The journey begins (208km/2011km – 10% Complete!)
They say the hardest part of any journey is taking the first step. Today proved that saying right, though in my case, it was more like taking the first pedal stroke an hour later than planned.
The reluctant start
I’ll be honest, I postponed the departure by a full hour this morning. Day 1 is always the hardest, isn’t it? The comfort of your bed, the familiarity of home, versus the unknown challenges ahead. But eventually, I reminded myself why I’m doing this: cycling 2011km from the Baltic to the Adriatic while raising funds for SOS Children’s Villages Croatia. Those kids deserve better than my morning procrastination!
Escaping Copenhagen – Harder than expected
What should have been a simple ride out of the city turned into a 2-hour odyssey through Copenhagen’s seemingly endless suburbs. It’s not traffic that’s the problem, it’s just how incredibly stretched out everything is. Suburb after suburb, all connected in one continuous urban sprawl that seems to go on forever. Just when you think you’re finally reaching the countryside, another residential area appears on the horizon. By the time I finally broke free into proper countryside, I was already questioning my route planning skills and wondering if Copenhagen actually has an end!
Danish beauty and technical disasters
Then came the reward. Those incredible Danish wheat fields stretching endlessly to the horizon, and later, a stunning fjord that reminded me why Denmark’s coastline is so famous. Rolling green carpets under a moody sky, water gleaming in the distance, it is the kind of scenery that makes you forget about sore legs and reminds you why cycling beats any other form of travel.
Unfortunately, none of my commentary about this beauty was captured. Turns out my mic settings were completely wrong, so all those profound thoughts about Danish landscapes and cycling philosophy? Lost to the wind. Literally. When I discovered this in the evening during editing, my voice was completely shot from screaming along to songs all day (because apparently I become a one-person concert when battling headwinds), and I was too tired to re-record anything coherent.
The beauty and the beast
But Denmark had other plans beyond scenic views. The wind hit like a freight train, much worse than any forecast had suggested, almost double of what the forecast said. What should have been a pleasant cruise through the countryside became an epic battle against relentless headwinds and sidewinds. Every kilometer felt like three, every bridge became a wind tunnel trying to knock me sideways. No wonder I was shouting at my playlist, sometimes you need to out-volume the elements!
Unexpected companions
Mid-struggle, I encountered something wonderful, fellow cyclists! A group of Germans making their own epic journey from Sweden back to Germany. We rode together for a while, sharing that unspoken bond that exists between long-distance cyclists. There’s something beautiful about meeting strangers on the road who immediately understand your particular brand of madness.
The wind had other plans for our temporary fellowship. On one particularly brutal bridge crossing, the gusts scattered us like leaves. I lost sight of my new German friends and assumed that was it, ships passing in the afternoon, as they say.
The Danish pastry intervention
Then I spotted it, a small shop, miraculously open despite it being a holiday when most of Denmark seemed closed for business. And there, gleaming behind the glass counter, were fresh Danish pastries. I mean, when in Denmark, right? How could I possibly resist? (I do live in Denmark, but now I wont see those pastries for few weeks)
I stopped, bought what was definitely too many pastries for one person ( I bought one, but if you know danish pastries, that is too much for 1 person), and was happily demolishing them. After starting again, guess who roled up, my new German cycling companions! They’d cought up with me while I was being gluttonous. We shared the road for a while, stories, and that particular camaraderie that only comes from suffering through the same headwinds together.
Ferry relief and German soil
The ferry crossing was pure bliss. Finally, a break from the relentless wind! Those precious minutes sitting still, watching Denmark fade behind me, gave me time to process what I’ll accomplish today. 208 kilometers down. It sounds modest until I realized that’s exactly 10% of my total journey, 1 day out of 10 completed, 208km out of 2011km conquered.
Touching German soil felt symbolic somehow. Not just because it marked crossing my first international border, but because it proved I could actually do this. Day 1, the hardest day, was behind me.
Lessons learned
Today taught me several things: always check your recording settings before departing, Danish pastries are worth any detour, German cyclists are excellent company, and my singing voice apparently gets more enthusiastic in direct proportion to wind resistance. Tomorrow I’ll remember to save my vocal cords and actually record some usable audio!
Tomorrow’s reality check
The forecast for tomorrow? Rain and wind. Because apparently, the weather gods looked at today’s challenges and thought, “He’s having too easy a time!” But that’s the adventure, isn’t it? If it were easy, everyone would be cycling from the Baltic to the Adriatic.
Why this matters
Every kilometer I pedal, every headwind I battle, every Danish pastry I consume (for fuel, obviously!), and yes, every song I scream into the wind is raising awareness and funds for SOS Children’s Villages Croatia. They provide homes, education, and hope for children who need it most. When the wind gets brutal and my legs are screaming, I think about those kids and remember why comfort zones are meant to be left behind.
208 kilometers down, 1803 to go. 9 more days of adventure, challenge, and hopefully better audio recording await.
The journey has begun.
Want to support this adventure and help children in Croatia? donate.wheres-marin.com Every contribution helps provide a brighter future for kids who need it most.
Follow along for daily updates as I pedal my way from Baltic beaches to Adriatic shores!
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