Short Version:
We are a family of five– a dad, a mom, and three kids– doing a self-supported bike tour from Sweden to France the summer of 2017. This blog serves a few purposes: it’s a way for us to record the experience, a place for family and friends to check in, and a resource for like-minded people who are looking for ideas and inspiration.
Long Version:
First, there’s Chris. This adventure was mostly his idea. He hit a particular milestone birthday this year and realized that he hasn’t gone on a bike tour since the one he did from Kansas to Oregon when he was in his mid-20’s, even though it was one of the best experiences of his life. Chris is rather quiet and unassuming and works in software development, so you wouldn’t really guess that he’d come up with things like this.
- Likes: cycling, crossfit, foam rolling, microbrews, mountains, thai chili cashews, books, cats, pocket squares
- Favorite College Basketball Team: Kansas Jayhawks
- Who knew? Chris plays a mean violin.
There’s also Maria. Even though she’s the one writing, she’ll refer to herself in third person for the sake of consistency. Maria is a writer with her first book coming out a few days after returning from the bike tour. This isn’t ideal timing, but she and Chris have learned that it’s never going to be the ideal time to go on a 6-week bike tour, so they’re doing it anyway. Maria hasn’t put in as many miles cycling as Chris, but she’s pretty much up for anything, especially something that will get her away from the same old domestic routine she’s ambivalently embraced since having children.
- Likes: hot yoga, modern design, tropical islands, dehydrated mango, books, chickens, makeup
- Favorite College Basketball Team: Kansas Jayhawks
- Who knew? Maria won a state-wide story-telling contest when she was in 2nd grade.
Then there are the kids: L, T, and S. (We aren’t totally comfortable using the kids’ full names on a public blog for a variety of reasons, so this will have to do.) L and T are 12-year-old twin boys with wildly different personalities. Like their parents, L and T like to try new things but can be a bit flaky when their attention turns to something else. They will be leaving for the trip the day after they finish 6th grade. S is a 7-year-old girl who is very chatty and theatrical. She has been using the sleeping bag she got for the trip every night for months, which means she never has to make her bed.
L…
- Likes: soccer, Doritos, cupcakes, his own room, hoodies, athletic pants
- Favorite College Basketball Team: Kansas Jayhawks
- Who Knew? L likes to sing and can memorize the words to any song he hears, like, after one time.
T…
- Likes: Brazilian Jui Jitsu, Indian food, animals, reading, kombucha, shorts
- Favorite College Basketball Team: Kansas Jayhawks
- Who Knew? T can get any baby to stop crying, which is why we call him “the baby whisperer.”
S…
- Likes: shoes and accessories, fruit, swimming, dogs, science experiments, general silliness
- Favorite College Basketball Team: Kansas Jayhawks
- Who Knew? S plays a mean violin, just like her dad.
Summer on Bikes 