Bikepacking the European Divide Trail - What's it Like? Mircea Arǎmescu

Ever wanted to go bikepacking on the European Divide Trail? It's the longest continuous off road route that crosses the European continent and this week Romanian bikepacker Mircea Arǎmescu is sharing with us his experiences from riding it this year. 

Mircea is also the youngest person to have ridden the trail and he tells us all about his experiences specifically at the northern part of the trail. You can find Mircea on instagram via his account - @Mircea0907

Previous episodes featuring the EDT are:

Rebekka Wiedener

Russell Nankervis

This week I also shared your top tips on what to tell someone who is keen to get started with their first bike adventure. 

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:25

Hello everybody, it's Bella Malloy here, host of Seek Travel Ride, and welcome back to another midweek mini episode where I'm looking to inspire you to take your own bike adventures. I'm actually coming back from my own little mini adventure this past weekend where to be honest with you, I think I spent more time actually hiking my bike than riding my bike. And I'm not sure how I feel about that. Personally, I'm one of those people that much prefers to be peddling the bicycle as opposed to walking it on hiking trails, and I just found that I couldn't get into a rhythm for a lot of what I was doing on the weekend. The landscapes were spectacular and they did help keep the motivation higher for a little bit. But yes, it was a lot of walking and pushing on what felt like endless double track grassy paths. Realistically, it was a hiking trail, and yeah, I am unashamedly going to put myself in the basket of people who don't really enjoy that. But it was an adventure. And that brings me to this week's story, which is brought to us by Romanian Mirto Omescu, who is going to share his experiences of being the youngest person ever to ride the European Divide Trail. Now, on the podcast I have shared a few long form episodes about the European Divide Trail. One about a couple of years ago with German unicyclist Becky Wiedener. And um yeah, it is exactly what it sounds like. She is a phenomenal athlete and she rode the European Divide Trail on her unicycle. And a little bit after that I interviewed Australian Russell Nankurvis and he rode the European Divide Trail as well. And this week Mirko Romescu is going to be taking us there as well. So let's hear all about his experiences. He was riding the trail from north to south, and he's going to be telling us all about his time in the northern sections of the trail.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

