A Bike Ride With A Difference

[Gerry O'Neill]

My wife and I have just been overseas visiting Portugal, Spain and family in the UK.
To start our trip off we decided to do something a bit different. We had heard about the Camino Pilgrimage Trail to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain and thought we would give it a go, but on bikes. We thought we were fit, but we got fitter quickly!

Any how you can read all about it at our blog, here is the link:

Cycling the Portuguese Camino

Cheers
Gerry

[cappy]

a very interesting resume andmany good photos......wish i was so fit again .......good luck to you both regards cappy

[Jim Brady]

I haven't read your story in full yet Gerry,one of my sons did the Pilgrimage across Northern Spain,east to west and ended up in the same place as you did.He met up with a Polish girl and a Mexican girl and they did the walk together they weren't in any hurry just took their time and I believe they stayed in monastery dorms at night at the different stopovers.I think each person is given a scallop shell to hang on their rucksack or whatever to denote that they are doing the pilgrimage the idea being years ago people would see this along the way know that they were pilgrims and put food in the shell.My son didn't do it for religious reasons he just wanted to get away and chill out for a while,and he realy enjoyed it.I forget how many miles it is I know it's a long way and I believe the purist's years ago did it on their knees.
Regards.
jim.B.

[Keith Tindell]

My eldest son and his wife, having sold their business in York, decided to bike round South Island NZ,this was about 5 years ago, they did just that ,took them 3 months in an easy way, staying a day here and a day there. They went through countless sets of tyres, NZ roads can be rough on tyres, in fact they had to lay up for a few days whilst some were sent from UK. The bikes they took with them, and were called Airnamals, which pack into their own suitcases. It was interesting following them round on Skype. Oh to be young again, KT

[Jim Brady]

A good experience and a good read Gerry,I noticed there were signs which probably represented scallop shells as I mentioned.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Gerry O'Neill]

Yes Jim the scallop shell signs were everywhere along the trail. By the way mates I am 68 and hope to keep cycling into my 70,s and on. I have a few mates who are doing just that, a real inspiration to me.

A good experience and a good read Gerry,I noticed there were signs which probably represented scallop shells as I mentioned.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Gerry O'Neill]

Hi Keith, We also did a bit of riding in NZ last year, we rode the Otago Rail Trail. You are right about some of the roads. A couple we know also have Airnamals bikes, they look like they can handle most things, a good alround bike.

My eldest son and his wife, having sold their business in York, decided to bike round South Island NZ,this was about 5 years ago, they did just that ,took them 3 months in an easy way, staying a day here and a day there. They went through countless sets of tyres, NZ roads can be rough on tyres, in fact they had to lay up for a few days whilst some were sent from UK. The bikes they took with them, and were called Airnamals, which pack into their own suitcases. It was interesting following them round on Skype. Oh to be young again, KT

[Rodney Mills]

Gerry,

You should easy make it into your eighties let a lone your seventies. I'm seventy-seven; bike ride ten miles a day as part of my daily work-out. I first do floor exercises which include three sets of push-ups for a combined total of 100. The only days I miss my bike ride is if the weather is really bad, then I do it on a stationary bike in my garage...boring!.

Around my birthday I go into heavy training; on or around my birthday--I pick a day I really feel good--I do my age plus one to grow on in consecutive push-ups. This year I did seventy-eight in one go. I started my birthday bash many years ago and have never failed to make it .

My wife is also heavy into fitness, and we have just returned from a vacation in the Ozark mountains of Missouri and Arkansas, touring, fly fishing and hiking. We hiked almost everyday, the woods were fantastic, as all the trees were in their fall colors. I said almost everyday, because a couple of days there were reports of black bears on the trails we were planning to hike and that's a no, no. We have bear-bells attached to our backpacks to give warning to critters that we are coming, but we are still very cautious on the trail

A couple of years ago we were hiking in Wyoming, and a ranger looked at us and said, as he passed, going in the opposite direction. "Oh, you've got lunch bells on for the grizzlies" (grizzly bears). Talk about hiking and looking back over the shoulder.

Anyway, congratulations on your feat, or should it be feet? And THANKS for the post and info., I really LIKEd it. Well done whipper snapper.

Cheers, Rodney