this is my friend s we met by chance about 5 years ago and instantly clicked she lives in the Netherlands and I spend most of my time in Spain these days so unfortunately we don't get to see each other that often a few months ago she mentioned that she'd love to do a bike trip together so we didn't hesitate to make it happened and now here we are in Sardinia ready to cycle together for 10 days can I can't I just film you you do the talking and then you're you just say oh I'm here with my good friend son and I just say hi and I come in the frame we can try but this is so much better what's all that on the floor son that's everything I'm bringing that's a lot of stuff even though sa did a solo Bike Tour in Norway a few years ago she no longer hadle the gear and felt a little rusty so I brought along my gravel bike and a spare set of bags for her to store everything it was fun figuring out how to pack all her gear into a compact by packing setup I don't even know if I'm going to bring all this I don't think you should bring all this but after a throw trim we saw that things were still a bit tight so we swapped the gravel bags for a set of good old CL classic paneers which luckily I had brought us a backup anything here well although we had no set plan I was sure we'd have a great time no matter the route we weren't really in Sardinia to see Sardinia but to spend quality time together I felt a bit responsible for sa being older and more experience with bike travel I have two repair kids but her presence gave me a burst of confidence I knew it would be easier to get out of it together if we ran into trouble this question is do we know how to use it I know how to use it yeah so are you food prepared yes yeah you I'm always [Music] prepared yeah I think I feel prepared to I have no idea what this SHP is going to look like like no idea why are you laughing [Music] [Laughter] [Music] where's that I don't know we didn't feel fully ready but it was time to get going so like previous guests at the accommodation we left our signature on the wall and found the coverage to head out into the unknown okay let's do this [Music] got it so let's go wow we're doing this for me the idea of cycling for days in a row with someone else can feel a bit intimidating for a few reasons mostly I am a slow rider because I like to stop often to take photos set up the camera or just enjoy the scenery that's what I love most about biking not the distance I cover but the freedom to explore at my own pace but beyond that spending 24 hours a day with someone even a close friend can be a real test you're forced into new situations and limits that could put the relationship Under Pressure still with SAA I had the feeling we've made a good team and and funny enough it didn't take long for that to be put to the test how much did we cycle like 5 km no 10 10 km and I have my FL my first flat tire oh oh no it happens we're going to fix it I have like anxiety of bike Mechanicals but I'm here you're going on your own yes thanks see another the well is awesome for this oh it's super easy it's not dirty at all no great okay I think if you squeeze it no you can take it off I've never done it like that what it say but I have Wi-Fi I can how to repair a flat tire I'll admit my fear of flat tires is a bit irrational the truth is I've barely had any over the years and when I did someone else was always there to help as a result I never really learned how to deal with them on my own but there's a first time for everything and I was glad to have s by my side as we figured it out together that's that's it's coming out it's coming out I see it you see it I found it hey I think this is it yeah there is definitely airc oh that's super small unfortunately this turned into the most frustrating challenge of the trip here just when we thought we'd found the guilty Spike and patched the hole I'd have another flat over the first few days I pulled about 20 of them out sneakily stuck deep into the rubber barely visible causing slow Flats over and over again I know I know I'll go chess next time woohoo oh my God we did it okay let's go to the beach yeah have lunch [Applause] yeah one of the things I admire most about sa is how passionately she talks about the things that matter to her she is an earth scientist which means she can read the composition and natural processes of the world around us to me she is like a detective able to uncover the history of a place by just observing and analyzing the natural elements these TRS for example you see all the straight lines and these are all metamorphic rocks which means they have been under more pressure and all the minerals they align in parallel lines when she shares these insights I'm always fascinated it's a reminder of how much there is to learn about our planet and in general how little we truly know about it hello just as I would often stop to record or photograph something she do the same when SP and interesting formation climbing is her favorite sport after all I'd show her my world on the bike and she'd showed me hers on the Rocks the plan was to follow the east coast south for a few days enjoying the good weather and gentle terrain we had no said route but the goal was to stay off the roads