Today was the equivalent of a cycle touring spinning class. Well, mostly. Almost the entire route from Nogent-le-Rotrou to Alenรงon 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 itโs โjustโ being used by cyclists and walkers. But hey! At least itโs still in useโฆ
To answer Joe Staffordโs question (that he posted to YouTube a few moments ago) immediately; yes, itโs hot but if you take the necessary measures to protect yourself then I think youโll be fine. Joe is coming to France soon but as long as he does what we are told to do; cover up (Iโm on my second hat of the tripโฆ), plaster yourself in factor 50 (Iโm 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), youโll be fine.
Back to the writing. Iโm currently on a busy train thatโs about to set off for Le Mans. Iโll 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. Itโs 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 digressโฆ and we are off. Six bicycles it is.
CURRENT LOCATION: La Tartine, Rue de Rivoli, Paris Today the words are in the videoโฆ 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 yesterday was tick, tick, tick, today was hot, hot, hot. Yet with factor 50, a hat and plenty of fluids, Iโm surviving. Itโs not quite as hot as it was back in 2013 as I cycled along the Mediterranean – that will takes some beating – but it can be energy-sapping and Iโm glad that, for the moment at least, the terrain is forgiving.
Tick, tick, tickโฆ Basically thatโs what Iโve 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 dรฉpartement of Seine-Maritime set out to build what I consider to be an unbeatable bit of cycle-touring infrastructure, they succeeded.
CURRENT LOCATION: Dieppe If you missed anything, hereโs 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 […]
Letโs 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, imhoโฆ fleeced โฌ9 for a 50cl Leffe Blond on draft. (Thatโs a price Copenhagenโs harbour cafรฉs would be proud of.) The evidence in my favour was a menu that said the price was โฌ4.50 and that the drinks were served as 50cl or 75cl, giving the impression that it wasnโt an option for the premium Leffe to be a modest โdemie pressionโ (25cl). The drink was delivered and โฌ9 demanded. I immediately complained and walked out in digust. Well, OK, being British, I smiled and tossed a cherry โmerciโ in the waiterโs direction handing over my cash while seething internally. So whereโs the good news? Well, having visited the local tabac-cafรฉ this morning and paid the princely sum of โฌ1.50 for a coffee (all in the name of price research), Iโm back here now enjoying a 25cl draft Kronenbourg for โฌ2.80. Success!
