There's two grumpys

Tuesday 15.05.2012  Montjean sur Loire – Saumur.        89kms

We have improved on our decamping abilities. Mind you, having breakfast prepared for us probably contributed to our level of efficiency. By 09.30 we were on our bikes and pedalling uphill out from the site. Ah, but the wind……………. Nostril had metamorphosed into whizzy. Hoorah! 

The weather forecast had forecast (as it does) that today would start fine but that showers might be expected around lunchtime and then there would be a return to fine weather. How right can they be? At precisely 12.10 it rained! By 14.30 the sun reappeared. Ten out of ten! Didn’t prevent us from getting wet but at least it wasn’t a surprise. At about this time we had our first encounter with a Mr. Grumpy we had not met before. A jolly “Bonjour” met with sullen silence and a glower. Several kilometres further along Mr. Grumpy passed us in the opposite direction. This bizarre coming and going continued for several hours and his demeanour changed not one wit. So, it’s true there is more than one grumpy old man in the world!

Our whizzy wind continued to increase in strength so we thought to profit from all this free air and  just keep on going. Saumur promised a campsite with all the bells and whistles so on we went. As ever, on reaching a large town all signs disappeared. All we wanted was sight of a particularly large river. Not much to ask you might think. Mmm… Decathlon, Super U, Lidl but no sign of a river. “Ask that nice man, Mary.” Nice man pointed us in the opposite direction and in less than half an hour, we found our five star site! Needless to say, only about two stars were actually operating! Nonetheless, we had a sheltered spot for the tent and with the temperature plummeting, we pitched camp and dived into the depths of our bags for all our thermal togs.

As the cycle tracks had very successfully circumnavigated all the towns and villages we were somewhat bereft of nourishment. After a hurried trip back into the main street to purchase minimal supplies, I returned to find that the magpies had made free with what little we had! They finally met their match in Mr. Bird-scarer! 

And we thought we were mad

Monday  14.05.2012   Thouare sur Loire – Montjean sur Loire  63kms.

 On our way back from morning ablutions, we encountered our neighbours who were journeying through France a velo. If we thought we were intrepid, these folk were planning to be on the road for two years! Not only in summer either! Felicitations to them both, and maybe they will find themselves in the Haute Vienne some time.

Before our departure, we sought to say farewell to the welcoming lady of the previous evening and compliment her on the magnificent gardens. Her parting handshake near crushed my fingers. Must be the gardening.

I had already made a note of the wind direction (begins with an n) and for a good part of today there was a reminder of Sweden although here the trees were interspersed with cows of varying types. The wind continued to increase in strength, so when a sign appeared insisting that bikes be pushed across a fairly long bridge, we were happy to oblige. Even so, there remained little room for two way vehicles which whizzed by with barely a hairsbreadth of space twixt them and us. At the end we were presented with the first almost impossible demountable kerb!

After 60 odd kilometres of fighting with old nostril wind the campsite was a blessed relief. Our pitch ignored the roaring of said wind and provided calm and warmth, thanks to copious and stragtegically placed hedges. Our hosts had been very welcoming and at small cost we indulged in a supper of sorts ( croque monsieur and chips) washed down with and exceptional little local wine. We even partook of an excellent breakfast. 

We Had It All

Sunday  13.05.2012. St. Nazaire – Thouare sur Loire    65kms

The start was not quite as quick as we had intended. After checking, re-checking and re-re-checking, the clock was on its way to ten o’clock. Finally, with trailers attached, a farewell to Deborah, Brendan and Virginie, our hostess we clipped in and slowly drew away from the hostel. Except for this black Mondeo which kept overtaking us and photographing our efforts, all seemed fine. The Mondeo eventually gave up and went off with its occupants to holiday for another day! Look forward to seeing the pics when we get home.

