Le Grand Tour: Day 60 – Braubach To Hürth / Cologne (121km)

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It’s now day 61 and it’s turning out to be a ‘fun’ morning. I’m booked onto a train to Xanten from Cologne but in chaotic scenes very reminiscent of taking a train in the UK, there is some confusion regarding the train that arrived on platform 4 a few minutes ago, wouldn’t let passengers on and then scarpered. I need to change at Duisburg… I’m forcing myself into ‘zen’ mode. It might have been easier to keep cycling and take the train from a quieter station. The plan was to arrive in Xanten – famed for its Roman ruins I Iearnt last night – then cycle over the border into The Netherlands. Come back later today to find out if that ever happens or whether I’m still here in Germany. Or indeed Cologne…

Le Grand Tour: Day 59 – Gernsheim To Braubach (135km)

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Such a contrast after three tedious days of cycling. The Rhine has come back to me! It was an epic day in terms of length – 130km – but also in terms of the environment. Finally the steep-sided Rhine valley has materialised and those cliff-top castles have appeared. Today was up there with some of the best cycles of the entire summer 2022 ‘Grand Tour’ journey. Enjoy the pictures and the videos as I have little energy to add much to what you can see…

Le Grand Tour: Day 58 – Philippsburg To Gernsheim (110km)

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In the context of a two-month cycle around Europe I can put up with a few days here and there of uninspiring or troublesome cycling but I do feel for all those people who set their heart of cycling the Canal du Midi or, more pertinently to this week, from Basel to where I am now (about 20km south-west of Frankfurt). It really is keep-your-receipt stuff but unlike a pair of jeans from Marks & Spencers, you can’t take a cycling holiday back to the shop and ask for a refund.

Le Grand Tour: Day 57 – Kehl To Phlippsburg (123km)

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The best thing about day 57 is that it wasn’t day 56. That’s not to say that day 57 will go down in history as being a great day of cycling but it wasn’t anywhere near as monotonous as yesterday’s cycle. And in contrast (because it’s not all about the cycling…), yesterday evening was fun chatting with Dave from Seattle, the German chap and the French family with their very funny two boys. Tonight here in Phillipsburg it’s just me and the chap in the next tent who I saw for the first time about 30 seconds ago. He’s wearing a dressing gown and a head torch. It’s not a look that I have ever coveted on a campsite but who knows? It’s only 9pm. The evening could yet turn out to be an entertaining one…

silhouette photography of biker on top of hill

How To Choose The Best Online Bikeshop

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There are a lot of online bikeshops out there these days. How do you choose the best one for your needs? It can be tricky, but it’s definitely not impossible. In this blog post, we will discuss some factors to consider when making your decision. We’ll also provide a few tips to help make the process a little bit easier for you. So, whether you’re looking for your first bike or just need to replace an old one, read on!

Le Grand Tour: Day 56 – Kembs To Kehl (120km)

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About 80% of today was deathly dull. Why did I end up cycling the Rhine-Rhône Canal again after having cycled it north to south in 2010 and been bored just as rigid back then? I suppose it was because I ended up on the French side of the Rhine last night. Tonight’s short video is a boring one reflecting the day quite well… 

Le Grand Tour: Day 55 – Konstanz To Kembs (59km + Train + 19km)

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Basel… You almost ruined my day. More later on that score. Basel aside, today was up there with one of the best days of cycling and I’m so delighted that I’ve been able to sample at least some of the delights of the shore of the Bodensee. It was the stuff of cycling dreams; beautiful scenery, nice weather, great cycle paths, fascinating places to visit and a satisfying distance covered. It’s one of those days when you are better off not reading this drivel and just watching the video.

Le Grand Tour: Day 53 – Valendas To Buchs (83km)

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Life is getting complicated, for good reasons. I’m now in the Swiss town of Buchs and trying to plan tomorrow which will hopefully see me meet two people at either ends of the day; Ken, who is cycling 12 countries in 12 days (see his Twitter feed @highfielder80 for updates and the details of his trip) and my friend Claus (remember him from ‘Crossing Europe…’?) who I haven’t seen for many years, in Breganz, Austria in the late afternoon. I need a social secretary! I’m also hatching an interesting plan for Friday but more of that in due course…

Le Grand Tour: Day 52 – Andermatt To Valendas (62km)

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And so this pan-European odyssey enters its final phase: the Rhine Cycle Route or EuroVelo 15. But before I could crack on with that this morning, I had some sorting out of loose ends from the penultimate phase: the Rhône Cycle Route or EuroVelo 17. I completed that route yesterday upon arrival in Andermatt but this morning finished putting together the podcast about cycling the Rhône. This included inserting a chat that I had with my neighbours on the campsite at Andermatt; a couple – Rich and Becca – from West Yorkshire of all places (my neck of the woods) who had cycled some of the route as well. The podcast was published this morning from café at the train station in Andermatt but you don’t have to go that far to find it: all the links are at CyclingEurope.org/Podcast.

Episode 058: Le Grand Tour, Part 7 – La Via Rhôna / EuroVelo 17

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The Cycling Europe Podcast continues to follow Andrew Sykes as he cycles on his ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe. In this episode of the podcast he sets off from the Mediterranean resort of Sète and follows the EuroVelo 17 – the Rhône Cycle Route (known as the Via Rhôna in France) – to Andermatt, high in the Swiss Alps. Over 12 days he travels more than 1,000km from sea to source exploring the places and meeting the people as he cycles. The weather doesn’t always make life easy and there will be some challenging cycling along the way. It’s an epic podcast for an epic journey along one of Europe’s most iconic rivers but will he have the energy to climb to the Furka Pass on the final day of his cycle? The music is by Rob Ainsley.