as much as possible which sometimes meant pushing through the sand but it was worth it for the private experience and incredible views feels like plastic sounds like plastic oh it's like there's still to attached but [Music] sand our conversations deepened with each passing day exploring a wide range of topics and offering space to reflect together building Trust and openness takes time but with SAA it has always felt effortless she's not just a great listener but also has a gift for asking insightful questions that help untangle your thoughts living far apart makes moments like these even more precious we reconnected in ways that felt both familiar and new sharing worries hopes and dreams we hadn't brought up before it's not even [Music] cold and just like that we started getting the hang of life on the bike and found a rhythm developing a simple routine that included morning coffee and the Cornetto at a local cafeteria if available bike parking doesn't have to always be a Frugal experience and in countries like Italy where local food is so good and relatively affordable it's a great opportunity to take advantage of let's say that by 9:30 a.m. we were ready to start covering some distance Sardinia is a diverse island famous for its pristine turquoise Waters however it also hides Charming towns and rugged Inland terrain few venture to explore we planned to First Scout the coastline as a warmup before heading west in search of its mountains off season the island becomes eerily quiet as most accommodations close and that is when it charm flourishes sadly even in the most pristine areas signs of overcrowded Summers were everywhere with trash and toilet paper Left Behind bushes returning to routines we both shared a favorite stopping to greet the fairy locals yeah oh yes I think they're entering play mode oh yeah come oh the mother dog is coming hey [Music] yeah you bless you I'm having a very good time as much as we wanted to spend the whole day with these four-legged family we had to keep moving forward we averaged around 40 km daily a pace shaped by our relaxed approach and early sunsets we preferred to settle before dark since just as we were winding down from the day the mosquitoes were gearing up to se theirs aside from those blood sucking creatures camping by the beach was a definite highlight because see a little bit of the castle it's a beautiful place yeah is this also okay for you yeah totally I'll get my bike look and it's super flat it's sheltered here okay where's the I have the I have the red okay today let's do it properly as the nights went on we became more reassuring each other about our safety we always chose spots away from the roads hidden by bushes and with phone reception we were not scared but it's always wise to stay out of sight just in case sometimes we divided tasks other times we tackled everything together neither of us was particularly enthusiastic about cooking so while I finished setting up the tent s would start in the kitchen a bit later i' join her to help wrap things up so we could eat together before settling in for the night actually maybe you can help me yeah that's what was happening to me as [Music] well this we are having some fried um tofu and now we're boiling water with some dried mushrooms and the stock Cube and then we're going to add this dried potato powder and it's going to turn into something super delicious this is Tristan's recipe yes shout out to Tristan all right there we go okay potato it's flying after this we can call ourselves real chefs yeah Mega chefs Mega chefs we made it through the second day who would have guessed now we officially know our friendship can deal with [Music] any it's beautiful one big item was on our cinia bucket list and the next morning we finally checked it off I can sing now [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] I really really loved that morning going for a swim at the beach and cycling don't always mix well you get sticky your clothes might not dry fast enough and chances are you'll find sand in your bags for days but that morning we got super lucky there was a fresh water shower nearby so we took the opportunity to clean up thoroughly and reorganize our bags a bit it was our last day on the coast and the weather forecast predicted things were about to change so we decided to start heading Inland aiming for a town where we could restock before deepening into the mountains our Paces were pretty similar I was faster off roads and on the descents while s would outpace me effortlessly on the climbs but we had a deal to waage for each other at every other turn [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] I doubt this is anything the road after cycling for 4 days by the coastline we were excited for a change of scenery so many cars according to our new plan OS say would be our last chance to stock up on supplies and enjoy the small Comforts of civilization we filled our paneers with enough food for 3 days and treated ourselves to ice cream at a local gelateria as we finished the last scoop the sun disappeared behind thick clouds and the sky took on a muted gray tone that would stay with us as we moved into the next phase of the journey it's funny how a place can fully