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Woodbutcher

Woodbutcher

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 21, 2008
Messages
532
Location
Coast of Cornwall SW England.
Ok... So I treated myself to a new bike ! But hey I have just had OHS and I'm doing loads of cycling every day and my old bike was sort of old. Do I need anymore reasons to treat myself ?
Just tought I'd share this picture I took this evening on my mobile phone propped up against a clump of grass out on the cliff path.
I'm really pleased with the bike and have convinced myself it's loads better, lighter and faster than the old one (though in reality you'd probably not notice the difference!).
I'm planning to cycle from the north to south coast of France this year for myself and for the British heart foundation and for everyone else who's had or about to have a heart valve replaced too.
I recon it's about 1000 miles, so lots of peddling. I'm trying to do 8-10 miles a day to build up my stamina.
Here's the thing, do I cycle from here to the south of France then have to fly home at the end, or do I cycle from south cost (Cannes) back home ?
I think I might need a more comfy saddle too !
 
I used to bike a few thousand miles a year in the good old days. In fact, we first fell in love with this part of New Mexico on a long bike trip.

I think this is a good piece of advice--see if there is such a thing as a prevailing wind for the particular time of year you will be making your trip. Going against the wind is always a pain, doubly so on a mountain bike. You will be wise to give a lot of consideration to the bike seat. Although mountain bikes have various advantages, aerodynamics is not one of them. In addition, because of the way you sit on a mountain bike there is more weight on your butt and less on your arms than if you had a road bike.

It sounds like a great trip. By the way, training of 8 miles per day may not sound like a lot to hardcore bikers, but you can do yourself a lot of good by hitting it every single day. If you can, though, you should try to do some significantly longer days. Your butt is really going to protest the next morning after your first 50-100 mile day. I sure wish I could go too.
 
north to south and appreciate the increase in temperature , ride into the better weather ! Wow do you want to be sponsored for the British Heart Foundation ? I trust you will be wearing a helmet .........!
Good luck
 
Thanks Dennis, that's such good advice. I'll think about that prevailing wind too, it's sou' westerly here all year, but inland France wouldn't be the same.
100 hundred miles a day would be far too much, my plan (hatched only tonight!) would be to do lots of cross country and plenty of stopping, meeting and photographing people and places. The budget will be tiny so lots of camping in fields too I should think.
I'd recon on around 40 miles a day ? Feel free to join me if like, but you'll have to go slowly!
Thanks for yours too Ross ! I tell you what, around here there are some great cliffs for a cycle glider ! This picture is taken from the spot where the other one was taken.
Bit of a chicken ... You're right about the climate getting better as I go further south, that would be nice but I think it would be a good motivator to be heading home as I go too ?
 
If I hadn't been having this polio problem I would giving this such serious consideration. It sounds like so much fun. I am probably going to write more than you want to read, but remember, armchair biking is all that's left for me right now.

Assuming you are making your own route:

Whenever you are around the coast or any significant body of water you are likely to encounter relatively short but brutally steep inclines. You will do fine with your new bike, those miles might just take a little longer than usual.

Watch for "painting yourself into a corner". What I mean by this is that, on such a long trip, you really need to give consideration ahead of time as to what roads are accessible/safe for biking. My wife and I had a really nice tandem bike that we took, among other places, on a ride from Banff Canada to Seattle. We got stuck riding on (I think highway 70) for about 80 miles. It was a two lane road with logging trucks going by at high speed every 2-3 minutes. It was a wonderful trip, but that one section was extremely dangerous, and it still makes me shudder.

This seems so obvious, but if you camp at high altitude it can be considerably colder. I wrote about this once before-my wife and I spent an extremely cold night in a small light weight tent where our water bottles froze solid. If we had continued down the road (and downhill) just a little further we could have been comfy and warm.

Be sure you know how to patch a tire-I have never had a substantial trip where someone didn't have a flat. (Although we always used road bikes, whose tires are much less substantial than a mountain bike). I learned to have a 3 or 4 spare spokes stashed somewhere. Even if you don't know how to replace a broken spoke you can spare the irritation of getting to a bike shop and having them say they don't have the kind of spoke you want.

Here is something really counter-intuitive, but your research or experience will prove me right. The best and most stable place for your heaviest pack is panniers attached to a proper rack on the front wheel. As far as stability is concerned, the worst place is the rack over your rear tire. You will probably be going over a couple of mountain passes, and these (at least in retrospect) are the greatest days of the journey. You can travel pretty fast and still be relatively safe if all your "stuff" is properly stowed, and stowed in the right place, on your bike. It is easy to do it right and be perfectly safe. But if it is done wrong it can be really dangerous. A loose sleeve from an improperly stowed jacket can catch in your spokes and ruin a great trip. I have seen it happen several times-but never to me or anyone with me on a bike tour. I am an absolute fanatic on storing gear properly, and always felt the effort was well worth it.

