The Long Ride Home: From Riga to Andalusia on Two Wheels
The forties crisis hit hard a few years back: I bought a motorbike. I’m not a biker, and I never was. But I find driving relaxing. There’s something in it that I miss from my ambulance driver times.
It’s one of the very few things I do that isn’t directly related to my profession. Moreover, when I’m on the motorbike, I cannot do any other thing. I have to focus on the road, and after a few hours, my brain surrenders and fully focuses on what’s ahead. It’s a forced, but welcome, kind of mindfulness.
The bike in question is a Honda Rebel 500 from 2022. A fun cruiser to ride through the countryside, though not particularly comfy for long highway routes.
A Baltic Summer
Most of the time, the bike stays idle in a garage. But last year, in 2024, I drove it from Puerto Real, Spain, all the way to Riga, Latvia. I spent a magnificent summer there. When it was time to return, I got lazy, stored the motorbike in a container in Riga, and flew home.
The Return Journey
Since I don’t want the bike to get stuck through another winter in the Baltic, it’s time to gear up and make the return trip home to the south of Spain.
This is the itinerary: Departing from Riga towards Andújar. The total distance is roughly 4,000 km. My stops are not previously set. Whenever I feel tired or the weather worsens (notably the wind), I’ll pull over and look for the closest hotel with parking.
On my way up, it took me two weeks. I think this time I will spend less time wandering and will try to go more straight.
On this occasion, I have equipped the bike with a camera, so I will be able to share the footage from the road.
The First Few Days
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Day 1: Maintenance and final checks.
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Day 2: A test drive. I will try to make it to Kaunas, Lithuania.
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Day 3: I will use the convenience of the great European plain to cover as many kilometres as possible.
Stay tuned for updates from the road.