transform depending on the weather conditions Sunshine definitely favored Sardinia but we felt like this smoody Sky gave the scenery a lot of character adding a dramatic touch to the quiet surroundings beautiful and soon enough we started climbing steep gradients aren't my strength which is why I'm always grateful for my gearbox which has such a wide gear ratio allowing me to Pedal faster with less effort SAA had to occasionally stand on her pedals to power herself up the steeper Hills and I was in awe just watching her go realizing she hadn't cycled up a mountain in so many years yet could still handle it so smoothly it felt like just knowing we were heading into the mountains powered her up the higher we climbed the more spectacular the views became with each turn offering a new Panorama our only concern was finding a flat surface to Camp that night but to our surprise we stumbled upon the perfect spot in the most unexpected Place Welcome to our crib let me show you around so here we have our kitchen with running water this is also where we wash ourselves also our bathroom then we move on to our future camping spot this is where we will be sleeping tonight pitch our tent and then the little bit further we have our living room and the place where we are going to have dinner and invite all our guests all of our guests yes we are very lucky tonight [Music] yes it's been a good day it's been a very good day I think my legs will be tired tomorrow yeah and we'll feel them mhm I mean we did climb 1,000 M so mhm finally did some climbing you're finally in the mountains the next morning we made our way to supramonte an expensive mountain range defined by Deep canyons and striking towering Rock Pinnacles horses cows and even pigs seemed to wander freely wherever we looked take taking this route meant committing to crossing the mountains soon we'd be trading the paved Road for an Uncharted track and I couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy hoping it would be mostly rable so we could make it through without too much trouble wow after all this was s's first time riding Offroad this is insane sorry for scaring you look there's more coming with some babies within hours it felt as though we had left Sardinia behind and stepped into the rugged setting of a western film we're going to go up there somewhere yeah sure mhm or a sister up there maybe it goes like this and it goes around a stretch I love how you are just in your T-shirt still wear the full package because we're going to climb again so I'm like people here the sky loomed with dark daunting clouds and sure enough we did get caught in a brief shower at some point still our Spirits remained High we had missed the thrill of a true adventure gone was the developed Coastline and in its place a quiet rugged Inland Trail stretched out before us but mountains of course come at a price to earn that quiet private View at the top you have to put in the effort pushing pedaling and sometimes even walking welcome to the hike of B World super fun thankfully we were in no rush whether we reached the summit that day or the next didn't matter much we were fully stocked with food and ready for whatever the trail would throw at us but eventually we made it the plateau at the top was a highlight for me marking both the culmination of a personal Challenge and the midpoint of our journey the clouds look amazing it's like a barrier there the mountains are stopping the clouds ready to descend okay okay go getting out however was no easy task we found ourselves pushing our bikes along a steep and sketchy Trail before finally reaching a gravel road on the other side of the park from there we descended eager to find a town to spend the night both we and our gear were in desperate need of a proper [Music] wash just a few dozen kilometers away lay the town of oroso renowned for its evocative murals that Adorn the streets and houses of its Center we booked a cozy guest house in the heart of town and the thought of a hot shower clean clothes freshly washed hair and using our phones without worrying about battery life filled us with excitement to top it off the promise of treating ourselves to pizza for dinner was the perfect reward after days on the trail my name is l l [Music] l sun sun sun sun it's good okay so I take the keys of your [Music] room okay well that was very much needed pizza party now the real party can start the shower was nice find me pizza party looks [Music] amazing okay I have a confession to make that evening we decided to cheat a little the plan right to the nearest Big Town the next day and catch a train head heading west why well the Inland forecast was still dreary for the days ahead and the idea of fighting under the constant thread of rain no longer felt appealing sometimes it's okay not to be a purist especially if it means enjoying the journey that much more besides having no fixed goal or route for a trip turned out to be a blessing and is what made the whole experience so freeing and enjoying able with only a few days left together we wanted to make the most of them and chasing the promise of better weather on the west coast felt like the perfect way to spend the rest of her trip the problem was once we arrived