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    Cycling Greece: THERMAL SPRINGS & COUNTLESS TROUBLES | Bikepacking Europe Ep. 15



    These thermal springs in Thermopylae were the perfect thing I encountered after a few tough days of riding. Besides being an amazing place to camp, the warm running water was exactly what I needed for my tired legs.

    Cycling this part of Greece is not part of any trail, but here and there you find some less-known gems that are worth exploring and this was only one of them. Cycling from Athens to Thessaloniki was not spectacular in the sense that the landscape was more or less the same and industrial in some places. But the MOST frustrating thing was the number of flat tires that I got. Every day, for the course of a week I had to change my at least once my tubes. It seems Greece doesn’t want to let me go so easily.
    It was a roller coaster and a mental game to push every day long distances with not so much distraction on the road, but I was happy to have reached another big highlight of Greece and to finally change my clothes for thicker ones.

    #bikepackingeurope #cyclingvlog #bikepackingtrip #bikepackingeurope #untraveledroads

    ▬ Content of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
    00:00 In this episode…
    01:06 Thessaloniki here I come
    03:44 Thermopilae: Leonidas and Hades
    06:30 Problem after problem
    08:55 New day – new holes
    17:20 Stranded in Glyfa
    18:48 Trying to reach Volos
    19:46 Valley of Tempi
    22:19 Thank you for watching!

    ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
    If you are curious and want more insights into my #adventure, make sure you follow me on my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/_untraveledroads_

    I have set up a Patreon page where I provide EXCLUSIVE content, insights, and tips about my adventures, so if you want to support me and help me show you parts of even further away lands, check if there is something there for you. https://www.patreon.com/untraveledroads

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    View 16 Comments

    16 Comments

    1. Simon Roberts on

      Hi, I’m enjoying your trip. That’s a lot of flat tyres….I’m not sure Terra Speed tubeless tyres are the most suitable tyre for your trip, I think they major in speed over reliability. Many travelling cyclists use tubed tyres specifically for their reliability. These tyres often contain more effective puncture protection, (as their manufacturers know they can’t just rely on sealant). Schwalbe’s touring range of tyres are particularly puncture resistant. Their Marathon range contain many such models. I’ve used tubed Marathon Supreme for European touring with great success, they are comfortable and roll easily, punctures are a very rare event indeed! More off-road orientated models are also available.

    3. Juan Mendez on

      Dont like cyclist by the area, as we can see 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨
      Very nice travel. Enjoy your experience, now in Greece…..😍😍😍😍

    5. Road & Destination on

      Noticed you had quite a few flats before, but this sounds quite ridiculous… What kind of outer tyres do you use? Good quality puncture resistant tyres should be able to handle a few thorns and is cheaper then buying loads of inner tubes. The only disadvantage is you may get so few flats that when you do have one you the glue of the repair kit may have gone bad because of old age.

    14. Desmond Tiedemann on

      Just come across your videos, I was once young an had a passion for cycling and decided I would cycle around New Zealand, for training I cycled 150-Km a day (1,000-Km / Week). Putting the training in I got to understand both my bike and myself as well as limits. Fortunately the roads were in better shape so riding was reasonably comfortable. Did I mention that I only ever had two flat tires during months of training and the cycle around New Zealand, a couple of things I made sure I had were good brakes and good tires. Spend a little bit extra on quality tires and that would reduce number of punctures, that said we don't have thorns like you got in Albania. Got back on the bike again 6-years ago and first thing I did was invest in good tires although this time I also invested in tire liners to stop glass and nails. They definitely work as I can see cuts on tires with some on side wall by the way these are snow tires for a mountain bike so wider than my foot.

      Around 2010 I read the book "Cycling Home From Siberia", it almost got me back on the bike.

      Anyway keep up the amazing journey some days are harder than others, but you will look back in years to come with a lot of pride and satisfaction. In New Zealand we say "Kia Kaha" – "Stay Strong", wishing you all the best for your onward travels and any future endeavours.

    15. Stephen Podmore on

      Hi again😊, I’ve read some of the comments on tubes/tubeless and here is my opinion…
      Tubes are a pain as unless you remove all the needles from the tyre that have broken off the thorns then you’ll just keep getting flat tyres. With tubeless they will seal with the sealant. I also carry Dyna plugs for the troublesome holes that may occur. I also carry Thermoplastic tubes and repair kit as they take up maybe only a third of the space of a rubber tube and same with weight. On tours lasting more than 3 months I top up the sealant either with the 60ml bottles I carry or at a bike shop. When the thorn breaks off leaving the sharp bit in the tyre the sealant stops the flats.
      Cheers and keep going, keep learning and mostly have fun

    16. George Zet. on

      Tja. Die allgegenwärtigen Burzeldorne in Griechenland. Kleiner Tipp. Lerne die Pflanze und nicht die Samen erkennen. Dann kannst du diese vorausschauend ausweichen.

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