Cycling to Warsaw [BCL366 – Episode 7][Poland]

We’re Traveling by Bike for ONE YEAR. In this episode we’re biking from the border between Lithuania and Poland to the capital city of Warsaw..

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(The events shown in this video happened during the month of August 2022).

Thanks to our trusted review team – you know who you are. And thanks to Adriana and Alain for the French subtitles. And a special thanks YOU – you also know who you are 😉

[ A film by Henry Bech. All rights reserved ]

We are traveling by bike for one year. We want to find out what the world is really like, what’s going on outside the big cities and far away from the popular attractions that we would normally visit. Is the world really a good place and will we be

Able to make it physically and mentally? At the heart of this adventure are our bikes. They are Cervelo Asperos, a carbon gravel bike. The experienced biker might ask, “What’s a carbon frame doing on a bikepacking trip halfway around the globe?” Steel is so much more durable and comfortable.

And that is a good point, my dear imaginary friend. We bought these bikes during the COVID lockdowns. The travel restrictions made us look to Denmark for our adventure fix. And biking really is the perfect way to explore our tiny home country. At the time, we knew we wanted to travel for a

Year at some point in the future, but we didn’t know we wanted to do it by bike. The lightweight and swift handling of the carbon frames was exactly what we needed to cruise through mixed terrain on extended weekends by the Danish West Coast, packing only bad necessities.

And we loved every minute of it and we knew right away that we wanted more. One year later the bikes was at the center of a new adventure. This time in Italy, riding 700km from Rome to Venice. This was a 20 day trip, so naturally we brought a lot more stuff.

And the bikes were now fully equipped with the holy trinity of Apidura bags We loved every minute of that too. The origin story of our current one year journey is a story for another day. But from the moment we decided it was going to happen, we had around three months to plan it.

We loved our Aspero’s, so even if we had the time for it, we saw no reason to replace them. A gravel bike is simply put a road bike with a more relaxed geometry and a wider tire clearance. Ours is equipped with a SRAM Apex groupset. A single chainring in front and an 11-speed

Cassette is giving us a gear ratio that is somewhat limited but has proven to be sufficient to circumnavigate most mountains and also maintain a decent pace on a flat road. The wheels are probably the most important, they need to be strong, repairable and roll well. I love my bike!

Out there on the horizon is the capital city of Poland. We have a long list of stuff we need. Duct tape. Just because if something breaks there is a fair chance that this can momentarily heal it. So you need liquids for your eyes. For the contacts.

They only got the big one. I wanted two small ones because it’s easier to travel with but this is the brand I’m used to. So it’s good. Happy? The most important thing we need to find though is a bike mechanic. Tromsø, where we started, is 2300 km and 13000 m of ascent away.

And both of our bikes are complaining. The bottom brackets are making clicking noises and both chains needs to be changed. Hi guys, my name is Dominik and I’m working in Weloart, Warsaw. A timely replacement of the chain can extend the lifespan of the cassette significantly.

And the cassette is an expensive piece of kit. So we’d better do it now. Unfortunately we cannot help you today, because we are quite busy and our service is literally packed. But I wish you good luck and I hope that you will find a great adventures and you will find the

Greatest people you can imagine. Take care. Dominik hooks us up with a friend of his who has a bike shop. Specialized in bike travelling. Hey guys, if you are in Warsaw, you’re invited to travel bike, a place for bicycle travellers. See you. He takes the bikes in, even though he is quite busy.

He even promises to have them ready in a couple of days. Awesome! Hopefully he will be able to fix everything and get spare parts if anything needs to be changed. A number of the bike folks who meet here in Warsaw asks us if we plan to ride a

Route called Trail of the Eagles Nest. This is the first time we hear about it. It’s a 200 kilometer trail that connects Częstochowa and Krakow and passed by a number of medieval castles on the way. It sounds amazing and we totally want to do it. It’s not a highly technical route,

But some parts are pretty rough and sandy, and we me don’t particularly enjoy riding on sandy trails. So we’re going to try some wider tires. Maybe that can improve the experience. The shops don’t have the type of tire we’re looking for in stock. So we go online and order them.

