Eastern Poland by bike - adventure on two wheels

It all started with the last year’s bike trip from Poznań to Zakopane. The three-day tour in a group of five turned out to be great fun and a source of many memories. The journey didn’t have time to end, and we were already tossing around ideas for our next trip destination. All proposals had one common factor - a tent. Our previous bicycle trips were relying on lightweight bikepacking with overnight hotel stays. We decided to change that and embark on a longer trip with tents.

The east of Poland was a good choice to familiarize ourselves with bike tourism. The route consisted of both flat and hilly sections, which meant we could test ourselves in various environments. Unlike in foreign countries, we knew what kind of weather to expect, and how to get around by public transportation. The touristic aspect also appealed to us - we wanted to see the Bieszczady Mountains, Podlasie villages and nearby national parks.

Saturday, August 19. I managed to dissuade Maciej from the idea of getting to the beginning of the route by bike :) We met in Poznań, from where we left by train to Olsztyn.

We divided the route into two stages. The first section led along flat roads through Łomża, Białystok and Biała Podlaska. The end point of the five-day ride was Chełm. We planned the entire 6th day as a rest. While Maciej and I could regenerate, at that time Daniel and Mikołaj would set off on their bicycles from Lublin. On Day 7, we went together into the five-day mountain stage, leading through Przemyśl, Solina and the Bieszczady Mountains. On the 12th day, we had to return to Poznań - fortunately by train :)

It was 3 pm when we arrived in Olsztyn. We had left the train and got on the bike. I was a little stressed, which suppressed the excitement of the upcoming trip. As it turned out later, the stress was completely unnecessary!

Route full of scenic views

On the route we managed to visit a solid slice of eastern Poland. We got to know the landscape of Warmia and Mazury, driving through the Masurian Lake District. Łomża’s Narew Valley Landscape Park surprised us with charming views of flat terrain with meanders of the river. Beyond Białystok we discovered the buildings of eastern Poland, rich in numerous Orthodox churches, chapels and wooden houses. We had a chance to see the Polish-Belarusian border, now reinforced by a fence and numerous army patrols. The old markets of Zamość and Przemyśl captivated us with their architecture and active cultural life.

Reaching the Solina Dam was an amazing moment - on the 9th day of the expedition I could finally say “we did it”! The pinnacle of the expedition was riding the Great Bieszczady Loop, which amazed with its beautiful views. It was worth it to drive to Bieszczady :) The final stop was the train station in Sanok, from where we returned by train to Poznan.

On the route we drove on asphalt roads, occasionally entering gravel or forest tracks. Eastern Poland turned out to be an extremely pleasant surprise - almost the entire route in Podlasie led through roads with low traffic and excellent asphalt. Green Velo, Poland’s longest bicycle route, runs through eastern Poland, passing through 5 provinces. It offered great sights - for example, it led through beautiful roads in the Łomża area - but at the same time it made the ride less comfortable, leading through bumpy, unpaved roads. Because of this drawback, we did not ride strictly on Green Velo. We always found it quicker to drive on a paved road rather than bury ourselves in a shorter but sandy section leading through forest and farmland. In addition, car traffic in the secluded villages was similar to that in the forest :)

In total, we traveled 1007 kilometers, covering 6529 meters of elevation.

People, duct tape and Zamość

Along the route we were met with a lot of courtesy from outsiders. A significant part of the stops ended with a conversation about the expedition with people who were interested by the sight of bicycles packed with luggage and our tired faces. On the 4th day of the expedition near the Polish-Belarusian border, we had a chance to talk to a military soldier who was also interested in bicycle expeditions. 40 km later, when we were adjusting a derailleur, the military man passed us in a car and offered to help. Fortunately, it was not needed - we could refuse and thank him for the offer :)

Not even an hour passed, when another offer of help proved invaluable! On an downhill section, Maciej braked and shouted at me to stop. I quickly turned around and saw his scattered luggage on the street. The pannier attachment, which we tried to fix at every stop, finally got its way and screwed into the spokes, causing the bag’s seam to tear. In short - a big problem. The bag was unusable for further riding. We picked up the scattered luggage and wondered what we could do. Not even a minute passed, and a cyclist passing by offered to help us. Following his suggestion, we rode to the grounds of a nearby resort in Serpelice, where Maciej secured the pannier with trash bags and borrowed duct tape. As it turned out during the conversation, the cyclist was a supervisor at a nearby sports camp. The makeshift repair lasted 40 km to Biała Podlaska, where we entered a bicycle store to buy panniers - half an hour before closing :)

