Le Grand Tour: Day 36 – Toulouse To Alzonne (92km)

By on • ( 2 Comments )

Iโ€™ve seen the Pyrenees for the first time this evening. After so much relatively flat or tame topography over the past five weeks, itโ€™s good to finally have a little drama added to the landscape. They are only in silhouette, shrouded in haze and only just perceptible from the sky but they are definitely there. (Or my glasses need cleaning.) Iโ€™m in a place called Alzonne by the way, about 90km along the canal from Toulouse. Carcassonne is a further 20km to the south east.

Le Grand Tour: Day 35 – Grisolles To Toulouse (31km)

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Iโ€™m still suffering g from the mosquito bites inflicted upon me in Marickโ€™s basement on Thursday night. I really wish I had got out of the bed and killed each one of the little f*****s. Not only would I have gained great pleasure from doing so, I would not now be scratching my way through the day. Last night on the campsite near Grisolles was particularly uncomfortable. On the positive side of things, the bites are receding, slowlyโ€ฆ I need to buy some Autan. Iโ€™m already taking antihistamine tablets but the former was recommended way back in 2010 when I was the victim of a mosquito attack in Italy. I wrote a whole section in โ€˜Crossing Europeโ€ฆโ€™ about mosquitoes and their bites; I should go back and re-read it. I seem to remember there being three factors that increased your susceptibility; being pregnant, having blood group O and beer. I need to drink more wineโ€ฆ

Le Grand Tour: Day 34 – Agen To Grisolles (94km)

By on • ( Leave a comment )

I judge my WarmShowers hosts on how I provide for WarmShowers guests when I host back at home. Alas in recent years this has been less frequent. When I lived in that beautiful tourist hotspot that is, errโ€ฆ Reading, I hosted quite regularly in the summer. Since moving back to rural Yorkshire Iโ€™ve hosted just three times. In Reading I was half-way between London and Oxford or en route to the West Country. In Yorkshire, despite it being far nicer, Iโ€™m not really on anyoneโ€™s cycle route (although not very far from the Pennine Cycleway – take note!). Anyway, aside from a warm shower, I provide food, drink, Wi-Fi, clothes washing, advice, deep-tissue massageโ€ฆ Well, most of those.

Le Grand Tour: Day 33 – La Rรฉole To Agen (89km)

By on • ( Leave a comment )

There were times this morning when I thought this particular day – the whole trip perhaps – were being derailedโ€ฆ It all started by me heading over the bridge back in the direction of La Rรฉole. Oops! Wrong direction. No big problem; Iโ€™d only cycled perhaps 50 metres across the bridge and by doing so made a nice video clip (yep, you guessed it – watch the videoโ€ฆ).

Le Grand Tour: Day 32 – Bordeaux To La Rรฉole (80km)

By on • ( 6 Comments )

Thereโ€™s no mistaking that I have now arrived in the south of France. Not only has it been hot (in fairness, itโ€™s not been in the least but cold since Brittany) but there have been a long list of things that tick the Southern Europe boxes; lavender, a lizard, terracotta roofs, parched fields of crops, hilltop villages, towns that shut down in the heat of the dayโ€ฆ No cicadas yet but they will come in the next week I imagine.

Episode 056: Le Grand Tour, Part 5 – La Vรฉlodyssรฉe From Morlaix To Royan / EuroVelo 1

By on • ( 2 Comments )

The Cycling Europe Podcast continues to follow Andrew Sykes as he cycles on his โ€˜Grand Tourโ€™ of Europe. After a day off in Morlaix, Brittany, Andrew sets off cycling south along the EuroVelo 1 – known locally as the Vรฉlodyssรฉe – following a disused railway track and then the Nantes-Brest Canal before continuing along the west coast of France to La Rochelle. He takes time to explore the attractions along the way including the historic town of Josselin and, with the help of a shuttle bus for bicycles over the bridge, the World War II submarine pens in Saint-Nazaire. The music is by Rob Ainsley.

Le Grand Tour: Day 31 – Bordeaux

By on • ( Leave a comment )

A short one todayโ€ฆ and no video. Itโ€™s often tempting on a non-cycling day to plunge into full tourist mode and spend an exhausting day visiting the sites. Today I havenโ€™t done that. Iโ€™ve spent much of the day wandering aimlessly around – flรขner in French – and sorted out a few bits and pieces along the way. Iโ€™ve had the most expensive haircut of my life (I darenโ€™t admit how much but next time I will check the prices before I sit downโ€ฆ) with my developing beard shaved off (which perhaps doubled the cost), bought some replacement sandals, done my washing, sorted out my car tax and the customs issues with the GoPro (ongoing sagaโ€ฆ) and even checked on my plants back home (via a phone call with my mother). But no video. One thing I havenโ€™t yet done is edit the podcast and that is my job for the next couple of hours. It should be available by the end of the day. Still a while for you to catch up on the previous four โ€˜Grand Tourโ€™ episodes (numbers 052 to 055). Tomorrow: the Canal de la Garonneโ€ฆ

Le Grand Tour: Day 30 – Saint-Fort-Sur-Gironde To Bordeaux (44km + Ferry + 42km)

By on • ( 4 Comments )

Today was a good day. A very good day. Well, apart from the first 10km, but that aside, I loved todayโ€™s cycling. It had everything that you might want from a good cycle touring day; beautiful scenery, variety, a favourable wind, vineyards, good signage, a few nice encounters along the way, quality surfaces, an exciting destination, a laundrette and beer at the end of the day and a day off in your favourite French city to look forward to. My day could only improve if Yorkshire Television* decide to revive 3-2-1 with Ted Rogers* and Dusty Bin. On the subject of which, happy Yorkshire Day!ย