Le Grand Tour: Day 51 – Ritzingen To Andermatt Via The Furka Pass (54km)

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I did it! I arrived in my spiritual cycling home, Andermatt, a little earlier this afternoon after a lengthy, strenuous, exhilarating and ultimately beautifully satisfying climb to the Furka Pass. I’m now celebrating with the best CHF5 bottle of wine that the local Coop could sell me accompanied with some good old bread and cheese. This is what cycle-camping is all about!

Le Grand Tour: Day 50 – Sierre To Ritzingen (74km)

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I’m running out of energy today. Not me personally but my electrical gear. In sorting out my gear last week at the €35 campsite when the heavens opened and the tent ended up hosting the 2022 Lac Léman swimming championships at the end where my feet are currently positioned, my battery pack stopped working and I inadvertently left the two cables I need to attach my phone to the front wheel dynamo hub somewhere. Although I replaced the battery pack in Aigle, I won’t be able to replace the cables. Added to this, my WarmShowers host Jean-Daniel has some very curious Swiss sockets in his house and I wasn’t able to charge anything overnight. I have 30% of charge left on this phone and my battery pack is currently being charged in the reception. That should see me through tomorrow to Andermatt. I have made today’s video but a combination of this lack of power and the Swiss love of 3G as opposed to 4G you are going to have to wait to see it until at least Monday.

Le Grand Tour: Day 49 – Aigle To Sierre (81km)

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On one level – the cycling level – it has been a pretty standard day. Dare I say boring? A flat ride, 90% off road on a good quality path beside the Rhône following the route of the EuroVelo 17 or, as it is known locally, national route 1. Sticking to just the cycling for a moment, I say ‘flat ride’… I knew I was heading uphill but couldn’t help feel that I was heading downhill. After the turn to cycle east following my brief pause in Martigny, the wind was behind me so this may have added to the sensation of cycling down a very gentle gradient but I think of more significance is the valley itself. I’ve experienced this before (although not that dubious ‘Electric Bray’ place on the west coast of Scotland where I was singularly unimpressed…) in northern Spain in 2019. There too I was cycling through a valley, knew I was cycling uphill beside a river heading in the opposite direction, but had a distinct feeling of going downhill all day. It’s the brain seeing something – the narrow valley with steep slopes on either side – and convincing the body that it is indeed what the brain sees, despite conclusive evidence to the contrary.

Le Grand Tour: Day 48 – Aigle

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As I thought I would, I have spent the day in Aigle. It rained heavily overnight, continued raining this morning and this afternoon and only decided to stop at around 3pm. It remains very overcast with the clouds hanging around the mountains that surround the town on three sides and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if we are in for more rain later today. Tomorrow morning there is a chance of rain but things are looking much brighter for the afternoon and continuing into the weekend and next week. Back to you Huw…

Le Grand Tour: Day 45 – Sault-Brénaz To Seyssel (112km)

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Running a bit late tonight. It was a long day of cycling (although not the longest) but thoroughly enjoyable. I hesitate before I say this (as I would need to think more carefully about all the others) but today was up there with one of the best days so far; not just on the Via Rhôna but on the entire cycle so far. Another celebration of bridges as you will discover if you choose to watch the video. I hold back on the Hans Zimmer score but today’s video merited it…

Le Grand Tour: Day 44 – Lyon To Sault-Brénaz (81km)

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I don’t like Mondays… Someone has beaten me to the song. I really don’t like Mondays in France as most places are closed. There is a special corner in hell for bank holidays that happen to be on a Monday in France. Today was one of the latter. Nothing open whatsoever this morning. We are celebrating the ‘Assumption of Mary’. Not being a man of religion I don’t know what Mary was assuming but perhaps it was that there might be something, somewhere that was open to buy lunch on a Monday bank holiday in France. There isn’t. Even the French are exasperated; one couple who were cycling in the opposite direction stopped me in desperation at around midday asking if I’d passed an épicerie that was open. I hadn’t. They broke down and sobbed beside the cycle path in desperation. I told them my plan was to survive on my box of peanuts until I could cook something in the evening. I scarpered as quickly as I could lest they use force in getting hold of the cacahuètes. When I did I turn to look, I could see them chasing after me using surprisingly fluent Chaucerian language vowing to prise the peanuts from my hands. The entente cordiale only goes so far… They were my peanuts. I digress.

Le Grand Tour: Day 43 – Tain L’Hermitage To Lyon (By Train)

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Caught the train to Lyon this morning. After all the heat it’s perhaps not surprising that when the rain decided to fall it put on quite an impressive thunder and lightening show. The downpour was, at times, torrential but as I stand here looking over the Rhône in the centre of Lyon, the rain has stopped, the clouds are breaking and perhaps we are in for a better afternoon.

Le Grand Tour: Day 41 – Chateauneuf-Du-Pape To Montélimar (93km)

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Today has seen some of the best cycling of the trip so far. I had, in my mind, relegated the Via Rhôna to a fill-the-gap route that I would have to endure in order to get me from the Mediterranean to the Alps. If today’s cycling is anything to go by, it’s no fill-the-gap route. Far from it… There is real geographical drama in the Rhône valley and I can only see that increasing. I (almost) feel sorry for the hoards of touring cyclists passing me heading south to that roundabout in Sète which has about as much geographical drama as your granny’s pond. I’m heading to the Alps and the drama can only intensify the further north and east I travel. After the relative disappointment of the Canal du Midi, I have embraced – and am loving – the Via Rhôna after just two days. Montélimar? Mmm… Keep reading.

