Frequently Asked Questions

It's ten days until my flight and I'm still getting things ready. I thought it might be useful to post an FAQ on the questions I've been getting about this trip. Let me know if there's anything you're curious about and I'll add it to the list.

FAQs

What’s your route?

I’ll be following Ring Road (Route 1), with a few detours. Depending on how well I manage my time, I may add more side trips along the way.

Where will you be staying?

I purchased a camping card that gets me access to 39 campgrounds across the country. Depending on where I end up each day, I’ll either be at one of those campsites, or wild camping where appropriate. I plan to periodically stay at a hostel or BnB, if available, just to clean up and recharge.

How far will you be riding each day?

I think Iceland will determine that for me. I’ll need to average about 60km per day to make it around the country in time. Any distance beyond that threshold buys me time off, and any distance short of that means I have to make it up at some point. My average between all my bike tours is around 119km/day, but I suspect the conditions on this trip warrant a more prudent estimate.

How will you stay fueled and hydrated?

I’m not 100% sure. I usually bring enough food on the bike to last me a day, but this time I need to factor in more than that. I’m not too concerned about water. I’ll have at least 3 litres at the start of each day and I’ll restock wherever possible. I’m bringing a camp stove and some kitchen supplies which will provide some versatility.

What happens if you get hurt?

What indeed. That’s the challenge with doing a solo trip; anything can happen and you’re on your own to figure things out. I expect to deal with injuries during this ride, that’s usually the case. Hopefully it’s something I can manage, but if not, I’ll have network connection, and will be pretty close to Ring Road the whole way so someone should find me before the sea gulls pick me clean.

What happens if your bike falls apart?

I’m bringing more redundant parts and tools than usual because I know I won’t be able to find much support outside of Reykjavik. Even so, there are a number of catastrophic failures that could end my trip early. That’s just a risk I accept, and do my best to mitigate with good maintenance and preparation.

T-13 Days: Test Ride to Darlington

For the amount of time I'll be in Iceland, I need to average 60 kilometers a day, without days off. Any day I ride more than 60km (which I'll try to do every day), I'll earn time toward days off.

With that metric in mind, I took all my gear out for a 60km ride to Darlington Campground yesterday. I camped overnight, and biked the 60km back home today. I tested out my kitchen set up, gauged my fuel requirements, and assessed my conditioning.

Everything seems to be in working order, but I'm concerned about weight. My bike plus all the gear comes in over eighty pounds, and I'm used to lugging closer to sixty pounds. Dolores (my bike) sounded a little creaky at times, and I hit a few potholes that made me wince at the likelihood of a popped tire. 

Unfortunately I don't think there's much I can do about this. On my last bike tours I only brought essentials. I knew if anything bad happened, I'd easily be able to pick up parts or get assistance. This won't be the case in Iceland. I'm bringing more back up parts and tools than usual, as well as extra clothing for the unpredictable weather. 

I'll continue to do maintenance checks on Dolores to make sure everything's tuned up, then just hope for the best!

T-2 Weeks!

I fly out to Keflavik International Airport on July 2 - just over two weeks from now. I have a few decisions left about my gear, but otherwise I'm all set for this adventure!

I'll be in Iceland for 28 days, cycling around Ring Road and camping along the way. I've done passive research, but I'm not over-planning my itinerary. 

Ring Road is a little over thirteen hundred kilometres, and even with the extra three hundred or so kilometres I built into my route, this will likely be the shortest bike tour I've done. However, I understand the weather conditions (wind, rain, topography) can be unforgiving, so I've given myself plenty of time to make it around the country, hopefully with some detours along the way. 

Here is the gear I'll be taking with me, subject to change - 

sleeping pad, sleeping bag, tent, tent footprint, rain clothes (jacket, booties, pants), cycling pants, shirts, shorts, fleece sweater, gloves, cap sunglasses, camp towel, bike lock and cable, kichen supplies, drawing supplies, sketchbooks, guidebook, water bottles, ID (passport, wallet, camping card, health info, etc), bike tools, toiletries, GPS, battery chargers, extra tubes, extra cameras/gopro, mini tripod, bungie cords, two panniers, one handlbar bag, cycling shoes, water shoes.