Some more messages:
Just about to cross the Seine south of Rouen. Sun is out and I have rolled my arm warmers to half-mast. Still blowing strong wind, but at least it isn't cold or wet.
Just south of Caen dodging storm clouds and eating scottish biscuits. About to finally stop having to ride head on into the wind when I turn south and head for Domfront.
Another sign the weather is getting better. Just seen two groups of British made (but French drivers) open top sports cars go by; first some Morgans, then some Triumphs.
Apparently he'd filled his water bottles with 2 Euro bottles of cider, bought at a local farm, which probably accounts for the sea change as well!
All being well, Mr M should be at Rennes by now. He's ahead of schedule, so is intending to do the tourist bit again once he's found somewhere to stay.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
Fete des Meres in Cormeilles
Apologies for the lack of accents. After my disasterous attempts at using code these last few entries, I'm in no mood to be daring.
You'll no doubt be glad to learn that Mr M phoned me yesterday from Cormeilles where in a 'cadre chalhereux' he was due to disport himself in the 'calme et confort' of a chambre 'de style cosy,' all this courtesy of Fabrice et Delphine of the Auberge du President. Rather too cosy from the looks of the pic I spotted on the website - although I think the room shown was several grades up from the one he was allocated. Just as well; I can't imagine the patrons would have appreciated him draping his lycra cycling things (with or without antibacterial lining) all over the bed canopy!
Anyway, try and find the website for Cormeilles. From all accounts it's a really pretty place with the architecture of the old houses being not unlike Tudor style -w with as the spouse told me, each being done out in soft colours. It was the best day of the tour so far, with...roll of drums.... No Rain!. Mr M was waiting for his room to be made up when he called, and so had a wander round the place. Being, as he'd realised, the Fete des Meres, the restaurants were completely booked up; he didn't even try to get lunch. Folk were all decked out in their Sunday best, including he said, a crowd of (mostly) little girls coming out of the church. I'd suspect we're into First Communion season over there which would account for it.
Saturday night's meal at St Didier was Italian style pasta and pizza, with anchovies. Although thankfully no cleaver weilding chef was in evidence. If you've ever read the Tim Moore book on shadowing the Tour you'll know exactly what I'm referring to!
You'll no doubt be glad to learn that Mr M phoned me yesterday from Cormeilles where in a 'cadre chalhereux' he was due to disport himself in the 'calme et confort' of a chambre 'de style cosy,' all this courtesy of Fabrice et Delphine of the Auberge du President. Rather too cosy from the looks of the pic I spotted on the website - although I think the room shown was several grades up from the one he was allocated. Just as well; I can't imagine the patrons would have appreciated him draping his lycra cycling things (with or without antibacterial lining) all over the bed canopy!
Anyway, try and find the website for Cormeilles. From all accounts it's a really pretty place with the architecture of the old houses being not unlike Tudor style -w with as the spouse told me, each being done out in soft colours. It was the best day of the tour so far, with...roll of drums.... No Rain!. Mr M was waiting for his room to be made up when he called, and so had a wander round the place. Being, as he'd realised, the Fete des Meres, the restaurants were completely booked up; he didn't even try to get lunch. Folk were all decked out in their Sunday best, including he said, a crowd of (mostly) little girls coming out of the church. I'd suspect we're into First Communion season over there which would account for it.
Saturday night's meal at St Didier was Italian style pasta and pizza, with anchovies. Although thankfully no cleaver weilding chef was in evidence. If you've ever read the Tim Moore book on shadowing the Tour you'll know exactly what I'm referring to!
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Mont Didier to Beauvais
An easy day. Mr M called me at 14.00 hrs from a bar in Beauvais where he's staying in calme et confort at the Hotel de la Residence.
An easy ride today. (We've heard that one before!). He'd decided to be a tourist for the day, and was just about to go off to visit the Cathedral.
Tomorrow looks to be quite a long cycle; across the Seine heading south of Rouen, ending up, if all goes well, west of Rouen at the Auberge Rouen (well, it would be, wouldn't it). No Sunday lunch, in all probability as tomorrow is the Fete des Meres in France, so the Restaurants will be booked up with families.
