Back dans les Bacs

Once again the huge interval between blog posts makes the whole process of re-starting quite daunting and difficult. However, there is eventually a purpose behind this new attempt and that's to appraise anyone who might be interested of our general plans for the Summer. But before all that we must go back to (briefly) fill in the gap between last September and now (literally the whole Winter).

We ran a cake stall on Tewkesbury Farmer's market a couple of times, which was quite fun, not profitable in the least, and probably unnecessarily hard work. Whilst there Rach appeared on the local BBC radio, which was lots of fun.

Once Christmas was over and done with, we went to the Alps for two weeks snowboarding.
 
For the first week we returned to Peisey-Vallandry in the tiny yellow car and hammered the old stomping ground. This was after a 19 hour non-stop (except for the ferry) drive to Annecy. Fortunately it snowed all the first day which, whilst making the first Saturday's 'boarding a bit rubbish, set a good base for the rest of the week. It was then gloriously sunny, and probably a bit too warm, every day. A lovely time was had by all, and the tiny yellow car proved beyond all doubt that it was as awesome on fresh snow as it is on tarmac. Who needs chains? Chumps, that's who. Oh, and we had a bit of a dress-up on the last day. I was a dragon. Rach was a monkey. It certainly amused people, and made us quite popular.

 The second week we mostly spent living in the valley near Grenoble and visiting a couple of other resorts, namely Chamrousse and Les Sept Lacs. On both occasions there was an extreme surfeit of snow causing much hilarity. In Chamrousse there was half a metre of "pow" on the pistes. It made for some serious leg-work. Mucho mucho fun-time though.

Later we went to Grand Bornand near Annecy, which again had massive snow, and enjoyed their pistes. Whilst traversing a severely off-camber, off-piste/on-piste, foliage-strewn red run (yes, apparently these things exist), I managed to snap off one of the screws on my bindings. I therefore spent the last two hours riding a board secured primarily by two thin tassles removed from my jacket zips. It was a bit loose. Still fun though. God I love snowboarding.

We then drove back via Epernay. That is the abridged version of our Alpine holiday.

Now we're, once again and in addition to our day-jobs, promoting the fun and wonderful Sunshine Festival. This year we're looking forward to The Beat, whose hits include "Tears of a Clown" and "Mirror in the Bathroom." I also want to see Boney M's "Ma Baker," Dr & the Medics' "Spirit in the Sky," The Sweet's "Block Buster" and literally nothing by The Blow Monkeys. Really can't wait for the festival itself, 'cause if it's half as much fun as last year it'll be great.

That edges me towards the plans for the Summer. As a result of our intensive promoing regime we don't actually have that much time. Regardless, we've decided to take on a few physical and mental (mental, chicken oriental) challenges. Hopefully, as a result, we might earn a few extra quid for the very worthwhile charities we've been supporting. One of these charities has become even more significant to us as Moomah B has just worked at Honour Village Cambodia for six months, is still overseeing their social work programme, and will be returning at some point in the not-too-distant future.

We've recently run a couple of organised 10km races, and I had a go at an absurdly windy duathlon (run-cycle-run) in preparation for our Summer of challenges. I know. We did actual 10km runs in mere preparation. And me, with my body made entirely of chicken bones, broken glass and pain sensation. Anyway the current list of exciting challenges is as follows:

May

• 10km Bulmers Bash off-road run
• Tewkesbury 1/2 Marathon (Rach) & 10km run (Sam)

June

• Malvern 10km run

July

• Midweek Monster Duathlon (total 6 miles running, 20 miles cycling to be done as a relay)
• 10km Dirtrun off-road run

There are also a few others that we intend to enter, but won't be able to confirm until nearer the time. So the list is only likely to increase. Suffice to say we'll be busting a gut (probably literally in my case) to complete some proper challenges in the little precious free-time we have.

Also, we're hoping to line-up a truly mind-bendingly stupid event in September which will be announced in due course. It wouldn't be Team Snow without some crazy, half-baked idea where preparation is key, but conversely sadly lacking.

So that's the update. My intention is to blog with the results of these things and at any interesting juncture throughout the Summer. Expect tales of interest!

T+30: Ashbourne to Manchester

Well there you go. We only went and bloody did it.

The back tyre was flat again in the morning: new inner tube, new puncture, no idea how. So I put the old one back on. No tyre trouble for 900 miles then something new every day and three wheel changes (and not the "easy" front wheel, oh no).

After the maintenance at the campsite, the rest of the morning/early afternoon was spent climbing into the clouds of the Peak District. This was tiring and unnecessarily hard work. However, once we'd got past Leek it all got a bit easier. We had some lunch at a Tesco in Macclesfield and simply rode back through Stockport to Manchester. There we stopped at The Didsbury pub for a celebratory pint of cider and tried to make some sense of the epic journey we'd just completed. To be honest, it's a bit difficult to understand or quantify. You spend each day just trying to deal with the distance, navigational issues, bike maintenance, prevailing (shit) weather and complete absence of campsites that you fail to comprehend exactly how far you've gone. Sitting outside the pub was all a bit strange, as is the thought that we don't have to cycle any more. It will probably take a while to sink in.

I think it's quite impossible to explain exactly how difficult, stressful, dirty, annoying, uncomfortable and, obversely, wonderful the ride was overall. So here are some things I am able to quantify at this stage:

1110 miles travelled overall - this was by no means the most direct route from Plan Peisey to Manchester, and included any number of intentional and accidental detours (like shopping, getting lost, following errant cycle paths, and Belgium). It's quite a long way.

