The last few days, it must be said, have been pretty wonderful. On Friday I left Nice out along the promenade des anglais, popped around the Cap d'Antibes, had lunch at a beachside restaurant in Cannes, before spending the night in St Raphael. The next day I decided to do a half day, seeing as this area of the world frankly merits taking one's time. I did about 10k before bumming on a beach for an hour, then cycling to the port at Sainte Maxime before getting the boat across to St Tropez! The night was spent camping nearby, where I was most wonderfully welcomed and spent a lovely dinner with two French cyclists, Daniel and Sonia.
This morning's ride was similarly gorgeous, though things got a little tougher this afternoon. It was almost tangible moving away from the most moneyed parts of the cote d'azur as I got closer to Toulon. Plans to catch the train and spend the night in Aix-en-Provence were abandoned after an 'incident voyageur' (so it's not just Paris then), and I'm staying here in Toulon tonight.
Not all sweetness and light though. I've punctured, and my little handpump is nowhere near suitable to fully inflate a tyre, and my 'pignons' (rear gear cogs) are giving gyp. Not a problem, I can pop to a bike shop tomorrow you'd imagine. "Tomorrow is a Monday though..." said the man at my hotel. Perhaps the south of France hasn't heard of a working week. And Tuesday's a public holiday....But, as they say, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and even if the bike's having a mare, my hotel officially has no stars and Wednesday can't make the playoffs, it's a small price to pay for the joys of the last few days.
dimanche 29 avril 2007
jeudi 26 avril 2007
It's time
As some of you know by now, and as I have expertly hidden from others to this point, I haven't been cycling for a week and a half now. There's lots of great possibilities that could have lead to this; meeting a delightful French girl and having to take time to persuade her to shave her armpits and hence become perfect, getting 'lost' in the Alps and spending the time skiing etc. Sadly, the reality has been none of these.
As my previous entry mentioned, I fell pretty ill with what I think was dehydration, though now believe may have been food poisoning. I set off from Lyon towards Grenoble on the Tuesday, though was horrified to find I had no power in my legs. I managed just 25k before holing up in France's 'Travel Tavern' equivalent (Formule 1 - cue a great gag about being 'in the pits') for two days. With my condition getting no better however, and no shops or doctors for miles around, I took the difficult decision to fly back home. This gave me a base for a long weekend, and, having flown back out yesterday I now feel a lot better.
Today I'm catching a train to Nice to get me back on schedule, which unfortunately means I'm missing the Alps. I really wanted to cycle them, but they just don't seem the best idea for my first few days back. Instead the plan is a gentle reintroduction to cycling passing through Antibes, Cannes, St Tropez and the like.
Time to find that girl with the hairy armpits I feel. Thank you all again for your continued support and interest, Ed
As my previous entry mentioned, I fell pretty ill with what I think was dehydration, though now believe may have been food poisoning. I set off from Lyon towards Grenoble on the Tuesday, though was horrified to find I had no power in my legs. I managed just 25k before holing up in France's 'Travel Tavern' equivalent (Formule 1 - cue a great gag about being 'in the pits') for two days. With my condition getting no better however, and no shops or doctors for miles around, I took the difficult decision to fly back home. This gave me a base for a long weekend, and, having flown back out yesterday I now feel a lot better.
Today I'm catching a train to Nice to get me back on schedule, which unfortunately means I'm missing the Alps. I really wanted to cycle them, but they just don't seem the best idea for my first few days back. Instead the plan is a gentle reintroduction to cycling passing through Antibes, Cannes, St Tropez and the like.
Time to find that girl with the hairy armpits I feel. Thank you all again for your continued support and interest, Ed
mardi 17 avril 2007
A time and a place...
Well it would appear there is indeed a time and a place for everything. Even falling ill. Having arrived in Lyon on Friday evening, by Saturday night I was having a restless night's sleep feeling like my whole body had been beaten by iron bars. I then couldn't face eating on Sunday, and have been suffering from what once could politely refer to as an 'upset stomach'. In short, I have been showing all the signs of dehydration, not of my body's water supplies, but rather the deplenishment of my stores of sodium, potassium and various minerals caused by long term abuse and lack of care.
However, as the title suggests, I (luckily for me, unluckily for Emma) found myself a wonderful host this weekend. Not only has Emma put me up, and put up with me, but she's also been fantastic for dietary advice and has really helped me get back on track.
I feel far from being in as good shape as before, but I'm definitely on the road to recovery. The plan is to set off for Grenoble this afternoon (which is only 110km away) taking it easy over a couple of days. Hopefully this should give my body chance to sort itself out before a full on assault on the Alps!