One big plus to cycling in France, as he says, is that the route is broken up every 2 to 3km by a village. Makes travelling far less tedious. (And of course, you're never that far from a bar or a cafe!)
An easy ride today. (We've heard that one before!). He'd decided to be a tourist for the day, and was just about to go off to visit the Cathedral.
Tomorrow looks to be quite a long cycle; across the Seine heading south of Rouen, ending up, if all goes well, west of Rouen at the Auberge Rouen (well, it would be, wouldn't it). No Sunday lunch, in all probability as tomorrow is the Fete des Meres in France, so the Restaurants will be booked up with families.
One big plus to cycling in France, as he says, is that the route is broken up every 2 to 3km by a village. Makes travelling far less tedious. (And of course, you're never that far from a bar or a cafe!)
Friday, May 26, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Received earlier today
Over another border into Holland and my furthest point north in Valkenburg. Roads much better here and lots of cyclists. Still very windy. Just refuelling with some beer and cake before starting long journey south.
And just now:
Sitting in a bar in Mettet Belgium feeling like a boy band.... Wet Wet Wet
In Chimay having a Chimay. Still wet!
I'll leave the description of Belgian roads to Mr M once he gets back home. Suffice it to say yesterday was not easy. He's never been so frightened in all his life!
And just now:
Sitting in a bar in Mettet Belgium feeling like a boy band.... Wet Wet Wet
In Chimay having a Chimay. Still wet!
I'll leave the description of Belgian roads to Mr M once he gets back home. Suffice it to say yesterday was not easy. He's never been so frightened in all his life!
TDF Journal Thursday 25th May Huy to Nouvion Goodbye Belgium, Hello France
Distance 157k
Time 7:23
Climb 1039m
Weather Wet, Wet, Wet (and windy)
Today was to prove the worst day of my tour. It did not start too well as I got up and looked out of the window the grey skies had returned. Not only that but I could see some flags along the river bank and these were almost being blown off their staffs. I went downstairs to what proved to be a pretty meagre breakfast and checked my route. My main aim for the day was to get back into France and I had planned to go cross country by the most direct route to achieve this. However this would take me straight into the teeth of the gale that was clearly blowing outside. I changed my mind and decided to follow the road along the Meuse. This was shown as a main road but I had learned this might be a good thing, it should be relatively flat and the valley it ran it would hopefully provide a bit of shelter from the wind.
This turned out to be a good plan. The road was smooth, with a wide hard shoulder that served as a cycle path. A steady drizzle had set in but because I was forewarned I had donned my Pack-a-Mac at the hotel so remained relatively dry inside. I think the route would also have been relatively scenic but the wind and rain pretty much obscured my view.
I made good time down to Jambes but there found there was a market on which slowed me down as I tried to avoid shoppers, a difficult task since both they and I were wrapped up so tightly against the weather. As a result my average speed slowed quite a bit and this started me on a train of thought that I would return to several times during my trip, namely things we cyclo-tourists have to put up with that the pros don't. I can just imagine the TDF peloton hurtling through a town centre, then having to jump off their bikes because a market was taking place....(not).
I crossed over the Meuse eventually. There had not been much traffic, despite my using a main road, I guess even car drivers did not fancy going out given the conditions, but I was passed by a group of motorbikes. This was the first time that it had happened and it happened a lot during the rest of my tour and it did make me wonder as the motivation for wanting to motorbike in groups. On a pushbike it makes sense as the more of you there are the easier it is (another advantage the tour pros have, for them a head wind is less of a problem than a cross wind). Not so sure why you would want to motorbike as part of a group though, seems to take away some of the advantages of having a motorbike in the first place as you can't go as fast as you like or overtake with impunity. I can sort of understand the shared camraderie at stops or the end of the day but then why do you see so many motorbike groups and very rarely groups of cars?
Anyway 10km south of Jambes I had to leave the shelter of the river valley and head west if I was to get to my destination. I climbed up the side of the valley, reaching the top was like being, literally, hit around the head by a wet fish. The wind was near to full on gale force driving the heavy rain directly into my face. I set off gloomily along the road. Progress was difficult as apart from the wind and rain the road rolled up and down. Strangely I actually looked forward to the ups as at least at the bottom of each little climb I got a little respite from the wind. Little by little I was losing the will to live, so I made myself a promise to stop at the next town which looked to be a place called Mettet. However it seemed like I was making very slow progress. The nadir came when I climbed to the what I thought was the top of a little hill only to find that it was just a plateau and the real hill loomed above. At that stage the wind increased even more in force and it became difficult even to turn the pedals over let alone make real progress. I was soaked to the bone and feeling very very low.
This was the only time during the entire trip that I came close to regretting what I was doing and the thought of chucking in the towel (if only I had one, which would have been useful given how wet I was) crossed my mind. It seemed like things could not get any worse and fortunately I was right. As I struggled up the hill I just caught sight of a little white sign pointing to my right. It had the most beautiful word in the world printed in big black capitals "METTET". I followed it and almost immediately things got better. The big hill that was such a bugger to climb now provided shelter from the gale, which in any case I was now tacking across rather than trying to plough straight into. Not only that after a short rise the road down to Mettet was straight downhill, so I quickly came to the town centre. This was somewhat small, in fact it only took a couple of minutes to go right round it and this first circuit failed to detect any hostelries.
Visit Mettet!
However after I had wiped the water from my eyes I saw there was one bar. I went in and immediately started to feel better. I found a seat next to the window and things looked up even more as there was a piping hot radiator there that not only warmed me up but also let me do an impromptu striptease as I took off various layers of clothing and laid them over the radiator to dry off. A waitress arrived, not to chuck me out but rather to ask me what I wanted to eat/drink. I asked for 2 Leffes, 1 orange juice and 2 croque monsieurs. The waitress asked if the someone else was joining me and I said no, they were just for me as I was in urgent need of sustenance. Very quickly both food and drink arrived. The croques were huge and came with salad but were wolfed down as were the beers. I asked for another round of both which I consumed with a bit more moderation.
Things were definitely looking up. My socks were toasting nicely on the radiator and my cold bones were now being warmed by a gentle glow from my full to brimming stomach. Not only that, as I looked out of the window on the central square I could now clearly see to the other side so the weather was brightening up as well. I consulted my maps and found more good news. I had not realised during my planning (honest) but the town of Chimay was
near to my route. Now this is a name I know very well ever since the first brush I had with the town's most famous product, fittingly given my current trip, on my first night in Strasbourg many years ago. For Chimay is famous for its beer, brewed by its Trappist monks, who presumably use it to alleviate the rigours of their chosen path in life. The beer is famous for its strength, the least strong red being a mere 7 degrees and the rather more powerful Bleu being a hefty 9 degrees. Definitely a drink to be taken in moderation.
Chimay looked like being the perfect distance for a late afternoon stop. So with this as an incentive I left the pub. Things got even better. The wind seemed to have died down and the rain was now more like a light drizzle. Also there was a back road out of town, around, not over, the big hill that had been the cause of my earlier grief.
So I left Mettet in a much better state than when I found it and had an uneventful trip to Chimay. I was a little disappointed to find that the town was not full of industrious, tonsured monks but was just an ordinary Belgian town, with cobbled streets (zut). Not to be dissuaded I nevertheless stopped at a bar and ordered some of the local brew.
Beer/Cheese/Monks
Fortified I headed west and south. The rain was still hanging around, but not too bad. As I headed along a country road I noticed that the road surface abruptly changed from rather poor to nice and smooth. Almost simultaneously, it felt, the rain stopped and, if the sun did not exactly shine, the clouds covering the sky turned from grey to off white. Then I noticed that the road signs were different. I was back in France! Hoorah!!!
My overnight destination was Le Nouvion a town that as its website
Visit Le Nouvion!
says is "a lively community with its various industries : Les Fromagers de Thirache producers of the famous "Maroilles Cheese", The West Pharmaceutical manufacturer of pharmaceuticals corks, The slaughterhouse Porcinord."