Le Grand Tour: Day 40 – Montagnac To Chateauneuf-du-Pape Via Sète (77km + Train + 24km)

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Day 39 existed. I didn’t just time-warp myself from day 38 to day 40 but having met up with friends Basil and Liz in Pézenas yesterday lunchtime after having done my pit-stop tasks (washing, post office, podcast editing…) we had a very enjoyable afternoon and early evening of drinking, eating, wandering, drinking, eating and drinking. I took one picture…

Episode 057: Le Grand Tour, Part 6 – La Véloroute Des Deux Mers From Bordeaux To Sète / Canal De La Garonne & Canal Du Midi

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The Cycling Europe Podcast continues to follow Andrew Sykes as he cycles on his ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe. He has now arrived in Bordeaux at the start of the ‘Two Seas’ cycle route – La Véloroute Des Deux Mers – that will take him along the Canal de la Garonne to Toulouse and then the famous Canal du Midi to Sète on the Mediterranean coast. As he cycles he takes time to speak to the people he meets and explore the places he visits. And what will he make of the notorious Canal du Midi towpath that he encounters?

Le Grand Tour: Day 38 – Pouzols Minervois To Montagnac Via Sète (134km)

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I’’m glad to have finished the Canal du Midi section of the Canal des Deux Mers cycle route. Now in Pézenas – I’ll explain in a moment – the highlight of yesterday was cycling along the excellent voies vertes that brought me inland from Sète yesterday evening. Cycling at the end of the day is something that doesn’t often happen (the way I tend to organise my days) but the advantages of cycling at that end of the day are similar to those of early morning cycling; quieter roads, cooler temperatures and the ‘golden hour’ sunlight that washes a beautiful soft tint over the landscape. It’s also worth noting (and remembering) that the winds tend to die down in the evening. Mmm… Perhaps I should do night shifts on the bike.

Le Grand Tour: Day 37 – Alzonne To Pouzols-Minervois (71km)

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I’m on one bar of 3G tonight so getting anything uploaded aside from some good old text is very doubtful. No, more than doubtful; it won’t happen as I’m not even going to try. I’ll update this post tomorrow morning with the pictures and the video (which is ready to go!) and for anyone thinking of cycling the Canal du Midi, it really is a video you need to watch…

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

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I’ve seen the Pyrenees for the first time this evening. After so much relatively flat or tame topography over the past five weeks, it’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.) I’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)

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I’m still suffering g from the mosquito bites inflicted upon me in Marick’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, slowly… I need to buy some Autan. I’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 ‘Crossing Europe…’ 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 wine…

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

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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, err… Reading, I hosted quite regularly in the summer. Since moving back to rural Yorkshire I’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, I’m not really on anyone’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 massage… Well, most of those.

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

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

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

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There’s no mistaking that I have now arrived in the south of France. Not only has it been hot (in fairness, it’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 day… No cicadas yet but they will come in the next week I imagine.

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

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The Cycling Europe Podcast continues to follow Andrew Sykes as he cycles on his ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe. After a day off in Morlaix, Brittany, Andrew sets off cycling south along the EuroVelo 1 – known locally as the Vélodyssée – 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

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A short one today… and no video. It’s often tempting on a non-cycling day to plunge into full tourist mode and spend an exhausting day visiting the sites. Today I haven’t done that. I’ve spent much of the day wandering aimlessly around – flâner in French – and sorted out a few bits and pieces along the way. I’ve had the most expensive haircut of my life (I daren’t admit how much but next time I will check the prices before I sit down…) 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 saga…) and even checked on my plants back home (via a phone call with my mother). But no video. One thing I haven’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 ‘Grand Tour’ episodes (numbers 052 to 055). Tomorrow: the Canal de la Garonne…

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

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Today was a good day. A very good day. Well, apart from the first 10km, but that aside, I loved today’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! 

Le Grand Tour: Day 28 – Saint-Gilles-Croix-De-Vie To La Rochelle (140km)

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Google estimated the distance today at 121km. I wouldn’t normally trust Google distances when it comes to cycling but when I compared the Google route on Google Maps and the EuroVelo 1 / Vélodyssée route on Open Street Map they looked the same so I gave the Google distance a bit more credence than I normally would. How naïve am I? I tell the story in today’s video in which I’ve included some commentary.

Le Grand Tour: Day 26 – Frossay To La Bernerie-En-Retz (93km – 18km)

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Up early again this morning and almost the first off the site. I was beaten to it by a French solo cyclist, about my age who I exchanged a few words with before he set off home at the end of his week long jaunt along the Loire. The Loire à Vélo is, I suspect, what the majority of cyclists on last night’s site are there to ride. Perhaps a few for the Velodyssée but as it’s so close to the mouth of the river – about 25km – it’s a good place to set up camp at the end of day 1 taking into account you will probably have travelled from elsewhere to get to the start of the route. It’s also, of course, the start of the EuroVelo 6. I suspect (there’s a lot of suspecting going on tonight – perhaps someone can confirm) that the EuroVelo 6 is one of the most cycled routes, if not the most cycled, vying for position with the Rhine Cycle Route or EuroVelo 15. I digress…

Le Grand Tour: Day 24 – Gouarec To Rohan (68km)

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I was up early this morning (when am I not up early in a tent? I’ve said this many times before but for me it’s not a case of ‘waking up’ when I’m camping it’s a case of when to stop trying to make an effort to get back to sleep…) and was packed by 8am. My official campsite advisor Tim Sanders (who until only a few minutes ago was my ‘unofficial’ campsite advisor but as nobody else has offered their services, I’ve upgraded him to the honorary post; it’ll give him something to chat to Ed Pratt about the next time they meet at their local Park Run in Somerset. Anyway, back to the point…) …My official campsite advisor Tim Sanders messaged at 8:05 asking “Have you met Geoff?”

Le Grand Tour: Day 23 – Morlaix To Gouarec (98km)

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Today was planned to be a short cycle of 50km. In ended up being the second longest cycle yet at 98km. If nothing else, it will work wonders on the daily average which had dipped down to 75km. I need to get it back up to 80km+ to be in with a realistic chance of making it back to Rotterdam before the return ferry sets off on September 3rd.