We whistled along into my favourite wind and were overwhelmed at the plethora of signs and the well maintained route. (Further less favourable comments will follow.) Within not many minutes of our start, Alan’s shout of ‘dog’ put us on red alert. And then the most extraordinary thing happened – the dog put its tail between its legs and ran for its life in the opposite direction. A first! We have never managed to scare a dog before but look forward to doing it again – if only we knew what it was we did!  Now as well as dogs, we are used to tractors but not when they leap out of a junction with those humungus prongs preceding the vehicle. Just missed! Try harder next time!

After a free ferry crossing, we began to approach Nantes. Our plan to clear the city on a Sunday and thus avoid most of the traffic was going really well even if the scenery was industrial sites and exceedingly smelly Gaz factory. What we hadn’t counted on was that much of the local population and no doubt many visitors also, had decided to take the air round the centre of town. At this point, with pedestrians, cars, bikes, scooters and pushchairs all vying for position, all the signs disappeared! (Comme d’habitude). We hadn’t expected the arrival of Mr. Master Navigator quite so soon but he swung into action even guiding us along the Boulevard de Cardiff which made us feel right at home, and Nantes finally petered out and we found ourselves once more beside the Loire and heading in the right direction.

The riverside after Nantes was delightful, boasting a host of spring flowers and absurdly a house half submerged in the river. Yes, I do have photographic proof. And then with almost perfect timing, a campsite of exceptional quality appeared and for the princely sum of 12 Euros, we pitched our tent, (after a free glass of kir), cobbled together a meal and thought ourselves most fortunate.

Ready or Not

12.05.20012 St. Brevin L’Ocean ( very pretty it is too)

Another year, another route, another adventure! 

 The last few days have witnessed a flurry of activity as would be expected. Lists have been ticked, domestic chores have been undertaken, instructions for visitors have been written, and kind neighbours have been approached to keep an eye on the house. Most important has been the offer from Deborah and Brendan to ferry us to our start point at the mouth of the river Loire. Most plans have gone without a hitch but NO hitch at all is always unlikely and, despite his numerous check lists, it was Alan who perpetrated this particular hitch by leaving behind the most vital of objects. No, not the bike but his bag, wherein lay his bank cards, car documentation and passport! Realisation dawned just about half an hour en route. Passing a bar, Brendan sniggered that Deborah had on one occasion left her handbag in said bar. This was followed by a strangled cry of “Where is my bag?”. Not anywhere in the car! An hour or so later, with bag collected from Chez Nous, we were outside the same bar. I will leave to your imagination, dear reader, the taunts that followed this small act of carelessness. Tee hee……..

After the long journey, sub-zero temperatures, fog and grinding ascents of last year (not to mention broken bones) the commencement of this new venture has shown a very different face. The journey, despite the deviation, took only some four or five hours, the temperatures are in the low twenties, the sky is almost clear blue and the route is almost flat! Thus, in these balmy conditions have we explored the starting point of our track, visited the seaside and lazed by the pool at our gite. (La Pasada – Very good and cycle friendly)  Only my old friend ‘nostril wind’ has tried to spoil the day and failed. We have enjoyed a gentle introduction to this year’s quest and we look forward to sharing this evening with our chauffeurs and quaffing the odd glass of wine.

Tomorrow, up and off and who knows what awaits. 

Mary's Back Blogging

May is here again. The same cannot be said for Spring!

As with many challenging experiences, memories re-organise themselves and the more pleasurable bubble to the surface and the least pleasant plummet to the depths. Such is human nature or mine anyway. So, my enthusiasm at the prospect of once more riding the trail almost saw us drowned before we had got underway. I quashed my enthusiasm for commencing this journey at the beginning of May, and truculently agreed with Mr. Organiser (who has once again been responsible for all the hard work and logistics), to delay take off until the middle of said month. It seems that he may have been communing with the god of weather and had been alerted to the fact that this was to be the wettest April on record! I know not how many inches of water have been deposited on the earth but it has unremittingly fallen from a miserably grey sky for over two weeks and winds, nostril or otherwise, have downed large trees. Two soggy cyclists would have been easy pickings for a series of unforgiving depressions.  My man may also have had a passing acquaintance with the god of bad teeth who decreed that I would require time consuming treatment on a large and painful molar. (a paltry inconvenience compared with the broken bones of last year.) Training has all but halted on the roads and continued in the loft courtesy of our machines of torture. The dentist has contributed with her own machine of torture. So another ten days must pass before we set off for the mouth of the Loire. Ten days, during which, I am assured, we will see a diminution in the amount of wetness and a re-acquaintance with a benevolent sun. Not easy to believe as I gaze through the window at the stair rods spattering the garden.

