FINISHER #57

Name: Dave Sanders

Residence: Cascais, Portugal

Year of birth: 1963

Bike: Surly Krampus

Riding period: 13 May, 2025 to 5 August, 2025

Most favourite part: The people I met along the way! 

I was included in the Gravel Birds post-race celebration by Susana and Rui of 4B’s fame in Castro Verde, Portugal and got to meet Sofiane Sehili there. I was invited to the home of locals Carlos and Maria in Cartegana, Spain where they fed me, did my laundry and let me stay overnight in my tent on their beautiful off-the-grid finca. Also in Spain, I rode for a couple of days with Klaus and for several days with Uwe, both from Germany. I met Martin from Bergen, Norway in western Spain and we rode together for 41 days until he had to take the ferry home from Hirtshals, Denmark. Martin and I were offered overnight camping (and beers and showers) in the garden of a family home in the village of Offenbach-Hundheim, Germany after meeting and chatting with the homeowner on a bike trail through the village. When my wife came to visit me while I took a couple of rest days in Cologne, Gerd who lives in Cologne and whom I had met on the trail in western Spain took us to one of his favorite spots for drinks. 
I was called “My Hero” in Bergen, Germany when my needle nose pliers extracted a pannier strap from the belt drive of a woman who had just set off on a tour with two of her friends. I was invited to a fabulous reindeer dinner at a Sámi family home in Jokkmokk, Sweden.
A friendly motorcyclist gave me double cheeseburgers, a chocolate bar and chilled water on a long, remote stretch of gravel in Sweden where the EDT overlapped with the Trans European Trail motorcycle route (TET). Timo at Guesthouse Jurtta in Finland offered a grocery run and deep dive into Finnish Lapland culture during my stay there. 

I think you get the idea…

Random Thoughts:

– The EDT gives so much more than it takes. 
– Make a general plan for the day and then trust the trail (and trail angels). 
– DO NOT MISS the Stockholmskojan Wilderness Hut in Sweden. It’s a couple of kilometers off route, then another 500 meters hike-a-bike, and worth every extra pedal stroke and step. A truly magical place!
– Of course you should cross the road to stop and talk with EDT’ers going the other direction. We are family!
– For a northbounder, the feeling of descending into Grense Jakobselv is like no other.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dodavey
Polarsteps: https://www.polarsteps.com/DaveSanders

Dave’s trip in pictures

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