Le Grand Tour: Day 22 – Morlaix – “If They Bite You, Bite Them Back”

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According to the bird’s eye view of Morlaix in the image below, that’s the motto of the town. Original, no? It’s been a hot day so far, despite Brittany being the cold corner of the map of France on last night’s TV forecast. I’ve returned to the hotel for a siesta… I’ll head back out soon for anothercwander. There’s a festival of all things Breton taking place in Place Allende this afternoon so I’ll perhaps update this later. In the meantime, note that episode 055 of The Cycling Europe Podcast was published this morning – part 4 of my ’Grand Tour’ series – so if you have 55 minutes to space… All the links can be found by navigating over to the podcast page of the website.

Episode 055: Le Grand Tour, Part 4 – La Vélomaritime From Mont-Saint-Michel To Morlaix / EuroVelo 4

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The Cycling Europe Podcast continues to follow Andrew Sykes as he cycles on his ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe. In this fourth part of the ’Grand Tour’ series, we follow Andrew’s progress as he rejoins the Velomaritime near Mont-Saint-Michel and cycles west along the route as far as Morlaix in Brittany. This section of his cycle sees him encounter hills for the first time since leaving Rotterdam – he even experiences his first ’Mercedes moment’ – but he still has plenty of time and energy remaining to explore the places he visits and chat with the people he meets in one of France’s most popular holiday regions. The music is by Rob Ainsley.

Le Grand Tour: Day 21 – Louannec To Morlaix (36km + Train)

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Finally writing this up… Not many will read this (as the post was published last night without any text) but it will, at least, be an aide-memoire when I later use these notes to write a book. In a way the ‘Mercedes afternoon’ I had experienced on the previous day continued until the following morning. Yes, it was a cheap, municipal campsite but it was packed to the rafters with screaming children. One particular specimen gets his / her starring role in episode 055 of The Cycling Europe Podcast which has now been published.

Le Grand Tour: Day 20 – Saint-Quay To Louannec (72km)

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The omens were not good at 8am. The campsite at Saint-Quay certainly lived up to its name by having a ‘belle vue’. Indeed my pitch – as with many others – was facing north-east and if there were no clouds, we were in for a cracking sunrise. I happened to be awake at 5am so I clamped the GoPro to its tripod and set in motion a time lapse video. Alas it was cloudy and the resulting video merely showed black clouds become grey ones. Nothing too spectacular there. However, by 8am the sun had risen and was beginning to poke through the clouds. Perhaps an opportunity to get the drone in action to capture the magic. And it did. You can see that shot at the start of today’s video.

Le Grand Tour: Day 19 – Hillion To Saint-Quay (50km)

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A shorter day – just 50km – but it helps me out when it comes to getting to Morlaix by the end of Saturday. Where I am now – a place called Saint-Quay – is about half way between Mont-Saint-Michel and Morlaix and this makes the two planned long days of cycling to Morlaix a bit shorter and hence more manageable. My average has now dipped below 80km per day but I’m sure that will be rectified as I speed along the flat(ish) lands of the Velodyssée next week.

Le Grand Tour: Day 18 – Saint-Briac-Sur-Mer To Hillion (80km)

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You are not reading this on Wednesday 20th as, yesterday evening, my 25GB of data ran out. I was expecting this to happen at some point and also expected to be able to easily purchase more data. But that’s when it got problematic. A phone call to Vodafone is on the cards when their call centre opens on Thursday morning. I suppose if all else fails I can buy a French SIM card. There’s also the matter of me having had to change my mobile number (could that be complicating things?) but that sorry tale is for another day (and probably another website…)

Le Grand Tour: Day 16 – Roz-Sur-Couesnon / Forward Planning

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Last night on the campsite there were at least seven cyclists and another four walkers in the cycling-walking section. All except me have now left and I have been joined, so far, by just two cyclists. It will be interesting to see if people are, like me, staying put for the day and not travelling in light of the extreme temperature. That said, it clearly didn’t dissuade any of my fellow campers last night. Perhaps it was something I said…

Episode 054: Le Grand Tour, Part 3 – La Véloscénie From Paris To Mont-Saint-Michel

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The Cycling Europe Podcast continues to follow Andrew Sykes as he cycles on his ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe. In this third part of the ’Grand Tour’ series, Andrew sets off along the Veloscenie cycle route from the historic city of Chartres to its fellow UNESCO World Heritage site at Mont-Saint-Michel. It’s a journey of four days with overnight stops at a dystopian municipal campsite at Nogent-le-Rotrou, Alençon and Domfront-en-Poiraie before his arrival on the north coast. He also takes time to pay a visit to the Musée du Vélo at Villeneuve-en-Perseigne. The music is by Rob Ainsley.

Le Grand Tour: Day 15 – Domfront To Mont-Saint-Michel (83km)

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If cycling along disused railways for fun (and why else would you do it?), then the Veloscenie is for you. Prior to embarking upon my Chartres to Mont-Saint -Michel section of the route (which is about 80%) I’d read that the Veloscenie connected the capital with the north coast by linking up defunct railway lines but I wasn’t expecting them to be such a dominant part of the route. It must be at least two-thirds of the total length and, in temperatures such as those provoked by this current heatwave, you couldn’t wish for a better place to cycle, the sun been screened for much of the time by the surrounding vegetation.

