Two-Wheel Travel on Toddler Time
Ines Thoma
Sometimes, life happens and your adventures need to adapt accordingly. Maybe they are slower for a while, or more exhausting. Sometimes the view is different from what you usually enjoy and other times you’re forced to take an unexpected break mid-adventure. And though this new situation might not look ideal at first glance, a fresh perspective often comes with benefits. You learn to look out for the birds left and right, to be kinder to yourself, or you get to know people you would never have met otherwise. Ines, the author of this issue, experienced adventure in a whole new way when she and her partner took their toddler bikepacking for the first time. She talks about the joys, and challenges of exploring with a tiny person, and what she hopes to pass on to her daughter. Maybe she’ll even inspire you to bring a newbie along next time you go outside, no matter what age they are. Because whether the people you invite outside are tiny or grown-up, I’m sure you’ll get smiles in return.
Catherine
Editor, Notes from Outside
We’re sitting on the dusty ground in the middle of a small gravel road – an unlikely place for a picnic at first glance, but our one year old, Romy, has loudly made it known that her nap in the bike trailer is over. The melting snowfields surrounding us, combined with yesterday’s thunderstorm mean the meadows are still wet, but she is ready to escape the trailer and explore. Or she’s hungry. Either way, the gravel road is today’s picnic spot.
Our snacks include cheese from the farm stall near last night’s accommodation, as well as two apples, half a jar of apple sauce, a banana, three and a half carrots and some pretzels. A pretty successful meal. The only thing missing is the obligatory coffee prep, for which we’ve run out of hands. The view is also a winner. We’re sitting in the middle of the Allgäu mountains, on a small car-free road that leads from Sibratsgfäll in Austria to Oberstdorf, on the edge of the impressive rock face that drops down from the Gottesacker plateau.
Apart from the murmur of a stream and the loud buzzing of insects, the only sound is Romy’s babbling. She’s already turned away from the snack with an enthusiastic "da-daaaa," and is headed for the snow remnants of last winter with amazing speed. We smile to ourselves, pleased with our route and planning choices for this little family bikepacking trip.
We had the idea for this ride months ago, when we first put Romy in the bike trailer. At the time we joked about whether she was ready for her first multi-day ride. Fast forward to yesterday when a good weather window opened up. We set off spontaneously with rather minimal planning because sunshine and warm temperatures are essential for a stress-free family trip and we didn’t want to miss the opportunity.
Since Romy started walking, she’s constantly on the move, so we need the ability to stop when she’s had enough of her bike seat. This is what happened a few minutes ago (which explains the picnic location).
These simple, impromptu moments are what I love about bikepacking – living on the road without the “stuff” that accompanies you in everyday life, spending all day outside free from distractions, allowing you to experience nature fully. I hope that Romy will experience this passion for nature for herself one day. In the meantime we’ve done everything we can to make this bikepacking adventure enjoyable for her.
We have a baby bike seat mounted on the bicycle stem at the front of the bike, offering Romy perfect views and action when she’s awake. When nap time rolls around, she sleeps in the bike trailer as we pedal on. This "double setup" may look a bit over the top, but so far it’s working for us. In the breaks, she plods around on snowfields, providing a third option for her at any given time.
With Romy’s set-up and the weather taken care of, the only remaining question was the route – specifically one that would allow us a beautiful, stress-free family adventure that didn’t sacrifice our cycling ambitions. While we had tested the trailer and baby seat on smaller trips, we had no experience of multi-day rides as a trio. On our adventures as a couple, big distances, high altitudes, or extreme destinations provided the excitement. Now the adventure lies in nature’s little details - and what mood Romy's in. This morning was surprisingly relaxed as she pulled off an almost two-hour long nap in the trailer, allowing us to remove the bike seat and ignite the turbo. The baby seat is great for her, but not super comfortable for us as it forces the rider into an unnaturally upright, slightly bow-legged position, which is tough on the knees. Max was so pleased to be free of the seat that it took me an eternity to catch up with him, even though he had to drag the trailer up the mountains.
Today the views of those very mountains are magnificent. We’re only a few kilometers from home and yet it’s like we’re seeing them for the first time. Escaping the daily grind and watching Romy making new discoveries on this adventure has been incredible – more than compensating for the stressful moments.
Yesterday evening was one such moment. We optimistically booked a nice-looking room on a farmstay earlier in the afternoon, only to spend the next two hours in a cafe, followed by a further hour at a farm, waiting out the rain. It got later and later, and I got more and more nervous about how Romy would handle the final 15 kilometers. It was 6pm by the time the weather cleared, but luckily she found the scenery and animal density in the Bregenz Forest highly entertaining. There was just so much to see! A mixture of nice trails, gravel roads, and steep climbs in those final kilometers also helped. Maybe it was beginner's luck, but 70 kilometers, many climbs, and multiple hours later, Romy was enthusiastically on her game. The nearby farm stall where we could stock up for dinner and today’s picnic was the icing on the cake.
One thing we did learn yesterday is to ensure we have enough food and drink with us in case our timetable goes out the window. We can get by with an apple and an energy gel, but Romy won't be satisfied with that. Aware of our slower progress and eager not to push it like we did yesterday, we pack up and cycle on towards the sunshine. We can already see the next herd of cows up ahead, where we’ll likely stop again to stroke their smooth, wet noses.
Words by Ines Thoma and photos by Max Schuhmann
After Ines switched from Cross Country to Enduro mountain biking more than ten years ago, the Allgäu-native found her passion. The Enduro World Series took her to some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the world, which she explored together with friends and teammates. Now there has been another "gear shift" - daughter Romy has jumped into the bike trailer and will help set the pace and scope of upcoming adventures. After just under a year's baby break, Ines is back on the World Cup circuit, mixing up family time and race time on the Enduro scene.
Every Body Outdoors
Sebastian Kowalke