Bicycle touring and bikepacking: routes, advice and info

The Adda River Cycleway: 320 km from the Rhaetian Alps to the Po Valley by bicycle

The Adda River Cycle Way or Greenway dell'Adda is a cycleway following the river (almost!) from its source, which is northern Valtellina, until its mouth into Po river, in the heart of Po Valley. This cycling itinerary, running on fun gravel roads, secondary roads, tracks, and river banks, is more than 300km long and can be faced in 4 - 5 travel days. Traveling by bicycle along the Adda river allows to discover new, fun and curious points of view, and deeply focus on history and events that happened along this big northern Italian river.

Locus Map: basic guide to the outdoor GPS App

Lately, I've been experiencing a lot of curiosity about outdoor GPS Apps, in particular for Android OS. In general, what I like the most about these apps is their facility of use: I don't always have a lot of time to study and learn methods to exploit my smartphone at its best during MTB excursions or bicycle travels, mostly because I use a dedicated GPS navigator that is complete and satisfying. For emergencies, curiosity or urgency I don't disagree about using my smartphone with a good outdoor App, and recently some apps are remarkable. Today I'll present one of the most intuitive apps ready to use: Locus Map, very convincing and really powerful in its free version.

Oruxmaps: basic guide to the MTB outdoor GPS App

One of the GPS outdoor Apps I mostly use is Oruxmaps. It's a free, complete and updated App, really good for MTB excursions, outdoor trekking, for your first trips on secondary roads and for bicycle navigation in general. The only downside is its learning curve: it's not an intuitive App, it cannot be used and right away understood, but with some effort, you'll be able to appreciate it. It requires dedication to be fully understood, so I'll try to guide you, recapping som of its main features. At the end of this article, you'll find a short movie about this mountain bike App.

Menaggio - Porlezza old railway by bicycle

Lombardy is a region rich in valleys, peaks and large lakes where many outdoor activities and sports are played. Between its two lakes, one of which is shared with Switzerland, you can pedal along the old railway dismissed for years now. The itinerary of the Menaggio - Porlezza old railway connects the lakes of Como and Lugano, crossing many villages and one natural reserve...

50 most beautiful quotes about travels by bicycle and freedom

Nothing like the bicycle speaks about freedom and humanity: this incredible two-wheeler means of transportation allows to live sustainably, to explore, to reach unthinkable places. There are many ways to tribute the bicycle, there are some famous quotes about it and about the sensations it gives, about its qualities and peculiarities, so I thought to propose you the 50 most beautiful quotes about bicycle and freedom!

10 Italian walking paths to be cycled once in a lifetime

2016 was the year of walking paths, and usually, these trails are perfect for bicycle tourists too! Moreover, Italy is rich in suggestive paths and it is the perfect destination in order to discover these places through alternative roads with adequate infrastructures dedicated to bicycle tourists. This year (like every other year) might be the perfect moment to try and cycle on a walking path, and here you'll find our top suggestions. We chose to write a list of the 10 best Italian ways to be cycled: our goal is, like last year, to cycle at least one of them.

The Way of Saint Benedict by bicycle: 300 km from Norcia to Montecassino

It is growing in popularity amongst pilgrims but lately also bicycle travellers, it connects Norcia, in Umbria, to Montecassino, in Lazio. The Way of Sant Benedict by bicycle is a medium-challenging itinerary which, along secondary roads, enjoyable gravel roads and paths, allows to visit the key places of this Saint from Norcia.

Munich-Venice bike route: the Friendship Cycle Trail

In the north-eastern part of the Alps there is a cycling itinerary that connects one of the biggest German cities to the charming city on the lagoon. The Friendship Cycle Way, Munich to Venice bike route, travels through cycle paths already existing, secondary, low-traffic roads with the dream to see the whole trail turning into one single connection cycle trail between Germany and Italy.

Lake Iseo bicycle loop: riding around a gem!

Lake Iseo, also known as Sebino, or Lake Lovere, is one of the lakes of Lombardy. Lying between the Province of Bergamo and the Province of Brescia, it is still unknown to mass tourism and this is a reason why it is suitable for bicycle tourism. Around Lake Iseo by bicycle can start from one of the many little villages on the banks of the lake, but for convenience's sake, we're going to start from Riva di Solto, on the Bergamo side, where you can park your car and eat good ice cream on the finish line to celebrate the challenge.

Machu Picchu: how to reach it | All the options

The archaeological site of Machu Picchu is without any doubt the most famous and visited place in Peru. There are many ways to get to Machu Picchu: some require days and are cheaper, others are faster but definitely more expensive. One thing is sure: go and visit Machu Picchu is never inexpensive unless you are traveling by bicycle and have some days to travel...