In Zamość we had a pleasant encounter. We drove into the Great Market Square to enjoy the beautiful townhouses and have a solid lunch. The place was perfect for a group photo! I didn’t even have time to approach a random person to ask for a photo, when a smiling lady ran up to us, saying: “Oooh, I got so lucky! Can I take a picture of you?” We gladly agreed and exchanged a few words with her. As it turned out, she runs a profile called Zamość Tourist Information Center, so we exchanged information about our trip in exchange for a tip for some tasty food :)

Surprisingly, sleeping in the open did not provoke any negative reactions. Even the camp set up by Daniel and Mikołaj in the middle of the city did not raise any doubts among the residents of Chełm. Of the entire trip, the fourth day was the closest to a confrontation with a bystander. Maciej and I ventured deep into the village of Lewki near Bielsk Podlaski and camped on a patch of grassland next to a plowed field and households. The night passed peacefully. Sleepy-headed, we were assembling the camp when we noticed that a man was walking in our direction. After responding to a “good morning” thrown in passing, he walked past us and went deeper into the field to stop in the shade and watch us for a few minutes. We determined that he was the owner of the area where we had pitched our tent. We ignored him, continuing to pack our bags. After a few minutes, he walked away without a word. He probably wanted to expel us, but noticed that we were going to leave on our own anyway :D

Motivation requires tricks

Staying motivated on a bike can be challenging. Getting up sleep-deprived after the first night, I realized that I was facing another 10 days of riding ahead of me. The vision of the entire trip was hard to process. I had to find a way to stay optimistic. Mentally breaking the route into smaller chunks proved effective! I didn’t think about being on the Nth day on the bike, I just enjoyed the moment and tried to appreciate my surroundings. It went so well, that I regularly forgot which day of the trip I was on. Carpe diem at 100% :)

Unlike the shorter, more athletic routes, I completely ignored distance and speed. During the ride, I was guided only by the hour and the fatigue in my legs. I kept an eye on the pace of the trip by minimizing breaks and maintaining a steady level of effort. In Chełm I told myself that we had just arrived and that tomorrow we were embarking on a new trip of several days, to try and fool the subconscious mind. After each painful hill, I checked the elevation gain and tried to be happy that the hill had helped reduce the amount of remaining elevation. The tricks worked! I consistently felt motivated to continue riding.

Wilderness sleeping routine

We started the day with an alarm clock at 6:00 a.m. The morning sunshine motivated us to move quickly and get out of the harsh sun. We would get on the saddle within two hours of leaving the tent - and getting out on lazier mornings can get lengthy :) After a quick breakfast and a ride to the gas station, we were officially started the next day’s ride.

Each day we tried to plan two destination points - the first as a bare minimum that we must reach, and the second as a challenge, in case we got ahead of schedule. The points were mostly about 15 to 20 kilometers apart. Unfortunately, stops at stores took us so much time that we ended most days at the first point :D

At the end of the ride we always went to a gas station. Maciej was able to remove his lenses in hygienic conditions, and we could also buy the water needed for a shower. We mastered washing ourselves with a water bottle to perfection :)

How to find the perfect accommodation?

While Maciej was changing lenses, I, at the time, was analyzing the area on a satellite map, looking for places that would be suitable for an overnight stay. In order to sleep as unnoticed as possible, I tried to look out for places near fields, forests and other natural barriers.

The map didn’t always reflect the true nature of the terrain. Seemingly ideal places from a bird’s eye view often turned out to be a wrong choice. We did not particularly want to spend the night in fields fertilized with manure, or near wild boars bushwhacking among the corn. On the other hand, we were just as often surprised by places missed from the satellite view. Thus, we spontaneously found an abandoned gravel pit in the village of Rutki-Kossaki, a field with picturesque sheaves near Biała Podlaska, or an overnight stay on mowed straw next to buildings in Chełm. We would not have found any of these places based on maps alone. The ideal solution for finding the place would have been a drone, which unfortunately we didn’t have :)

After finding a place to stay, we aimed to start setting up camp before 7:00 p.m. That way, we were an hour away from sunset with good visibility. I quickly got the hang of it, every day setting up the tent, inflating the mattress, taking a shower, and drinking cold non-alcoholic beer :)

Plans may change

The two-week expedition involves a large element of randomness. We came to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with changing plans - as long as one is prepared for any eventuality.