the sky looked even more daunting you should never fully trust the weather forecast but the decision had been made and it seemed we couldn't escape the rain anywhere else on the island so we said off on the road connecting Bosa to Alo which was said to be one of the most scenic rides on the island and it was beautiful but that was mostly due to the enchanting atmospheric fog enveloping us as for the views we couldn't see a thing we were promised sunshine this is no sunshine do you want a shelter oh oh what is happening why is it raining so much [Music] we've been lucky so far and this is the first time we're getting rain even though we escape to go the rain to the West Coast do you know that J is having like good weather really yeah he was sayfe this is just the gods punishing us because we took the train we have never taken the train we took the train for 60 km we were lucky so far like we they predicted rain quite a few times and then it was just cloudy yeah and now they predicted sunshine and this is what we get so we going to trust the here there somebody up there hates us yes I'm confident well this is the only place we found to shelter you know what oh gosh this is not working I think I'm going to I'm going to do the same see I think it's going to be better on the other side yeah yeah let's just keep going okay I feel like we're cycling into the cloud it's not getting any [Music] better getting drenched on the bike isn't so bad as long as you can dry off before setting up camp the rain had one advantage it kept the road practically empty allowing us to enjoy a quiet smooth ride while our bikes and paneers got a much needed rinse and as s predicted all we had to do was push through the thick wet Cloud to finally catch a glimpse of the blue skies we' been promised as soon as the first hints of sunshine and warmth broke through we stopped for lunch thrilled to watch the fog slowly Retreat and to finally dry off for SAA it was especially exciting as it was her first time seeing a Wilder Coastline with such large Greenery and towering mountains soaring from the sea get out safely my legs are so your legs are also filthy yeah that's what happens when you're cying in the rain got some bread camon thank you this is amazing we can finally dry up sure Nostalgia began to sit in as we realized we only had a couple of days left on this trip in some ways we were ready to move on to what was next 3 weeks of bro climbing in the east of the island for SAA and a Long Boat Journey back to Spain for me to prepare for a family wedding oh I could do a whole photo shoot here I think every corner is going to be amazing still we both felt perfectly content with the shape and duration of the trip we had seen so much experienced so much and enjoyed so much while also pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones more than once the most frustrating moments came at the start of the trip when I kept getting flat tires from the tiny spikes costing us a lot of time as we patched them up repeatedly still we kept joking about it which helped lighten the mood honestly the one thing was worried about was my wish to document the journey on video this involves frequent stops to set up the tripod disrupting the cycling Rhythm something not everyone enjoys but s's constant encouragement and positivity quickly put me at ease making the filming as much fun as the cycling wow I feel like today was very intense [Music] was the whole day was very intense you have and just like that 10 days had flown by and we found ourselves sharing our last night camping [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so what's in the menu tonight um rioli with some pesto sauce some oat sauce some olives and paprika that's it I'm so hungry yes it's strong [Music] I time to go to bed at 77 are you excited for your this stay in the bike um I am excited I think it's been a nice trip and I think we can close it up very nicely today with some sunshine yes Finly some sunshine [Laughter] [Music] yeah it just hit me that sna is my newest friendship yet it feels like we've known each other for much longer maybe it's because she knows me as I am today without much reference to earlier chapters of my life as Settles it's harder to form new connections everyone has their routines and circles and being constantly on the Move makes it even trickier for me this trip reminded me of how rare and valuable it is to share genuine uninterrupted time with someone deepening a bond and discovering new layers of friendship we said our goodbyes to the island as well with one last swim I couldn't have wished for a better way to end this adventure if there's one thing this journey taught me is how much I value connecting with someone Beyond casual updates or Surface level conversations as someone naturally a bit reserved it takes me time and Trust to open up which made all this quality time with SAA even more special we talked we listened we shared and we allowed ourselves to be completely silly together some Journeys leave you with memories of the places you've seen and others deepen your understanding of the people you travel with and as for traveling with sa I hope this was the first trip of many [Music] more for [Music]
2025-01-24 22:23