I guess if there's a moral to the story, it's not to take any challenge, however big or small, too lightly. From now, I'll be drinking electrolyte mixtures, taking Sodium tablets, mineral supplements, and I've got some EPO and amphetamines on order.
A la prochaine donc, and in the words of Tom Simpson, "Put me back on my bike".
However, as the title suggests, I (luckily for me, unluckily for Emma) found myself a wonderful host this weekend. Not only has Emma put me up, and put up with me, but she's also been fantastic for dietary advice and has really helped me get back on track.
I feel far from being in as good shape as before, but I'm definitely on the road to recovery. The plan is to set off for Grenoble this afternoon (which is only 110km away) taking it easy over a couple of days. Hopefully this should give my body chance to sort itself out before a full on assault on the Alps!
I guess if there's a moral to the story, it's not to take any challenge, however big or small, too lightly. From now, I'll be drinking electrolyte mixtures, taking Sodium tablets, mineral supplements, and I've got some EPO and amphetamines on order.
A la prochaine donc, and in the words of Tom Simpson, "Put me back on my bike".
samedi 14 avril 2007
Some photos...
"I know this is a bit embarrassing, but I noticed some tan lines..." - Mike Skinner
Home is where the bike is
Murphy's Law
"I call it, scatter love cushion. It represent my love for Alan" - Sonia
No pain, no gain
"Well come on then, step into the painy season" - Howard Moon
As the more intuitive of you will have by now worked out, this installment is set to focus on how, and why cycling hurts, rather than this stage's route. Which was boring.
Imagine May Week, good times. You're sat on the paddock and it's 25 degrees. Lovely.
But you suffer from hayfever. Never mind, it could be worse. And you have to sit on a barstool. For 5 hours at a time. But it's not an ordinary bar stool...oh no. It's been massacred by a sadist who's taken off all the padding, and cut it into such a shape that all your weight sits on the base of the penis.
Now imagine someone's blowing pollen into your face at 20km/h, there goes the hay fever. Oh, and you can't sit still. Instead you have to spin your legs up and down, up and down, around 75 times a minute. That 4500 times an hour, or 22500 times in the day. Everytime rocking on the seat of Satan.
Could be worse though, you could be camping when you finish...
All this said I'm in pretty high spirits at the moment, and looking forward to the Alps, and perhaps even a bit of skiing. Until then I'll leave it to Monsoon Moon to rain down the pain. If I may finish with the wise words of Jimmy Carr, "I'm with Bupa, do your f*ucking worst".
As the more intuitive of you will have by now worked out, this installment is set to focus on how, and why cycling hurts, rather than this stage's route. Which was boring.
Imagine May Week, good times. You're sat on the paddock and it's 25 degrees. Lovely.
But you suffer from hayfever. Never mind, it could be worse. And you have to sit on a barstool. For 5 hours at a time. But it's not an ordinary bar stool...oh no. It's been massacred by a sadist who's taken off all the padding, and cut it into such a shape that all your weight sits on the base of the penis.
Now imagine someone's blowing pollen into your face at 20km/h, there goes the hay fever. Oh, and you can't sit still. Instead you have to spin your legs up and down, up and down, around 75 times a minute. That 4500 times an hour, or 22500 times in the day. Everytime rocking on the seat of Satan.
Could be worse though, you could be camping when you finish...
All this said I'm in pretty high spirits at the moment, and looking forward to the Alps, and perhaps even a bit of skiing. Until then I'll leave it to Monsoon Moon to rain down the pain. If I may finish with the wise words of Jimmy Carr, "I'm with Bupa, do your f*ucking worst".
mardi 10 avril 2007
Bouncing Back
Firstly, thanks to Partridge for the title and this gem. Sonia: "Alan, I love you"....Alan: "Thanks a lot".
This stage took me from Metz down the East of France to Belfort, taking stops at Nancy and Epinal. Taking care of the knee I put in a gentle 60k on the first day of the stage, and felt good. Nancy was beautifyl, bathed in sunshine, and the main square 'Place Stanislas' really is spectacular. Stayed at the youth hostel there whichis actually in a Chateau, which was lovely, and had a room to myself. Only thing was it was Easter Sunday, and no food to be had anywhere, so I had to hobble 30 minutes to find a 'Golden Arch', and the scant consolation a Maxi McChicken meal provides a hungry cyclist. To put it more bluntly, I was tired, pissed off and hungry.