31 days total travel time - including three rest days (at Troyes, Dijon and Gent) and one we-can't-go-anywhere-'cause-it's-pissing-it-down-again day at Bar-Le-Duc.

35.8 miles average daily total (41.1 miles excluding rest days).

77.18 miles longest day - from Canterbury to Bishop's Stortford, a day which included a ride on a ferry and plenty of long (but admittedly rarely very steep) climbs.

57.52 miles average for complete days in England (from Canterbury onwards).

10.5-11 stone - apparently what I weigh now after 5 months of work and one month of pretty intense cycling. I've not weighed that little since I was about 13. That's the same as a bag of sugar, or a leprechaun.

£1,444 - the total raised on the charity website when we arrived back in Manchester. It is not too late to sponsor us and support Oxfam, Wateraid, Cancer Research UK, Disability Snowsport UK, and Honour Village Cambodia. We'd really like to smash the £1,500 mark and make the whole experience even more worthwhile. Please please please go straight to  

www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/snow

and donate a couple of pounds. It would be hugely appreciated and all goes to excellent organisations.

I don't really know what else to add. Again, there are so many unquantifiable things that have made the trip more, or less, difficult than it probably should have been in some respects. We were really quite unprepared (especially in terms of the gear we took with us) but somehow managed to complete the journey anyway (with any further outlay of capital on vital items). If anyone ever has the urge to do long-distance cycling, on a tandem perhaps, or simply on the continent, there're probably a number of things we could help you with. Just ask, we've got loads of added/pointless knowledge now. It's strange, but you see "normal" cyclists and just feel a bit sorry for them 'cause they might never know the combined joy and pain of real adventure touring. But that's what it was, an adventure. We gave ourselves a fighting chance of completing the trip, despite our lack of preparation, and managed it. Go Team Snow!

I hope you've enjoyed the blog, I've spent almost as many hours writing it as actually cycling. I'm sure we'll be doing more adventuring soon, as soon as we've figured out what to do next, and we'll keep you informed via this medium. Feel free to donate to the Team Snow charity website at any time; it is a very easy and effective way of giving to the five charities outlined so we plan to keep it running indefinitely.

T+30 - Ashbourne to Manchester - 50.08 miles

Plan Peisey (French Alps) to Manchester (UK) - 1110 miles / 31 days

T+25: Dunkirk to Canterbury (England)

Having finally got the blog up-to-date, and had a few last day treats from the French supermarket this was to be our last part-day in France. We gave ourselves two hours to get to the ferry terminal some 14km away. This was almost not enough time. First we conspired to get repeatedly lost in the immediate vicinity of the F1 hotel we had just left, then the wind was hard and directly in our faces. It was all rather stressful.

But we did get to the ferry on time. We had both bought "bicycle passenger" tickets with DFDS (but separately as the website didn't understand two people being on one bike or even the idea of two cyclists riding together) and this worked fine; although we did have two notices to put on the bike. The lady at the ticket booth had never seen a tandem come through the terminal before. Also the scouse customs lady was very amused by our exploits. It has been nice that so many people have expressed amusement or enjoyment in our tandem, often as we simply pass by; there has been lots of waving, smiling, incomprehensible messages in French/Flemish and general double-takes. Fortunately we're generally moving too quickly for them to notice that we're wearing plastic bags on our feet over our socks.

We queued up with all the cars, and were given our own cycle rack section on the boat. The ferry itself was lovely and quite impressive considering you've only got a two hours trip to enjoy it. We spent our last Euros on a coffee and hot chocolate and watched as we sailed away from the continent. Having lived away from England for nearly 6 months, it was actually quite nice to be heading back. This feeling was probably due to the almost endless toil we'd been enacting since our departure, but it certainly gave us new impetus to "finish the job."

Unfortunately, although it was a beautiful day in Dover, as we got onto the A2 it became horrible. Welcome to England, its freezing cold rain and dual carriageways. The ride down the A2 was unnecessarily cold, wet and frightening. There were not any other options, but fortunately we managed to put off at some point before Canterbury and use a quieter road. Tip to the uninitiated: when cycling in England avoid dual carriageways where possible, there are just too many cars/articulated lorries and they all drive too fast and close.

We stayed at a really lovely Youth Hostel in Canterbury, mostly because we were soaking wet, then the sun came out! It was full of Dutch kids by evening, so it felt like being back in Flemish Belgium again. Had a quick look around Canterbury, which was quite nice and full of Belgian restaurants (??), found a nice (and fairly reasonable) chip shop and went back to the YHA for dinner. Hooray for fish and chips.

T+25 - Dunkirk to Canterbury - 31.71 miles 

T+24: Ypres to Dunkirk (France)

Yesterday, the 14th May 2013, we travelled from Ypres to Dunkirk (I know, we are finally up-to-date). It wasn't half as bad as the day before, the distance was much shorter and there was much less wind. We went through Poperinge (or Pops as it was known) which is also very nice. We had a couple of instances of freezing rain, one within the first mile, but managed to shelter next to Ypres Cloth Hall and a bus stop in the middle of nowhere respectively.