Le Grand Tour: Day 14 – Alençon To Domfront (73km)

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If yesterday was a spinning class of a ride, today was a spinning class with that knob below the handlebars cranked up several notches. If your route passes the ‘highest point in north-west France’ you can probably guess you’re in for an up and down day and, at gradients that a train could cope with when they plodded up and down these valleys many decades ago, that’s what happened. More disused railways – the area must once have been a maze of lines – with a handful of pencil-straight-Roman roads. More satisfying that yesterday and a much more welcoming end at a municipal campsite that breaks records. Keep reading…

Le Grand Tour: Day 13 – Nogent-Le-Rotrou To Alençon (93km)

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Today was the equivalent of a cycle touring spinning class. Well, mostly. Almost the entire route from Nogent-le-Rotrou to Alençon was off road and along a very long disused railway line. I almost felt guilty for having made all of those men work so hard 100? 200? years ago in building the railway line in the first. Now it’s ‘just’ being used by cyclists and walkers. But hey! At least it’s still in use…

Le Grand Tour: Day 12 – Chartres To Nogent-Le-Rotrou (79km)

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To answer Joe Stafford’s question (that he posted to YouTube a few moments ago) immediately; yes, it’s hot but if you take the necessary measures to protect yourself then I think you’ll be fine. Joe is coming to France soon but as long as he does what we are told to do; cover up (I’m on my second hat of the trip…), plaster yourself in factor 50 (I’m still looking very pale compared to the French), drink lots of water (my two Cycle Touring Festival bottles are drained at least three times a day) and keep eating (no problem there if you are burning lots of calories), you’ll be fine.

Le Grand Tour: Day 11 – Paris To Chartres

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Back to the writing. I’m currently on a busy train that’s about to set off for Le Mans. I’ll be getting off at Chartres, one step along the Veloscenie cycle route from Paris. Busy in terms of people, busy in terms of bicycles; the current count is six of which three are laden touring bikes. It’s a sight that would leave your average Trans Pennine Express train guard seeking counselling. There are people clambering over the bikes as they make their way down the carriages to find their seat. Now far be for me to say but if people actually worked out which carriage to get on when they are on the platform, like would be somewhat easier. Anyway, I digress… and we are off. Six bicycles it is.

Le Grand Tour: Day 10 – Dangu To Paris (101km)

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CURRENT LOCATION: La Tartine, Rue de Rivoli, Paris Today the words are in the video… LATEST CYCLING EUROPE POSTS: Subscribe to the Cycling Europe YouTube Channel Since 2009, CyclingEurope.org has established itself as a valued, FREE cycle touring resource. There’s now even a podcast, The Cycling Europe Podcast. […]

Le Grand Tour: Day 8 – Dieppe To Forges-Les-Eaux (57km)

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Tick, tick, tick… Basically that’s what I’ve spent today doing. Ticking off all the things that you might, in an ideal world, want a disused railway line, converted into a walking-cycling greenway – voie verte here in France – to have. If the département of Seine-Maritime set out to build what I consider to be an unbeatable bit of cycle-touring infrastructure, they succeeded.

Le Grand Tour: Week 1

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CURRENT LOCATION: Dieppe If you missed anything, here’s the first week in video. Enjoy! LATEST CYCLING EUROPE POSTS: Subscribe to the Cycling Europe YouTube Channel Since 2009, CyclingEurope.org has established itself as a valued, FREE cycle touring resource. There’s now even a podcast, The Cycling Europe Podcast. If […]

Le Grand Tour: Day 7 – Dieppe

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Let’s start with some good news. Upon arrival in Dieppe yesterday after a long cycle in the heat, I sat down for a beer by the harbour and was, imho… fleeced €9 for a 50cl Leffe Blond on draft. (That’s a price Copenhagen’s harbour cafés would be proud of.) The evidence in my favour was a menu that said the price was €4.50 and that the drinks were served as 50cl or 75cl, giving the impression that it wasn’t an option for the premium Leffe to be a modest ‘demie pression’ (25cl). The drink was delivered and €9 demanded. I immediately complained and walked out in digust. Well, OK, being British, I smiled and tossed a cherry ‘merci’ in the waiter’s direction handing over my cash while seething internally. So where’s the good news? Well, having visited the local tabac-café this morning and paid the princely sum of €1.50 for a coffee (all in the name of price research), I’m back here now enjoying a 25cl draft Kronenbourg for €2.80. Success!

Le Grand Tour: Day 6 – Saint-Quentin-En-Tourmon To Dieppe (96km)

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Phew! What a scorcher… And it’s apparently going to get hotter. I daubed myself three times today with factor 50 but I’ll be investing in a cap of some description tomorrow (as well of more supplies of the sun cream). Yet I’m staying well hydrated and fed by the French. Today’s food has all come courtesy of the toil of French labour; pastries from the boulangerie in Le Crotoy, fruit from a market in the same town and now a three-course meal in Dieppe at a restaurant called Le Sully. So far – a starter of smoked salmon and herring on a bed of new potatoes – so good, but I’ll update you as the meal progresses… I feel like Rick Stein without a film crew (and a bicycle).

Le Grand Tour: Day 5 – Oye-Plage To Saint-Quentin-en-Tourmont (91km)

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A day to remember… Some of you may think that politics has no place on a website such as this. Yet I disagree. A head of government represents the country. He or she is not seen by those in other countries as a Tory or a socialist or a liberal or whatever. They are simply an embodiment of what the ‘majority’ are thinking. (Majority! Well, not in our archaic first-past-the-post system but that’s another argument.) So when I meet people and ask them what they think of our prime minister, it’s embarrassing to be told that he is thought of as an ‘idiot’ or ‘joker’ because in a small way they are saying that about me and you. We, collectively, gave him the power. I never voted for him but I am part of the system that did. I am glad that he will soon be gone. I watched him speak live on my phone this lunchtime. Just as he finished, I passed in front of a magnificent hotel in Le Touquet called… Le Westminster. Everyone, irrespective of the politics, should be glad that he will soon be replaced.

