Biking the Euros Buff Urban Race Guanajuato cycling declanswans Euro 2024 Germany Guanajuato mental health paulmullin Sierra Santa Rosa Sue Monk Kidd Susan Cain theturf twloha twola warm showers When the Heart Waits wrexham wrexhamafc wrexhamminersproject
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Welcomed to Wrexham
I arrived into Wrexham early on a Friday evening in late August, after a weary day of travel, having departed that morning from the tiny seaside village of Portpatrick, Scotland. Two buses and four trains later, and I’d finally made it to this former coal mining city in North Wales. With only a couple minor…
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Enjoyin’ Arran
I’ve moved on from Paris, and I could hardly be in a place more the polar opposite of the French capital. I’m on the Isle of Arran, an island just an hour by ferry from Scotland’s west coast. No skyscrapers, no subways, no traffic lights. Just one main road that snakes around the entire island.…
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Olympic Joy
I’m currently seated at a quintessential Parisian cafe, one of thousands in the city, one with small round tables lined up along the sidewalk, wicker chairs, seats facing out as to enable top-quality people watching. It’s Wednesday and it’s the rare morning that I’m not off to an Olympic event, backpack in tow, joining the…
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Let the Games Begin
I’m officially Paris bound. It’s early morning in Bavaria. The train attendant just scanned the ticket on my phone, and I’m finishing off a croissant and Caffè crema I bought 20 minutes ago after leaving Munich. There’s a fog hanging over the wheat fields out my window. The sun has yet to come up. The…
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That’s a Wrap
As I begin this post, I’m on the very familiar RB-66 train from Kochel to Munich. It’s familiar because during my year in Bavaria I often took this train on the weekends, to towns like Kochel, Mittenwald, Krun, Garmisch and other beautiful places at the foot of the Alps in Germany’s far south for hiking…
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Meanwhile in Weil
Resting. In Munich. I’ve had a few cups of coffee, I just popped around the corner from Nick’s apartment to Aldi Sud for a few groceries, and now I’m watching a replay of the Wimbledon quarter final from yesterday between Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul. I arrived Monday night and, burying the lead, LAST NIGHT…
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The Finish Line is Near
I’m sitting in an Italian restaurant in Pfaffenhausen. I just had a salad and a beer – I may order another. I’ve had an unfortunate incident. My front brakes have stopped working. Actually, the wheel and the disk of the wheel were rubbing, causing friction, so I pulled over – in the rain, mind you…
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Highs and (only a few) Lows
I’d say over the past week I’ve felt more exhausted off the bike than on it. It’s been a good exhausted, but an exhausted just the same. There’s been little down time, and as is evident in this blog, little writing time. There’s been a lot of time spent organizing the remaining days of my…
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Dreaming, Then Doing
I chose to name this ride, because for me, cycling 2,000 kilometers in 30 days across an entire country wasn’t just some run-of-the-mill experience. In actuality, I’m not sure I had any business trying to pull this off. The longest tour I’d ever done prior to this was for three days, and roughly 200 kilometers.…
Biking the Euros Buff Urban Race Guanajuato cycling declanswans Euro 2024 Germany Guanajuato mental health paulmullin Sierra Santa Rosa Sue Monk Kidd Susan Cain theturf twloha twola warm showers When the Heart Waits wrexham wrexhamafc wrexhamminersproject