Riding from Saarbrücken to Disney Research
My Riding Journey for Relocation from Saarbrücen to Zürich
I may have carried different things from my childhood into adulthood and dropped others, but one thing that has remained a constant since my early years is absolutely my love for riding my bicycle.
With a passion for exploring Europe on two wheels, I have always been looking for an opportunity to pack my bags and hit the road. Landing a position with Disney in Zürich and needing to relocate there was the perfect moement. I just had to take the chance and prep my bike for the journey!
Having my cool bike, which always calls me to explore nature, I made it prepared for the long journey: proper long-distance seat, installing adjustable stem and handlebar, and a sturdy rear rack.
The journey crossed Germany, France, and Switzerland. Starting in Saarbrücken, I rode through Bitche and Langensoultzbach in France, re-entered Western Germany via Wintersdorf and Baden-Baden, and then planed to head straight down toward Zürich.
One of the best parts of the trip was meeting incredible people along the way who went out of their way to support a cyclist. A nice guy I met offered up his yard for my tent and loaded me up with great food and drinks; another gentleman invited me onto his balcony for ice cream on an extremely hot, sunny day. People were incredibly kind when they learned about my journey, especially around the French border.
The trip included 300 KM, but due to a knee injury in Baden-Baden, doctors prohibited me from continuing cycling and I had to continue with train. With this emergency note, I could still make 100 KM by bicycle, meet great poeple, enjoy cool scenes, and learnt a lot for future cycle tourist.
As part of my internship, I won an Erasmus+ scholarship. The program supports student transportation and covers travel costs if you use eco-friendly means like trains or bus, but they had no information regarding “relocation by bicycle.” On a bright note, I am incredibly glad that I was able to motivate the Erasmus+ team to officially add “relocation by bike” to the Saarland Erasmus webpage as a supported medium of transport. It’s incredibly rewarding to contribute to these kinds of changes, in favour of cycling community and eco-friendly transports! 😄
Some General Tips I Learnt:
- Don’t use Google Maps for navigation! Google Maps is not optimised for cycling paths in long-distances between cities and can route you onto brutally steep roads. I highly recommend using Komoot since it’s perfectly optimised for different styles of cycling.
- Use any chance to fill your bottles! Take some Electrolyte tables/drinks as they help your body gain necessary supplements like Sodium and Magnesium.
- If you’re camping, make sure you dedicate an hour to setting up camp before it gets dark. Finding a proper, safe spot always takes longer than you think!