May 30
98km (1,272m vertical)
Last day of cycling before heading back to Boston. No rain today...just several long, gradual climbs. We had lunch after 45km in Gerardmer, beside a picturesque lake. After that, we climbed for 15km to the top of the Col de la Schlucht. This is where we will meet the group in a week. The climb was pretty gradual, although the trees on each side of the view eliminated any scenic view.
The decent was another 15 km into the town of Munster. It was our first "real" decent of the trip. No switchbacks but some gentle sweeping curves to make it interesting. I cruised down at 50km/h and remembered why I liked cycling in France so much.
In Munster, I stopped at a local cheese shop to sample some authentic Munster cheese - made by a local farmer. It smelled terrible and tasted wonderful.
The final 15km to Colmar was also slightly downhill, so the distance went quickly. We caught a train to Mulhouse where we are staying with Al's cousins for the night. After a filling BBQ dinner, they are deep in Vietnamese conversation while I take the opportunity to enjoy free internet.
Friday, May 30, 2008
9 - Chaumont to Epinal
May 29
125km (1,784m vertical)
Thundershowers again last night. It was still raining steadily when we set off this morning. I kept thinking of my friend Meaghan, who said she though the trip sounded wonderful but could not understand why anyone would ride on rainy days. After a few hours, I was starting to agree with her. It was only 60F, dark and wet. Not ideal for cycling.
We cycled through several small woods in the morning, which were lush and green in the rain. Thankfully, the rain stopped and the sun was out before lunch. Shoes and socks stayed damp, but everything else got a dried out. The rain might have even been good for my lone cycling jersey, which was white at the beginning of the trip.
After lunch, we joined a main road into Epinal. The sun was hot as we rolled up and down through fields. I am allergic to one type of crop, I thinks its called Rape-seed. I discovered this during my last cycling trip to France. The itchy eyes and runny nose were back again this afternoon. I even broke out in itchy little red bumps on my arms, chest and face. Not fun. Together with a sore butt and stiff knees, I seem to be falling apart.
Found some dirt cheap accommodation a few km outside of Epinal. Al was happy. We each ordered two meals for dinner tonight. Greasy meats with rice, salad, french fries and green beans.
125km (1,784m vertical)
Thundershowers again last night. It was still raining steadily when we set off this morning. I kept thinking of my friend Meaghan, who said she though the trip sounded wonderful but could not understand why anyone would ride on rainy days. After a few hours, I was starting to agree with her. It was only 60F, dark and wet. Not ideal for cycling.
We cycled through several small woods in the morning, which were lush and green in the rain. Thankfully, the rain stopped and the sun was out before lunch. Shoes and socks stayed damp, but everything else got a dried out. The rain might have even been good for my lone cycling jersey, which was white at the beginning of the trip.
After lunch, we joined a main road into Epinal. The sun was hot as we rolled up and down through fields. I am allergic to one type of crop, I thinks its called Rape-seed. I discovered this during my last cycling trip to France. The itchy eyes and runny nose were back again this afternoon. I even broke out in itchy little red bumps on my arms, chest and face. Not fun. Together with a sore butt and stiff knees, I seem to be falling apart.
Found some dirt cheap accommodation a few km outside of Epinal. Al was happy. We each ordered two meals for dinner tonight. Greasy meats with rice, salad, french fries and green beans.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
8 - Troyes to Chaumont
May 28
125km (1,468m climbed)
Back on the road today. There were fierce thunderstorms last night, but the sun was bright today. Well timed rest day.
We took the back roads again today, and were treated to the best scenery of the trip. Flat fields soon became rolling hills, and we passed by row and rows of the grapes that male this Champagne region famous. I love the small roads in France that snake up and down hills and weave around trees and rocks. We barely saw a car all day, and spent a lot of time stopping for photos. (I'll post them when I'm back in Boston).
After lunch, I lost Al at a fork in the road. Typically, I cycle well ahead of Al and stop whenever he needs to change roads. If I'm not there, he just keeps on the same road. The problem is that the road we were on curved sharply right, and another road branched slightly left. Al just kept going on the left road. I waited for him a few hundred yards past the turn. Then went back looking for him. Unfortunately, the fork was at the bottom of a 2km hill. I climbed the hill 3 full times (and twice partially) trying to figure out which way he had gone. I was sure he would stop at the next intersection (when he realised I wasn't there) but no luck. After exhausting myself racing up and down the hill, I gave up and cycled on to Chaumont alone.
Al and I really have no way to contact each other except e-mail. Since Al has no maps, he's a bit worse off than me. When I arrived in Chaumont, I checked into the cheapest hotel in town, assuming that that is where Al would show up. Then I went to an internet cafe to e-mail him. He was already at the internet cafe (what are the odds?) so problem solved . Time for some dinner now.
