Faq

How do you publish data on your website?

• For my position, I use an Android app ("Tasker") which periodically sends my location and other data to my web site. With this data I am able to plot a route points of my progress using Openstreetmap. Of course, this requires an active Internet connection to work.
• For statistics, I used the data collected in my Google spreadsheet.
• For Content management such as texts and photos, I used Bolt CMS for a while and have now switched to Craft.

How do you track your progress?

Distance and riding time is tracked via my cheap Sigma speedometer.

Additionally I maintain a Google sheet on my phone, in which I keep track daily of progress (riding time, distance, name and type of overnight) and also of my expenses. This is a manual task.

How do you plan your route? What tools do you use?

I'm rather flexible in my route. When I have no deadlines for visas, flights or overnight stays with Warmshowers, the final decicion how long to stay somewhere or which road to take is made as I go.

I usually have a milestone that I want to reach and form a rough idea for a route of the next 1000-2000 km. That is done using websites such as bikemap.net, strava.com, ridewithgps.com etc. The most important factor here is the elevation of a terrain, as that will have the biggest impact on my progress.

The route is then exported as a GPX track and send to my phone. Every day I will decide how long I want to ride. Sometimes I will stick to my plan, sometimes I will exceed my expectations and it also happens that I fall behind my daily plan and just do half of the km I had planned.

For the actual navigation, I use my phone and the Android app "OsmAnd"¹. The app works completely offline and the actual map data is based on the freely available "Openstreetmap" that everybody in the world can contribute to. While the quality of the maps varies greatly between countries I'm very happy with it so far. For calculated tracks it shows elevation data and it is highly customizable to your needs.

My phone is a Motorola G5S. It is lacking a compass, which is slightly inconvenient, but at < 200 EUR I couldn't find any other phone in that price range with such great battery life.

¹ Actually I'm using the paid version, "OsmAnd+" which enables you to download all maps through the app instead of having to save them on the SD card using a computer).

What was your biggest surprise when touring?

Despite some challenges, everything is easier than I thought it would be (of course, I've only cycled 14.000 km to Kazakhstan until now (10/2019)).

Also, how approachable, friendly and helpful 99% of the people are.

What were your biggest challenges so far?

• The first hilly terrain in Switzerland, after 1 week of touring.
• Cycling through Tuscany in the Summer heat
• Making the switch from camp sites to mostly wild camping
• My first food poisoning in Albania
• Crossing Iranian deserts in extreme dry heat (up to 52 C in the Sun)
• Cycling through the Kazakh steppe with days of strong headwinds
• Cycling in altitudes of 3500 m and up (Pamirs)
  

What is your guilty pleasure while touring?

When it's hot I can hardly resist an ice cold soft drink or ice cream. At night it's often enough a beer or two. And chocolate, of course.

Which one item, that you do not carry with you, do you miss most?

A (reclining) chair, probably.

Which one item (other than your bicycle) is crucial for your trip and if it was missing, you could not continue?

There is no straightforward answer to that, other than: it depends. It depends largely on where you go (rural vs. populated area), What climate you are travelling in, if you are alone or with friends etc.

In winter for example I would not want to travel without a reliable stove to fix myself a hot drink at any time. When travelling in the countryside a tent is, for me, an absolute necessity (and such is probably a sleeping bag/pad). Most bike tools I carry however are mostly unnecessary -- until the moment the bike breaks down.

What do you usually eat?

Again, this depends. In countries where eating out is expensive (hello, Switzerland!) I will mostly prepare my own meals.

Cycling in Europe my goto food was often pasta. Especially spaghetti don't waste much space, can be stored indefinitely, need only minutes to prepare and provide high calories. Add a different sauce every day and it doesn't get too boring. I almost always had spaghettis + a can of fish in my bag.

In Central Asia I mostly survived on instant noodle soup with eggs, sausage, different vegetables added.

For snacking or as emergency food, there's always a bag of peanuts and chocolate in my panniers.