It was nice to get back into France, to ride on the roads and make some proper progress. In the evening we stopped at an F1 hotel in the back end of Dunkirk and had a celebratory cheese sandwich with Belgian beers. We had cycled the breadth of Belgium and the length of France, and now we only have a short trip across the city to the ferry port. It's a bit strange to think of the distance we've already covered, knowing we (just) have to do a couple of hundred miles in England to finish off.

It's a bit sad to be leaving France, but slightly exciting to be going across the channel after 6 months abroad. It'll be very odd to cycle on the wrong side of the road again. I'm just really hoping the weather improves and we can finally put in some proper miles, like we know we can. It's a bit of a shame I've not managed to include more in this blog about the continent, 'cause a lot has happened that I periodically forget. But that'll be for chatting about over a pint of cider I'm sure.

T+24 - Ypres to Dunkirk - 33.8 miles (790 miles overall)

T+19: Givet to Rhisnes (Belgium)

The day started with the standard changeable sky and threat of rain, but we started off with the intention of doing the best we could. We prepare most days for incredibly wet weather. This means putting plastic bags and socks on our feet in a variety of combinations and wrapping everything we own in small white, and large black, bags. This day was different though, because we were going into Belgium.

The sun'll come out in Belgium, bet your bottom dollar that in Belgium, the sun will shine.
It's a beautiful day, in Belgium, it may be raining everywhere but Belgium, but that's just fine.

So we crossed the border into real sunshine. This was not the only difference, however, as the roads immediately deteriorated simultaneously. The trip along the Meuse remained beautiful however, with the green hills dropping straight into the river. The wind had picked up a little and, with the poorly-maintained roadway, served to slow us down a touch, but we didn't mind 'cause of the genuine warm weather. The first major place we reached was Dinant, which was absolutely gorgeous. Due to only having a map of France, and the overlap into Belgium running out just before Namur (Namen), we had set ourselves a fairly low target. This was more than justified, however, as we needed to do some serious research into how possible cycling around Belgium would be.

After Dinant, we passed through Anhee and Profondville. We couldn't get anything to eat because (like the French the day before) the Belgians were having a public holiday. Standard rule applies: if you want something, everything will be shut. We got into Namur in good time and treated ourselves to (cheap) Falafel from a snack bar. It was amazing! One of those foods we've missed for months, and served with loads of salad and mayonnaise. Yum! Oh, Namur was a pretty nice town too, with lots of little restaurants and pedestrianised areas. The Belgians have a strange approach to cyclists, which was partly revealed in the fact that bikes can go the "wrong way" down most one-way streets.

We then climbed (apparently Belgium does have hills) out of Namur, to Rhisnes. This was the last place we had internet, but we had no chance to blog, due to the pressing necessity to find out as much about Belgium, her road system, weather and campsites as possible before going "off the map."

Obviously, everything in Rhisnes was shut, so we ate some left-over bread and a bit of chocolate. Thank God for our delicious lunch.

A couple of things of note that we spotted along the way:
A bread vending machine - we've seen one of these before, in a French town where there's no boulangerie. Absolutely brilliant. We've also seen a vending machine for flowers.
A swimming pool made from a large cargo boat - it was dug into the ground, but kept all of its boatness. Incroyable.
We passed the 600 miles mark..

T+19 - Givet to Rhisnes (outside Namur) - 37.65 miles

T+18: Charleville-Mezieres to Givet

So, where were we? Oh yeah, cycling. We were all sitting in C-M with a pretty bleak weather forecast in front of us. Our chosen path took us up a long and winding cycle path into something of a promontory that pokes into Belgium's soft underbelly. This continued to follow the Meuse river, which we had been keeping close to from Bar-Le-Duc.
 
To continue the running theme, the day was wet. Very wet. Fortunately, the cycle path was excellent and we were smahing along at around 19mph for most of it. Also, it was just about warm enough (when traelling at full pelt) to allow us to keep going. Despite all of our planning the previous evening, we actually managed to conquer the whole Voie Verte in a single day. This was yet another massive achievement in an expedition of great endeavours. The cycle path follows, in the main, the old river towpath and the valley is absolutely gorgeous with some pretty little towns. Having passed through a particularly drippy tunnel at Revin, the ugliest of these towns by some distance, we stopped there in the only place open for miles for a drink and (obversely) to get a touch drier. We also passed through the lovely Fumay, the two Vireuxs and I'd-live-there-if-it-wasn't-so-close-to-a-nuclear-power-plant-that-creates-a-huge-constant-shroud-of-clouds Chooz. The latter village had some sort of fete which was being packed up, probably because of the unseasonably inclement weather.

We finally got to Givet, the last bastion of pure Frenchness before Belgium, found some food and the cheapest municipal campsite in the world and settled in for the evening. Givet's quite lovely too, with hotels, a fort and everything.

The cycle route was beautiful despite the rain. If the sun had been out, it would've probably been spectacular. It was also really well maintained, flat and generally quick. I just wish the rain hadn't been running down my face the whole time. The most difficult thing is judging how much more you can withstand before depression or hyperthermia sets in. Fortunately, on this day, we got it just right.
As per usual, once the tent was up, the rain stopped. This helped with shopping. But, also as per usual, the weather got worse again at bedtime (around 8pm) when a huge storm started with massive lightning and thunder.

In some ways a great day. We were definitely "doing it" today; smashing the miles, dealing with adverse conditions and yet seeing an amazing area. Shame the weather's not improving.

