Behind the Scenes

I made it! I am very excited to start another bike ride. This one starts with a visit to see my sister and brother-in-law in Stuttgart, Germany. Thankfully, I made it here safely with all my belongings, but first a little about what that entails.

Prep Work

As with any trip, deciding where to go is the most exciting part of planning. Where do I want to go? What do I want to see? When is the best time to go? After that is the nitty gritty details of what to bring and, in my case, what can I fit on a bicycle. After a trip, I go over all my equipment and set aside everything that needs repair. If I didn’t get right on top of it when I got home, now is the time to start hustling. I usually spend my nights tossing and turning over the most benign inconsequential things like which shirt to bring – the pink one or the green? Two pairs of socks or three? Instead of the more important details like… is my seat comfortable? Are my tires in good shape? Do I need four panniers or only two?

Boxing up my bike

The beauty of leaving directly from your house is that you don’t have to worry about how you will get there. This has been the case over the last three years (last year I took a train to start in Montana, but didn’t have to box the bike.). This year I had to deal with the logistics of boxing up my bike and getting it to the airport. Having a bike shop box your bike cost over a hundred dollars. Then having them put it back together on the other end can cost just as much. This is the part of travel that always stresses me out the most. This year I decided I have to figure this out. I put it at the top of my goal list then found support to help me accomplish this goal at The Bikery.

The Bikery is a non-profit bike shop in Seattle. They have all the tools you need to repair you bicycle and bike mechanics around to help walk you through the process of fixing your own bike, or in my case, breaking down my bike to fit into a very small box. From there I had to locate a box and get it home. In the old days (before Covid), you could easily pick up a box from any bike shop. Now they charge $15 – $20 dollars IF they have them at all. I got lucky and found one at the dumpster behind REI and snagged it for free. Sometimes you just have to be resourceful and stealthy.

Flying with your bike

The next step is getting that bike on the plane without taking out a second mortgage. I had a suitcase under 50lbs and my bike boxed under the size requirements of 62inches (whatever that means). But, it weighed 55lbs – 3lbs over the allotted weight – for a net charge of $200. Bastards! Since my flight was delayed two hours, I had nothing but time to fight this injustice. I asked for a manager, and within 20 minutes he came and was able to transfer 3lbs from the bike over to the suitcase through the computer system thereby saving me $100 dollars and avoiding an ugly customer meltdown.

Tracking my luggage

Before leaving Seattle, I got a tip from my bike buddy, Paul, who had just flown to the UK a few weeks earlier, that baggage was being lost at an alarming rate at the Amsterdam airport, exactly where I had my layover. He suggested I buy these niffy little tracking devices called, ”AirTags,” so I did. I put one in my bike box and one in my luggage and was able to see that it was actually transferred. By some miracle from above, apart from the AirTags, both items were waiting for me at baggage claim when I got off the plane.

On the ground

I’m having a lovely time in Stuttgart with my sister and Brother-in-law. After four days, today is the day I start riding off into the hinterlands. Wish me luck!

Before I go, I have a public announcement. After six years, I have named my poor little nameless bike. She is now called, Joy! She is a joy machine bringing me much surprise, adventure and happiness. She has earned her name.

Happy Trails,

Denise