So we missed you in person when we were in Vilnius. Thanks for your advice prior to our trip in July throught he Baltics. We cycled over 800 kms and had some great experiences. I wanted to take a minute to provide you with some feedback, in case you were interested:

 

·        Your colleague in Klaipeda, the BaltiCCylce office just by the ferry dock, was excellent. He took the time to give us some great information, and every single thing he said about cycling in that area we found to be extremely accurate and very very helpful. Please pass on our thanks. He was the only one who seemed informed about ferry serviced from Nida  to Vente (even the main Tourist office did not have this information!)), which was also incredibly helpful.

 

·        Your maps were wonderful! Thank you!

 

·        The recommended cycling route (based on your maps) into Kaunas from the Nemanus River valley was horrible. It was the 2nd worst pieced of riding we have ever done (worst was entering Pamplona) – narrow 2-lane road with no white line on the edges and no paved shoulder with fast moving traffic  including trucks, and to make our way into Old Town we had to ride a stretch on the auto route. (we had stopped and asked two locals if there was any other way, and they both said no, we had to get on the auto route!). Anyway, it all ended well, but this might be a good project for your team in the future – find another, more bike-friendly route into Kanuas from the west. Incidentally, we did love the rest of that route and enjoyed the ferry across the river. That small road from the ferry crossing to the busy road (towards Kaunas) is not entirely paved and made for superb riding! It will really be a great thing when Lithuania completes that entire cycling route along the river valley. The  few sections that either went through small villages or up high on the ridgeline overlooking the river were the best.

 

·        We wish we would have had different bikes with fatter tires, since a lot fo the roads in Latvia and a few in Estonia and Lithuania werer not paved. By the way, the one from Tartu out to lake Peipsi (the gravel section) was not bad at all – it was hard-packed and fine. However, the gravel road from Sigulda to Cesis in Latvia was pure hell – thick and deep! It just made us stronger, I guess!

 

·        Keep  up the good work! And check out our website: www.backroads.com  and do let us know if you are ever near our headquarters in Provence!

 

Stacy Loucks  

 

Stacy Loucks/European General Manager/Backroads