Documenting EuroVelo5
Cycling routes are awesome and should be promoted. Problem: lack of documentation of EuroVelo5, even on http://www.ecf.com/
a report like this one of EuroVelo 7
annotated routes with GPS coordinates like this one [suggestions for a standard?]
anotations for gps routes (with towns listed, photo and written evidence of tricky turns)
a blog (similar to ...)
KML documentation? Is this likely to be useful? Is it the best standard? It's "open source" but ... controlled by Google? What about GML?
Summary:
Why am I thinking about taking a month or two to cycle from Milano to Calais, France?
EuroVelo is a system of cycle routes across Europe.
It's a good cause. (link to why EV, like many pro-cycling organizations, is awesome)
It needs help! (link to evidence of it needing help, maybe the sign pointing into the lake if I have it)
I want to help it!
Do you want to help me help it?
Facts:
- distance - very roughly 1100 km / 680 mi, plus back-tracks and side-scans to verify the "correct" path.
- distance/day average - 32 km (20 mi) / day. Can do more like 80 miles a day, if the roads are straight and well marked, the hills aren't too steep, I'm not stopping to document the trail or visit with friends, etc.
- time = distance/rate, or roughly 34 "traveling" days. (not including resting days or cultural days)
- total trip time: maximum ~2 months.
Rocket Pitch:
EuroVelo is a system of cycle routes across Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroVelo
(map: http://www.ecf.com/files/2/8/EuroVelo_map2007.pdf)
Some of the 12 routes are well-documented and signposted (at least for parts of their routes), others marginally, and some extremely poorly (So far!)
For example, EuroVelo6 was wonderful near Dresden, but in the Czech Republic at one point the signs pointed straight into a lake... in July.
One of the worst is EuroVelo5, from England to the southern tip of Italy.
One guy is already planning to help with this, creating his website http://www.puglia2010.com/
One disadvantage (in my opinion) of this guy's contribution to the cycle route organization, however, is that he says "Yes, I have increasingly come to the conclusion that the Eurovelo routes are more aspirational that real and the chances of them being signed for more than just short parts of the trip is, I think, quite low. That said, following cycle routes too slavishly can hold you back and I quite like the flexibility of making up my own route while following the basic Eurovelo 5 route. As for the terrain, it will be mainly tarmac or well kept tracks. I hope!"
While he is entirely correct, his desire not to be "held back" and his claim to want to cover 80 miles a day, even with poor signposting and re-mapping are going to limit his contribution to the EuroVelo project.
In contrast, this report was compiled about EuroVelo7, which, in terms of organization and quality, is more "in the middle" right now:
http://www.ecf.com/misc/filePush.php?mimeType=application/pdf&fullPath=h...
I notice several things about the EV7 report:
- it mentions useful information (for example measures of sections of the road that are acceptable, needing of improvement, and unacceptable for each location) - useful info I don't think we'll get from puglia2010.com's more free-wheeling trip
- The report was funded by several cities and groups
- I could measure those same data.
I'm pretty perfect for the job:
-engineer with technical skills, attention to detail, and a laptop
-previous experience with EV routes and some ways they go right/wrong
-tons of travel and cultural experience (CS profile, lived in california, then boston 4 years, egypt 8 months, Milano since July)
-already have the bike, tent, sleeping bag, etc.
-extremely low cost/standard of living and high level of focus on a task once I accept it.
-flexibility of schedule
Also, my thanks to puglio.com's creator, he has already done a *lot* of the background research for me. Check out his list of links (lower right) to all sorts of other people who have traveled the same route (including pilgrim's websites tracking the section of it that have been a pilgrimage route to sites holy to Catholicism in Italy)
I tried to find EV5 last time I was in Strasbourg, and after two days wasted on the internet, I mostly gave up.
- puglio.com had no real content then (in July) and he's been researching for quite a while.
- The EuroVelo official map needed to be mailed, and I only had a couple days, in a foreign city.
This time I will have the map, time ahead make plans and do research, and puglio.com has done much of the research for me.
cyclists to stay in touch with:
sebastian sorger
arpad ...
mario?
specific requests (to make the documentation better):
lodging occasionally along the way (couchsurfing is amazing when the focus is cultural, but time-consuming. the less time I spend on my own cultural education and socialization, the better I can document the route. camping is great, but a shower and laundry are good sometimes, too.)
aero bars - 60 euros ($90) for decent ones. (more efficient/comfortable on the straights = longer distances covered = more time for the tricky parts = better documentation)
remote internet connection (1. uploading stuff on the road = less chance of losing data/more opportunity for public contribution = better documentation. 2. internet connection = realtime satellite maps of where I am = easier to find the cycle paths = better documentation. I have the laptop, SIM based? Vodafone? How much would it cost?)
Nokia N900 or similar iPhone-ish pocket computer (pocket integrated camera/gps/notepad/voice-recorder/internet = better real-time notes = better documentation)
inspirations:
http://www.puglia2010.com/
http://www.pedouins.org/
Proposals
"if-I-can-get-this-stuff-pledged-I'll-be-able-to-do-it-better"
examples:
aero bars = more efficient on the straights = more time for the tricky parts = better documentation
Nokia N900 = electronic voice/written note-taking pad = better documentation.
stay in a hostel or hotel halfway through = a night of real sleep after week(s) of cycling = better documentation.
Mapping Links:
http://puglia2010.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/la-via-dei-pellegrini-v-la-ci...
http://www.puglia2010.com/2009/09/eurovelo-5-edited-to-essentials.html
http://www.puglia2010.com/2009/09/ecf-eurovelo-map.html
http://www.puglia2010.com/2009/09/sunny-saturday-catch-up.html
http://www.puglia2010.com/2009/09/ev5-in-pictures-or-part-of-it.html
links to http://aurore-cyclo-bxl-aoste.skynetblogs.be/ - could be fantastic!
http://www.puglia2010.com/2009/09/brussels-to-aosta-on-eurovelo-5.html
links to http://www.scribd.com/doc/19968878/Brussels-to-Aosta
Links to follow up with soon:
http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=23753&p=249265&hilit=+eurov...
http://www.warmshowers.org/content/eurovelo-looking-local-enthusiasts-st...
http://italiandreams.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/map-of-the-route/ - EV5 is not the via francigena?
http://puglia2010.wordpress.com/page/12/
http://www.fiab-onlus.it/tecnica/reti1.htm
http://www.fiab-onlus.it/andare/vacanze1.htm
http://www.piste-ciclabili.com/provincia-como
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=10649674...
http://www.puglia2010.com/ (and his links list)