T+18 - Charleville-Mezieres to Givet - 58.49 miles

T+17: Sedan to Charleville-Mezieres

This is a story all about how
My life got flipped, turned upside-down,
And I'd like to take a minute,
Just sit right there
I'll tell you how I ended up in Charleville-Mezieres

From the Alps to Manchester, that's the way,
On a tandem is how I spend most of my days,
Pedalling, freewheeling, rolling through the rain,
Trying to ignore the persistant arse-pain.
When we got to Sedan it was really no good,
Started really pouring: had to wear a hood.
We woke up in the tent, rain everywhere
Said "we'll get no further than Charleville-Mezieres."

Put bags on our stuff and all of our gear
When we got on the bike we pushed through the fear
Cycling was more like sailing on "la mer"
But we thought "ah forget it, push on 'til we're there"

We pulled up to the local Formule Une
Wiped off the rain, day was short, wet and done,
Had a steaming hot shower
We were finally there
At the cheapest hotel in Charleville-Mezieres.

T+17: Sedan - Charleville-Mezieres - 17.13 miles

T+16: Verdun to Sedan

With the bike fully functional (with topped up tyres and everything), a dry tent and a new supply of flapjacks, we wished our friends a fond farewell (as they were heading down to Troyes for a look) and headed North again. Since Troyes we'd headed away from England to visit Verdun but were now back to heading (vaguely) towards our final destination. From Verdun we'd be following the Meuse for a few days, and definitely into Belgium (which is very exciting indeed). This would hopefully mean more downhills than uphills and some gently wending countryside.

The ride actual had some pretty steep sections which we had to take in bottom gear. The weather was clear enough, with a thin covering of cloud for most of the day and one rain shower before the climb at Moulins-St-Hubert. We'd originally aimed to get to Stenay (where there's a beer museum), but with the weather so complimentary decided to push onto Sedan. One major achievement was reaching the 500 mile mark just before (Brother) Mouzon: this is "halfway" according to our estimate of 1000 miles. The stupid thing about the ride was the proliferation of campsites; they were everywhere and yet we cycled straight past in the hazy sun, if it was raining there'd be none.

We've definitely got better at cycling, the new-found gears helped no end and we reached Sedan in good time. We were definitely tired, but had enough energy to find the municipal camping in the centre of town and an E Leclerc supermarket before settling down for the evening. Again the showers were rubbish, so we got seriously cold and not much cleaner using them. The campsite was cheap, and not great. Then it started to rain. This we should've predicted as the tourist literature referenced the "summer showers" and "what to do when it's raining outside." Also, it's always bloody raining!

We were in "bed" and asleep by 8pm.

T+16 - Verdun to Sedan - 55.84 miles (514 total)

T+15: Verdun

Now, as I'd mentioned earlier, Verdun was a key point in the French defence of their country during the Great War. I'd visited the area as a child and it was our intention to (re)visit some of the historic battlefield sites before we left. We therefore took a non-cycling day, although it was our intention to cycle to the various places outside of the town itself. Fortunately for us, our friends also decided to stay another day and, despite the fact it was never their intention, drove us up to these areas. This gave us a real day off cycling which was very welcome: we therefore didn't cycle miles out of our way, mostly uphill, to see what we wanted to see, and got to spend more time in good company.

I'm not going to go into major detail, but some 30 million (I think) shells were fired in the battles of 1916, so the landscape is quite interesting. Also there's plenty to see which gives you a better understanding of the scale of the war in this area.

In the evening, Rach cooked and we felt like real people again for a while. Genuinely lovely couple of days. Oh, and it was gorgeous sunshine all day. I'm sure this was what the trip was supposed to be like. Also, we managed to get all of our gears back (due to some much-needed guidance) and much of our sanity. By the end of the day we were ready for more cycling, and actually looking forward to it. Woo!

T+14: Bar-Le-Duc to Verdun

I know I talk about the weather a lot, but it dictates our lives at the moment, even more than gradual or sharp inclines. We woke up to a changeable looking sky, with a slightly damp tent. We decided to get going, to make some/any progress before it got worse. It actually got better and we had one of the most enjoyable days so far.

We were taking the Voie Sacree (the sacred road) all the way from Bar to Verdun, so the route was straightforward. The Voie Sacree was the road which provided supplies to the French army at Verdun during the Great War. This was an area of intense fighting during the First World War, where the Germans sought to "bleed (the French) white." There're something like 39 forts built into the countryside and they proved to be sufficient in stopping the Germans from advancing, although a couple fell during 1916. Anyway, the road itself is a "living" monument to the French ability to maintain its fighting forces during the war.

As with any road, we judged it by its ascents and descents. It was gradually uphill, but with no "serious" climbs to speak of. We quite enjoyed it and, once again, having had an early start, made excellent progress. It was only just after lunch when we rolled into Verdun. Also it was sunny! The day had come on beautifully, and left us with very few clouds: a rare experience indeed.

We then met up with our lovely friends from work who were spending a few days driving back from the Alps to Wales. There's a large gate on the way into Verdun which lists the years of siege, conquest and general war in which Verdun saw fighting or "changed hands." There we met our friends and proceeded to follow their van to the campsite on the edge of town (Les Breuils). Having ridden our quota of miles so expertly in the morning, the rest of the was actually spent enjoying ourselves in the sun (I know, the sun we'd heard so much about but seen so little of). We walked into the centre ville which by the afternoon had people in it! We then had a beer at L'Estaminet (which has 12 beers on tap, 250 on its "menu" and is like a real pub inside and out)! In the evening we had a delicious seafood curry cooked in the van! There were so many exciting, and sorely missed, things happening it was hard to keep up.

