And We're Off!

Bikepacking the Elbe Cycle Route

We’re long overdue for another adventure, and this time we’re trading hiking boots for pedals! Our latest journey takes us bikepacking abroad on the Elbe Cycle Route, winding through the Czech Republic and Germany.

The Elbe is Western Europe’s third longest river. Its headwaters rise near the Polish–Czech border and flow northwest for nearly 1,200 km before emptying into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, Germany.

Our plan? To follow the river’s path by bike on one of our signature “no tour guide required” trips—just us, our bikes, and a trusty travel book.

We debated whether to rent bikes locally or haul our own—neither option was simple. In the end, we opted to bring our own, which meant some careful disassembly and a bit of wrestling with our newly acquired bike bags. They’re packed and ready to roll!

Amsterdam will be our home base, but from there the adventure really begins: a night train to Prague, a quick ski lift to the Elbe Cycle Route trailhead, and then—1,200 kilometers of riverside cycling all the way to the sea!

Bob’s daughter Elise will join us for part of the journey, making the adventure even sweeter. We’ll be sharing daily updates (and plenty of photos) along the way.

We're looking forward to sharing our story with you!

For the curious, here's a few pics of us breaking down our bikes to fit into the bags: