Sunday 10 June 2012

Upcoming Trans Europe Adventure - Vilnius to Barcelona



Solidarity and Samovars
Start: July 23, Vilnius, Lithuania
Finish: July 31, Krakow, Poland
Distance: 950km
Riding Days: 8 days
Resting Days: 1 days


This section starts in Vilnius, with its Baroque Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and heads west towards Poland. Riders will spin across the forests of Southern Lithuania, possibly stopping for a dip in a Soviet-era spa. Crossing into Poland the tour will camp along some of the country’s most beautiful lakes before heading south to the capital of Warsaw. Finally, the last few days bring you to Krakow, the only major city in the country to avoid damage during WWII and thus, an amazing repository of monasteries, palaces and churches.


Trans-Tatra Trail
Start: August 3, Krakow, Poland
Finish: August 7, Bratislava, Slovakia
Distance: 500km
Riding Days: 5 days
Resting Days: 0 days


This section begins in Poland’s ancient capital, Krakow and heads south to begin the climb up and over Central Europe’s highest mountain range, the Tatras. This may be the shortest section but is also the most challenging. At the top of the climb, the cyclist will cross the border into Slovakia, a country of hill side villages and fiery Slivovica, a traditional plum brandy! The expedition now heads east across rolling hills to end in the country’s vibrant capital, Bratislava.


Alps and Adriatic
Start: August 9, Bratislava, Slovakia
Finish: August 18, Venice, Italy
Distance: 800km
Riding Days: 9 days
Resting Days: 1 days



This section begins in the Slovak capital of Bratislava and heads south through western Hungary where the riders may see remnants from the original basalt amber road construction of the ancient amber trade route. Turning south-west, the cyclists will cross into tiny Slovenia, possibly stopping to sample some fine local wine on their way to the capital, Ljubljana. After a rest day spent exploring the city’s famous hill top castle, the riders will cycle towards the Italian coast, before arriving at incomparable Venice.

Along the Riviera
Start: August 21, Venice , Italy
Finish: September 6, Barcelona, Spain
Distance: 1,380km
Riding Days: 14 days
Resting Days: 3 days



There are few roads in the world more famous than the ones resting between the mountains and the Mediterranean sea of Italy and France.  The Riviera has been the sanctuary of the rich and famous in Europe and beyond for centuries, it has also been home to some of cycling’s’ most famous races, such as Paris-Nice and Milan-San Remo.  We’ll tackle these steep winding roads while we savior the view of the waters below.  We’ll have rest days in Genoa and Cannes but as well we’ll pass through San Remo and Nice.  After we reach the city of Montpellier we’ll head towards the Pyrenees and Spain crossing the border near the coast and finding our way to magnificent Barcelona.