Le Grand Tour: Day 4 – Ostend To Oye-Plage (94km)

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Is he still there? By the time you read this (posting is going to be delayed until Thursday morning due to the lack of a good mobile signal) he may well have been dragged out of Downing Street, kicking and screaming. Last night I had the pleasure of staying with a WarmShowers host in the outskirts of Ostend. He has lead the development of a co-housing project and he now lives on a large plot of land not far from the airport along with 17 other families – around 70 people in total – with separate homes but shared facilities. It’s a real village and it was wonderful to spend a few hours last night in their company talking about the development, the motivation for creating such a place and the practical advantages of doing so. (There are many – I’ll list them in the book!) I spent much of the evening chatting to a retired firefighter called Michel and the subject moved on to politics. I asked him what people in general thought of Boris Johnson in Belgium. “A joke” was his response… 

Le Grand Tour: Day 3 – Vlissingen To Ostend (63km)

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This trip is turning out to have more ferries than a cycle up the west coast of Norway. Another two today; at the start from Vlissingen to Breskens and a short one at the end across the harbour in Ostend. I think, however, that may be it for the time being. Sandwiched between the two boats was a 69km cycle along the coast to Ostend and it was somewhat different to what I had expected…

Le Grand Tour: Day 2 – Ouddorp To Vlissingen (64km)

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I’m coming to the conclusion that The Netherland is one big engineering project. Today was dominated by the dams and dykes of the west coast. I was told yesterday- I think it was Professor Matthias – that a dam is a barrier between water and water and a dyke is a barrier between water and land. I couldn’t quite work out if the barriers upon which I cycled were dams or dykes as although most separated the sea from the land, the land itself was fully of large lakes. Answers on a postcard. (Or in a comment…)

Le Grand Tour: Day 1 – The Hook Of Holland To Ouddorp (32km + 41km)

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Today could have just the 41km, or thereabouts, and it nearly was. My journey will, hopefully, end at The Hook of Holland, which is just opposite where the P&O ferry berthed this morning. A circular journey should really start and finish at the same iconic spot. The P&O ferry terminal probably isn’t that place so I decided to head to the Hook of Holland. Easier said than done as, although very close to ferry terminal as the crow flies, no where near if you need to cycle there. Hence the extra 32km, but I’m glad I did it.

Le Grand Tour: Day 0 – Halifax To Hull (17km)

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Welcome to Le Grand Tour! I can’t decide whether the cycle officially started in Halifax when I shut my front door behind me or whether it will start when I get to the Hook of Holland tomorrow. I’ve compromised and called this ‘first’ day, ‘Day 0’. Now I think about it, that’s not a compromise is it? Oh well…

Le Grand Tour: T-1 Day – Packed!

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I am packed! I can thoroughly recommend gradually gathering your kit together in your living room in the ​weeks before the off. The packing process is much easier and all those ‘have I remembered…?’ questions have (hopefully) been answered well before the off. As for the clichéd ‘kit pic’ I’ve taken a slightly different approach, as you can see below. I set off tomorrow lunchtime; train from Halifax to Hull and then the overnight ferry to Rotterdam…

Le Grand Tour: T-2 Days

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Just a couple of days to go to the off. I’m almost there, I think, with the preparation. The bike has been returned from its service, the kit assembled (if not packed), the last-minute purchases (nuts…) made, the train ticket to Hull booked, accommodation for the first three nights (four including the overnight ferry) sorted… All that remains is two days of procrastination (and a bit mor Wimbledon and wine). I finish work for the summer later today.

Northern France: Julian Ralph (2022) And His Grandfather (1940)

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A few weeks ago I chatted to Julian Ralph for The Cycling Europe Podcast. He had plans to cycle in the footsteps of his grandfather who, in 1940, had been evacuated from northern France at the start of the Second World War. This was planned as a ‘before’ and ‘after’ conversation. The ‘after’ conversation will be published as part of episode 052 of The Cycling Europe Podcast that will be recorded and edited on the ferry from Hull to Rotterdam next weekend. But in anticipation of that podcast – which will include my pre-trip thoughts about cycling around France, Switzerland and Germany during July and August – here is Julian talking about his plans for his four-day trip around northern trip…

Le Grand Tour: T – 1 Week – The Calm Before The Sun, Hopefully

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Now getting to the pointy end of the planning. Just a week to go before I set off on the ferry from Hull, destination Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany and a return to The Netherlands and Rotterdam in early September. My mind has been on other things in recent days as I’ve been away for a few days, not on the bike, but with 120 12-year-old pupils on a school trip to the YHA hostel near Ambleside on the shores of Lake Windermere. An idyllic location. Well, it was before we arrived in our two coaches. The peace was somewhat disturbed by the inevitable noise but everything went to plan, including the weather which was sublime (until Thursday evening when it decided to chuck it down…)

The Kit Required To Blog, Video And Podcast Around Europe

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Here’s a post that some will love but others with loathe… I’ve been gathering together my kit for Le Grand Tour for a few days now and there will, inevitably, be a rather clichéd picture of it all laid out on the floor (see previous big trip kit posts ad nausea…). Look out for that perhaps the day before I set off on July 2nd. It will be the usual standard stuff; tent, sleeping bag, packet of spaghetti (“You do know they have dried spaghetti in France don’t you…” some wag will quip)… But what usually gets lost in those photos is the electronic kit that, increasingly, seems to be standard. Although many will disagree…

The Cycling Europe Podcast: Episode 051 – Freewheeling In France With Lyn Eyb

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France is a top destination for cycle tourists and, with its great diversity of landscapes – from windswept cliffs in the north to vast swathes of forest in the west to sun-drenched villages in the south to vertiginous climbs in the east – it has (almost) everything that a traveller on a bicycle might want to discover. Lyn Eyb from FreeWheelingFrance.com has been exploring and writing about France ever since she arrived in the country over a decade ago. She shares her thoughts with The Cycling Europe Podcast and takes time to answer listeners’ questions about the practical aspects of being a cyclist in France.

Episode 051: Freewheeling In France With Lyn Eyb

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France is a top destination for cycle tourists and, with its great diversity of landscapes – from windswept cliffs in the north to vast swathes of forest in the west to sun-drenched villages in the south to vertiginous climbs in the east – it has (almost) everything that a traveller on a bicycle might want to discover. Lyn Eyb from FreeWheelingFrance.com has been exploring and writing about France ever since she arrived in the country over a decade ago. She shares her thoughts with The Cycling Europe Podcast and takes time to answer listeners’ questions about the practical aspects of being a cyclist in France.

green grass field

Le Grand Tour: T – 3 Weeks (Or Thereabouts)

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After a spell of poor weather, summer seems to have finally arrived in the UK. A sign of things to come on the continent in July and August? The blast of warm air has come from the south – it always does I suppose – and I am hopeful of decent weather as I head off along Le Grand Tour. But I’m not counting my poulets just yet. The last time I mentioned Le Grand Tour back on June 5th, I was still somewhat uncertain as to when I would be catching the ferry but as of a few days ago, the date has been confirmed as July 2nd. With a return scheduled for the night of September 3rd, I will have nine weeks to achieve my objective of cycling around France, then to Andermatt in Switzerland and finally north along the Rhine back to where I started at the Hook of Holland. And I’m finally getting excited about the prospect of doing so…

France / French: Preparing For The Next Podcast

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At 9am this morning – Sunday 12th – I’m going to record a chat with Lyn Eyb of FreewheelingFrance.com. It’s the second attempt to do this this week as on Thursday evening the Internet connection was so poor that we abandoned it as a bad job. Hopefully by choosing 9am on a Sunday morning, the Internet will be a little less clogged up with people watching Netflix, downloading games etc… Anyway, my discussion with Lyn will form the basis of the next episode of The Cycling Europe Podcast – episode 051 – and I’ve been doing a bit of preparation…

‘Cycling Stuff’: Hostels In Scotland And Great British Gravel Rides

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Having a presence online, as I do, can create a rather skewed image of the person writing this. The books, podcasts, films, social media etc… don’t help in this regard. I dare say some of you think I lead a rather different life to the one that I actually experience myself. Yesterday, a colleague in the school where I toil asked if my work as a teacher subsidised the ‘cycling stuff’ or the other way around. I broke the news gently that, without my income from cajoling the 11 to 18-year-olds of my small town in West Yorkshire into engaging with the educational process, I would be living on the streets. Perhaps one day the ‘cycling stuff’ will be the bread winner and the teaching a nice add-on. For the time being however…

Le Grand Tour: T – 1 Month (Or Thereabouts…)

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So, with The Way of the Roses trip over, the podcast published and the film released, and the Platinum Jubilee events nearly finished, my mind is turning to this summer’s trip to the continent; a ferry to The Netherlands, turn right at the Hook of Holland, along the coast of The Netherlands and Belgium, around France, into Switzerland and back to Rotterdam via the Rhine.

Cycling The Way Of The Roses: The Film (Premiere)

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If you are reading this before 7pm on Thursday 2nd June 2022 you are invited to a film premiere tonight at 7pm! That doesn’t happen every day, does it? It’s the film that I’ve made about my recent cycle along the Way of the Roses from Morecambe to York. If you are reading this after 7pm tonight well, your invite to the premiere is no longer valid, sorry. But you can, of course, still watch the film in all its 4K glory below. Don’t forget that you can get the full story of the three days of cycling across the Pennines by listening to episode 50 of The Cycling Europe Podcast. Full details below.

The Cycling Europe Podcast: Episode 050 – Cycling The Way Of The Roses

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To celebrate its 50th episode, Andrew P. Sykes takes The Cycling Europe Podcast out on the cycle path and travels from Morecambe on Lancashire’s west coast to the county’s historical capital at Lancaster, across the Pennines and through Yorkshire via Settle and Ripon, completing his trip in that county’s historical capital at York. The Way of the Roses is a route of contrasting landscapes and, at times, challenging terrain; join Andrew (and his bicycle Wanda) as they spend three days following one of northern England’s most popular cycle routes.

Episode 050: Cycling The Way Of The Roses

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To celebrate its 50th episode, Andrew P. Sykes takes The Cycling Europe Podcast out on the cycle path and travels from Morecambe on Lancashire’s west coast to the county’s historical capital at Lancaster, across the Pennines and through Yorkshire via Settle and Ripon, completing his trip in that county’s historical capital at York. The Way of the Roses is a route of contrasting landscapes and, at times, challenging terrain; join Andrew (and his bicycle Wanda) as they spend three days following one of northern England’s most popular cycle routes. The music is composed and played by Rob Ainsley. More of Rob’s music can be found on his website e2e.bike.

Coming Soon: The Film And The Podcast Of The Roses

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Now back home in West Yorkshire after my-day trip across the Pennines from Morecambe / Lancaster to York. It was a fun weekend with varied terrain; flat by the sea, beautiful gentle-sloping valleys, sharp climbs, even-sharper descents and then the flatlands of the Vale of York. Many of you will have been following the posts that were published here on the website in recent days – you can find them linked to below if you missed them – but there will also be a podcast and a longer film that uses the majority of the video that it wasn’t possible to use in the short films I managed to edit in the tent at the end of each day, including much more footage from the air, in glorious 4K.

The Way Of The Roses: Day 4

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It was flat and it was a tale of two cities; Ripon and York. A functional day of cycling but enjoyable nevertheless. The route was a turney-twisty​ one sending me in most directions; east, south, north… but never west. With a wind from the south-west, I invariably had to fight against it, rewarded at the next turn with the push of the gusts.

The Way Of The Roses: Day 3

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Anything that followed yesterday morning’s bucolic ride through the Lune Valley / Forest of Bowland was always going to come second in the rankings, especially when there are so far only two contenders for ‘morning of the trip’ ride. That said, it was still a good one. A short ride from the campsite in Horton-in-Ribblesdale (very highly recommended) to Settle (where the service and food at the Singing Kettle Café and the fact that it was open at 9am on a Sunday morning also deserve placing in Cycling Europe’s ‘highly recommended’ category).

