There is a start to everything. I consider my cycling trip in South Korea the one during which I fell in love with bikepacking. It was my first cycling trip alone and without assistance, and I discovered a new culture and breathtaking landscapes every day. I just loved it.
Why South Korea?
I had the chance to participate in a field campaign during my PhD in the frame of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. We installed weather radars and other snow-measuring instruments to monitor and study snowfall in the Taebaek mountains. I took this opportunity to discover South Korea by bike
The route
The cycling network in South Korea is incredible and there is a true cycling culture. On my first trip, I decided to cycle south from Seoul along the Four Rivers trail. On my second trip, I finished the Four Rivers trail to Busan and headed to the East Coast trail to finish in Gangneung, my “home” during my two-month stay in South Korea.
The experience
Riding the Four River and East Coast trail is a very smooth journey: you’re basically riding on paved cycleways totally separated from the traffic. The diversity of Korean food definitely adds a flavour to the experience. To add fun to the journey, old phone booths have been converted to checkpoints along the route, where you can stamp your “pass”.
What I preferred the most during this trip, was the hospitality of people: I could arrive totally wet and dirty in a fancy coffee shop and the owner would welcome me with a towel. In general, people were rather curious about the presence of a European cyclist during the end of the winter season in seaside resorts.
The experience
Riding the Four River and East Coast trail is a very smooth journey: you will mostly ride on paved cycle ways totally separated from the traffic. The diversity of Korean food definitely adds a flavour to the experience. To add some fun in the journey, old phone booths have been reconverted to check points along the route, where you can stamp your “pass”.
What I preferred the most during this trip, was the hospitality of people: I could arrive totally wet and dirty in a fancy coffee shop and the owner would welcome me with a towel. In general, people were rather curious about the presence of a European cyclist during the the end of the winter season in seaside resorts.
