It would be an early start for me, one of the earliest of the trip. A symptom, perhaps, of my enthusiasm to move on to pastures new or at least to be cycling somewhere other than beside the Canal du Midi. Shortly after 7 am, I was standing at the gate of the campsite looking directly towards the rising sun. It was a moment of quiet contemplation. The previous two days had been hard work and, with Sète still 100km away, it seemed likely that today would be no different. My willingness – eagerness even – to give the towpath yet another opportunity to redeem itself was as annoying as it was bewildering. Before setting off from the UK, the Canal du Midi was firmly lodged in my mind as a highlight of the entire journey around Europe. Yet here I was just wishing for this section of the ride to be over and done with. I was annoyed with myself for having had such high expectations. I was annoyed with the authorities for not making any effort to accommodate cyclists. I was annoyed with the canal for having been built in an age when towpaths needed to be nothing more than rough paths for towing.
Le Grand Tour on a Bike Called Wanda recounts Andrew P. Sykes’ journey around France, into the Alps and down the Rhine in the summer of 2022. It is available as a paperback and as and eBook from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com (and other international Amazon sites). The paperback is also available from Waterstones or Foyles and the eBook from Apple iBooks. If you would like to gift a signed copy of the book, please complete the form below:
Le Grand Tour on a Bike Called Wanda (signed copy)
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Categories: Adventure, Cycling, Le Grand Tour, Travel
Rick bloody Stein.