Fortunately I had not read this last bit before booking.
I eventually made it, though not without going in circles for a bit due to following my nose to a short cut.
The hotel was nice if unremarkable. Rather fittingly, though, it had signs up for the TDF which was due to head through. The manageress showed a degree of interest in my trip mentioning that a team from Gan was staying for the tour. This got me a bit excited as there used to be a Gan cycling team (now Credit Agricole) but it turned out they were from the town not the team so I would not be able to boast of sharing a bed with any famous cyclists.
Watched the local news to catch "le meteo" (weather forecast). Depressingly the winds are due to continue. A big arrow with "80 kph" straddled my route, pointing directly into my face. Oh dear. Still on the good side, less rain was forecast. I felt that I had survived my baptism of fire (well water actually) at Mettet and that no matter what the elements chose to throw at me now I would pull through and survive....
Time 7:23
Climb 1039m
Weather Wet, Wet, Wet (and windy)
Today was to prove the worst day of my tour. It did not start too well as I got up and looked out of the window the grey skies had returned. Not only that but I could see some flags along the river bank and these were almost being blown off their staffs. I went downstairs to what proved to be a pretty meagre breakfast and checked my route. My main aim for the day was to get back into France and I had planned to go cross country by the most direct route to achieve this. However this would take me straight into the teeth of the gale that was clearly blowing outside. I changed my mind and decided to follow the road along the Meuse. This was shown as a main road but I had learned this might be a good thing, it should be relatively flat and the valley it ran it would hopefully provide a bit of shelter from the wind.
This turned out to be a good plan. The road was smooth, with a wide hard shoulder that served as a cycle path. A steady drizzle had set in but because I was forewarned I had donned my Pack-a-Mac at the hotel so remained relatively dry inside. I think the route would also have been relatively scenic but the wind and rain pretty much obscured my view.
I made good time down to Jambes but there found there was a market on which slowed me down as I tried to avoid shoppers, a difficult task since both they and I were wrapped up so tightly against the weather. As a result my average speed slowed quite a bit and this started me on a train of thought that I would return to several times during my trip, namely things we cyclo-tourists have to put up with that the pros don't. I can just imagine the TDF peloton hurtling through a town centre, then having to jump off their bikes because a market was taking place....(not).
I crossed over the Meuse eventually. There had not been much traffic, despite my using a main road, I guess even car drivers did not fancy going out given the conditions, but I was passed by a group of motorbikes. This was the first time that it had happened and it happened a lot during the rest of my tour and it did make me wonder as the motivation for wanting to motorbike in groups. On a pushbike it makes sense as the more of you there are the easier it is (another advantage the tour pros have, for them a head wind is less of a problem than a cross wind). Not so sure why you would want to motorbike as part of a group though, seems to take away some of the advantages of having a motorbike in the first place as you can't go as fast as you like or overtake with impunity. I can sort of understand the shared camraderie at stops or the end of the day but then why do you see so many motorbike groups and very rarely groups of cars?
Anyway 10km south of Jambes I had to leave the shelter of the river valley and head west if I was to get to my destination. I climbed up the side of the valley, reaching the top was like being, literally, hit around the head by a wet fish. The wind was near to full on gale force driving the heavy rain directly into my face. I set off gloomily along the road. Progress was difficult as apart from the wind and rain the road rolled up and down. Strangely I actually looked forward to the ups as at least at the bottom of each little climb I got a little respite from the wind. Little by little I was losing the will to live, so I made myself a promise to stop at the next town which looked to be a place called Mettet. However it seemed like I was making very slow progress. The nadir came when I climbed to the what I thought was the top of a little hill only to find that it was just a plateau and the real hill loomed above. At that stage the wind increased even more in force and it became difficult even to turn the pedals over let alone make real progress. I was soaked to the bone and feeling very very low.
