Luggage

 Now that we know that we will be hiring bikes in Roma, I can plan what luggage I will take. This is based on the entire ride being unsupported.

On the plane

I will check through one bag with wheels which contains:

• two Ortlieb panniers
• the lightweight bike bag
• all the items that we will take on the ride including helmet
• the Ortlieb handlebar bag
• top tube bag

I will take as carry-on a Pacsafe  shoulder bag with all valuables.

The plan will be to leave the checked luggage bag and anything we don't want to take on the bikes in Roma. I have negotiated this with the hotel and we can leave the bag there.

Packing

The Supplied U-lock, spare tubes, battery charger etc. supplied by the bike shop will have to go into one of the panniers. 

On the train platform

• Take off the panniers
• Take off the handlebar bag with valuables
• Take out the bike bag
• The top tube bag can stay on.

On the train

The bike needs to be "bag ready" but if possible we will wheel the bikes on. If we have problems with railway staff, put the bag on upside down so it will still roll! Once onboard it will be possible to turn the bag the other way up and then maybe U-lock the bike to the train or lock the bikes together.

Riding

• Valuables in the handlebar bag.
• Other small stuff in the top tube bag.
• Everything else in the two panniers. Keep the U-lock accessible!
• Rack-top space reserved for extras (I will take a couple of grunt straps).

Outstanding issues

 

Here is a list of what I know to be the remaining issues: please let me know of any others!

• Bike hire
• How many?
• Where from?
• Bike return 
• What do we hire and from whom?
• Do we have to take the back to Bologna?
• How do we get them there?
• Car hire
• What to hire?
• What dates?
• Who will be driving?
• Finalising accommodation - this can wait till next year!

New and better bike hire strategy

I am revisiting hiring the bikes at Roma rather than at Bologna. It is easy to get on the train at Roma Termini or Tiburtina Station in Roma and then straight through to Bologna. This takes under three hours. On return it is easy to get on the train at Lecce to Roma Termini which is under six hours. This removes the need to go around the loop via Bologna on return. I have lodged queries with three local hire places... the first one has come back with a very positive response so I will flesh out this solution (exact times, dates, places). For at least Kathleen and Patrick this is a very good solution. Our timetable would be:

• 6th September depart SYD 21:10 QR0909

• 7th September arrive FCO 13:50 over night at Fiumicino or Roma

• 8th September pick up hire bikes ready to ride, train to Bologna

• 1st October travel Lecce to Roma, return hire bikes, stay in Roma

• 2nd October free day in Roma, stay in Roma

• 3rd October free day in in Roma, stay in Fiumicino or Roma

• 4th October depart FCO 09:40 QR0116

And then there were three

Today the good news that Chris and Pam have committed and are booked for the trip!

Chris will be riding and Pam will join us towards the end of the ride.

We also have one or two who are likely to participate but have not yet booked (as far as I know). More are welcome but the sooner you commit the easier it will be to arrange accommodation and other logistics.

Supplementary apps and technology tools

 

This post is intended to cover off on some tools that you might want to use to make planning and execution of this trip (or other trips) easier.

Planning

booking.com

• I use booking.com to make my accommodation bookings where possible. This means I only have one place to go if I need to make changes. It is also easy to see if you have skipped dates or doubled up (if you  get the dates for one or more towns wrong). There is also a phone app. Works well.

Tripit

• Tripit makes it easy to store lots of travel itinerary information in one place. You can also store documents such as travel insurance and so on. Tripit also makes it easy to safely share your itinerary with others. I have used it for decades. There is also a phone app.

Recording

• I use Blogger to hold my journal of the trip. It is easy to cross post from there to Facebook etc. There is also a phone app, called Blogger Pro.
• While travelling I hold all my photos in Google Photos. Afterwards I move them into Lightroom. I have not yet decided whether I will take a dedicated camera or just my Pixel phone's camera.

Navigation

• The planning is done in RidewithGPS.
• While riding I use a Garmin GPS on my handlebars which has the daily routes I created in RidewithGPS.
• For in-town navigation I use Google Maps. In the maze-like towns (Matera, Ostuni) I use guesswork and luck.
• As backup or for emergencies I will have my Garmin inReach Explorer which can call for help anywhere in the world.

Financial

• I use the XE app for current exchange rate information.
• I use the Settle Up app to record and reconcile situations where we spend money on behalf of others in the group. I recommend that you install this app which takes a lot of hassle out of  "I paid for lunch yesterday"...

Communications

• I intend to take my Telstra phone and continue to use my Australian number. For a three week trip this is almost as cheap as getting a local SIM and much less hassle. I believe the other major Australian providers have similar arrangements.
• If I take my tablet I will rely on local WiFi or tethering.

New page regarding driving/support arrangements

In the clickable tiles on the left side of the blog is a new page for driving and support arrangements, if we end up having a support vehicle.

It is not certain that we will have a support vehicle, but if we do then this page is intended to give enough information to make navigation easy for the driver.