Forever seeking ways to avoid the summer months of New Orleans led me on a bike trip from Venice Italy to Munich Germany during September 2018. I went on this trip with my best friends, G, Matt, and Ben. The ride was inspired by Call Me By Your Name, G's uncle's bike trips across Europe, and curiosity.
We followed an old Roman road called the Via Augusta Claudia. The Via Augusta Claudia brought us through apple orchards, small towns, and the Alps. For roughly 3 weeks, Matt, G, Ben, and I hung out, biked, and slept outside. We were never apart. No real fights, but everyone did get food poisoning at some point though.
I met the boys in Venice. The day I arrived I bought a bike off an Italian man wearing all black for 120 euros. The bike was alright. The brakes never really worked, despite G's best efforts. The lack of brakes and bent rims kept me at a slow and steady pace.
Biking really long distances for weeks is weird to be honest. It's oddly comforting to have a single task to focus on, that leaves you so tired at the end of the day you fall immediately asleep. While biking for hours I often thought of skateboarding, friends, my diet, the next grocery store stop, and how much I'd like to not be biking at the moment. I honestly complained a lot about biking, while biking (sorry boys).
Now that I'm back in the States I really miss biking all day. I miss hanging out with the boys, I miss setting up camp, and I miss all the pretzels I ate. Instead of dirty clothes, bike parts, and sunscreen, my Tchoup bag now usually carries a laptop and predictable office supplies.
On the bike trip, my view ahead always included my Roulez Pack in my front basket. A welcome reminder of home. Back home, it's still in my front basket.
This trip was made possible by G's planning, Tchoup Industries, New Orleans, stealing from grocery stores, and borrowing camping supplies from friends.
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