Traveling the world on bike with two dogs

Fin Fagen and Zoa umsden cycling Norway with their two furry companions.
Fin Fagen

Fin and Zoa are not your normal, ordinary, everyday sort of bicycle tourist - you only have to see their two furry companions to realize that.  And yet, the two intrepid travelers have pedaled 17,000 km on two wheels and have no plans to stop any time soon.  You can read more about them and their journey at their website.

World Bike Touring Examiner (WBTE): Would you please explain a tad bit about where you’ve been and where you’re going.

Fin: So far we have cycled a 17,000 kilometer warm up lap around continental Europe (Belgium to Portugal to Hungary to the top of Scandinavia and down again to Latvia.) Originally, the plan was to cycle from Europe to Australia via the Middle East and Asia. But nobody wanted to look after our two dogs for such a long time (understandably… one of them is as mad as a microwave.) So with the dogs on board it raised some interesting questions. How offensive would we be in predominantly Muslim cultures where dogs are often thought of as impure and only suitable for utilitarian purposes, not companionship alone? We were not planning to ‘slobber on the Sultan’s slippers’, but would the famous Iranian hospitality still extend to us? If travelers face headaches from crushing bureaucracies alone, what would a border crossing in Kyrgyzstan be like with dogs? And what about crossing borders in the dog world… would we anger packs of territorial wild dogs even more than your average schmo? Like most fears they are probably worse in mind than in reality, but with a bit of research and a few warnings, so far we have decided to play it safe. The next step and the end point of the trip are undecided. Maybe catch a cargo ship to North America and head south?

WBTE: How long have you been on the road?
Zoa: We started in July 2008 and are now heading into our second winter. We are not sure when it will end.

WBTE: What prompted such an extended journey? Had you done a lot of touring before?

Fin: I had barely touched a bicycle since I was a child. After a frantic three month period of planning, we sold whatever couldn’t fit on the back of the bikes, and left without ever changing a flat tire, let alone taking a fully loaded practice ride around the block.

Wanderlust and adventure are my primary motivations. But then there is that BIG ISSUE that is so easy to ignore in the daily grind… global warming. I knew all about the long term costs to the planet of guzzling fossil fuels, yet I had been driving long distances to work in Australia and taking cheap flights in Europe. I liked to think of myself as green, but I had become an environmental hypocrite. It was time for a lifestyle change, to take positive action in my own day to day life rather than sit around and wait for politicians and industry. Before I met Zoa I had never thought of cycling as a serious option of travelling. Cycling was for around town, not around the world.

Zoa: I love to travel, but cars, planes, trains, and ferries make me barf. After some short cycling trips in northern England, Ireland and the Gulf Islands near Vancouver I was sold. Cycling was the way to go. It didn’t make me ill and was just the right speed to soak up the surroundings. But then a 45 kilogram dog came into my life, and my cycling was limited to commuting to work. I kept dreaming about cycle touring, so I searched for a trailer that would accommodate the heffalump. As soon as I bought it, another dog wandered into my life. Luckily, in the middle of an Icelandic winter I found another odd sock who was crazy enough to embark on an indefinite cycle trip with dogs aboard.

WBTE: I know there are plenty of wonderful days when the sun is shining and you’ve got the wind at your back. But there are also days when it’s raining or you face a headwind or you’re climbing a hill that just won’t end. How do you get through those days? What keeps you going?

Fin: Normally I swear a lot and throw tantrums. When that doesn’t help I have to accept what is and deal with it. If the world gives you lemons, use the juice as a degreaser and the peel as a tire patch. Besides, would it really be an adventure if everything was just pleasant and comfortable all the time? Would you learn much about yourself? No, you need some tales of woe.

Zoa: I can’t say that I’ve ever wanted to be anywhere except the road. And at the end of the worst day, we get to climb into the tent, our embryo, and all the frustrations of the day drift away. We are so fortunate to be able to travel the world for such a long period of time. Hopefully we can find a way to keep the charmed life going. Home is where the heart is.

WBTE: As hard as it is to pick out one or two highlights – would you, could you? Tell us about a couple of those incredibly wow-ing, drop-your-jaw experiences you’ve had.

Fin: We spent Christmas near the Sierra Nevada, Spain’s largest mountain range, in a tiny town called Gorafe. We stayed in a cueva (a cave dwelling peculiar to the area) for a couple of months and explored the rich culture and history, and walked endless trails through the folds of the desert canyons, discovering some thermal waterfalls draped in ferns in the process. The peace and solitude was overwhelming, not something that is easy to come by in Europe.

Zoa: We cycled through the Italian Dolomites in complete awe. At the beginning of May the stunning mountain chain was still covered in fresh snow but we had a string of glorious sunny days. We stayed off the heavily trafficked main roads and chose the narrow, steep mountain passes instead. Everyone laughed when they looked at our bikes and told us that we would never make it. It was extremely rewarding to prove them all wrong and haul our fat asses up to the top, where a café and a steaming hot latte was waiting for me.

Paco: Hanging out with the local dogs in Gorafe, Spain and then chasing some cats, and mountain goats.

Jack: Being fed lots by strangers and being stroked by all kinds of hot women.

WBTE: What about those days you wish you could forget (but you know you never will)? Those days when everything goes wrong and then even more goes wrong? Tell us about a couple of those.

Fin: My rim had cracked, my back tire was bulging and we were straight lining it towards the Portuguese/Spanish border for repairs. After thumping along for a day the crack finally split wide open and the tube burst. Normally that would not be a big problem, but we were on a busy rollercoaster road with no shoulder or pullovers, and with a constant stream of cars and semi-trailers it made it near impossible to hitch a ride. We spent the rest of the day pushing along the constant wave of the hills trying not to become road kill.