The route was gently modified. After the first few days of the tour, we agreed that we would cut the route after Białystok and head for Bielsk Podlaski instead of Hajnówka. This allowed us to reach Chełm at our previous speed, without overloading our bodies with less sleep or no breaks. We also modified the plan for the return - we stayed in Sanok instead of rushing to Rzeszów on Day 12 from early morning. We thus avoided rainfall and returned home earlier.

Not all overnight stays went according to plan. On the first night, unaccustomed to the conditions, we set up camp far too late. The forest, next to which we had set up our tents, came to life after dusk. An unknown animal began to move in it, breaking twigs with each of its steps. Pointing a flashlight in the forest’s direction made the steps temporarily silent. That night I had great difficulty falling asleep. I didn’t know if the leftovers from dinner would bring animals to the camp. I heard first-hand stories of foxes trying to get into the tent and even stealing shoes! :) My remnants of sleep were saved by the rain, which drowned out the footsteps and allowed me to fall asleep peacefully.

Weather along the route? Heat, luck and more heat

The weather was the biggest unknown. The long-term forecast predicted rain later in the route, so a heavy downpour or a thunderstorm could throw us off schedule. The scenario was pessimistic - there was a real chance that through a downpour we would have to skip the entire ride along The Great Bieszczady Loop. We set a plan that in case of heavy rainfall we would book an overnight stay in Solina and go hiking, leaving our bikes behind. Fortunately, we missed the rain every day during the daytime :)

The lack of rain was compensated by a heat wave. We had to suffer through temperatures above 30 degrees Celcius. After stopping, sweat momentarily would begin to pour off us - within a minute we looked like we had just emerged from the lake :D

The biggest danger along the route was thunderstorms. On the 2nd night of the trip, a cloudburst missed us by less than two kilometers. On day 8, we entered Przemyśl with only 30 minutes to spare before the storm hit. We pulled up to the first pizzeria on the coast, with the Egyptian name Ramses, to take shelter from the weather. The forecast promised another storm surge during the night, so we rented a place to stay under a roof. In the morning it turned out that a very strong storm system, known as a bow echo, had passed through Poland. In some parts of the country there was heavy hail and wind gusts of more than 100 km/h. After the fact, it turned out that a night in a tent would have been harmless - as the night storm had missed us, like all the others - but as you can see, it’s worth being prepared for the worst case scenario :)

Physical conditions and recovery

The trip was physically demanding. The bike, weighing 32 kg (more than half my body weight), made me feel every climb, even the smallest one. The pace on flat terrain was also undermined by the side panniers, acting like two parachutes. Nevertheless, the main reason for the poor pace was my lack of training, which forced me to dictate the pace of the ride for most of the route :) Knowing my body proved invaluable - applying too much power would bring several days of pain.

Due to the length of the expedition, I focused on good recovery. We dedicated 8 hours of sleep every day and made sure we had adequate caloric supply. Whenever possible, we ate lunch, or at least a plentiful breakfast. I made sure to provide fats and protein in the diet, so as not to live on carbohydrates alone, by eating cosmic amounts of sweets on the bike. To avoid sunburn, I regularly applied and reapplied SPF 50 sunscreen. Through the heat wave, I consumed more than a dozen sachets of electrolytes on the route, thus providing sodium and potassium in my drinks. I also drank 0% beer every day in the name of good hydration :)

On the second part of the tour, the days became much more exhausting, because of the constant hills and the struggle with the thirty-some kg bike. Because of the load, we could not slow down - at some point on the hill we had to get up, grit our teeth and give 100%. The rest day before the mountain stage was priceless. I felt that my legs had recovered a bit. Overcoming the climbs without rest would have been a real torture for me!

Upon my return, I recovered in a week, based on resting heart rate and HRV. I also managed to luckily avoid a cold that Daniel and Maciej had caught. I was sick for only a single day :)

Was it worth it?

Of course it was worth it! The trip took me away from my routine and everyday life, where I have access to a shower and clean clothes :) The views made up for every mountain climbed, and the memories will stay with me for years to come. If you are wondering whether to go on a similar trip - I definitely recommend it!

Final words and references

A big thanks for the tour together to Maciej, Mikołaj and Daniel! It would have been much more boring without you. Greetings also to Mateusz, Hubert, Michał and Mikołaj, who couldn’t make it to the tour despite their sincere intentions.

If you made it all the way out here, I encourage you to read my other cycling posts :)

I’ve included links to each stage below:

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