August 13, 2025 to August 17, 2025
Ready, set, ...
Prague ... nearing the starting line
Wednesday - 13th August 2025
We’re now heading to Prague for a few days before the start of our ride along the Labe/Elbe River. Brett and I are travelling from Brisbane, Australia, while David and Stewart are coming from North Carolina in the USA. We'll rendezvous in the Czech capital.
Our flight from Australia via Qatar was uneventful, except for a note to self: never fly economy again. My one joy of the trip was the short stopover in Doha where I had a coffee … it tasted like International Roast (a budget brand) and cost a very expensive A$12! The joy? It was Brett’s shout.
Thursday & Friday
After landing in Prague, we made the simple journey by Bus 52, the metro to Mustek station, and then a 7-minute walk to our Airbnb accommodation in the Old Town. The bad news is there’s a bar downstairs, so it might be noisy late at night. The good news is that they give us 20% off all food and drinks. Bargain!
After dropping our bags in, and before 24 hours of air travel caught up with us, we wandered around the city. Brett and I have both been here with our wives, Kathy and Janine, back in 2019. It remains a favourite for me – the great architecture, food scene, Czech beer, and of course, the museums. I’m not sure if any city in the world has as many quirky museums in one place. We're not talking about the usual, like the National Museum (which is impressive), but also the likes of:
- Sex Machines Museum
- Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague
- Museum of Miniatures
- KGB Museum
- Museum of Fantastic Illusions
- Pedal Planet (Pedal Car Museum)
- Prague Beer Museum
and, a late entry … (drum roll) … the Museum of Torture! And these are just a few ...
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Our first night’s feast – after a multitude of airline meals – was a fizzer. Brett had spotted a so-called meat-lover’s paradise on a Netflix special, where you pay by the weight of your chosen food. All very mysterious until you realise no prices are advertised … then you get the bill! Suffice to say, I may need to sell a kidney to pay for the meal.
We’ll soon be joined by our final two cycling companions, Stewart and David. I first met David on my solo multi-day Rhine River ride in 2022. We bumped into each other at various points, sharing a few beers and meals. When I later planned to ride across France with my ex-RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) mates Brett and Col, I reached out to David to see if he wanted to join us. He did – and brought along his friend Stewart.
This time, the four of us will be heading off together.
On my solo Rhine River source-to-sea ride, I brought my bike from Australia. On the France ride, we hired bikes because we were staying on in Europe after the ride. This time, we’re buying ex-rental bikes … perhaps a recipe for disaster! I started liaising with Oleh and the team at Praha Bike around nine months ago. We agreed on a price and locked in an arrival date.
The bikes were all ready, full serviced and new parts where needed, when we arrived. Given our rental bike experiences of our 'across France' ride of 2023, we were all wary of what we were about to receive. I spotted a problem early ... 3 men's bikes and one ladies bike (no top tube, but a 'step-through' frame). Oleh noted that a bike is a bike and it was in great condition ... which it seemed to be. In the daily rental trade, men took the bikes offered - and where gender-specific bikes isn't a thing ... apparently! As I started to launch into a passionate speech about an image we Australia men needed to uphold, I heard Brett call out, "I'll take it".
Okay! No judging, but now I'm judging. He seemed far too keen to ride a ladies bike across the Czech Republic and Germany. Brett's explanation later was that he foresaw being tired and sore in days to come, and it would be now be easy to swing his leg over the bike! Feasible? Smart? Maybe ...
Saturday
David and Stewart arrived late yesterday from the States to join us, so after collecting their bikes and taking them back to our accommodation to add on a few adornments (mirrors, gps cradle,etc), we headed off to explore Prague more. We stumbled across the Banksy Museum (yes, yet another Prague Museum!). Banksy is a world-famous but anonymous street artist from the UK. His identity has never been confirmed, which is part of the intrigue. He became famous for his satirical, social commentary street art that often appears overnight on public walls and buildings. In Australia we call it graffiti! I was going to buy a fridge magnet for home but figured I'd buy a can of paint and just 'tag' the fridge myself ...
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In the evening, we headed to a 60-minute classical music recital with the Royal Czech Orchestra - well, six members of it anyway. David is a music aficionado (a big word meaning a person who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about an activity, subject, or pastime), so we humoured him by attending. I admit it was excellent - who can resist Vivaldi's Four Seasons - although I felt short-changed as they only played spring and summer!
Sunday
Today is our final preparation day before starting the ride tomorrow. We took a short 19 km tour of Prague on our bikes this morning for a shakedown - to see if we need any final adjustments to the bikes. The bike shop is open on Sundays for a quick stop if needing any last minute assistance - but all went well. We did stop in at the local Decathlon store to get some spare tubes and mirrors for a couple of the bikes.
As a cycling city, Prague could do better, but there are some great spaces to sightsee on a bicycle. They have some great parklands to walk and ride through, and the grounds of Prague Castle are interesting (although very busy).
After the ride it's time to load up the bikes and make final adjustments. We need to carry everything given it's a self-supported ride. I'm carrying more than I should because after this trip, I fly directly to Casablanca to meet up with my wife, Kathy, and other friends to tour Morocco for 3 weeks (not cycling!) - so I'm a bit overloaded with additional clothes.
David - our musical and foodie tour advisor - has organised another cultural event this evening! A jazz thingy! It starts at 8.00pm - well after my bedtime. I'll take my pillow!
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