Skip to main content
Neil ArmstrongSoftware architect and developer
Menu

Cycling archive

Pedals instead of pull requests

Highlights from the journeys I wanted to keep: the roads, weather, and detours, with the detailed ride data kept as a reference.

Trips
6
Distance
10,676 km
6,634 mi
Riding days
75

Coming soon

Guides to how I travel

  • How I plan a cycling trip

    The whole route before I leave: every hotel, every day’s distance, and the rest days, so that when I arrive all I need to do is cycle.

  • What I bring

    What goes in the bags for a multi-week trip, and why.

  • The daily bikepacking routine

    The morning before the first pedal stroke, and everything that happens after I arrive at the hotel.

On the road

Trip stories

  • Loading privacy-trimmed route…

    Ferries

    A winding road descending into a wide green mountain valley under blue sky and clouds
    Road switchbacks climbing a green mountain valley

    58 daysIn progress

    Loop of Europe

    Rotterdam to Romania, a train to Vienna, then across the Alps and France to a ferry home: two months of heat, hail, and big rivers, written up as I go.

    Duration
    2 monthsJune–August 2026
    Distance
    4,997 km3,105 mi
    Riding days
    33
  • Loading privacy-trimmed route…

    A windmill silhouetted against a bright sun and clear blue sky

    In progress

    Rotterdam to Rotterdam

    Three hot days from Rotterdam into Belgium and back, including a locked hotel door, a rescue mission thrown together from chocolate bars and AAA batteries, and a night in a sauna of a room.

    Duration
    3 daysJune–July 2025
    Distance
    424 km263 mi
    Riding days
    3
  • Loading privacy-trimmed route…

    Ferries

    A forested mountain valley with a reservoir under a partly cloudy sky
    A bike box and luggage cart on an airport tarmac, seen through an aircraft window with staff nearby

    10 parts

    Tokyo to Seoul

    A month from Tokyo to Seoul, starting with a bike box on a flight and a sleep-deprived rebuild in Narita Airport, then across Japan, a ferry to Busan, and on through Korea.

    Duration
    4 weeksMarch–April 2025
    Distance
    2,304 km1,432 mi
    Riding days
    20
  • Loading privacy-trimmed route…

    Ferries

    A touring bike parked beside an outdoor cafe terrace in the Netherlands
    A wooded Scottish valley beneath a bright sky, with low hills in the distance

    Belfast to Rotterdam, 2024

    The sequel: a shorter line across Scotland, a stop at the Armstrong clan tower, and a century into a headwind on day one, then home through Hull and Liverpool.

    Duration
    2 weeksAugust–September 2024
    Distance
    805 km500 mi
    Riding days
    5
  • Loading privacy-trimmed route…

    Ferries

    A black touring bicycle leaning outside a yellow building on a steep Porto street
    A large cardboard bike box in front of an unmade bed in a Porto room

    Porto to Faro

    The test run for every bigger trip: nine days from Porto to Faro, with a roadside puncture rescue, three ferry crossings, and a bike that survived the flight.

    Duration
    1 weekMay 2024
    Distance
    875 km544 mi
    Riding days
    5
  • Loading privacy-trimmed route…

    Ferries

    A touring bike leaning against a wooden bench under a tree, looking out over a green valley
    A pair of legs stretched across two ferry seats, with an orange bag and a table of cycling kit beyond

    Belfast to Rotterdam, 2023

    My first bikepacking trip, learned the hard way: a night across two ferry seats, a pub that offered its shed for the bike, and lessons all the way to Rotterdam and back.

    Duration
    4 weeksAugust–September 2023
    Distance
    1,270 km789 mi
    Riding days
    9