Coast to coast

Four rivers in seven days

This story started last week, in Seoul.

No, actually, this story started last month, on Jeju Island. The day after completing my tour of the island, I didn’t wait long and booked a flight back to Seoul, and gave myself a couple of days to research and plan where to go and what to do next. That’s when it started.

I quickly found out about a very special bike trail. The Four Rivers bike trail is 633km a cross-country road, starting in Incheon and ending in Busan, in the very south of the country. It seems to be the most popular cycling road in the country, and its length makes it the longest distance I would try to ride.

The logistics (mapping the route, booking hotels, renting a bike) were pretty easy to set up, and after a couple of days chilling in the capital, I was on my way for a week-long journey on a bike, by myself, without knowing if I could even complete it. I knew I could comfortably ride over 250km, but this one was in a different league. More than twice the distance, and twice the number of days to spend on the road.

On the day I planned to start, it was heavily raining on Seoul. I didn’t see a single cyclist during the first hour of my ride, and all the people on the side of the road were definitely wondering why I was cycling, in this weather. I didn’t want to risk catching a cold and having to postpone the trip, so I played it safe, and decided to skip a portion of my journey to reach my first stop, by bus.

I already said that the public transit system in South Korea was great, and was able to witness it again: I had absolutely no problem finding an intercity bus going where I needed to go. I loaded my bike in, and watched the rain fall through the window until I reached my first hotel of the trip.

The second day was therefore my true first day on the saddle. The weather was still rainy, but much safer to ride than the day before. More than once during the day, I was wondering why I was doing this to myself. I reached my hotel completely wet, and got dinner at the closest convenience store.

Despite the better weather, the following day was the most challenging. Not the longest in terms of distance, but the one with the steepest climb, halfway through the day.

All the cyclists riding this route took a break at the rest area, at the end of this climb. I got a coffee with a guy from Australia who was also riding all the way to Busan, but in four days. I quickly understood that he still needed to cover a lot of distance before his next stop, so I didn’t hold him back and wished him good luck. My hotel was downhill and less than an hour from here, and I reached it without any difficulty.

The two following days were very similar to each other. The weather was much better, and the road was the easiest to follow. I would go as far as saying that this portion in the middle of the country is so easy to navigate that you don’t even need a map or a smartphone to complete it. Just follow the river, collect your checkpoints and enjoy the view of the mountains all around. Have a friendly chat with the other riders you’ll meet at the rest areas. That’s literally what I’ve done for two straight days.

The overall infrastructure is one of the best (if not the best) I’ve ever seen. The majority of the route is made of bike paths so far from the main road that you don’t even hear the traffic. There are even some sections where the bike path is floating over the river.

Except for a steep climb and a section more suited for mountain bikes than road bikes, the sixth day also went pretty well. I know it might sound almost too easy, and that’s probably because it really was. Misadventures and hardships would probably make a better story, but none of that really happened. I don’t know if it was the environment, the weather, the bike, or me, but I was able to keep moving forward much faster than I thought I would.

The last day happened to be the shortest, in terms of duration and distance. This gave me plenty of time to slow down, stop for coffee, and just look around a lot.

Two seniors on their morning ride explained to me that this section of the bike path was a locals’ favorite. Families, casual commuters and even competitive riders all try to make the most out of this area. After days of not seeing any crowds, it was somewhat comforting to see a lot of people again.

And just like that, I completed the Four Rivers cross country road in seven days. The last time I felt a similar sense of pride and satisfaction was when I (painfully) finished a half marathon, a few years ago.

I wish I had another story to tell about how challening this was, and about how I overcame all the obstacles on the way, but I’d be making stuff up. Except for the first day (that was literally too dangerous to ride), this trip was surprisingly easy to complete.

If I had all the time in the world, and if I could do absolutely anything I wanted, I would probably be riding a bike. The cool thing is that I’m in this exact situation. This maybe explains why this trip didn’t really feel like going on a “once in a lifetime” adventure.

It just felt like doing exactly what I want to do.

Some practical info

• The cross country road is very well documented online, and finding resources is quite easy. This official website and this less official website contain everything you may need to plan your route.

• Seven days is the average time recommended to complete it. I met people who were doing it in four days (averaging 140km/day), and others who were doing it in ten (averaging 55km/day)

• Over 90% of the route is on a distinct bike path, away from cars and traffic. Except for a few sections and crossings, it is extremely safe to ride.

• Make sure you pack enough food and water. Unlike on Jeju island, you will cross long stretches of road in the middle of nowhere. However, most of the checkpoints have either a vending machine, or a small coffee place, not too far.

• I rented my bike with BikeNara in Seoul. They allow you to pick up a bike in Seoul and drop it off in Busan, very close to the finish line.

• Here’s my bikemap profile for those who are interested in average speed, elevation and other nerdy metrics