One of the greatest pleasures of our last undertaking, was the communication I enjoyed with all you readers (10,000 page views from over 30 countries)- so welcome all.  We commence this new venture at the mouth of the river Loire which is a mere five hours from home rather than the five days of last year. Once more, we have recruited the generosity of friends, this time, Deborah and Brendan, to transport us, bikes and trailers to St. Nazaire. The 13^th May should see us at the beginning of the 4000 km pedal to the Black Sea. I am looking forward to telling you of our pursuit of the EV6 and of enjoying your company on the way.

ONE MONTH TO GO

We seem a little more relaxed about this one. Maybe too laid back!

Preparations are going well. For the first time we have maps and guides for the whole route. No more spending hours in tourist offices and bookshops looking for decent scale maps. No more following the sun in the vague hope that any road south will lead to journey’s end. No more arguments on which road to take and whose fault it is that we are lost. (fat chance!)  However with all these guides comes a plethora of information on places that must be visited and historical artefacts that just have to be seen, although, if we exclude churches, chateaux, and any climb over 10% for a view, I think we’ll manage to keep to our 75 to 100kms a day target. Just in case, I’ll do a Google search for bicycle blinkers and continue my lifetime obsession with culture avoidance.  

The net is providing a wealth of information on this route. Looks like it’s quite a popular ride. Accommodation does not seem to be a problem until we get to Romania but we’re still discussing the option of leaving the Danube and venturing into the Carpathian Mountains so it could be back to basics and seeing what’s available when we start to get tired at the end of the day. Getting back home might also be a problem but worst case scenario is another two months of cycling!

We’ve only slightly modified our kit. We’re leaving behind the sub-zero clothes and I’ve bought new shorts after it became apparent that my old pair had become almost see through when stretched. (embarrassing and not pretty). We have also bought a couple of Ortlieb handlebar bags with map cases on top. There might now be a tad too much information on the handlebars with GPS, mini cycle computers maps and guides. It’s a good job we don’t have mirrors.  Various undergarments  designed to hold up and squash wobbly bits and to cushion dangly bits complete the purchases. The usual highly efficient service was received from Wiggle and Chainreaction.

The bikes were desperately in need of service so we entrusted them to our local village cycle shop, not that you would recognise it as a cycle shop. Outside is an array of ladders, seed potatoes, dog food, various agricultural implements and two fuel pumps. Inside is everything you would need to survive a nuclear attack (and probably enough bits to build a missile for a counter attack). Tucked away to one side is the bike shop stocked with the kit of your dreams. I love rural France. After a lecture on changing the chain every 4000kms and a lot of laughter, our bikes were returned and are now performing better than new.  Just the legs to get back in shape……..

Mary Starts Altitude Training

Alan's Preparing for the "Three Rivers Route"

Many thanks to Beth for the card.

Thanks

Hi from Alan & Mary

As we begin to think of our next challenge, Mary and I would like to take the opportunity to say a big THANK YOU.

First of all our heartfelt thanks to those who supported our charity “Doctors Without Borders” (Médecins Sans Frontières). With so many natural and man-made disasters on our planet, their medical expertise and your money are badly needed. MSF, with your help, is truly changing the lives of millions of people around the world. For those of you who would still like to donate (and every pound counts) – just click the “VirginGivingMoney” icon on the right of this page.

Then there are the many who have helped us complete our journey down the length of Europe:-

Dean and Anne who still don’t know how they volunteered to drive our car all the way to the UK from Nordkapp. Without them we would never have got there or back.

Deborah and Brendan and John and Elizabeth  for their encouragement before the trip and keeping our real lives in good order while we were away.