This was the only time during the entire trip that I came close to regretting what I was doing and the thought of chucking in the towel (if only I had one, which would have been useful given how wet I was) crossed my mind. It seemed like things could not get any worse and fortunately I was right. As I struggled up the hill I just caught sight of a little white sign pointing to my right. It had the most beautiful word in the world printed in big black capitals "METTET". I followed it and almost immediately things got better. The big hill that was such a bugger to climb now provided shelter from the gale, which in any case I was now tacking across rather than trying to plough straight into. Not only that after a short rise the road down to Mettet was straight downhill, so I quickly came to the town centre. This was somewhat small, in fact it only took a couple of minutes to go right round it and this first circuit failed to detect any hostelries.
Visit Mettet!
However after I had wiped the water from my eyes I saw there was one bar. I went in and immediately started to feel better. I found a seat next to the window and things looked up even more as there was a piping hot radiator there that not only warmed me up but also let me do an impromptu striptease as I took off various layers of clothing and laid them over the radiator to dry off. A waitress arrived, not to chuck me out but rather to ask me what I wanted to eat/drink. I asked for 2 Leffes, 1 orange juice and 2 croque monsieurs. The waitress asked if the someone else was joining me and I said no, they were just for me as I was in urgent need of sustenance. Very quickly both food and drink arrived. The croques were huge and came with salad but were wolfed down as were the beers. I asked for another round of both which I consumed with a bit more moderation.
Things were definitely looking up. My socks were toasting nicely on the radiator and my cold bones were now being warmed by a gentle glow from my full to brimming stomach. Not only that, as I looked out of the window on the central square I could now clearly see to the other side so the weather was brightening up as well. I consulted my maps and found more good news. I had not realised during my planning (honest) but the town of Chimay was
near to my route. Now this is a name I know very well ever since the first brush I had with the town's most famous product, fittingly given my current trip, on my first night in Strasbourg many years ago. For Chimay is famous for its beer, brewed by its Trappist monks, who presumably use it to alleviate the rigours of their chosen path in life. The beer is famous for its strength, the least strong red being a mere 7 degrees and the rather more powerful Bleu being a hefty 9 degrees. Definitely a drink to be taken in moderation.
Chimay looked like being the perfect distance for a late afternoon stop. So with this as an incentive I left the pub. Things got even better. The wind seemed to have died down and the rain was now more like a light drizzle. Also there was a back road out of town, around, not over, the big hill that had been the cause of my earlier grief.
So I left Mettet in a much better state than when I found it and had an uneventful trip to Chimay. I was a little disappointed to find that the town was not full of industrious, tonsured monks but was just an ordinary Belgian town, with cobbled streets (zut). Not to be dissuaded I nevertheless stopped at a bar and ordered some of the local brew.
Beer/Cheese/Monks
Fortified I headed west and south. The rain was still hanging around, but not too bad. As I headed along a country road I noticed that the road surface abruptly changed from rather poor to nice and smooth. Almost simultaneously, it felt, the rain stopped and, if the sun did not exactly shine, the clouds covering the sky turned from grey to off white. Then I noticed that the road signs were different. I was back in France! Hoorah!!!
My overnight destination was Le Nouvion a town that as its website
Visit Le Nouvion!
says is "a lively community with its various industries : Les Fromagers de Thirache producers of the famous "Maroilles Cheese", The West Pharmaceutical manufacturer of pharmaceuticals corks, The slaughterhouse Porcinord."
Fortunately I had not read this last bit before booking.
I eventually made it, though not without going in circles for a bit due to following my nose to a short cut.
The hotel was nice if unremarkable. Rather fittingly, though, it had signs up for the TDF which was due to head through. The manageress showed a degree of interest in my trip mentioning that a team from Gan was staying for the tour. This got me a bit excited as there used to be a Gan cycling team (now Credit Agricole) but it turned out they were from the town not the team so I would not be able to boast of sharing a bed with any famous cyclists.
Watched the local news to catch "le meteo" (weather forecast). Depressingly the winds are due to continue. A big arrow with "80 kph" straddled my route, pointing directly into my face. Oh dear. Still on the good side, less rain was forecast. I felt that I had survived my baptism of fire (well water actually) at Mettet and that no matter what the elements chose to throw at me now I would pull through and survive....
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Lost, one Alien!
