not like my old days of fully loaded touring. That really is harder!

Here are a few things I learned:

• Unsupported “credit-card” touring is awesome and feels very free
• With the right group, it’s cheaper and more fun than an organized tour, although it’s more work
• The most free feeling is the ability to throw in a full or half rest day anywhere. For instance we liked San Marco dei Cavoti so much we booked a second night instead of riding on.
• Be flexible and panic-free because reservations can fall through at the last minute
• You can get by with far less clothing and other stuff than you might think – none of us brought pants for example
• In places like Italy, you can find things you need like replacement parts or items you forgot to bring. We bought parts (pedals, cleats, a tire, tail/head lights), socks, charger, cable and batteries etc.
• There is a ton of very steep, rough “trail” on the Italy Unite route, and the route itself is sometimes just an idea, not actually followable
• Don’t deflate your tires for flights – it’s not needed and re-assembly take longer
• I need to get rid of my bike pump that rotates the valve core when it is removed
• It’s nice to have trackers (Tile, AirTag, etc) in each bike for times when riders get separated
• I used the latest Ortlieb waterproof bike-packing bags. The Seat Pack QR and Handlebar QR (quick release) bags worked great. Panniers and racks are overkill.

Finally, my hugest thanks to Andrew, Daniel and Wytze for the most fun bike trip ever. You guys are fantastic!