Ev and Sophie and Kate and Tony for taking such good care of the house

All our family who offered words of encouragement, kept the phone topped up and especially those who thought we had lost the plot.

To Kate’s colleagues in the Assembly  (you owe us two Welsh flags).

The grandchildren who collected our postcards and enlightened their friends with tales of Mamgu and Grumps

Those who contacted us on the blog, by email and on the phone.  It was always a boost to hear from you.

Wendy for her valiant efforts to post a comment  and her baggage allowance on the return flight.

Ben and the guys at Up and Under for their advice on kit

All those who made the effort to put their cycling experiences in Europe on the net.

All those from around the world who took the time to read our blog and share our experiences

All the wonderful people that we met on the way who went to extraordinary lengths to help us out of trouble and encourage us to achieve our goal.

 “Merci” to all those talented and dedicated people in our local medical team who “fixed” Mary after her fall from the bike while in training.

To all of you, we are so grateful to have met and known such wonderfully friendly, kind and generous people.

Alan's Boring Bits - The Kit

Comments on the Equipment- For those planning a similar journey

A great part of the fun in preparing for any big trip is researching the kit and convincing yourself that you really must have all the gizmos and latest gear that you’ve secretly been longing for. Listed below is the heavy load that we dragged  from one end of Europe to the other. Most did the job. Where it was particularly good or bad, I’ve made comment.

Bikes

Specialized Vita Sport

Specialized Sirrus Elite  (Both bikes not necessarily designed for the pounding that we gave them but they stood up well to the test)

Shimano A530 Pedals (spd one side and flat on the other)

Schwalbe marathon plus 700 x28   (No punctures in 7000Km!!!)

2 Crud Race Guards mudguards

2 Smart Lunar 35 Lux Front Light  

2 Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear 7 LED-3 Mode

Trailer rear lights

2 Sigma Cycle computers

1 Garmin 750. (told us exactly where we were lost)

1  bottle cage and bottle. 

Trailer flags (required guy ropes fixed to the trailer to stop them taking a swipe a passing cars. Snapped in 1^st week and held together with Gaffa tape for rest of journey)

Trailers and bags

2 Carry Freedom - Freedom City Trailers (excellent kit which we gave a real hammering with a heavy load sometimes over difficult terrain. 1 polymer hitch failed after 4000km and the second showed wear. No big worry but need to check daily and carry  a spare. They are easy to replace)

2 x Palm River Trek 50 dry bags  (Robust but heavy. Also right size for hand luggage on plane)

Plastic sheeting and elastics to hold it all together (cheapest bit of kit -worked well, keeping kit clean, dry and protected from abrasion)

4 x Exped Fold Dry Bag XL (22l)

2 x Exped Fold Dry Bag M (8l)

1 x Ortlieb A3 map case (Useless – sticks to itself and tore easily -  changed to a clear document wallet at 1/10 of price))

1 x Lowe Alpine Mesa Runner bumbag. (In constant use – on and off the bike)

Total Personal Kit (for both of us)

2 Cycle helmets

2 prs Padded cycling - shorts / longs .

2 x2 Helly Hansen Stripe Crew base layer

Marmot driclime windshirt

2 xRab Vapour-Rise Lite Jacket

Rab women's microlight vest

2 xBuffalo fibre pile shirts (Used  buffalo kit for 20 years: sailing, mountaineering skiing, canoeing and now cycling. Best winter kit ever.)

2 Rab goosedown duvet jackets

1 Montane Velo H2O Jacket  (Useless – wet through in 10 minutes)

1 Montane Quattro DT Womens Jacket

2 x Buff s (very versatile protecting neck, ears or head)

2 pr Endura Gridlock waterproof over trousers.( heavy but very functional)

2pr Waterproof cycling enduro overshoes. (Mary wore hers, I preferred wet feet)

1 Pertex top (Callange).

1 x Seal Skinz Mountain Bike Gloves - pair Small

1 x SealSkinz Ultra Grip High Viz Winter Gloves

1 pair fingerless sailing gloves

2 karrimoor  reflective jackets

2 welsh cycling jerseys

4 prs Cycling socks and 2 pairs of thick wooly socks

2 pr Cycling shoes. Shimano & MTB SPD (MTB stank like cat’s pee, very little traction on steep ramps and soles wore through. Shimanos just stank)

Trainers & sandals

 Rab Downpour shell jacket (This long mountain jacket with full wired hood proved invaluable on and off the bike)

1 Endura FS260 Pro Womens Shorts  

1 Endura Firefly SS Ladies Jersey

1 Endura Hummvee Baggy Shorts inc Liner

2 x short sleeve shirts.

