Day 33: Bruges - Lille - Plouvain | 121km
1 July 2026
Some mornings when I open my eyes, I wonder how the hell I’m supposed to cover the intended distance. Today was one of those mornings. Despite yesterday’s easy 65 km, my body felt battered. I’d slept poorly in the hotel bed, my head was disoriented and my mind felt disconnected. For once, we were determined to leave on time, not wanting to ride too late into the day as we knew we had a lot of ground to cover. Despite the fatigue, it was great to have a few hours to explore Bruges. Like so many cities I’ve rolled in and out of over the last month, it’s one to add to the list to revisit.
There are good reasons why so many people follow established cycling routes. They usually stick to safe roads, offer plenty of food or grocery options and pass by sightseeing attractions or other highlights. When I planned the route, I studied maps of all the EuroVelo trails and the newly established European Divide Trail (EDT), piecing together a path that looked manageable within the time I have for this adventure. I veer off course from time to time but mostly stick to it. However, for some sections, there aren’t any great cycling routes between places or cities. Today was one of those days. The route between Bruges and where we needed to connect with a EuroVelo trail leading to Paris was less than ideal.
We biked through lackluster business parks, automobile districts and alongside railroad tracks all the way to Menen, a Belgian border town that transitioned into Halluin in France. Again, there were no signs or indications that we’d biked into another country except for suddenly seeing French license plates on the cars. It was a stark contrast to the countryside and beach towns we’d passed over the last couple of days in the Netherlands, and it definitely looked as if this area had seen better days. The bike paths, so meticulously maintained over the last hundreds of kilometers, grew rougher the further we went. I didn’t enjoy being back close to a city. It wasn’t until we reached the outskirts of Lille that we found a pleasant path leading into the city, whose center was truly charming. It was a sunny day with clear blue skies, and the city buzzed with life, young and old people eating, shopping and chatting. I overheard conversations in English, so there must be at least a small expat community here.
Stopping in cities is a good reminder of both what I miss and don’t miss about life in normal circumstances, that is, not bikepacking. Seeing people looking rested, wearing clean clothes and not smelling like sweat makes me long for the comforts of daily life. But then I’m quickly reminded of the things I get to experience while on the road. I think being away for two and a half months on this trip is long enough to gain some new perspectives, to recognize and appreciate all the good things about routine and stability, but also long enough to truly feel disconnected from those things for a while.
Although tempting, I didn’t go into this trip expecting a life transforming experience. I was careful not to consciously force any meaning bigger than the idea of just doing something fun that I might never do again. However, now halfway through, it feels like it will be almost impossible not to walk away from this a little bit changed. It’ll be interesting to see how I feel after this is all over.