125km (1,468m climbed)
Back on the road today. There were fierce thunderstorms last night, but the sun was bright today. Well timed rest day.
We took the back roads again today, and were treated to the best scenery of the trip. Flat fields soon became rolling hills, and we passed by row and rows of the grapes that male this Champagne region famous. I love the small roads in France that snake up and down hills and weave around trees and rocks. We barely saw a car all day, and spent a lot of time stopping for photos. (I'll post them when I'm back in Boston).
After lunch, I lost Al at a fork in the road. Typically, I cycle well ahead of Al and stop whenever he needs to change roads. If I'm not there, he just keeps on the same road. The problem is that the road we were on curved sharply right, and another road branched slightly left. Al just kept going on the left road. I waited for him a few hundred yards past the turn. Then went back looking for him. Unfortunately, the fork was at the bottom of a 2km hill. I climbed the hill 3 full times (and twice partially) trying to figure out which way he had gone. I was sure he would stop at the next intersection (when he realised I wasn't there) but no luck. After exhausting myself racing up and down the hill, I gave up and cycled on to Chaumont alone.
Al and I really have no way to contact each other except e-mail. Since Al has no maps, he's a bit worse off than me. When I arrived in Chaumont, I checked into the cheapest hotel in town, assuming that that is where Al would show up. Then I went to an internet cafe to e-mail him. He was already at the internet cafe (what are the odds?) so problem solved . Time for some dinner now.
7 - Rest Day in Troyes
May 27
0km
Today we gave our butts a rest. It was also pouring with rain for most of the day, so we were happy to be indoors. Spent most of the day in the library, since the local cinema only had French movies. The library only had a few titles of English literature. I selected one by Scott Adams.
During breaks in the rain, we explored the old city. There are 5 huge cathedrals in the old city, which seems like overkill to me. The narrow cobblestone streets and timber framed shops gave the city a lot of character, even though it was pretty touristy.
With nothing useful to write about, let me give you a list of everything I have with me right now:
1 Bike (with rack, rear panniers and trunk bag)
2 cycling shorts
1 cycling shirt
2 cycling socks
1 pair of cycling shoes
1 cycling pair of cycling gloves
1 cycling helmet
1 pair of cycling sunglasses
1 rain jacket
1 pair of pants/shorts
1 shirt
1 pair of socks
1 pair of sandals
1 hat
1 camera
7 maps of France
Standard toiletries
Bag Balm (cycling butt cream)
0km
Today we gave our butts a rest. It was also pouring with rain for most of the day, so we were happy to be indoors. Spent most of the day in the library, since the local cinema only had French movies. The library only had a few titles of English literature. I selected one by Scott Adams.
During breaks in the rain, we explored the old city. There are 5 huge cathedrals in the old city, which seems like overkill to me. The narrow cobblestone streets and timber framed shops gave the city a lot of character, even though it was pretty touristy.
With nothing useful to write about, let me give you a list of everything I have with me right now:
1 Bike (with rack, rear panniers and trunk bag)
2 cycling shorts
1 cycling shirt
2 cycling socks
1 pair of cycling shoes
1 cycling pair of cycling gloves
1 cycling helmet
1 pair of cycling sunglasses
1 rain jacket
1 pair of pants/shorts
1 shirt
1 pair of socks
1 pair of sandals
1 hat
1 camera
7 maps of France
Standard toiletries
Bag Balm (cycling butt cream)
Monday, May 26, 2008
6 - Nogent sur Seine to Troyes
May 26th
62km (486m vertical)
Short day today. We've got a rest day tomorrow, and Troyes was the closest big city where we though we could amuse ourselves for a day.
I took us on a series of small back roads today, instead of the main highway. It was great...much lore like the France cycling I remembered. With nice weather, we rolled though vast stretches of open fields, and through tiny towns with old stone buildings. Ideally we could find similar routes for the rest of the trip.
Troyes is a large city, with a touristy center inside an industrial ring. After some shopping around, we settled on a 2-star hotel in the center of downtown.
62km (486m vertical)
Short day today. We've got a rest day tomorrow, and Troyes was the closest big city where we though we could amuse ourselves for a day.
I took us on a series of small back roads today, instead of the main highway. It was great...much lore like the France cycling I remembered. With nice weather, we rolled though vast stretches of open fields, and through tiny towns with old stone buildings. Ideally we could find similar routes for the rest of the trip.
Troyes is a large city, with a touristy center inside an industrial ring. After some shopping around, we settled on a 2-star hotel in the center of downtown.
