In recent months, guest writer Rik De Voogd They took you on their adventures through Europe. You could almost say: it went from bad to worse. That is not true at all. We found the stories about, for example Hessen, Tuscany and Dolomites Truly fantastic. So here’s a little treat: Greece! Rik and photographer and videographer Maarten Zuur went on a week-long trip across the Peloponnese with the men and women of Pedal Greece. Here’s a little taste of Rik’s journey – Cycling in Greece!
Text: Rik de Voogd – Photos: Maarten Zuur unless otherwise stated
From the moment I stopped racing and discovered Instagram, I had a dream. In that dream, I rode in places that are actually unknown to many cyclists. My favorite quote: the best roads are the ones you haven’t ridden (the best roads are the ones that haven’t yet been ridden). That says enough.
That dream came back this summer again and suddenly I had to think of Greece. Not the islands, like Crete or Kos, but the mainland. I was actually sure that this could be a place where very few people had ever driven. So I went to find out. When I subsequently went looking, I couldn’t help but Pedal Greece They came up first in my search results and somehow they kept coming up, on Google, Instagram, everywhere. So I contacted them.
Founder Tom and Agi told me right away that they were organizing ‘ultimate cycling holidays’ in this area. Participants on their vacations are given the best and most beautiful routes in the wild terrain of the Peloponnese, the Greek peninsula south of Athens. In addition, they are also very into the Greek culture, the local food, and of course the sun. You can’t really go past that. You’ll understand, I was convinced right away.
The concept of Pedal Greece is simple. You can book guided tours through them, both individually and in a group. There are few places available, and that is intentional. By keeping the group size small, Tom and Agi can continue to provide high-quality service. So nice! On the website you can also find all the information about fixed dates and individual requests.
We took advantage of the opportunity to create an individual program. Since they had just started up again after a huge load of COVID restrictions, that was the best option. We chose the end of September. A logical date. This way we could see what late summer has to offer in Greece. Maarten and I (Maarten is from Acid Films) booked a direct flight to Athens….
Arrival
The flight to Athens went smoothly. Pedal Greece co-founder Agi picked us up from the airport, but not before I quickly swapped my jeans and sweater for something more airy. Man, man, it was just 15℃ warmer than in the Netherlands. What a wonderful start!
Meeting PEDAL GREECE
Agi took us all the way to ‘downtown’ Athens. He checked us in for the first night(s) and helped us with the bags. After that, we simply crossed the street and sat down on the terrace of 48×17 Bike Cafe. This place is also run by Agi and it turned out to be the perfect spot for a delicious cup of coffee, homemade lemonade and a menu of Greek tacos. All this while surrounded by bikes, custom builds, frame sets I haven’t seen in years and a beautiful collection of accessories and clothing. All with a little retro twist.
This is also where Tom, the other founder of Pedal Greece, joined us. Somehow there was an immediate connection. We had a great time that night. After a delicious taco meal, we went for espresso and iced coffee. The latter in particular is a local specialty. We really enjoyed it. Meanwhile, the plans for the upcoming days were presented. We couldn’t wait.
The routes looked like this:
- Nafplio – Leonido (83 kilometers, 900 meters of elevation gain)
- Leonido – Sparta (85 kilometers, 1500 meters of elevation gain)
- Sparta – Sparta (126 – 2500 meters altitude)
- Sparta – Kalamata (61 kilometers – 1400 meters of elevation gain)
- Kalamata – Kalamata (152 kilometers – 1800 altitude meters)
- Kampos – Limeni (57 kilometers – 800 meters of elevation gain)
In the upcoming blogs I will keep you informed. The menu (both on the bike and next to it) looked good anyway!
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.