Epinal wasn't strictly on the most efficient route, though I figured I should visit seeing as it's the twintown of my hometown, Loughborough. Pretty unspectacular, thus bearing an uncanny ressemblance to its English counterpart. It did however have a central square called Place des Vosge, and as my Parisian friends know, I'm never one to turn down an espresso at such a place...
Today's cycle ride was pretty serious stuff. Taking it easy on my knee for a couple of days had left me with it all to do today, and I put in 85k on the hilliest roads yet.In fact I was travelling through the Parc des Vosges, that runs down the East of France, and I did my first 'serious' climbing. I should have known the omens were bad when my first uphill was on a street called 'Rue d'enfer', loosely translating to 'Hell street'!
Here in the confessional, I must get off my chest that I bottled it on the Ballon d'Alsace. Standing at over 1200m it's bigger than any mountain in England (I think and can't be bothered to ckeck), and having climbed to 550m resigned myself to hitching a ride. A young chap named Vincent was only happy to oblige, and found my plight hilarious especially when he discovered my overall plans, and I was unable to remove the front wheel of my bike for transport! I showed up even more what an amateur I am by then saying, "And I haven't even punctured yet". He ignored the obvious response of "Well obviously, if you haven't had to take a wheel off"...instead giving a small gallic shrug and knowing smile.
Anyway, I must go. I have a pizza being delivered, a game of football to watch and a train ticket to Switzerland for tomorrow. Cashback.
This stage took me from Metz down the East of France to Belfort, taking stops at Nancy and Epinal. Taking care of the knee I put in a gentle 60k on the first day of the stage, and felt good. Nancy was beautifyl, bathed in sunshine, and the main square 'Place Stanislas' really is spectacular. Stayed at the youth hostel there whichis actually in a Chateau, which was lovely, and had a room to myself. Only thing was it was Easter Sunday, and no food to be had anywhere, so I had to hobble 30 minutes to find a 'Golden Arch', and the scant consolation a Maxi McChicken meal provides a hungry cyclist. To put it more bluntly, I was tired, pissed off and hungry.
Epinal wasn't strictly on the most efficient route, though I figured I should visit seeing as it's the twintown of my hometown, Loughborough. Pretty unspectacular, thus bearing an uncanny ressemblance to its English counterpart. It did however have a central square called Place des Vosge, and as my Parisian friends know, I'm never one to turn down an espresso at such a place...
Today's cycle ride was pretty serious stuff. Taking it easy on my knee for a couple of days had left me with it all to do today, and I put in 85k on the hilliest roads yet.In fact I was travelling through the Parc des Vosges, that runs down the East of France, and I did my first 'serious' climbing. I should have known the omens were bad when my first uphill was on a street called 'Rue d'enfer', loosely translating to 'Hell street'!
Here in the confessional, I must get off my chest that I bottled it on the Ballon d'Alsace. Standing at over 1200m it's bigger than any mountain in England (I think and can't be bothered to ckeck), and having climbed to 550m resigned myself to hitching a ride. A young chap named Vincent was only happy to oblige, and found my plight hilarious especially when he discovered my overall plans, and I was unable to remove the front wheel of my bike for transport! I showed up even more what an amateur I am by then saying, "And I haven't even punctured yet". He ignored the obvious response of "Well obviously, if you haven't had to take a wheel off"...instead giving a small gallic shrug and knowing smile.
Anyway, I must go. I have a pizza being delivered, a game of football to watch and a train ticket to Switzerland for tomorrow. Cashback.
samedi 7 avril 2007
Down, but not out
As the title suggests, I'm a bit down writing this entry. My right knee's been giving me gip, so I'm taking a rest day today (a day in advance), and catching the train from here in Charleville-Mézières across to Metz. This will ensure my continued progress, but also hopefully allow an opportunity for my knee to calm down.
What's particularly frustrating is that otherwise I feel in peak form. From a cardiovascular point of view the cycling isn't posing too much of a problem, indeed I cruised the 100km from Lille to Sémières. Also I'm bearing up fine mentally, in spite of hours spent either alone in the tent, or being bored by werid frogs in Youth Hostel rooms.
Enough whinging. The weather is still (touch wood) absolutely incredible, though yesterday this cumminated in me developing what can only be described as some 'interesting' tan lines. Thursday also gave me my first true life/death experience of the trip, which was nice. Riding through a sleep village, some budget French cowboy builders were working on some piping beneath the road. As they hoisted a huge palette of pipes from the lorry, a cord snapped and they cascaded onto the floor. Had I been literally a couple of seconds sooner I'd have been squashed like a bug. Fate however must have been on my side.
Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful Easter wherever you are spending it and whatever you are doing. Ed x
What's particularly frustrating is that otherwise I feel in peak form. From a cardiovascular point of view the cycling isn't posing too much of a problem, indeed I cruised the 100km from Lille to Sémières. Also I'm bearing up fine mentally, in spite of hours spent either alone in the tent, or being bored by werid frogs in Youth Hostel rooms.
Enough whinging. The weather is still (touch wood) absolutely incredible, though yesterday this cumminated in me developing what can only be described as some 'interesting' tan lines. Thursday also gave me my first true life/death experience of the trip, which was nice. Riding through a sleep village, some budget French cowboy builders were working on some piping beneath the road. As they hoisted a huge palette of pipes from the lorry, a cord snapped and they cascaded onto the floor. Had I been literally a couple of seconds sooner I'd have been squashed like a bug. Fate however must have been on my side.
Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful Easter wherever you are spending it and whatever you are doing. Ed x
mercredi 4 avril 2007
Repos 1 - Bruxelles
Well...I suppose this counts as my first 'proper' blog seeing as I'm now actually on my way. Not really sure where to begin as so much has happened, but I'll try to keep it short and sweet as I know my stories have been known to drag rather...!
Set off Sunday morning with a spring in my step (not as useful on a bike as it sounds) following the great news I have a Glastonbury ticket for this year's festival. Made it out of Paris with surprising ease considering the previous day's unintentional forray onto the périphérique (the Parisian ringroad - not exactly bike friendly...)
The cycling was about as tough as I expected, although what has surprised me so far is how slow the progress is. I'm averaging about 16km/h...and it doesn't need a genius to work out that makes a 100k day take quite a while. Also I hadn't fully appreciated how much difference the wind makes (I've been riding NE into a South Westerly wind), and how the road surface affects. Essentially it just makes what the cyclists did in 1907 (20 hour stages, no gears, and dirt tracks) literally incomprehensible.
Camped the first night in my neon green mean machine of a tent, that weighs in at less than a bottle fo wine. Comfort however isn't really its strong point, and I can't even sit up in it. Youth Hostelled the next stop in Arras (the Campsite was shut...I say shut, it was literally a hole in the ground due to building work), and stayed last night here in Brussels. Got photographed for the Lonely Planet guidebook yesterday booking my TGV ticket with all my bike gear which is quite cool.
I seem to remember reading a Clarkson article slating Brussels...and he's not often wrong, but it's alright here. Weather's been great today and I've done a nice walking tour of the city - I'll upload photos when I get chance.
Anyway, it's been nice to be in the civilised world for a while. I've got tonight in Lille, then I set off on a humonguous 371km stage from Lille to Metz tomorrow. It's not going to be pretty, but to quote David Brent (already quoting the 'famous philosopher' Dolly Parton), '"If you want the rainbow you've got to put up with the rain." And people say she was just a big pair of tits.'
Set off Sunday morning with a spring in my step (not as useful on a bike as it sounds) following the great news I have a Glastonbury ticket for this year's festival. Made it out of Paris with surprising ease considering the previous day's unintentional forray onto the périphérique (the Parisian ringroad - not exactly bike friendly...)
The cycling was about as tough as I expected, although what has surprised me so far is how slow the progress is. I'm averaging about 16km/h...and it doesn't need a genius to work out that makes a 100k day take quite a while. Also I hadn't fully appreciated how much difference the wind makes (I've been riding NE into a South Westerly wind), and how the road surface affects. Essentially it just makes what the cyclists did in 1907 (20 hour stages, no gears, and dirt tracks) literally incomprehensible.
Camped the first night in my neon green mean machine of a tent, that weighs in at less than a bottle fo wine. Comfort however isn't really its strong point, and I can't even sit up in it. Youth Hostelled the next stop in Arras (the Campsite was shut...I say shut, it was literally a hole in the ground due to building work), and stayed last night here in Brussels. Got photographed for the Lonely Planet guidebook yesterday booking my TGV ticket with all my bike gear which is quite cool.
I seem to remember reading a Clarkson article slating Brussels...and he's not often wrong, but it's alright here. Weather's been great today and I've done a nice walking tour of the city - I'll upload photos when I get chance.
Anyway, it's been nice to be in the civilised world for a while. I've got tonight in Lille, then I set off on a humonguous 371km stage from Lille to Metz tomorrow. It's not going to be pretty, but to quote David Brent (already quoting the 'famous philosopher' Dolly Parton), '"If you want the rainbow you've got to put up with the rain." And people say she was just a big pair of tits.'
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