My name is Mirto Romescu, and I'm a second year university student from Romania. This year I rode 9,000 km alone from Norway to Spain, becoming the youngest European Divide Trail finisher at 21 years old. If you're listening to this, it's very likely you've heard already about the European Divide Trail. For those of you who haven't, this bikepacking route is Europe's longest, spanning about 7,500 kilometers, and it was created by Andy Cox. I discovered it last summer when I came across Angus Young's video about his fastest known time record on the EDT. And after watching that video, I decided to have a go at the route myself and attempt to become the youngest EDT finisher. Well, me being me, I also made two extensions to the route, one in Norway and one at the end in Portugal and Spain, which together added roughly 1500 kilometers to the route and allowed me to include both North Cape and Tarifa in my journey. I started my adventure on June 5th, right after wrapping up my first year at university. The northern section really left its mark on me. The route was really beautiful at times, I saw proper fjords for the first time, reindeer, and you know the famous Finnish lakes, and I got to enjoy Sweden in full summer bloom. It was also really difficult at times. I think the biggest shock I had at the start was that there was snow in the north of Norway, which would have been fine had I packed some proper warm clothes and some long trousers. But for the first three days I only biked in my bib shorts. I can't overemphasize how much the initial enthusiasm helped me at first. Just the fact that everything felt new and exciting really helped me sort of bulldoze through the first days and face the cold. Terrain-wise, Norway was quite easy, save for the day zero and one, when I pushed my bike on rocks and snow to get to the starting point, the Knifski Loden Peninsula. Since I was on my northern extension prior to the official EDT start, I was still riding only on paved roads and I was enjoying the 24-hour daylight. I could start as late as I wanted to and keep biking until I reached my target without having to worry about nightfall. It did take a bit of a toll on me at times. Sleeping felt odd since no matter when I woke up, there was light outside. One day I remember I got stuck on some sort of rocky plateau. It started to rain a little, and I was lucky to find a three-wall wind shelter where I stopped next to a pile of snow. Then I got in my sleeping bag and had a dehydrated meal, which was my first ever actually, and a cup of hot chocolate to get myself warm. I spent the night there without any phone service, and when I got going the next day and called my parents, my dad told me that I can now call the Norwegian police and tell them I'm alright. Because what had apparently happened was that my parents got so worried they actually called the police. And I'm saying this because I think it perfectly illustrates just how much my parents supported me throughout my adventure. They truly made it possible and not just financially. They were on the phone with me so many times when I was pushing my bike up a hill or crossing some difficult section, and I'm grateful for everything they did for me. I uh forgot to mention that I found the top of a reindeer skull with its antlers still on on the side of the road while I was in Norway, and I fastened it to my aerobars with some different zip ties. It was a really cool addition to my 10-year-old bike, Astrid, and uh I kept the antlers there all the way to the end of the route in Spain. Now that I mentioned my bike, um I think it would also be a good time to say that I burned through two pairs of pedals before reaching the end of the northern section in Sweden. The first pair I broke on day uh zero, close to North Cape, and luckily I was able to hitch a ride back to the nearest town, uh Honingswag, to get it fixed. My shifters were also quite worn out and difficult to use, and uh it's likely my chain needed to be replaced long before it did. But ironically, I had no punctures in the north, which I guess lucky me. Astrid, my bike, was also a bit small for me. I'm uh 189, and she was a 27.5 inch mountain bike, but she was very, very dear to me. I had little bikepacking experience when I started this adventure, and I really thought I could make it all the way to the end with her, but uh I had to give her up midway and ship her back home, unfortunately. But um, well, that's another story. Back to Scandinavia. Uh, Finland was where I had my first taste of proper off-road hike a bike. I remember crossing a marshy segment. I was trying to keep my feet dry, which didn't really work, and the Scandinavian mosquitoes also showed up around that time. Still, I was riding consistently close to or even over 100 kilometers per day, sticking to the route and taking in the landscape. And it was fun for me to see how the vegetation changed as I progressed further south from the shrubs in Norway to birch trees and then proper pines. I also had the chance to pitch my tent on thick moss a few times, which was great. Camping in Scandinavia was overall very easy because of every man's rides. I didn't worry about camping in towns. Before starting the journey, I had a concern about bears, but I never came across anything more dangerous than a moose, and still it was a safe distance away, and I was also very happy to see one. I spent only a little time in Finland before crossing the border into Sweden on midsummer day. I enjoyed it there, especially since it was considerably warmer. Most of the time I was on gravel roads in the endless Swedish forests. There were moments when I was having an absolute blast, sometimes having a laugh at some goofy reindeer. But the roads and the trees started to look the same. Whether I looked to my right, my left, or in front of me, it all looked identical and it got monotonous. I distinctly remember one time when I was able to tell I was on a different part of the road I was biking on just because a single tree was different than a few moments before. From time to time, I would also pass by log piles that gave off a wonderful substance, and I really enjoyed that. There were also lots of flowers in the south of Sweden, and I remember eating lots of biscuits because they were cheap and had tons of calories, and I was burning plenty, so uh I really needed them. Sweden was also the country where I proved to myself conclusively just how stubborn I can be. I didn't want to make any detours since I started the official European divide trails, so whatever came my way, I just pushed on. The worst parts were one kilometer segment that was heavily overgrown on one side, and two marshes. I remember I spent a few hours just plowing my bike through the first marsh with my feet wet and mosquitoes all around. When I stopped that evening, I got in my tent and I lit up my camping stove to heat it up, and there was steam coming off my feet. Oh, yeah, and uh my shoes, socks, and feet were quite often wet in the north. A good day was a day when I had dry shoes. At one point, uh during the crossing of the second marsh, my right foot, my right leg actually went over the knee deep in water and uh wet moss, and I was on the phone with a friend at that time, and I told her, I don't want my shoe to remain stuck in there. I uh of course now know that I could have gone around those segments, and I also knew back then I really didn't have to put myself through it, but I really am proud of myself for doing it. Although I probably wouldn't do it again. On July 9th, I turned 21. I was still in Sweden, closing it in uh on the end of the northern section, and I treated myself to a small but cozy campfire which I had long wished for. Then a few days later, I biked the last 182 kilometers to get to Gothenburg, ending the northern section on a high note. I took a res day there and also took us through to a bike shop to get her ready for the central section of the European Divide Trail, which started in Denmark. But that's a story for another time.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