As it was Saturday night, the fair (which was happening not far from the campsite) played music (including a particularly memorable Elvis medley) until 3am. This was a shame. All the songs seem to be end-of-the-night slow "finishers" so you were constantly hoping the noise would end, but instead they just faded out halfway through to be replaced by something else.

To surmise, a good day's cycling followed by a very enjoyable afternoon. After our previous non-cycling "free time" being generally spoiled by the weather, we finally felt like we were enjoying France as well as simply cycling and fretting. Hooray!

T+14 - Bar-Le-Duc to Verdun - 39.05 miles

T+13: Bar-Le-Duc

The rain decided to stay, so we had no choice but to do the same. This was a huge disappointment as we had plans to get to Verdun and woke up early to try to make good progress. Instead we spent the morning waiting in the tent for the sun to come and rescue us. It didn't, so we were forced to pay for another night and sit tight.

In the early afternoon, the rain had turned into more of a constant drizzle, so we ventured out and walked around the recommended tour of the town. It was fairly interesting, with an older "haute ville" on the rocky spur dominating the city, and a more modern lower town, with shops etc below. Overall the town felt quite worn though, but with some lovely regenerated bits. It was actually a bit English for my liking. Fortunately we'd washed everything we own (for free) using the campsite's washing machine and dryer the previous evening, so at least we were pretty clean.

In all it was a rather frustrating day, cold and damp, in which we achieved precious little. The only saving grace was we were in a fairly cheap campsite, and had access to a supermarket. If the showers had been hot, that would've been better. It's very annoying when it rains, because we just don't have enough clothing to deal with it. Also, trying to move from one place to another with a wet tent just doesn't work. We have to travel light, and rain is not compatible with that.

T+12: Montier en Der to Bar-Le-Duc

Sorry for the lack of blog posts recently, they are entirely dependant upon the wifis and the availability of power sources. However, let me bring you up-to-date now.

We left Montier under some clouds but fortunately they sorted themselves out and we had pretty good weather for the day. We spend most of our time fearing the complete waste of time that is rain, or the burning effects of the sun. Unfortunately this journey has had more of the former so far.

First we rode to St Dizier, where we stopped at a Intermarche for a bit of lunch. There were a number of fast jets repeatedly flying past which were very impressive and super loud. In the car park of the supermarket there was an open-air laundrette, with the machines fixed in a permanent, but very exposed, box. As I was waiting for Rach to buy stuff, I could watch laundry spinning around on the other side of the car park. Because the bike is so laden, we only ever go into places individually. It's just not practical to try and take the luggage off to go shopping. Therefore, until we reach our daily destination, we're not really at leisure to stop and explore. Even then, when we're camping, we have to take a couple of bags with us.

After St Dizier there were some climbs through Chancenay and after Saudrupt before we rode

down into Bar-Le-Duc. As we'd left at a decent time, we got there pretty early and resolved to walk around the town and actually enjoy some of the sunshine. The problem we faced was, as always, when we stop the rain soon comes. So by the time we'd picked a not-too-sunny spot at the municipal camping and visited the supermarket, it started raining. The campsite itself was lovely and had only opened up for the season on the 1st May, so we were its first guests of the year. The showers were not quite warm enough though, which was a shame, but it sat in the grounds of a large building which housed the mediatheque (a bit like a library).

So the evening was spent eating, regaining our precious energies and hoping the rain would disappear for the next day.

T+12 - Montier en Der to Bar-Le-Duc - 33.25 miles

T+11: Troyes to Montier en Der

Right. After waiting half the morning to see if the rain would clear, it did! This was a small miracle as the forecast was for constant rain all day. So we quickly got ready and got on the bike for as much cycling as the weather would let us achieve.

The rain began as we got to the industrial park near the ring road of Troyes, but fortunately only persisted for about half an hour. Also it was surprisingly warm. When we got to Lusigny-sur-Barse we stopped at the only open shop in France (it's some sort of Workers'/Labour day holiday on the 1st May) and got enough provisions to get us through the day (bread, bananas, tuna, marmalade and a single can of Coke). We kept on to Geraudot, which we'd earlier outlined as a possible stopping point, but continued as the weather was getting better and better.

The lakes are huge, and we soon found an actual beach! Not only is Troyes a gorgeous city, but it's within spitting distance of beaches and sailing areas. The cycle path is also pretty good and, because of the changeable weather, almost completely deserted. The (inevitable) down-side is that the wind was strong and directly in our faces for most of the ride; this significantly reduces how fast you can go and seriously saps your energy and resolve. There was also lots of flying ant type things aiming for my face at one point, which was pretty annoying. I hate bugs almost as much as Rach hates the wind (which today threatened to drive her "insane.")

Still, we managed to get around the lakes, resolving to consider our progress, the weather and our capabilities at Port Dienville. We got there just after 14:00 and it still wasn't raining so, against the protests of our posteriors, we decided to continue. We passed through Brienne-le-Chateau, Juzanvigny, Epothement and Louze, which all had lots of lovely old wooden-framed buildings, and ended up at Montier-en-Der. The road from the lakes had a few climbs on it, and we were more than ready to finish once we'd got here. Still, we'd progressed much more than we thought we would today so are very pleased. Also, the meteo forecast for the next few days is much improved, so we could be in Bar-Le-Duc (which sounds like the only way to stop rowdy French wildfowl from entering your drinking establishment) tomorrow, and maybe Verdun the day after. That is, of course, if all goes to plan.

