Our bikes have arrived home safely. We have not yet figured out which panniers we will bring with us on our grand adventure. For our shakedown cruise we have purchased one set of: Ortlieb Front Roller Plus, Orlieb Back Packer Plus, and Arkel RT-40. We will also choose a set from our older front and rear panniers purchased for previous bike tours. Hopefully by the end of the shakedown cruise we will have a better sense of which pannier configurations work for each of us.

We each have had a chance to take a couple of short rides (15-20 km). Unfortunately, the weather and our schedule have made it difficult for us to get out to do more training rides. We are in a constant state of preparing the house for rental, packing up, and figuring out gear and logistics for our trip. There seems to never be enough time to get everything done. I am definitely looking forward to getting onto the road and living a simplier life!