Thank you so much, Mirto. Wow, what an experience that you had there, and uh there's a few key takeaways that I had from what you shared as well. The first one is what a phenomenal achievement. In the two interviews that I've done with people about the European Divide Trail in the past, I have heard that it is a relentless trail to stick to in sections, and to just hear your experiences there on trail in some less than ideal scenarios, I think it shows that you have quite a lot of mental fortitude and grit to keep going. I think you called it stubbornness at one point. The other thing was the fact that you added on so that you could go from Nordcap to Tarifa, and that sort of does that official full crossing of the European continent. So it gives me an idea that milestones like that have definitely become part of your goal set as well. I have heard from others who have cycled in that area before that the endless forests can become quite monotonous, and it sounds like you had that for a fair time as well. But I also loved your anecdotes about how beautiful it was to be outdoors, especially in Sweden and camping out there and observing the wildflowers and the fact that the outdoors area up there, it's part of the Swedish culture that it is for everyone to enjoy. And you're another voice that I've heard sort of recounting that experience back to me. I had to have a little giggle as well at the idea that your parents were obviously so worried from not hearing about you that they called the police in Norway, and I'm sure that was quite a fun full for you to make to the police to let them know that you were all okay and all well. And after my own recent hiker bike experiences just this past weekend where I had to cross a few creeks, I also had a long chuckle at the idea of what it would have been like to get knee deep into a boggy marsh and think that you may lose your shoe. I had a few boggy areas to traverse with my bike as well, and um I definitely slipped a few times too, and so I could actually really imagine that scenario of just putting your foot down and it just sinking halfway down your leg as well. You have made me curious as to the fact that your bike the original bike that you took across there didn't make it all the way, and uh that's obviously going to be a story for another day, which listeners is my way to say that I hope to have a full-length interview on this absolute amazing adventure to come. So keep your ears and eyes peeled for that. Thank you so much, Ritto, for sharing your story. And listeners, if you want to share your own story here in these midweek episodes, you can do so by simply getting in touch with me. Send me an email, podcast at seek travelride.com, and let me know all about your adventure, and we can see if we can get you on the show. Now, recently I shouted out on Instagram a question which was all about what advice would you give to people who are looking at making a start into bike travel? And I got a few great responses that I want to shout out here this week on the show. The first one comes from Chow Zhao, and you said just go. I love that, and uh, you're on an amazing adventure at the moment through Afghanistan, I believe. And I was watching your adventures unfold prior to that as you were in Kyrgyzstan as well. So making your way through Central Asia on what seems to be an epic journey, but just go was your tip, and that was also something shared by a previous podcast guest, Saima Abu Hammud, line.seima on Instagram. And you said just start, so exactly the same. Don't delay, just get out there. Then I have all right, girl, Slauka, you're also another previous podcast guest, and you said love those bad days too, because they move you forward. Oh, that's a good tip, actually, because I think it's this misconception that it's all going to be fun times out there in a bike adventure, and that's not necessarily the case for a lot of the time. Trust me, listeners, I just had a really tough mini adventure weekend gone past, and there were many moments where fun wasn't there, and I certainly had a few sense of humor failures. Um you do have to realise that you can just keep moving forward and you'll push through that. So that's a great tip, Slauka. Holly underscore Holly, you said go on a short trip first. I think that's a really good tip. You don't have to be going on a huge epic, you don't have to be like our guest today, taking on the entire length of the European Debye trail and some more. Or you don't have to be like my guest who I'm featuring currently over the next two weeks, Hein Stuck, who took a journey that went for 51 years. You can actually just go for an overnighter for a short weekend and start small and see whether you like it or not. That theme was also shared by super fan Sue underscore Chapel, and Sue Chapel said, Start small and it is your ride. And Sue, I think that last part's really important. Something I've discussed here on the podcast before is the idea that