You will have a great appetite, and never gain a pound. Your food will taste better than it ever has in your life. I had a friend (a real coffee snob), who made a point of drinking a cup of Folgers instant coffee once every year in the spring. He did that to commemorate the best cup of coffee he ever drank-a cup by the side of the road on a really cold day in the Canadian Rockies. If you write and take pictures I would love to read every word and devour every picture. I think you are going to have a great time.
 
Thanks Dennis, I think you and that 27 speed armchair of yours are going to be very welcome along this trip ! I feel like you've given it more thought than me already. It's something that's been in the back of my mind for years, so now I think I should start planning. Front panniers are definately the way to go and perfect sense too. Altitude adn cold and avoiding long busy roads.. I'll have to take a look at Google Earth and plan a route. You've inspired me with your enthusiasm.
 
Good luck on your trip. Do you have a pursuit vehicele? If not you should file a route plan, and have someone to call into at least once a day, just in case. Also, don't forget your patch kit, and air pump.
 
Justin,
Go for it! You will have us cheering you along the entire way, so please stop at every little internet cafe and send us updates and photos. Oh... I'm glad to see you wearing your brain bucket.
John
 
Thank you all so much for your generous enthusiasm ! I only thought about it last night so I'm not off yet !?
I recon maybe I'd be looking at September ? Not quite so hot then in southern france, and gives me a few months to prepare around all the other day to day stuff between now and then.
Patch kit and air pump ! Thanks Tbone... I'll be sure and put that on the list !
A pursuit vehicle !? No I wont have one of them, I'd be too tempted to get a tow up the mountains !
 
Hi Justin,
Great to see your post about your new bike.. I remember back in January when you were a "newbie" you replied to one of my posts where I had mentioned my workout, and told me it was inspiring to you.. now who's being inspiring?!
 
hey my cornish friend,good luck with the planned bike ride,it sounds brill,being a regular visitor to france it sounds great, you seem to be doing so well now,as austin powers wud say...YEA BABY YEA
 
fun training ride in france? how 'bout the liberty trail around memorial day?
great ride if you have a road bike, and don't mind covering 700 or so km in
a week.

http://www.voiedelaliberte.be/

starts at one of the normandy beaches, follows routes of ww2 generals.
the route changes every year depending on which general's march is followed.

you've got full support, sag wagons, overnights and meals. and it includes
the french presidential motorcycle escort blocking traffic. kinda cool to
ride through paris without worrying about traffic.
 
Thanks ChouDoufu, that sounds interesting.
And thanks to Neil and halley too...

Todays thinking.... I recon I might have a plan, a route already ! I was thinking about what dennis was saying about wind and long busy roads etc. So I thought, having worked years ago on a French (Breton) Canal Barge... Why not just cycle the whole way along the "tow path" by the Canal or waterway ? Obviously before these barges had engines they were towed either by heavy horse or strong men, thus every canal still has a tow path ! These vary from tarmac lanes to dusty tracks to lumpy paths, but all passable, Just as Napoleon insisted when he built them. And more to the point all pretty flat !? Perfect ? Or am I missing something ? Hundreds of miles of relaxed flat cycling, passing villages, towns, cities and locks... Under the shade of tree lined tracks ?
I've found a crude map which I'll attach. What's the thinking on that ? I recon due north from the south coast, swing a bit of a left half way up, through Paris (with no traffic lights or cars!?) then head on up to Le Harve for a ferry home ?
Or head North West towards Bordeaux, then north by road up to Nantes and up the canal to St. Malo ?
The first option would be pure canal path all the way, and more interesting boats too as those waterways go all the way to Russia !
 
Trip

Trip

Give some thought to your tires. Mtn bikes in the US usually come equipped with knoby tires which are designed for rough terrain. If you're going to be on pavement or fairly smooth dirt roads, consider changing to the slick variety of tires made for mtn bikes.

When I do long, mountain event rides here, I see a lot of other riders who opt for mtn bikes rather than road bikes because mtn bike gearing makes it easier to get over mountain passes. These riders usually run slick tires to reduce road resistance.

-Philip
 
I just found this picture of me and my dog Alfie on a typical French Tow path a few years ago. I used to cycle along it a few miles of an evening and quickly realised Alfies legs were just too short to keep up so I built him his own little trailer to jump onto when he got tired!
The canal (Le Blavet) is on the left.
 
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