Rohan Expedition shirt (built in anti midge!)

2 prs expedition long trousers

Wooly Hats

1 pr Cycling sun glasses. (lost and replaced!)

Underwear (Guess you know what works for you)

Swimming costume

Wash kit

Aids /batteries/glasses/sun glasses

1 x Life Systems Expedition 50 100ml Deet Spray (Dissolves plastic and leaks)

2 x Life Systems Mosquito Head Net

1 x Life Venture All Purpose Soap 200ml

2 x Life Venture Soft Fibre Trek Towel Large (Brilliant)

1 x Life Venture Soft Fibre Trek Towel Small

Watches

1 Deuter Compact EXP 6 SL Backpack

Bike Repair & Maintenance Kit

Schwalbe durano folding tyre

2 Spare inner tubes.

Puncture repair kit

2 Rubena Angled Valve Tube – for trailer

2 Schwalbe city freedom tyres  for trailer

Topeak Alin 3 Multi (Excellent kit)

Gerber suspension multi tool (Essential and excellent))

Adjustable spanner

Spanner to fit trailer wheel and pedals

Topeak Morph turbo mini pump with gauge  (good kit although fold down plastic bits are fragile)

Small plastic bottle of general lube.

Selection of cable ties .

A 3m length of thin strong cord.

1 Clarks Pre-Lube Universal Brake Kit (Remember you need wire cutters)

1 Clarks Gold Pre-Lube Universal Gear Kit

A small selection of nuts and bolts

Gaffa tape

Other kit carried

Kindles loaded with manuals, country guides and good fiction (one of our best buys)

Sony Netbook

Smartphone with skype (rarely used outside Fr –cost!)

cheap mobile phone payg on UK card with Europe travel option activated (Not cheapest option but saved messing about buying sim cards)

Digital Cameras + memory cards and battery charger.

A bag of wires for above (Why can’t we have 1 universal charging wire and 1 connecting wire?)

Small "hotel" type sewing kit.

Notepad and pen.

Passport, travel insurance documents, E111, ATM and credit cards

2 bike cables and locks.

1 First aid kit (plasters, paracetamol, etc.).

 Sudacrem  bum cream (soothes, smooths and ……..)

Panty Liners (I used them for extra padding on the really sore bits)

1 Large lightweight nylon bike cover. (never used)

2 CamelBak Unbottle 2009 - 1.5L (Too fiddly to fill on the road)

1 Stainless Steel 0.5 litre vacuum flask

Sunblock

Camping Equipment

1 x Wild Country Duolite Tourer tent (Fit for purpose and it took the trailers)

1 x Grounsheet protector (footprint ) for above

1 x Primus EtaPower EF (heavy but v efficient)

2 x Petzl Tikka Plus 2 head torches

1 x Snugpak Travelpak Xtreme SB (I hate nylon bags and this one also has a built in self strangulation net.)

1 xRab Ascent SB

1 xExped SynMat Pump 7cm DLX

1 x Exped SynMat Pump 7cm standard (v comfortable but you work up a good sweat pumping them up)

Exped chair kits to fit the Exped Synmat  (innovative and surprisingly comfortable)

1 x Ortlieb Waterbag 4L

KFS

2 Plastic plates.

2 Plastic mugs.

1 Small sharp knife.

Washing up liquid and sponge.

Matches and gas lighter. 

1 x McNett Tenacious Tape

Total weight between two trailers (with food liquid and fuel) was around 55 - 60kilos.