Oh, and the bike's holding up, but has started to make some unwelcome noises, so I'll be looking closely at it over the next couple of days...

I hope these blogs are adequately explaining the journey, please feel free to comment on them.

T+11 - Troyes to Montier en Der - 48.15 miles (386 miles total)

T+10: Bucheres to Troyes

After the previous day's incredible feats of cycling we were left with only a short ride into Troyes to complete on the morning of our eleventh day. This was particularly fortunate as it absolutely hammered it down all day. The short ride from Bucheres to the South into the city itself was conducted in a full downpour. It was pretty unpleasant, but thankfully as short as we could've hoped it to be.

Therefore the day was spent, soaking wet, and walking around Troyes (which is pronounced 'twah'). This was a great idea, because the city is amazing. There are so many old wooden buildings: it's like you'd imagine pre-Great Fire London to have been. It was such a shame that it was so wet, because we'd have liked to explore further, but our shorts were providing precious little protection against the cold and damp.

We actually treated ourselves to a hot meal in a real food establishment (sausages and chips, and an omelette) for lunch, which was amazing, but didn't dry my socks out at all. We then walked down to the cathedral, which was quite impressive, albeit cold inside. Apparently Troyes has 10 churches.


I'm not really sure why I'd not heard of the city before, because it's genuinely very picturesque and has more historic buildings than the whole of the UK. If one of the wooden, warped shops was in an English city centre, there'd be photos of it on all the tourist information. Here there are frankly too many things to take photos of. This is definitely a place to visit, and one we'll be returning to in the (hopefully significantly warmer) future.

Despite the short ride in the morning, we're beginning to feel the effects of so much tandem cycling: general tiredness, weakness and soreness in the buttocks. However, the upsides include the patented "shorts-tan" where my legs are bifurcated by a distinct line halfway up my thighs, and increased muscle gain mostly everywhere.

The weather forecast wasn't too good, so we spent much of the evening planning the next day, so we don't get stranded in torrential rain when passing les grands lacs on the way towards St Dizier. When I'm not cycling I'm either planning future cycling, blogging about past cycling, or just getting wet and cold through other means. Still, we're actually doing it, and that's pretty good to know.

T+10 - Bucheres to Troyes - 5.85 miles

T+9: Chanceaux to Bucheres (Troyes Sud)

Bonjour!

After the previous couple of days' near lack of movement we finally took to the roads for a good long ride. There were still a lot of clouds about when we woke up, but there was no rain, and the weather improved throughout the day. As we'd already passed the sources of the Seine, and were pretty much following the river to Troyes, the route was generally downhill.

First we decided to aim for Chatillon-sur-Seine with a view to deciding what to do from there. There was one proper climb to start with, but otherwise the road rolled along, erring towards downhill and we passed through some picturesque countryside replete with lots of new cows. We went through St Marc sur Seine, which was lovely, Aisey s/ Seine and Nod s/ Seine before arriving rather quickly in Chatillon. There we has a robust lunch at the Intermarche before deciding to carry on towards Bar sur Seine, where we were convinced they'd have a campsite.

The ride got gradually warmer, which was pleasant, and I could finally take one of my pairs of gloves off. Also it became clear that any extra rain wasn't coming. Woo!

Mussy sur Seine was very pretty indeed, with gardens leading directly onto the river and lovely old buildings. It was around here that we entered the Champagne region, which meant lots more massive wine-bottle type monuments/road furniture (i.e. an oversized storage rack with bottles, and a huge metal magnum).

Soon we had reached Bar sur Seine, which was alright. Unfortunately, as is the rule in France, whenever you want something, the place you get it is inevitably shut. I'm still struggling to understand how practically everything can be closed for two hours at lunch. Also, although you may find some shops (particularly the boulangerie or large supermarkets) open on a Sunday morning, you cannot buy anything after 12:30. As it was Monday when we got to Bar s/ Seine, the Tourist Information Office was inevitably closed! Honestly, the opening hours of any establishment seem to reflect what would be most inconvenient for us when we arrive.

To cut a long story short-ish, Rach asked at the Town Hall, and there was no campsite for another 20km. We decided to keep going, even though we'd already gone quite a long way already. But, make hay while the sun shines etc.

By the time we'd found somewhere to stay with some sort of food available we were actually on the outskirts of Troyes and had cycled some 67.75 miles (109km!!!), by far our most productive day. We were suitably shattered and ravenous, but very proud of ourselves indeed. The exercise had take quite a toll on our backsides, even after swapping seats.... Overall, this gave us a total of 332 miles completed, which is something like one third of the total distance from our starting point next to the Vanoise express to Manchester. That's quite an achievement in ten days, especially with the adverse weather and sometimes mountainous terrain.

When we stopped, we got to see how hard people had been donating to the charities here and felt further pride at the generosity of our friends and family. Thanks again to everyone who has got involved and shown their support (including anonymous donors), it's great that such good is coming out of this (admittedly rather elaborate, long and uncomfortable) bike ride.

