Musical Bikes

Since I've not been on a long bike tour myself yet, I'm very curious about two things with my guests: 1. What do you need to bring? and 2. What are their bikes like. So far I've found that cyclists are very different, which shouldn't come as a surprise, and the amount of equipment on their bikes varies too, but so far none has had lightly loaded bikes.

  When I first saw Elisabeth and Tobias I was wondering what all their gear was. It turned out that they were musicians and that they had their instruments with them. I'm glad I can tell you that none of them plays the tuba. Elisabeth plays the violin and Tobias the flute. Together they filled our living room with beautiful music. Since my two daughters also play the violin we had a very nice time together. I believe they played together until three in the morning. Since the sun doesn't set at this time of year, it was a very nice experience. Unfortunately they had to leave, but they left behind great memories.

Making a Bike Roll

The more I ride my bike, the better I understand how important maintenance is. It seem like all the moving parts on a bike will have to be replaced at some point. This understanding just became stronger when I met Sabina and Thomas. They came to stay with us at Cyclist's Home for a few days while they waited for some spare parts for their tandem. They had come all the way from Germany, and needed a new rear wheel. It was really nice having you her, and I hope you will let me know how far the wheel was willing to take you.

Follow their journey on: www.tandemtrotter.de

Cyclist's Home's First Summer

The summer of 2011 will be the first summer cyclists on their way to North Cape will crash at The Cyclist's Home. Last summer I was inspired by Martin from Estonia to start my project. Before I met him I had toyed with the idea of hosting touring cyclists passing on their way to or from North Cape, or anywhere else, for that matter. But when I saw him standing outside the local grocery store trying to get out of the heavy rain, I realized I had my first guest.
  We ate together and talked for hours about cycling and hiking. He showed me some of his equipment, explaining that part of it was from his time in the former Sovjetunion army. Martin was now 70 and still fit. It was so much fun that I decided I had to follow through with my plans.