When it became dark we camped by the side of the road, dejected and too tired to care. The police were not impressed but luckily let us stay until the morning with only a warning. The following morning we finished off our Port Wine for breakfast and continued pushing. After I transferred all of my non-furry luggage onto Zoa’s bike, I told Zoa to cycle ahead as there was no point endangering both of us. But as she disappeared over the horizon, Paco, the stubborn dog that he is and master of timing, was getting bored by it all and refused to walk any further. After encouraging, then dragging and cursing him for a good twenty minutes I finally gave up. While the broken rim was grinding against the road along with my patience, Paco was being carried like a Prince on top of the bike. My back and arms were aching from pushing at an awkward angle for so long, and I wasn’t even bothering to make way for trucks anymore. They would have to slow down or run over me, I didn’t care. Eventually I found a pullover to hitch a ride in and was dropped off at a garage door in a shantytown, one very thankful boy.

Zoa: I awoke from a haze on the side of a busy road and before long I was surrounded by a thicket of legs and uniforms, ambulance and police. After the attendants bandaged my wounds and gave me a complete head-to-toe, a thickly mustached police man took over.
Him: So what happened here?
Me: I don’t know. I was cycling downhill on the bike-path and it felt like my front tire caught in a pothole. The next thing I was flying over the handlebars.
Him: So no car or no other party was involved, you were just riding along and crashed your bike?
Me: Yes.
A thick load of paperwork seemed to lift off the officer's shoulders. Satisfied he walked back to his car, glanced down at the twisted bike and added "This bike is un-rideable" and drove off.

The big dog Jack came out of the crash alright but the bike frame, as described by a Surly employee, was "total carnage" and unfortunately not covered under warranty. I would have to buy a whole new frame. The aluminum dog-trailer frame was bent, cracked and in need of re-welding, and my entire left side was in agony. Up until one minute before the accident I hadn’t been wearing my helmet, but my intuition/guardian angel told me to put it back on before going down the steep hill. I’m still not exactly sure what went wrong, but thankfully my helmet was cracked in two places and not my head.

Jack: I jumped out of the trailer at a road block and the next thing I knew they were pedaling away from me down the mountain. Didn’t they see me jump out? They were abandoning me in the middle of Spain? I was distraught. I chased them down the hill at my top speed (not very fast). My world had fallen apart. For a moment I didn’t even think about food. I ran for kilometers down the mountain, sniffing a trail until… yes!!! Zoa was coming back for me. Maybe she would feed me something.

WBTE: You’ve toured through many countries and I know they each are unique and have their advantages and disadvantages. But, if you were to talk with someone relatively new to cycle touring, where would you recommend they go? Why?

Fin: I can only speak for Europe, but Slovenia has a bit of everything… a small coast, snowy mountains, a lively capital, beautiful rivers, gorgeous towns, welcoming people, some nice routes, and lots of cheap fried eggs. Flemish Belgium worked well for us as a starting point; it is mostly flat, there are cycle routes everywhere and some of the best beer in the world. Portugal has beautiful down to earth people, inexpensive and delicious food, quiet mountain roads and of course lots of Port Wine.

Zoa: France has an unbeatable network of rural roads and fromageries. The stereotype of the French being arrogant was blown apart. We met so many warm and friendly people and had more invitations into homes than anywhere else we have cycled. North-western Switzerland is so well signed with cycle routes you don’t even need a map. From most towns you have a road or an off-road option. The scenery is stunning, the mountain grades are manageable, and the chocolate is divine. We would have stayed longer, but our wallet was losing weight too quickly.

WBTE: Any special tips or advice to wannabe tourers?

Zoa: Wear a helmet.

Most problems in life can be fixed with zip ties, lube and duct tape.

Never believe car drivers. The road will probably be busier, the town further away, or in a different direction to what they say. Ask them anyway though, it’s an easy way to get to know people and find out more about the area.

We have heard so many times “what you are doing is my dream, BUT….” But what? We have also met a paraplegic touring on hand powered bike, cyclists with very little money busking and ‘containering’ to get by, families cycling with and roadschooling their children, and women in their 70’s crossing continents in cotton shirts and non-technical underpants.

Fin: Luck favors the wandering kind and most problems will sort themselves out on the road. So what’s your excuse? Shut up and pedal.
 

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Meet  world record breaking cyclist, Mark Beaumont.  He is known as the fastest man in the world, and is currently cycling the Pan American Highway.

Scott Napier just broke the world record for the Pan American Highway - 125 days to cycle over 14,000 miles!

If you enjoyed this interview, you might enjoy these other interviews with world cyclists:
Goat from Riding the Spine - Alaska to Argentina on dirt roads
Sean from Riding the Spine - Alaska to Argentina on dirt roads
Jacob from Riding the Spine - Alaska to Argentina on dirt roads
Friedel from Travelling Two - 3 years around the world
Sonya and Aaldrik from Tour.TK - 3 years on the road, currently in South America
Alastair Humphreys - 4 years on 3 continents - Africa, Asia, America
Peter Gostelow - pedaled from Japan to England; now headed toward Africa
Tim & Cindie from Down the Road - 7 years on the road and no plans to stop
Jaime Bianchini of Peace Pedalers - nearly 8 years through 77 countries on tandem picking up strangers

 There are also a number of families who have adopted a life on the road with their children:

The Williams family is on a open-ended tour on a triple bike with their 9-year-old son.
 Rebekka and Florian traveled the Pan American Highway to Tierra del Fuego with their small son in a trailer.
 The Verhage family with sons aged 11 & 13 have cycled south from LA.  They are now in Peru.
 My family is currently cycling the Pan American Highway - we've cycled 16,000 km from Alaska to Colombia so far. You can find us at Family on Bikes.

Contact me via email at familyonbikes@gmail.com

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