Yes, in amongst the goings-ons on Monday, Mr M has lost his tool. His bike has a squeak, and its computer is no longer working. In his reading matter 'History of the World' he's got past the Greeks and Romans and is now on to the Waning of the Classical West. He's cycled up and down hills which in terms of incline make the Eiffel Tower seem tame. Repeat again - Belgium is not flat! He says that no wonder the Maginot Line stopped where it did.
Oh and the weather. Wind, rain, hail... You get the picture, I'm sure. He's beginning to run out of Travel wash liquid.
But so far, so good. He is about 2 days ahead of schedule. And hopefully last night's stay in a nice hotel in Eupen in the Liege reason will have given him a chance to dry out. Don't know what it was I said over the phone to them but when he arrived he found they'd upgraded his room.
Awaiting news of today's ride - he was due to be passing by Masstricht. An easy day.
Oh and the weather. Wind, rain, hail... You get the picture, I'm sure. He's beginning to run out of Travel wash liquid.
But so far, so good. He is about 2 days ahead of schedule. And hopefully last night's stay in a nice hotel in Eupen in the Liege reason will have given him a chance to dry out. Don't know what it was I said over the phone to them but when he arrived he found they'd upgraded his room.
Awaiting news of today's ride - he was due to be passing by Masstricht. An easy day.
Belgium-Luxembourg-Belgium or is that the other way round?
Despite having an O Level in Geography Mr M has been under the impression that Belgium is flat. After Monday and Tuesday's explorations he's been relieved of that impression! Relieved is probably not the best choice of wording under the circs, as we found when he phoned on Monday evening relais de silence , the Hostellerie Pieffeschof near the border with Luxembourg.
Either way, what he didn't tell us earlier was that soggy croissants (and as he discovered soggy passport, maps and bike computer device) were the least of his problems. By that stage he was absolutely bursting, but the only even remotely secluded spot available was round the back of an electricity sub-station! Not the wisest of choices, especially in the middle of a storm. It's not on record as to how he coped, although I suspect that 'tie a knot in it' came into it somewhere! I gather that by that stage he was starting to wonder if it was all worth it.
Still, after lunch the sun came out, and he managed to get to Luxembourg ahead of schedule. Asking directions to a hotel, (any hotel!) from a kind lady bank clerk led to sundry sorties up and down terrifyingly steep hills, before he ended up back in Belgium again! The first thing he did on arriving, dripping wet at the Peiffeschof was to order two huge beers and a badoit!
Either way, what he didn't tell us earlier was that soggy croissants (and as he discovered soggy passport, maps and bike computer device) were the least of his problems. By that stage he was absolutely bursting, but the only even remotely secluded spot available was round the back of an electricity sub-station! Not the wisest of choices, especially in the middle of a storm. It's not on record as to how he coped, although I suspect that 'tie a knot in it' came into it somewhere! I gather that by that stage he was starting to wonder if it was all worth it.
Still, after lunch the sun came out, and he managed to get to Luxembourg ahead of schedule. Asking directions to a hotel, (any hotel!) from a kind lady bank clerk led to sundry sorties up and down terrifyingly steep hills, before he ended up back in Belgium again! The first thing he did on arriving, dripping wet at the Peiffeschof was to order two huge beers and a badoit!
Monday, May 22, 2006
And here it is!
Text received a minute ago:
v.v. wet grey day in Lorraine. Taking cover in bus shelter and eating croissants!
v.v. wet grey day in Lorraine. Taking cover in bus shelter and eating croissants!
Sunday Night - Saint Avold
Mr M had a good day, cycling around 100 miles with the wind behind him. (As I predicted!) By evening he was in the Lorraine region. He spent the night in the town of Saint Avold, 50 kms from Metz - in a hotel whose building (according to my Guide de Routard dates back to the sixteenth century. Built by the Protestant Counts de Crehange, who installed a small chapel (how an art gallery) at the back of the inner courtyard (now the dining room) so that they could practice their religion without let or hindrance. He may have been able to admire the 'sculpted keystones' and 'fine vaulted ceilings' of the former, but being Sunday, the dining room was closed, so after he called us, he was intending to set off round town looking for somewhere else to eat.