Valle dei Laghi cycle path: from Lake Garda to Lake Toblino

Also known as "the Finland of Italy" for the presence of many lakes and Alpine ponds, Trentino boasts many lake panoramas loved by German and Dutch travelers. The Valle dei Laghi Cycle Path links Torbole (or Riva del Garda), laying down on Garda Lake, to Lake Toblino, an evocative place with a fascinating fortress. Easy, enjoyable, well preserved, the Valle dei Laghi Cycle Path in its about 27 km crosses vineyards, picturesque villages and the debris sedimentation of Marocche di Dro.

Camino de Santiago by bicycle: how to organize the trip

I've never traveled by bicycle before, but I've been attracted by those fearless bikers you sometimes cross on the road, with huge bags on their bikes, worn out clothes and a waving flag revealing their nationality. It's one of the images I use for defining Freedom. I've always admired them, with respect and fondness. So it's been some years I have been living with this idea of a bicycle trip alone and with no rush. The research and the choice of an itinerary were not hard: the famous Way of Saint James (or Camino de Santiago) by bicycle was all I needed... even more than that!

How many touring bicycles handlebars are there?

It is one of the most underrated components of a bike. However, if we want to optimize our comfort, it is one of the most important. Let's see how many bicycle handlebars there are and which one to choose.

10 abandoned railways to be cycled

The evolution in transportation, the revolution of the tire and the consequent abandon of the railways, during the years, has brought to a transformation: some abandoned railways have been requalified, becoming a cycle and walking paths. In Italy too this small change has brought to a form of development in bicycle touring: when there is a safe path people come and visit, tourism develops and grows...

Bicycle touring checklist: what to carry on a bicycle trip

The last days before the departure are always tough. Organize the trip, fix your last business problems, clean the house just to have it in a minimal standard condition, check all the amazing websites you found about your trip and must of all... prepare the bags, panniers or trailer.

The funniest and scariest thing is the final check of the material you are bringing along with you: something I include today in the bags, I leave it out during the next trip. Once departed, I always remember I left something really important right on that table (or in that closet)...

This balancing exercise (weight/volume and comfort) keeps repeating at each departure, so we decided to make a checklist for bicycle touring, pointing out everything that could be useful on a bicycle trip.

OpenMTBmap: how to install maps on PC and cartographic Garmin devices

Since 2010 I started writing about OpenStreetMap and its features. Since then I have never stopped using it, with renovated satisfaction, but I couldn't find the time or the will to keep you updated on the great potentiality of this free cartography.

With this article, I'd like to start again writing about OSM and in particular its variation for MTB. We will see how to install OpenMTBmap on your PC and on GPS devices by Garmin.

How to create a customised map with Google Maps

I sometimes enjoy creating itineraries and studying new routes for future bicycle trips and however I believe Google Maps isn't the most professional tool, its intuitive features and potentials make it one of the best and most used software to create maps online. In this article, we will create step by step a map with Google My Maps, in order to then share, download or save it in your Drive and analyse a possible travel itinerary.

Garmin BaseCamp: guide to the software for planning and organizing your outdoor activities

Among the many software that I currently use in order to plan our MTB excursions and our bicycle trips, lately, I'm mostly using Garmin BaseCamp, the free cartographic software by the most known company in the outdoor GPS devices. It doesn't matter if you own a Garmin GPS device: Basecamp can be used to create routes for any device. Down below I will try to show you shortly the main feature of this free cartographic software, really intuitive and easy to use.

10 best European cycle paths (in my opinion)

As the years go by, the number of bicycle tourists, as well as of cycling paths, is growing in our old continent. Of course, central European countries, counting on thousands of km of bike lanes and bicycle paths - which represent an important sustainable income source - are driving other "not so bike friendly" countries. In this article I will be listing 10 most beautiful European cycle paths or, at least, the ones I love: we will be travelling together from Spain to Italy, cruising through Austria, Germany, France, and the U.K., but also other European destinations!

The Appian Way by bike: bicycle itinerary through Rome

Rome, Italy's capital, is a big and crowded city. Cycling safely in the streets of this Eternal City might sound utopic but, if you know the right itineraries, it magically becomes something possible. Pedal through the Appian Way is a "must do" in order to visit Rome in an eco-friendly way.

The construction of the "Regina Viarum" began in 312 B.C. by Appius Claudius, from whom it was named: Appia Antica, the Appian Way. You can easily cycle through the first 16 km (XI Roman miles), from Porta di San Sebastiano in the historical centre until Santa Maria della Mole, south from the city.

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