The Way Of The Roses: Day 2

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Or, if you a pedant (many are…), the first day of cycling the route. After the short cycle back from Red Bank Farm Campsite to the seafront at Morecambe, I picked up the scent of The away of the Roses and have been following it like a blood hound all day.

The Way Of The Roses: Day 1, Part 2

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So here I am in Morecambe. I’ve pedalled just over 30km but made zero progress along the route of The Way of the Roses. However, this was never part of the plan for day 1 of this trip. Train to Morecambe, explore Morecambe, pitch tent at campsite near Morecambe. In a nutshell, that’s what happened.

The Way Of The Roses: Day 1, Part 1

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I think it’s fair to say that the Northern Trains service from Leeds to Morecambe isn’t one of the operators premium routes. I’m currently standing next to a bin in the area reserved for bicycles. Wanda, my bike is under careful observation as she is jolted from side to side in perfect synchronisation with the movement of the carriage. There is no warning of when a jolt might fling the poor bicycle from its resting place in the direction of the toilet just opposite. I am posed to pounce if needs be…

Desert Island Cycling: Dervla Murphy

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The death of cycling travel writer Dervla Murphy was announced yesterday. She was 90 and had lived a full life. She lived in Lismore, Ireland and when I attended the Lismore Festival of Travel Writing a few years ago, the locals spoke fondly of her. Her house in […]

How To Customize Your Electric Off-Road Bike For Better Performance

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Electric bikes are the go-to rides of people who roam around cities while minimizing expenses and improving fitness. In many cases, e-bikes are flexible and easy to use. They also come in various types, lengths, and sizes. Today, one of the up-and-coming e-bikes catching the market by storm is the electric off-road bike. Suppose you’re planning to buy an electric off-road bike anytime soon. In that case, you may need to know how to use and set it up to maximize its performance. In addition, you also need to learn what to adjust or replace to make the most of the eco-friendly ride. For that purpose, here’s an article to guide you. So, read on!

Le Grand Tour 2022: The Inevitable Animated Map

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Subscribe to the Cycling Europe YouTube Channel Visit the dedicated Grand Tour page of CyclingEurope.org to find out more about the planned 2022 cycle along some of western Europe’s most iconic cycle routes. Since 2009, CyclingEurope.org has established itself as a valued, FREE cycle touring resource. There’s now […]

The Cycling Europe Podcast: Episode 049 – Cycling Slovakia End To End With Rob Ainsley

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Writer, cyclist – and now composer – Rob Ainsley is the master of the cycling ‘end-to-end’: Britain, France, Spain, Poland, Cuba… and now Slovakia, west to east. He chats to The Cycling Europe Podcast about his recent journey across the country, its people, its places… and its beer. He also takes time to reflect upon the attractions of the end-to-end cycle and reveals the name of the country that he believes is home to the definitive end-to-end. We also hear two of Rob’s compositions for guitar, inspired by his travels on a bicycle, and zebras…  

Episode 049: Cycling Slovakia End To End With Rob Ainsley

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Writer, cyclist – and now composer – Rob Ainsley is the master of the cycling ‘end-to-end’: Britain, France, Spain, Poland, Cuba… and now Slovakia, west to east. He chats to The Cycling Europe Podcast about his recent journey across the country, its people, its places… and its beer. He also takes time to reflect upon the attractions of the end-to-end cycle and reveals the name of the country that he believes is home to the definitive end-to-end. We also hear two of Rob’s compositions for guitar, inspired by his travels on a bicycle, and zebras…   All of Rob’s music can be found on his website e2e.bike.     

The Cyclists’ Special Excursion To Rugby: Plus Ça Change…

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I think this film may have featured on CyclingEurope.org is the dim, distant past – there are nearly 4,000 posts on the site! – but it’s worth sharing again. A period piece if ever there was one made in 1955, complete with plummy narrator dishing out the British Rail propaganda. Alas the British obsession with hanging bikes in trains is nothing new. At least back in the 50’s they seem to have been allocated plenty of space, in stark contrast to the horror of the modern Azuma trains…

Coast To Coast: The Way Of The Roses – The Plan

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Before heading off to the continent in early July, I’d like to take the bike out for a shortish camping trip over three or four days. So, following on from the discussion I was having with myself a few weeks ago regarding completing one of the coast-to-coast cycling routes here in northern England, I’ve decided to take the train over to Morecambe in Lancashire and cycle east along the Way of the Roses from Lancaster to York. I may continue as far as Flamborough (the end of the route) but we’ll see how that goes at the time. As far as York will be planned, anything after York unplanned.

How To Prepare For An Off-Road Cycling Adventure

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Off-road cycling, also known to others as ‘bikepacking’, is a thrilling activity for those who enjoy basking in nature’s beauty. Experienced adventurers know this well, but novices may feel nervous about hopping on a bike and going on an adventure somewhere new. If you’re going off-road cycling for the first time, it’s vital to plan beforehand to ensure a safe and fun ride. Even if you’ve done it several times, it’s always good to have a refresher. So, before you go off on a journey on rough terrain, read this list of bikepacking essential tips:

A Wanda Around Europe, Explained

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Earlier today some of you must have been scratching your heads just a little upon seeing the Twitter post or the Facebook post or the Instagram post relating to my decision to ‘tweak’ the route of my upcoming cycle around the Baltic Sea. It is, admittedly, one hell of a tweak. So much of a tweak in fact that the only remaining part of that planned Baltic Sea Cycle that remains in the new planned cycle is the rather short journey from the ferry port in Rotterdam to the Hook of Holland. And yes, even that section is nowhere near the Baltic Sea. The new route will see me not turn left upon arrival in The Netherlands but turn right in the direction of Belgium, then France, then (after quite a while) through Switzerland, then Germany before finally returning to the Hook of Holland and my return journey across the North Sea to Hull. Mmm… Perhaps ‘tweak’ might not have been the most appropriate of words. So why the change?