All of these are just out of the top of my head, there's so much more that I'm probably leaving out now and this generally happens everytime I do a multi-day cycling tour. I'll try to keep this post updated in the future.
From fellow campers. Sometimes just because you're both on an adventure, other times as a simple thank-you for lending someone a hammer to pitch their tent.
No matter where I go, people always seem to have more eggs than they can eat.
One night in the south of France, I arrived late at a campsite, only to find it fully booked because the Tour de France was passing through in the coming days. The owner introduced me to a group of fellow Belgians, who kindly gave up their parking space so I could set up my tent.
Cycling over 100 km a day for a prolonged period can make you REALLY hungry. I ordered practically everything on the menu at a local restaurant. They didn’t have much in the way of desserts, but the waitress surprised me with a free slice of cake from her own lunch pack.
One morning, a friendly Dutch couple knocked on my tent. They were heading off in their camper and asked if I’d like some croissants before they left.
Got some nice hot coffee in the morning from some other people staying at the same camp site. It was a nice break after a night of very poor sleep due to a terrible rat infestation in that place.
Just by being the sympathetic Belgian guy who was cheering for the Dutch team.
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@rxpz@social.linux.pizzaBikepacking freebies: Things I got for free while cycling was published on 2025-02-09