More news, and (hopefully) more cyclestuff later.
More news, and (hopefully) more cyclestuff later.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Sunday Lunch
No, the chap above was
not the dish of the day! For reasons best known to themselves, our camera and the pc aren't talking. So you'll never get to see our pictures of Le Grand Depart.. So instead it gives us the perfect excuse to publish a snap of our resident hairy horror and Basset Fauve. This happy little hound is still comparatively rare in the UK, having only been around for 20 years or so. Not so in France, where it has a long and illustrious history. The tenuous link here being that Mr M spotted one this afternoon whilst lunching at Dabo. ( I can see this replacing our favourite travel game of 'Spot the Eddy Stobart or Norbert Dentressangle lorry.)
According to his text, our intrepid cyclist lunched on tarte flambee, picon, and the dreaded munster cheese. I can imagine him being jet-propelled all the way to Dieuze! No cycletalk for now, but I expect to know more when he phones later this evening.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
And he's off!
As I type, Mr M is en route for Eurostar. And then, onwards to Paris and Strasbourg. All being well, tomorrow will see him pedalling off to Obernai, and from there striking out towards Luxembourg.
More later, once we've uploaded the farewell photos.
More later, once we've uploaded the farewell photos.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Hungerford Big Wheel - All welcome
Riding up Coombe Gibbet (short but deadly hill nearby) last Sunday was stopped at the top by an enterprising chap who reckoned this was ideal place to catch fellow cyclists who may be interested in riding in the Hungerford Big Wheel on Saturday 4th June. I won't be able to make it due to being somewhere in France then but if you can make it get in touch via the website below, looks like it will be a fun day...
Hungerford Big Wheel
Hungerford Big Wheel
Rolling Free - Roubaix S-Works
Splashed out on some new tyres for the bike and fitted some Roubaix S-Works. To quote from the web site (see here for more:
Roubaix S-Works
"There are riders who feel that fast and long rides should be enjoyed, and not merely endured. For these riders, we’ve introduced the new S-Works Roubaix. Super supple, light weight, and fast rolling, the Roubaix S-Works is the perfect match for the rider who wants the ultimate in performance tires without the harsh ride."
This seemed pretty much what I was after, fast and smooth.
Anyway, tried them out last Sunday and have to say they certainly do what it says on the rim. They are certainly faster than my previous Specialized Pros but also smoother over the less than perfect roads we have all over West Berks. Seem fine for climbing as well, took the bike up Coombe Gibbet and (almost) sprinted to the top (well maybe not but at least it was less of a struggle than the last time).
So thus far would heartily recommend them to anyone planning a long ride. That said, couple of reservations:
> They are not cheap but I figure worth it given the distance I will be travelling
> Cant tell how long they will last. But will find out I am sure...
Roubaix S-Works
"There are riders who feel that fast and long rides should be enjoyed, and not merely endured. For these riders, we’ve introduced the new S-Works Roubaix. Super supple, light weight, and fast rolling, the Roubaix S-Works is the perfect match for the rider who wants the ultimate in performance tires without the harsh ride."
This seemed pretty much what I was after, fast and smooth.
Anyway, tried them out last Sunday and have to say they certainly do what it says on the rim. They are certainly faster than my previous Specialized Pros but also smoother over the less than perfect roads we have all over West Berks. Seem fine for climbing as well, took the bike up Coombe Gibbet and (almost) sprinted to the top (well maybe not but at least it was less of a struggle than the last time).
So thus far would heartily recommend them to anyone planning a long ride. That said, couple of reservations:
> They are not cheap but I figure worth it given the distance I will be travelling
> Cant tell how long they will last. But will find out I am sure...
Monday, May 08, 2006
Pics of Wales
The Devils Staircase:
The road along the valley leading to the base of the staircase
Beware the sign of the Devil!!
Over the top: view of the Llyn Brianne reservoir
The road along the valley leading to the base of the staircase
Beware the sign of the Devil!!
Over the top: view of the Llyn Brianne reservoir
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