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Another transfer morning! We have really covered some ground(and hotels) on this trip. Fortunately our guides have made this incredibly easy. Not only do you need to be a great rider/mechanic, but also a master of logistics. Chapeau to Gav and Ivo once again! After a few hour drive, we arrived at a campground nearContinue reading “Classic Climbs of the Tour – Part 3 The Alps”

We had a nice bus ride to Provence that morning. Passed through Avignon and got some good views of our goal the next day, the giant of Provence! Our hotel, Château de Mazan, was super cool. Some of the group went out for a little spin, but I opted for a much needed massage fromContinue reading “Trek Classic Climbs of the Tour- Part 2 Mont Ventoux”

A nice train ride took me to Lourdes in the Pyrenees. Forgot to read up on the city so was a little taken aback by the hordes of religious pilgrims there. The quick bike ride from the station to the hotel we would be staying in involved a few near misses w weaving pilgrims 🙂Continue reading “Classic Climbs of the Tour – Part 1 The Pyrenees”

Was definitely ready to get out to wine country. Inhad booked 2 nights at a small, family run, organic vineyard about 2/3rds of the way out to St Emilion. The ride out there was ok for the first 10 miles out of Bordeaux. Then the bike lanes and cycleways disappeared;-(. The next 10 miles wereContinue reading “La Vieille Chapelle”

Had a relaxing few days on Ile de Re which lies across a cool bridge from La Rochelle. It was nice to eat, relax and not ride very much 🙂 The campground I was in was very nice and right behind the dunes from the beach. However, the second afternoon the breeze dropped out andContinue reading “Ile de Re and Bordeaux”

The ride into Nantes, which I think has almost 500k residents was pretty painless. The last 10 miles into the city center were mostly shaded bike paths 🙂 This masked how hot it was actually getting. Of course my hotel(because it was too hot to camp) did not have AC. I was dying for aContinue reading “Catching up after the heat dome descended”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangina In Nantes now and about to hit the coast via Eurovelo 1. It’s been a great couple of days!

Turning South from the beaches of Normandy, the next highlight was going to be Mont St Michel. Having seen the TDF ride by here numerous times, I knew I had to visit. But first I was in for a treat with my overnight stay in Nicole and Henri’s magical garden! We had an amazing dinner,Continue reading “Pilgrimage to Mont St Michel”

Stayed a phunky old hotel Friday night. Room was up a bunch of stairs and started off pretty hot up there. They really don’t like AC here :-). Met a great Dutch couple at breakfast the next morning. They are both avid cyclists and he definitely wanted to check out my bike. said his bestContinue reading “Route to the beaches of Normandy”

Thursday started out with more beautiful roads through lush fields to ride on. The agriculture trade in Normandy is impressive. The fields are super green, use only cow manure for fertilizer and no signs of mechanical irrigation. When you’ve been doing something for 1000s of years, you get pretty good at it 🙂 The temperatureContinue reading “Thursday and Friday”