The Plan:
At some point in early 2015 I decided it would be fun to cycle down France to Cannes. I can’t quite remember where the idea initially came from, I just remember telling people that’s what I was going to do. I’d normally go to the Alps with my mate Tom and climb up a few mountains for my summer holiday, but as he’d not long been a dad, he was unable to go this year and it left me with a 2 week gap to fill. My housemate Lamby had decided to hire a villa in the south of France to celebrate turning 30, and I’d had many a pleasant bike ride in the early part of the year that reminded me how good it was to discover new roads and scenery. Somewhere in my head there was a collision of all these factors and the idea came out of the mire that it made absolute sense to cycle from the UK to Lamby’s birthday shindig way down on the south coast of France.
In the weeks running up to the ride, I spent many hours plotting a detailed route that was as simple as possible, whilst going through some of the more major towns and cities and out along country roads. I wanted to go via Geneva so I could get into the Alps and experience the mountains on a bike rather than with crampons on my feet and an ice axe in my hand. Whenever I watch the Tour de France, the most compelling stages are those where the tour is won or lost somewhere up a mountain climb; where agony meets ecstasy and where the landscape is as dramatic as the riding. I wanted to experience those same hills, emotions and, if only in a small way, the trials those guys go though. Anyway, this is all starting to sound like a massive cliché…. I just love riding bikes….so why not spend a fortnight doing what you love?
Training:
I’ve always been pretty handy on a bike. I ride about 14 miles a day commuting. On top of this I was trying to get at least a 50 miles of riding in at the weekend (normally 100) and also some 30 ish milers during the week. Some days I would ride repeatedly up one of the nastiest hills in London to get some climbing training in. All in all I felt pretty well prepared for the riding. I find that as long as you keep shovelling in the fuel, the body can just keep on going. I was more worried about back ache, saddle sore and chafing.
The Kit:
I’ve done a long tour in Canada before now on a hybrid type bike. I had 4 pannier bags and a rack on the back that was loaded up with a tent, Frisbee, trainers, wind up radio and a number of other useless items.This time I wanted to travel much lighter on a road bike to allow me to go further, faster and with less faffing about. I would bivvy where possible and eat on the go.
Bike:
- Wilier Triestina 105 with clip on aero bars
- New tires, to minimize risk of puncturing.
- 2 x Inner Tubes. (thinking about it now I probably should have taken a puncture repair kit)
- 2 x CO2 cartridges
- Tire levers
- Pump
- Small tube of chain lube
Luggage:
Apidura: Saddle Bag, Frame Bag, Top Tube Pack
Clothes:
- 2x Pairs Socks (always nicer putting on a mildly damp pair in the morning rather than sopping wet)
- Bib shorts
- Cycling Jersey
- Cycling shoes
- Flip Flops
- Leg Warmers
- Arm Warmers
- Gloves
- Waterproof Trousers
- Waterproof Jacket
- Base Layer Top
- Fleece (Wore once on the way down a hill in the rain)
Accommodation:
- Bivvy Bag
- Sleeping Bag
- Sleeping Bag liner
Other stuff:
- Penknife
- A few releasable zip ties
- Headtorch
- Camera
- Watch
- Portable battery & cables
Navigation:
- Garmin Edge 500
- Maps
- Written notes
Toiletries:
- Deodorant
- Toothpaste/brush
- Wet wipes.
I probably could have done with a couple of bungee cords….although the bag had some built in, they weren’t big enough to hold onto a nice box of pastries without crushing them….bad times.
Anyway, onto the ride!
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