T1me to Ride

My stroll around Vitre last night was lovely. I found a couple of bars which were open (and many more which were closed, what with it being Lundi and all), and enjoyed a couple of beers in the 20 degree evening sun. Vitre itself is over 1,000 years old and thanks to a couple of twists of good fortunate - avoiding significant damage during WW2 and being on the path of a few strategic railway lines - is a modern and prosperous city. Whilst bogging up the city I should also give qudos to the municipal campsite. Clean, spacious and quiet with hot showers, laundry facilities I was not unhappy to part with my 7.30 Euro for the privilege. My only complaint was that it didn’t serve breakfast and so I made a prompt departure and rode a pleasant 6km - narrowly avoiding an absent minded fisherman who chose to step into the road just as I was tanking it downhill to the river that he nearly didn’t get to fish in - to Erbree where I found a boulangerie & duly stocked up. I devoured my pastry goo...

I don’t know why the French don’t just build a massive wall around France every Sunday night with the words “Ferme Lundi” written in big bold letters, just to avoid any potential confusion. Anyway, we’ll get to that. The day started well enough. Sort of. The wonderful tones of Dremmwel’s Troellen  piped in to my cabin and in so doing gently woke me from the comfort of my bed.  That gentle awakening soon livened up when I mistook the on / off lever for the temperature lever in the shower and took half a layer of skin off in the process… Last night’s 3 course feast plus half bottle of Chablis had assisted a good nights rest, and I was ready for adventure. I knew from the off that the first thing I’d need to sort would be my front pannier. In my attempt to remove it last night on the ferry I’d inadvertently snapped the arguably pathetic cable tie which was securing it to my front forks. Fortunately, I had anticipated this. Deep in my tool kit was a jubilee clip and a hand made bo...

  Just as well I’d anticipated problems travelling on a Sunday. The train broke down, then trundled a slow march through Wiltshire into Hampshire before finally pulling into Portsmouth Harbour. Slight exchange of opinions at the station as half the train waited behind a non operational barrier before climbing on the bike and starting the trip proper. Albeit 2 miles along the flattest and smoothest tarmac you’ll ever hope to see.  Checked in at Portsmouth with the cars and campers before dumping the bike in the bike shed and taking refuge in the bar. We sail in a few hours, St Malo awaits!!

It’s looking promising for Day 1 at least!  I was dearly hoping to get to the first night in the dry and it looks as though I won’t be disappointed! Nerves are building now ahead of the off - I can’t wait!

Huge thanks to John Walsh and Hannah Reynolds for authoring the amazing France en Velo  book. Apart from being packed with information, it has provided a full itinerary for my own ‘Channel to Med': 900 miles from Brittany’s St Malo shoreline to Nice on the French Riviera.  Passing through 19 of France’s regional départements, the route follows the Brittany and Normandy coastline, passing Mont St Michel before heading south to the banks of the Loire.  I then cross through Poitou-Charentes and reach the rolling hills of the Dordogne. From Dordogne the hills become ever more prominent, slowly giving way to mountainous terrain but hopefully an ever warmer climate. Much of this follows the banks of the Lot River, into the mountains before reaching its source and the northern edge of the Cévennes and a descent into the Ardèche and to the Rhône valley, and riding through Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Crossing the Rhône into Provence with Mont Ventoux on the skyline, hot sun, lavender fie...

For me there’s as almost much fun to be had in the packing as the riding. Always an opportunity to research and try new kit, as well as finding a happy balance between comfort and space. I aim to camp most nights, so will be carrying a fair amount of kit. Here’s where it will go: Rear Pannier (Left) Shirt Merino top short sleeve  Merino top long sleeve  Lightweight trousers & shorts Base layer long sleeve Sleeping clothes, socks & boxer shorts Rear Pannier (Right) Spare cycling shorts Spare cycling jersey Spare riding socks Snood Lock Toolkit, comprising: Cable Ties Cables Chain Links Duck Tape Pump CO2 head + cartridges Spare Tubes Lube Spoke Key Spare Spokes  Jubilee Clips MultiTool Seat Pack Pillow Torch + Head Torch Hat Down Jacket Air bed EyeMask + Ear Plugs Seat Rack Tentand Pegs Front Pannier (Left) Cooking Gas Canister Pans Stove Lighter Cloths Mug Cup a Soup packs Coffee Aero press Energy Gels Elite Front Pannier (Right) Waterproof jacket Book Glasses + S...

How did I get here? A year ago I was in a job I loved and in excellent form in terms of my fitness. I was preparing to tackle the annual Chase The Sun ride - 350km (220 miles) starting from Kent’s east coast and ending in Somerset’s west coast. I would end up completing that ride and in a little over 12 hours 40 minutes at an average speed of 27.4kph.  In the months that followed my fitness took a dip as one planned ride after another was cancelled for various reasons. Covid being a key contributor, but the sudden and shocking diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes for our beautiful 5 year old daughter was somewhat of a game changer.  And the job? Well, put simply it was a time to forget. My Annus Horribilus which ended up in redundancy after a fairly awful 12 months. On the bright side, I found myself with 5 long weeks to fill before my new job starts. My amazing wife suggested, no instructed, that I should go away for a while on my bike and clear my head of the unpleasantness of the p...