– Hope they arrive on the day after tomorrow, as the shop promise. – It’s estimated that an unbelievable 85% of Warshof was destroyed during World War II. The Nazis dedicated an unprecedented effort to the project. There is an overwhelming number of monuments and memorial sites all over the city.

Reminders to never forget that terrible war. and to do everything we can to avoid a repetition. The reconstruction of this beautiful city serves as a testament to the spirit of the Polish people. This place is special. And it’s not just Warsaw. 300 kilometers northeast from here. We set out on our first full

Day on the bikes here in Poland. We spent the day on peaceful trails, gravel paths and small country roads. Almost all the farmers give a little wave back when we pass each other. We’re even starting to see bike lanes again. And the motorists here are some of the most

Considerate we have met on the trip so far. It’s been so good riding here, they’re really kind. It’s 6 in the morning and we are getting a head start because at one p.m. today it’s going to be 31 degrees. A bit of patience is required on these paths but the wonderful surroundings

Makes it worth the while. The occasional plot of dump to garbage is not so nice though. We have passed a handful of these and the amount of litter is actually pretty extreme. It’s very disgusting. Why anyone would do a thing like this is hard to understand. I’m calling my bruise Who’s Bruce?

Is it your new boyfriend? No, I don’t like him. Sometimes it’s impossible to see how deep and soft the sand is. So suddenly my front wheel just digs into the sand and I don’t have time to unclip my foot. As soon as we arrive, the family who has the guest house

Invites us into the kitchen to hang out. They don’t speak a lot of English, but the father speaks pretty good German. We speak some basic German, so we are able to have a simple conversation. He offers me a shot of some home baked alcohol and I try to politely decline.

He nods and smiles and then pours me the drink and says, I’m like, yeah, why not? I say, “Prost” and drink. It’s not too bad actually. Navigating areas like these would be nearly impossible without GPS. And Garmin is correct 95% of the time. The trail is probably in there.

In addition to Garmin, we sometimes do a little handheld navigation on Google Maps, mostly if we need to detour to find a supermarket or a coffee place. Day by day, we have been pulled in by the comfort this country provides. We feel safe and welcome here.

And by the time we arrive in Warsaw, we’re in love with Poland and we feel completely at home. On our way, pick up the bikes. They almost look new again. So clean and shiny. So I put something cute because she has like… They got the full service they needed.

It feels good to give them a little love. It was like really, really sandy. We ride across town on our new bikes. To meet our Warmshowers hosts for the next two days. My name is Dorota. And I’m Michał. And what I love about Warsaw is the river, the

Biggest Polish river, Vistula goes through Warsaw. And it’s very wild, not everywhere, but there are banks which are just full of old trees and birds and it’s really cool. We spent the day together with our dear hosts. And in the evening we go for a ride around town.

Even though Warwas is big area-vice, it’s spread out you have like free spaces, you have a lot of parks, it’s green. And next to the city there is a biggest Polish national park. Where are we going? To get the tires. The shop doesn’t open until 11. Nice, thank you.

We have spent five days in Warsaw now and we are itching to start riding the trail of the Eagle’s nests. So we use the cheat code to jump a couple of hundred kilometers forward in time. Changing the tires is the last thing we need to do before we are ready to ride

The trail of the Eagle’s nests. All the way back to the beginning of our first bike adventure on the Danish West Coast, our connections to the ground have been 35 millimeter wide Pirelli tires. We’re going to make a small adjustment to that and see if these 40 millimeter tires can improve

The grip on technical surfaces without adding too much rolling resistance. We go back to the apartment to eat breakfast and make an impulsive long-term commitment. We saw one. It was a nice one, but just one. This is not easy at all. We know a little more about the garbage in the nature now.

That was UP! It’s all down hill