Our travel diary, dedicated to Giulia Baroncini's (@semicercatesonoingiro) bike adventure from Milan to Chicago, today brings us to an important topic for solo travelers. We discuss the impact of other people's opinions and fears and how they can shape our experiences.
If you haven't read the first article on cycle touring, dedicated to Giulia's journey , you can catch up on it on our blog . Let's do a quick recap. At a certain point in her life, Giulia came across the biography of Luigi Masetti, a young man who 130 years ago embarked on a solo bike ride from Milan to Chicago.
The many similarities in character and professionalism with Masetti and the need to change something in her life pushed Giulia to set out on this adventure, which she achieved also thanks to the reliability of the Ursus wheels and seatpost .
The Instagram profile @semicercatesonoingiro has become a virtual place where she recounts the encounters and experiences she had along the way. Now on her way back, Giulia answered some of our questions, which we're sharing with you in a series of posts on the topic of cycle touring.
What emotions will end up in our travel diary?
In this second post, inspired by travel blogs, we focus on the emotions we experience while traveling and how, at times, other people's fears can stick with us and influence our feelings.
We asked Giulia Baroncini to share her emotions and the reactions of the people, at the start, during the journey, and upon arrival in Chicago. A firsthand experience that helps us understand that traveling by bike never means traveling alone.
All that's left for us to do is read our cycle tourist's story.
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Before leaving: determination and safety
The moment of departure has arrived: Giulia hasn't had time to fully process what she's doing. The idea of traveling by bike through Europe and the United States was a revelation: she simply went along with it.
The emotions she feels as she sets out are joy, determination, and self-confidence. She faces many challenges, but she's excited to embark on the journey and has no doubt she'll succeed. A journey of nearly 8,000 km, across two continents, alone, on a bicycle.
How crazy to travel alone and choose cycle touring
There's a phrase Giulia hears most often when she tells people about the project she's working on: "What the hell! This is impossible! What are you doing?!"
Along with the amazement, however, she notes a kind of admiration, a sort of admission: "I'd like that too." Talking about her bike journey also helps others rediscover their desire for adventure , and she enjoys that.
Otherwise, however, people's reactions don't change his determination. He doesn't consider his long bike ride impossible at all, because he knows he's broken it down into small segments suited to his abilities. He doesn't see 8,000 km of road ahead, but rather many short stretches of route, absolutely doable.
The point is that where many see madness, Giulia sees a normal choice : something in her life wasn't right, she decided to change it, to do something that was closer to what she really wanted to do in the travel sector and in the world of cycling.
Arriving in Chicago: The Fears of Others
Chicago is getting closer and closer. Giulia expects to shed tears of joy upon arriving in the city that represents a turning point in her adventure.
He's spoken to many people he's met along the way. As he gets closer to his destination, however, people's reactions become more cautious.
Many warn her to be careful : Chicago is one of the most dangerous cities in the USA, they call it a violent city.
The fears of others cling to Giulia. Upon arrival, she doesn't shed the tears of joy she expected. Her emotions are rather dull: the state of alert put on her by the people around her has dampened her enthusiasm for crossing the finish line.
An incredible landscape , however, is worth the reward: the first thing she sees upon arriving in the city is the beach on Lake Michigan, the golden sand, the blue water, and the skyscrapers in the background. Giulia didn't expect to be greeted by such a scene.
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Traveling by bike alone enriches us
Travel isn't just a journey through space. It's also a way to broaden your horizons and meet new people, but it's also a time for introspection, especially if you choose a slower form of travel like cycle touring.
Can an adventure like this change us? To answer—and conclude—let's hear from Giulia:
" I'm definitely a different person. I'm much richer in emotions than before. My wallet is a little emptier, but my cultural baggage is much greater: I speak the foreign languages I already knew better, I'm more confident in myself and my abilities. I'm more energized than before because this long bike ride has been a recharge of positive energy. I feel different: I describe myself as a little heavier, precisely because today I carry with me a richer inner baggage ."
