Journalist Søren Schultz Jørgensen goes on a trip to Albania, where shard-covered paths replace fresh asphalt through majestic mountain landscapes, Ottoman villages, and pastel-colored concrete.
'We' are me and my travel companion: the red gravel bike with the 20 gears, the aluminum frame, the disc brakes, and the semi-fat tires. We have become best friends. Not only because the red Principia – without creaking or creaking and without needing to be pumped once – carries me and my 20 kilos of luggage safely through the landscapes of Albania. But also because we have a common annoyance with the route finder¬app on my iPhone.
It does not take much explanation: Albania is a unique country to cycle in. It is beautiful and worn, friendly and shabby, and it is truely safe and secure to move around. And if you have a sturdy bike as I have and seek the roads in the far - and can live with, that they are occasionally made of gravel or have a coating from the last century – you get a sensory bombardment right in your sight, nose, and ears.
The water bottles are empty when I reach the pass. So am I. Fortunately, a clever person once found it a great idea to open a cafe in a disused petrol station at the highest point of the pass. Frantically and shivering, I peel off my sweat-soaked cycling shoes and take off my socks, and hangs them to dry on the bike. Off with the shirt too. I bottom three cups of coffee and a Red Bull. Fill all my water bottles. The caffeine wakes me up. Or is it the dreamlike sight unfolding in front of me? A large herd of horses galloped freely between the flowering yellow broom bushes that wrap themselves in kilometer-long waves around the slopes towards the coast. Downhill from here, only downhill, the last 25 kilometers on Albanian tarmac. I reach Ksamil in the late afternoon. Cycle down a rutted dirt road to a small empty lagoon and plunge into the salt water. Watching the sun set over Corfu from a hammock under the vines on the cliffs above the sea. From there the trip goes home tomorrow.
Søren rides on a versatile Principia Gravel alu. The choice fell on an aluminum bike due to the environment in which he had to cycle, which was characterized by rocks and generally uneven terrain. Here, an aluminum frame is more resistant to any impacts. The bike was equipped with Shimano's versatile GRX gear group, which is phenomenal in just such terrain as the gear group is equipped with, among other things, a clutch that keeps the chain tight. In addition, we had chosen to install Panaracer GravelKing SK+ on the wheels for extra puncture protection - and it worked, Søren didn't puncture once on the whole trip. Søren mainly used bags from Brooks England, more specifically the Scape series. Resistant and waterproof material - perfect for the trip.
The reports from the journey have been formulated by Søren Schultz Jørgensen. The photos were also taken by Søren Schultz Jørgensen. Text and images were first published in Politikken, Sunday 15 January 2023.