comparison is definitely the thief of joy and you don't have to feel like you're on a huge epic journey to make yourself feel like you're on an adventure. So individualise what it is that you love and want to seek out on your own bike travels and make a short journey to start achieving them as well. Occasional underscore bike packer, you're sort of echoing that theme as well. That is previous podcast guest Jacob Ashton, and Jacob, I feel like you are on a never-ending journey and I love it. But you said start small, a short overnight trip to a primitive campground or area where it's legal to be. I love that tip as well because that's sort of combining the idea of bike travel and getting used to camping in the outdoors. And again, just that idea that starting small is the way to go. And then I have cycling fairy trails. That's Kai Viverberg. Kai, I had the absolute pleasure of hosting you when you came through the Pyrenees and you said there is no wrong way to do it. And that is so true. Listeners, if it's anything that I've learned after interviewing so many guests on the show, is that we all travel in different ways. There is no right way, there is no wrong way. The adventure is yours to shape and make. So don't feel like you have to follow a carbon blueprint for what bike travel should look like. King Kong Coning, you said some days don't go as planned, so plan for contingencies. Ooh, I love that. Now if you've been a listener of Seat Travel Ride for a a while now, you will have probably heard me say more than once, many, many times, that I think the best thing that you can pack into your bikepacking bags or your panniers is that idea of flexibility, and often that means that you need a backup plan, that you need to shift course, that you can stray off the route and change tact. I really love that bit of advice. And then the last one here is from Laura Bikes and Snacks, another previous podcast guest, Laura McMillan. And you have said keep reminding people that taking breaks is good and you do not have to go far. Oh, I love that as well. And it sort of goes into that idea that a bike adventure doesn't have to be this huge epic journey, it doesn't have to be a suffer fest. In fact, it shouldn't be a suffer fest, it should be something that you enjoy, at least that's my thoughts on it. And the idea that you don't have to go too far to feel like you've had a great time, and that you can stop, rest, take breaks, and you don't have to be exhausted by the end of every single day. So there you go, listeners. There's a few hot tips, and many of those people were actually previous guests of the show. So thank you for sharing your wisdom and insights there. If you've got anything else to add, make sure to tell me as well. And I hope that hearing this, if you're tuning into the show to get inspiration for your own adventures, has given you the emphasis to start small, just go, be flexible, know that you'll get through the bad times, there's no right or wrong way to do it, and you are allowed to take breaks and enjoy yourself. Okay, listeners, now it's my favorite part of the show, and that is where I get to shout out you, my absolute dead set, legends of super fans, who have gone the extra mile and bought me some coffees. Each week when these coffees come through, I love seeing them and reading your messages. It really honestly gives me that extra bit of motivation to keep interviewing people and sharing their stories. So first and foremost, I want to say a big thank you to Anthony. You have said, amazing podcast Bella. I love listening to all of your guests and their adventures, and your podcast always brightens my day. Keep up the great work. Oh, thank you so much, Anthony. I'm really happy to know that listening to the podcast has been a good mood lifter for you as well. If I think about it, there's often a few funny stories shared and also just that idea that there are so many great experiences to be taken from taking a bike adventure, and it also translates into good times and vibes, and hopefully some inspiration for your own bike travel as well. Thanks so much for supporting me in the pod. And the next person is Jacob. Jacob, I know that you have bought me coffees before, and your simple message is just the raising hands praise emoji. Woohoo! And uh thank you so much. You're a dead set legend. You have just finished a massive monumental ride connecting all four points in Australia, north, south, east, and west. An absolute brutal record setting ride as well. And uh thank you so much for tuning in and supporting me and the podcast. So, listeners, if you would like to be like Jacob and Anthony and support me on the show, you can head to buymeacoffee.com forward slash seek travel ride. Buy me a few virtual coffees, but most importantly, let me know what is it that you love about the podcast, and also where is your next bike adventure going to take you? Until the next episode, I'm Bella Malloy. Thanks for listening.