T+9 - Chanceaux to Bucheres - 67.75 miles

T+8: Darlois to Chanceaux

We woke up, having had a pretty uncomfortable night’s sleep and it wasn’t raining! The sky was still thick with cloud and fairly portentous, and it was cold, but it wasn’t raining. We apportioned everything into bags according to whether they were soaked through or not, loaded up the bike (which looked freshly washed in parts) and left the poor-excuse for a campsite. On the way out we actually noticed it had a pool! I imagine that’s how the Great Plague started. Seriously if you ever find yourself cold and wet in Darlois, take your chances and carry on until you get literally anywhere else or die: both options are better than camping there. 
 
So, with fingerless gloves/socks on my hands (as a substitute for my usual, but now sodden, gloves) and our helmets on over our hoody hoods (as the helmets were cold and wet), we made our way (uphill as usual) towards Val-Suzon. The cold was just bearable with frequent stops to warm the extremities, and it was nice to be making some progress. Val-Suzon was predictably in a massive dip, so hand-freezing constant-braking downhill was followed by low-gear climbing. However, we pushed on and got to St-Seine-l’Abbaye which has a warm boulangerie, a warmish Petite Casino, and a positively hot (and open) Tourist Information Centre. We bought bread, elaborate bread (with tomatoes, cheese and lardons), chocolate and a sandwich. We then tried to find out if we could stop at Chanceaux (the next village along) which seemed to have Chambre d’Hotes (like Bed & Breakfasts). The owners couldn’t be contacted by phone, so we decided to go on anyway. This would make it a fairly small day again, but we were still pretty uncomfortable, cold and living in constant fear of more rain. 

There was a bit more “up” on the way to Chanceaux, but it wasn’t terrible. When we arrived, we found the Chambre d’Hote, rang the doorbell and got nothing. Having seen a sign for (what we now know is) some sort of jumble sale at the village hall, we headed there and asked if anyone knew the proprietor. Fortunately someone did and he took us back to the Cd’H and gave us a room with en-suite hot shower and access to a kitchen. The price is absurdly low, the tandem goes in the “garage” next door and he just leaves you to it without taking any money or your name. Lovely. Also we get breakfast. And the shower’s amazing! So, a lot happier now than yesterday, even if we’re not that much further up the road. To be fair though, we cycled past the source of the Seine river today, so have clearly done some climbing since Dijon. As far as we remember the weather should improve tomorrow, so we may be able to crack on. Here’s hoping…..

T+8 - Darlois to Chanceaux - 18.57 miles

T+7: Dijon to Darlois

Having had a day off, we resolved to leave Dijon even though the forecasted weather was inclement. We set ourselves a suitably low target, with a view to making a little progress towards Troyes. Unfortunately we had not fully grasped how bad weather can truly scupper even the most lowly of designs. 

We found our way out of Dijon quite easily, despite the constant rain and uphill inclination, and began along the Route de Troyes (D971). However after about 5 miles we were soaked through and I couldn’t feel my hands. The problem with constant freezing rain is it quickly showcases how little suitable gear you’ve brought from the Alps, and how uncomfortable life can be on a tandem ascending hills at marginal speeds. After nearly 10 miles, and some serious dithering in the cold trying to get some/any feeling into my hands I accidently caught my knee on the pedal. This caused it to bleed instantly, as my skin was so cold and wet. We then saw a sign for camping, so decided that’d probably be best.

It probably wasn’t. The campsite was grim. There was only lukewarm water in the “shower” and the less said about the whole toilet block the better. We erected the tent as hastily as possible (considering the near complete lack of feeling in our hands) and dived into it to dry off and change clothes. After a few hours we’d warmed sufficiently to adjust the tent so it was sleep-worthy, and my knee had stopped bleeding. We soon figured out that there was a whole family of lumpy objects living underneath the tent, which were ill-concealed by our thin (but cheap and light) sleeping mats. We put on all of our dry clothes and got into the sleeping bags. The rest of the day passed trying to get warm, and thinking of ways of getting a bit further on. However, the rain did not stop for a moment and so, after about 6 hours of huddling together for warmth, we made our (thankfully) last toilet trip of the day and settled down for sleep.

We actually cycled less than 10 miles all day, but it was by far the hardest section we’d done. The rain soaked everything we were wearing, which immediately ruled outsimple things like putting on my only pair of trainers or wearing my cycle shorts the next day. In, necessarily, travelling light, we are completely incapable of dealing with the rain, particularly if it’s freezing cold. Add to that the frustration of having made very little progress and ending up in a horrible campsite, it would be accurate to say I hated it. Not a good day, not much fun at all. Also, it comes with the added bonus of complicating the next few days’ travel. Oh, and did I mention we didn’t have any food other than the flapjacks and one pain au chocolat? Well we didn’t. Grim.

T+7 - Dijon to Darlois - 9.85 miles

T+6: Dijon

And on the seventh day they rested. Well, having made such excellent progress in the first week in spite of the mountains and complete lack of previous tandeming experience, a day off was more than justified. So no “progress” made as such, but this journey was always going to be a marathon not a sprint.
 
We therefore took the bus into Dijon to view its mustard-lined streets. The whole of the city centre is made up of old wooden-type buildings. It really is very cool. There’s quite a lot of mustard about (with one manufacturer showing off its Spring/Summer collection) but also gingerbread and snails. These are apparently of the region also.

