On the road I am sometimes asked if I trained before going on a cycling trip. Not really. Well, I keep jogging in the hills twice a week as “leg maintenance”, but no preparation on cycling.

I think doing 100km in one day is not a big deal (many of those who say it’s impossible would actually do it easily on a flat road), and doing it every day is more a concern of the mind than of the legs.

As most of my gear is new, the real preparation is to make sure it’s working as it’s supposed to, or that it gets broken and changed quickly. My summer trip to Iceland became an opportunity to test my bike in real conditions, with cold temperatures and a 3-day segment with no shops.

It went good, especially because Iceland is a fantastic country that had been attracting me for quite a while. After the trip I had to fine tune my setup: change the front rack broken by the plane carrier, get rid of the solar charger and find a suitable replacement, get a rear mirror, Magura parts, multifuel stove, etc.

When I gave the 3-month notice of departure to my job and flat, the countdown started: only 3 intense months, while still working and trying to pass a German language test, to find a new owners for the flat and furniture, to evaluate and change insurances, banks, pension fund, to get missing equipment and do tests, to sort 2 years of pictures, to set up this website (that has nothing to do (yet) with orcas), to outline a route and fetch infos on visas and sights … I’ m actually much busier with risk assessment and mitigation than enjoying my last sedentary days. And during this time, November is coming and it’s getting much colder. I saw people carrying their snowboard in the main station, it’s a sign that would normally get me excited, but this time I’m less enthusiastic about the snow …