Wednesday, 22 June 2022

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.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Tour Totals

I spent the last five days decompressing at two different hostels in Reykjavik. I also needed to figure out getting my bike packed up and tr...