Unfortunately, the glorious weather we had hitherto been enjoying departed entirely, leaving only rain. So we went into the Musee des Beaux Arts, which was very impressive indeed. Our thighs may not have enjoyed the stairs one bit, but the collection (and the building itself) was very impressive.

After a bit more wandering in the rain with our most robust garments on (a hoody and shorts), we gave up and returned to our cheap, industrial park home. But know this: Dijon is lovely and definitely worth a visit, mustard or no mustard.

T+5: Lays sur le Doubs to Dijon Sud

Well here we are, in the lovely Chenove Industrial Park. There are more massive shops here than I can even countenance:

E Leclerc: it's a huge warehouse-styled supermarket, not an actual person. It contains a Flunch which is a kind of entry-level restaurant serving variations of beef and chips.

Conforama: I'm not sure what it sells, but I imagine everyone who goes there wants exactly the same thing, which is also probably what they want you to want.

Halle des Chassures: The Hall of Shoes. Perhaps a kind of theme-park ride for the dedicated follower of fashion.

KFC: YES!!!! Seriously, it's just around the corner from our very humble abode. I've waited over 5 months for fried chicken. I need no longer wait. I've had to cycle over 240 miles, but I'm finally pres de fried poulet.

Anyway, how did we get here (you may well be thinking). We woke up after a pretty good night's sleep and went to the bar for a cup of coffee (as Dom's guests). We packed up and left. Bit of a shame to go, as we did feel genuinely very welcome there. However, as we were within a day's ride of Dijon, we thought it best to give it one more full day on the roads.

The ride was pretty uneventful, as the roads rolled but were never too much up- or downhill. We passed through Seurre, and Pouilly-sur-Saone. There're lots of lovely rivers with little beaches in this general area. In the Summer it's probably buzzing. The cycling certainly allows me to see lots more insect-life as it inevitably smashes into my chest/sunglasses/mouth at around 15mph. The fields are full of interesting-looking crops and the sun is everywhere. Yesterday there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so we had to cover up to protect our already-pink skin. Today there was one cloud, somewhere over there.... Still covered up, still very warm indeed. The sun is currently the main challenge after the slight inclines. Every town seems to be in a "dip" so you inevitably have to climb out after coasting in. We passed through Broin and Corcelles, stopping at Noiron sous Gevrey for a sandwich, tuna and a drink.

After a bit of traversing in the super-hot sun, we got to the industrial/commercial wonderland that is Chernove in the South of Dijon, and a Formule 1 hotel. The bike fits in the room and we have a proper bed for the night. Current plan is to rest, wash stuff and take a trip into Dijon tomorrow. That is if I ever finish blogging!

One good thing about stopping here is we have free internet (although I can't upload pictures) so I've managed to update this blog. But mainly we've managed to see our Virgin Money Giving page and all the new donations that have gone in. It is a massive fillip to us to know this journey is worthwhile, and it really does keep us going through the sun, bugs, massive gear fall-outs and closed roads. Thank you everyone who has sponsored us already, and thanks in advance to those who are about to! Please feel free to tell your friends, add a link on Facebook or otherwise spread the love.

T+5 - Lays sur le Doubs to Dijon Sud - 34.15 miles (236 overall)

T+4: Maisod to Lays sur le Doubs

After a cold, sore night in Maisod came a truly wonderful day. The initial trip was mostly downhill and alongside the Lac de Vouglans. Downhill is pleasant. We crossed the Pont de la Pyle and went up a little to Orgelet where we stopped and ate a proper breakfast (lesson one). We then carried on to Lons Le Saunier along a route that erred towards downhill and finished with a 13% decline into the city. This was fully awesome and allowed us to experience 50mph on a tandem! It's not an experience we'll be repeating often, but had to be done (to save the brake pads at least).

Lons was lovely, with a beautiful city centre and truly cosmopolitan feel. Unfortunately we arrived at lunchtime so the tourist information place was shut. We had considered staying at a campsite on the edge of town, but had made such good progress we, once again, decided to continue into the unknown and see what we could find. The answer was very little in terms of hebergement (accommodation).

We went through Bletterans, Bellevesvre and Pierre-de-Bresse with its 17th century chateau and closed tourist information point. However, the roads after Lons were mostly flat, and the mountains were all disappearing behind us. We'd taken on the Jura and escaped, mostly alive. We stopped much more (lesson two): say what you like about out-of-town supermarkets, but in France they're cheap, cool, and all have toilets. Finally we bought some dinner in Pierre-de-Bresse before travelling the last few miles to the campsite (because there might not be anywhere to get food nearby - lesson 3).

Now, the campsite is Les Pecheurs just beyond Lays sur le Doubs on the D203. It's amazing! The restaurant didn't open until the following week (see lesson 3 above) but the bar was open until 8pm. We had a brief chat with Dom at accueil (reception) and discovered he had a place in Les Menuires and snowboarded every year. One of his sons was European half-pipe champion! Suffice to say, we got on well as he was very affable and interesting. He made us very welcome indeed and recommended a good spot to see the inevitable red-sky sunset. Combine that with the riverside aspect, diverse ornithology and warmth of being not-in-the-mountains and our stay was very pleasant indeed. That evening Rach had a beer and I had the most delicious bottle of Coke ever created. We'd done over 50 miles in a day, and over 200 miles overall. Go Team Snow!

T+4 - Maisod to Lays sur le Doubs - 50.8 miles