We had arranged our Annapurna permits in Kathmandu through friends at Pilgrim’s Guest House. Once in Besisahar, we registered with the conservation folks at the start of the circuit (i.e., at the end of town). […]
Cycling adventurist, bikepacker, travel writer, photographer, speaker, professor of philosophy. Route designer of the VTXL, the Green Mountain Gravel Growler beer tour, the Silk Road Mountain Race course 1st edition, and many more.
Category: Bike touring notes
Vietnam cycling notes
Vietnam is an easy and wonderful place to pedal. It’s energetic, beautiful, and has a powerful history. Citywise, I liked both Hanoi and Saigon, though they are very different. Hanoi is laid back and cosmopolitan, while Saigon is more of the chaotic whirlpool that Asian cities can be. More broadly, the attraction of the north is that it’s rugged and hilly. The attraction of the south is that the riverways and ferry travel around the Mekong delta are culturally interesting.
A substantial part of any cycling tour is the serendipity that originates in not having a plan and simply getting lost. But here are some notes on tidbits that are worth doing.
Moab itinerary
Somehow, and in spite of the many extraordinary things he’s done on bicycles and HPV’s, Rob had never been to Moab. This October we remedied that. I’ve ridden in Southern Utah more times than I can remember, but I knew that seeing the old classics through new eyes would be a treat.
Rob used this vacation as a chance to test out his new folding 29er design in rigid singlespeed configuration; naturally, I brought my rigid singlespeed race rig (with the small concession of gearing down to 34×19). What else would you use in Moab?
I felt pressure to arrange the proven standards into a compact trip: