Cycling Sardinia | Ten Days. Two Friends. No Plan.

This is my friend Sanne. We met by chance about five years ago and instantly clicked. She lives in the Netherlands and I spend most of my time in Spain these days, so unfortunately we don't get to see each other that often. A few months ago she mentioned that she'd love to do a bike trip together, so we didn't hesitate to make it happen. And now, here we are in Sardinia. Ready to cycle together for 10 days. Can't I just film you? You do the talking and then you just say oh I'm here with my good friend Sanne and I just say hi and I come in the frame. We can try but this is so much better. What's all that on the floor Sanne? That's everything I'm bringing. Shit that's a lot of stuff. Even though Sanne did a solo bike tour in Norway a few years ago, she no longer had all the gear and felt a little rusty, so I brought along my gravel bike and a spare set of bags for her to store everything. It was fun figuring out how to pack all her gear into a compact bike packing setup. I don't even know if I'm gonna bring all this. I don't think you should bring all this. But after a thorough trim we saw that things were still a bit tight, so we swapped the gravel bags for a set of good old classic panniers, which luckily I had brought as a backup. Although we had no set plan, I was sure we'd have a great time no matter the route. We weren't really in Sardinia to see Sardinia but to spend quality time together. I felt a bit responsible for Sanne being older and more experienced with bike travel. But her presence gave me a boost of confidence. I knew it would be easier to get out of it together if we ran into trouble. Because you know how to use it. I know how to use it, yeah. So you feel prepared? Yes, I'm always prepared. Yeah, I think I feel prepared too. I have no idea what this trip is gonna look like. I have no idea. Why are you laughing? We didn't feel fully ready but it was time to get going. So like previous guests at the accommodation, we left our signature on the wall and found the coverage to head out into the unknown. Nice. Okay, let's do this. Got it. How slow. Wow. For me, the idea of cycling for days in a row with someone else can feel a bit intimidating for a few reasons. Mostly, I am a slow rider because I like to stop often to take photos, set up the camera or just enjoy the scenery. That's what I love most about biking. Not the distance I cover but the freedom to explore at my own pace. But beyond that, spending 24 hours a day with someone, even a close friend, can be a real test. You're forced into new situations and limits that could put the relationship under pressure. Still, with Sanne, I had the feeling we'd made a good team. And funny enough, it didn't take long for that to be put to the test. How much did we cycle? Like five kilometers? Ten kilometers. And I have my first flat tire. Oh ----. Oh no, it happens. We're gonna fix it. I have like anxiety of bike mechanicals. But I'm here, you're not on your own. Yes, thanks. See, now the belt is awesome for this. Oh, it's super easy. Yes, and it's not dirty at all. No, great. Okay, I think you just squeeze it. No. You can take it off. I've never done it like that. I have wi-fi. How to repair a flat tire. I'll admit my fear of flat tires is a bit irrational. The truth is, I've barely had any over the years. And when I did, someone else was always there to help. As a result, I never really learned how to deal with them on my own. But there's a first time for everything. And I was glad to have Sanne by my side as we figured it out together. It's already happening. It's coming out. I see it. You see it? I found it. I think this is it. Yeah, there's definitely air coming. Oh, that's super small. Unfortunately, this turned into the most frustrating challenge of the trip. Just when we thought we'd found the guilty spike and patched the hole, I'd have another flat. Over the first few days, I pulled about 20 of them out. Sneakily stuck deep into the rubber. Barely visible. Causing slow flats over and over again. I know. I'll go tubeless next time. Oh my god. We did it. Let's go to the beach. Yeah. Let's have lunch. One of the things I admire most about Sanne is how passionately she talks about the things that matter to her. She's an earth scientist, which means she can read the composition and natural processes of the world around us. To me, she's like a detective. Able to uncover the history of a place by just observing and analyzing the natural elements. These rocks, for example, you see all the straight lines. And these are all metamorphic rocks, which means they have been under more pressure. And all the minerals, they align in parallel lines. When she shares these insights, I'm always fascinated. It's a reminder of how much there is to learn about our planet. And in general, how little we truly know about it. Hello. Just as I would often stop to record or photograph something, she'd do the same when spotting an interesting formation. Climbing is her favorite sport after all. I'd show her my world on the bike, and she'd show me hers on the rocks. The plan was to follow the east coast south for a few days, enjoying the good weather and gentle terrain. We had no set route, but the goal was to stay off the roads as much as possible, which sometimes meant pushing through the sand. But it was worth it for the private experience and incredible views. Feels like plastic. Sounds like plastic. Oh, it's like they're still too attached to their sand. Our conversations deepened with each passing day, exploring a wide range of topics and offering space to reflect together. Building trust and openness takes time, but with Sanne, it has always felt effortless. She's not just a great listener, but also has a gift for asking insightful questions that help untangle your thoughts. Living far apart makes moments like these even more precious. We reconnected in ways that felt both familiar and new, sharing worries, hopes and dreams we hadn't brought up before. Oh, it's not even cold. And just like that, we started getting the hang of life on the bike and found a rhythm, developing a simple routine that included morning coffee and a cornetto at a local cafeteria, if available. Bikepacking doesn't have to always be a frugal experience, and in countries like Italy, where local food is so good and relatively affordable, it's a great opportunity to take advantage of. Let's say that by 9.30 am, we were ready to start covering some distance. Sardinia is a diverse island, famous for its pristine turquoise waters. However, it also hides charming towns and rugged inland terrain few venture to explore. We planned to first scout the coastline as a warm-up before heading west in search of its mountains. Off-season, the island becomes eerily quiet as most accommodations close, and that is when its charm flourishes. Sadly, even in the most pristine areas, signs of overcrowded summers were everywhere, with trash and toilet paper left behind bushes. Returning to routines, we both shared a favorite, stopping to greet the ferry locals. I think they're entering play mode. As much as we wanted to spend the whole day with this four-legged family, we had to keep moving forward. We averaged around 40 km daily, a pace shaped by our relaxed approach and early sunsets. We preferred to settle before dark since, just as we were winding down from the day, the mosquitoes were gearing up to start theirs. Aside from those blood-sucking creatures, camping by the beach was a definite highlight. We can see a little bit of the castle. It's a beautiful place. Yeah. Is this also okay for you? Yeah, totally. I'll get my bike. Look, it's super flat. It's sheltered. Here. Okay, where's the... I have the red. As the nights went on, we became more confident, reassuring each other about our safety. We always chose spots away from the roads, hidden by bushes and with phone reception. We were not scared, but it's always wise to stay out of sight, just in case. Sometimes we divided tasks, other times we tackled everything together. Neither of us was particularly enthusiastic about cooking, so while I finished setting up the tent, Sanne would start on the kitchen. A bit later, I joined her to help wrap things up so we could eat together before settling in for the night. Maybe you can actually help me. Yeah, that's what was happening to me as well. Like this. We are having some fried tofu and now we're boiling water with some dried mushrooms and the stock cube. And then we're gonna add this dried potato powder and it's gonna turn into something super delicious. This is Tristan's recipe. Yes, shout out to Tristan. All right, there you go. Okay. Potato. It's fine. After this, we can call ourselves real chefs. Yeah, mega chefs. Mega chefs. We made it through the second day. Who would have guessed? Now we officially know our friendship can be with anything. It's beautiful. One big item was on our Sardinia bucket list. And the next morning, we finally checked it off. I can swim now. I really, really loved that morning. Going for a swim at the beach and cycling don't always mix well. You get sticky, your clothes might not dry fast enough and chances are you'll find sand in your bags for days. But that morning, we got super lucky. There was a fresh water shower nearby. So we took the opportunity to clean up thoroughly and reorganize our bags a bit. It was our last day on the coast and the weather forecast predicted things were about to change. So we decided to start heading inland, aiming for a town where we could restock before deepening into the mountains. Our paces were pretty similar. I was faster off roads and on the descents while Sanne would outpace me effortlessly on the climbs. But we had a deal to wait for each other at every other turn. I doubt this is anything good. After cycling for four days by the coastline, we were excited for a change of scenery. So many cars. According to our new plan, Oroce would be our last chance to stock up on supplies and enjoy the small comforts of civilization. We filled our panniers with enough food for three days and treated ourselves to ice cream at a local gelateria. As we finished the last scoop, the sun disappeared behind thick clouds and the sky took on a muted gray tone that would stay with us as we moved into the next phase of the journey. It's funny how a place can fully transform depending on the weather conditions. Sunshine definitely favored Sardinia but we felt like this moody sky gave the scenery a lot of character, adding a dramatic touch to the quiet surroundings. And soon enough, we started climbing. Steep gradients aren't my strength which is why I'm always grateful for my gearbox which has such a wide gear ratio, allowing me to pedal faster with less effort. Sana had to occasionally stand on her pedals to power herself up the steeper hills and I was in awe just watching her go, realizing she hadn't cycled up a mountain in so many years yet could still handle it so smoothly. It felt like just knowing we were heading into the mountains powered her up. The higher we climbed, the more spectacular the views became with each turn offering a new panorama. Our only concern was finding a flat surface to camp that night but to our surprise, we stumbled upon the perfect spot in the most unexpected place. Welcome to our crib! Let me show you around. So here we have our kitchen with running water. This is also where we wash ourselves, also our bathroom. Then we move on to our future camping spot. This is where we will be sleeping tonight, pitch our tent. And then a little bit further we have our living room and the place where we are going to have dinner. And invite other guests. All of our guests, yes. We are very lucky tonight. Yes. It's been a good day. It's been a very good day. I think my legs will be tired tomorrow. Yeah. You will feel them. I mean, we did climb a thousand meters so... Finally did some climbing. You finally in the mountains. The next morning we made our way to Supramonte, an expansive mountain range defined by deep canyons and striking towering rock pinnacles. Horses, cows and even pigs seemed to wander freely wherever we looked. Taking this route meant committing to crossing the mountains. Soon we'd be trading the paved road for an uncharted track and I couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy. Hoping it would be mostly rideable so we could make it through without too much trouble. After all, this was Sanne's first time riding off-road. This is insane. Sorry for scaring you. Within hours, it felt as though we had left Sardinia behind and stepped into the rugged setting of a western film. We're gonna go up there somewhere. Yeah, sure. Or is this the wrong place? Maybe it goes like this and it goes around one. Just in your t-shirt still. Because we're gonna climb again so I'm like... The sky loomed with dark daunting clouds and sure enough, we did get caught in a brief shower at some point. Still, our spirits remained high. We had missed the thrill of a true adventure. Gone was the developed coastline and in its place, a quiet rugged inland trail stretched out before us. But mountains, of course, come at a price. To earn that quiet private view at the top you have to put in the effort. Pushing, pedaling and sometimes even walking. Welcome to the hike-a-bike world. Super fun. Thankfully, we were in no rush. Whether we reached the summit that day or the next didn't matter much. We were fully stocked with food and ready for whatever the trail would throw at us. But eventually, we made it. The plateau at the top was a true highlight for me. Marking both the culmination of a personal challenge and the midpoint of our journey. The clouds look amazing. It's like a barrier, isn't it? The mountains are stopping the clouds. Ready to descend? Okay. Getting out, however, was no easy task. We found ourselves pushing our bikes along a steep and sketchy trail before finally reaching a gravel road on the other side of the park. From there, we descended eager to find a town to spend the night. Both we and our gear were in desperate need of a proper wash. Just a few dozen kilometers away lay the town of Orgozolo renowned for its evocative murals that adorn the streets and houses of its center. We booked a cozy guest house in the heart of town and the thought of a hot shower, clean clothes, freshly washed hair and using our phones without worrying about battery life filled us with excitement. To top it off, the promise of treating ourselves to pizza for dinner was the perfect reward after days on the trail. Hey, my name is Lino. Lino. Belen. Sanne. Well, that was very much needed. Pizza party! Now the real party can start. The shower was nice. Buy me a pizza party. Looks amazing. Okay, I have a confession to make. That evening, we decided to cheat a little. The plan, ride to the nearest big town the next day and catch a train heading west. Why? Well, the inland forecast was still dreary for the days ahead and the idea of riding under the constant threat of rain no longer felt appealing. Sometimes it's okay not to be a purist. Especially if it means enjoying the journey that much more. Besides, having no fixed goal or route for a trip turned out to be a blessing and is what made the whole experience so freeing and enjoyable. With only a few days left together, we wanted to make the most of them. And chasing the promise of better weather on the west coast felt like the perfect way to spend the rest of our trip. The problem was once we arrived, the sky looked even more daunting. You should never fully trust the weather forecast. But the decision had been made and it seemed we couldn't escape the rain anywhere else on the island. So we set off on the road connecting Bossa to Alguero which was said to be one of the most scenic rides on the island. And it was beautiful. But that was mostly due to the enchanting atmospheric fog enveloping us. As for the views? We couldn't see a thing. Sunshine. This is no sunshine. Do you want a shelter? Well, what is happening? Why is it raining so much? We've been lucky so far. This is the first time we're getting rain even though we escaped to go to the west coast. Do you know that Justin is having good weather? Really? Yeah. He was saying. This is just the gods punishing us because we took the train. We should have never taken the train. We took the train for 60 kilometers. We were lucky so far. They predicted rain quite a few times and then it was just cloudy. Yeah. And now they predicted sunshine and this is what we get. So we cannot trust the weather forecast here. Somebody out there hates us. Yes. I'm confident. Well, this is the only place we have found a shelter. You know what? Oh gosh, this is not working. I think I'm gonna do the same. I think it's gonna be better on the other side. Yeah. Okay. I feel like we're cycling into the cloud. It's not getting any better. Getting drenched on the bike isn't so bad as long as you can dry off before setting up camp. The rain had one advantage. It kept the road practically empty allowing us to enjoy a quiet smooth ride while our bikes and panniers got a much needed rinse. And as Sanne predicted, all we had to do was push through the thick wet cloud to finally catch a glimpse of the blue skies we'd been promised. As soon as the first hints of sunshine and warmth broke through, we stopped for lunch thrilled to watch the fog slowly retreat and to finally dry off. For Sanne, it was especially exciting as it was her first time seeing a wilder coastline with such lush greenery and towering mountains soaring from the sea. My legs are so... Your legs are also filthy. Yeah. That's what happens when you're cycling in the rain. Got some bread. Thank you. This is amazing. We can finally dry up. Nostalgia began to set in as we realized we only had a couple of days left on this trip. In some ways, we were ready to move on to what was next. Three weeks of rock climbing in the east of the island for Sanne and a long boat journey back to Spain for me to prepare for a family wedding. Oh, I could do a whole photo shoot here. I think every corner is going to be amazing. Still, we both felt perfectly content with the shape and duration of the trip. We had seen so much, experienced so much, and enjoyed so much while also pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones more than once. The most frustrating moments came at the start of the trip when I kept getting flat tires from the tiny spikes costing us a lot of time as we patched them up repeatedly. Still, we kept joking about it which helped lighten the mood. Honestly, the one thing I was worried about was my wish to document the journey on video. This involves frequent stops to set up the tripod disrupting the cycling rhythm something not everyone enjoys. But Sanne's constant encouragement and positivity quickly put me at ease making the filming as much fun as the cycling. Wow, I feel like today was very intense. The whole day was very intense. And just like that, 10 days had flown by and we found ourselves sharing our last night camping. So what's in the menu tonight? Raffioli with some pesto sauce, some oat sauce, some olives, and paprika. That's it. I'm so hungry. Yes, let's try it out. Time to go to bed. At 7. Let's go. Are you excited for your best day on the bike? I am excited. I think it's been a nice trip and I think we can close it up very nicely today. With some sunshine. Yes. Finally some sunshine. Yeah. It just hit me that Sanne is my newest friendship. Yet it feels like we've known each other for much longer. Maybe it's because she knows me as I am today without much reference to earlier chapters of my life. As adults, it's harder to form new connections. Everyone has their routines and circles and being constantly on the move makes it even trickier for me. This trip reminded me of how rare and valuable it is to share genuine uninterrupted time with someone. Deepening a bond and discovering new layers of friendship. We said our goodbyes to the island as well with one last swim. I couldn't have wished for a better way to end this adventure. If there's one thing this journey taught me is how much I value connecting with someone beyond casual updates or surface level conversations. As someone naturally a bit reserved it takes me time and trust to open up which made all this quality time with Sanne even more special. We talked, we listened, we shared and we allowed ourselves to be completely silly together. Some journeys leave you with memories of the places you've seen and others deepen your understanding of the people you travel with. And as for traveling with Sanne I hope this was the first trip of many more.