European tour

[rickd]

I'm looking for advice on, at this stage, planning for 12 month Euro trip.
My wife and I have Surly LHT, which will be fully laden with camping, cooking etc.
Just wondering if the rides through the alps is possible? Do the victorian alps compare?
This is for our 50th birthday, having 12 months off work. Kids will have left home by then, hopefully.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Rick

[JustinS007]

Any thoughts appreciated.

There may be some items in here that spur your interest. FWIW we were 'fully' laden as well, though really this only meant on average about 12 - 16kg each per day in 2 x rear panniers each and a backpack on top of those.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19495

[rickd]

Any thoughts appreciated.

There may be some items in here that spur your interest. FWIW we were 'fully' laden as well, though really this only meant on average about 12 - 16kg each per day in 2 x rear panniers each and a backpack on top of those.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19495

Thanks for that Justin, there is a ton of stuff to consider.
The only problem with reading your trip log is that it's now hard to focus on the hum drum of day to day life.
Those climbs sounded pretty daunting and we mere mortals will struggle.
Cheers,
Rick

[JustinS007]

Those climbs sounded pretty daunting and we mere mortals will struggle.

Out "opt out" plan if we were feeling too tired when we got to Passau was going to be a nice trip along the Danube Bike Path to Vienna and around the Alps rather than over them. Adds about 500km I think from memory, but some beautiful (and much flatter) Austrian countryside and towns to pass through, plus of course Vienna itself.

And yes, when planning a trip like this it can be hard to keep the daily grind going as you prepare to leave. Good luck.