5 - Paris to Nogent sur Seine
May 25
125km (725m vertical)
With sunny skies, we spent an hour taking more tourist photos this morning. A group of local girls enjoyed Al's "whiteface"...the result of using baby sunscreen because it was 3 euro cheaper. It leaves him looking like a Japanese geisha, and runs into his eyes by the end of the day. That makes for some interesting photos.
We stayed on one main road all day, which made navigating easy. We stocked up on food in Paris, since we weren't sure if the shops in smaller towns would be open on a Sunday, but many were.
My butt was pretty sore this morning. It's not used to consecutive long days in the saddle. My knees felt pretty stiff as well, so I adjusted my seat a bit. Al seems healthy, although he is still riding well behind me. I can stop for almost 5 minutes sometimes before he shows up. I think he's used to 12 hour days of riding at a steady, leisurely pace.
Al lost a fender bolt today on a long stretch of bumpy road. Luckily, I had a spare. He loaned me a spare water bottle cage yesterday, after mine broke off. I had replaced all the sexy lightweight parts on my bike with tougher, heavier steel before I left, but I forgot about the water bottle cages.
We arrived in Nogent sur Seine around 6pm, but there was nothing open....including the local hotel. Some old ladies at the church suggested asking for a bed at the railway station, but the manager there said that he had no beds and no suggestions. I found a motorcycle tourist in the same situation, standing outside a second closed hotel. After a painful initial conversation in French, his two friends showed up and I realized they were British. They'd found a 3-star hotel nearby, and showed us the way. It was a bit more than Al wanted to pay, but there was no other option. Beware of France on Sundays.
We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant, which was the only food in town. So far, our Paris dinner was our only French cuisine.
125km (725m vertical)
With sunny skies, we spent an hour taking more tourist photos this morning. A group of local girls enjoyed Al's "whiteface"...the result of using baby sunscreen because it was 3 euro cheaper. It leaves him looking like a Japanese geisha, and runs into his eyes by the end of the day. That makes for some interesting photos.
We stayed on one main road all day, which made navigating easy. We stocked up on food in Paris, since we weren't sure if the shops in smaller towns would be open on a Sunday, but many were.
My butt was pretty sore this morning. It's not used to consecutive long days in the saddle. My knees felt pretty stiff as well, so I adjusted my seat a bit. Al seems healthy, although he is still riding well behind me. I can stop for almost 5 minutes sometimes before he shows up. I think he's used to 12 hour days of riding at a steady, leisurely pace.
Al lost a fender bolt today on a long stretch of bumpy road. Luckily, I had a spare. He loaned me a spare water bottle cage yesterday, after mine broke off. I had replaced all the sexy lightweight parts on my bike with tougher, heavier steel before I left, but I forgot about the water bottle cages.
We arrived in Nogent sur Seine around 6pm, but there was nothing open....including the local hotel. Some old ladies at the church suggested asking for a bed at the railway station, but the manager there said that he had no beds and no suggestions. I found a motorcycle tourist in the same situation, standing outside a second closed hotel. After a painful initial conversation in French, his two friends showed up and I realized they were British. They'd found a 3-star hotel nearby, and showed us the way. It was a bit more than Al wanted to pay, but there was no other option. Beware of France on Sundays.
We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant, which was the only food in town. So far, our Paris dinner was our only French cuisine.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
4 - Louviers - Paris
May 24
120 km (with 907m of gross vertical climb)Hit the road at 9am this morning. Had a big breakfast just outside of town. The route was hillier today, which meant that I was always a few minutes ahead of Al. He'd catch me quickly whenever I stopped to check the map or grab a snack.
There are lots of grocery stores and boulangeries around, so its easy to find things to eat. Al loves to get cheap food at grocery stores. Lots of fruit. I count on Snickers for my emergency energy. We both like the big baguette sandwiches for lunch.
Weather started out nice today, but it began raining off and on in the afternoon. Not ideal, but it didn't really slow us down much. Al fell once on a wet corner, but was ok.
Got our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower when we were still 10km outside the city. I was very tempted to take a photo, but was going down hill at 40km/h, in the rain, on a 6 lane highway with heavy traffic...and the view was gone in a few seconds. Other than that 2km stretch, the ride into Paris was simple. There were small, quiet streets that ran alongside the main highway in. By chance we picked a road that led us into Paris right past the A1rc de Triumph. It seemed the ideal way to arrive.
After several photos, we went to the Eiffel Tower for some more tourist shots. It was raining again, so we didn't stay long. It felt a bit artificial too, since we went out of our way to get the photos there.
The youth hostel that Al liked was full, but we found another cheap hotel nearby.
Got our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower when we were still 10km outside the city. I was very tempted to take a photo, but was going down hill at 40km/h, in the rain, on a 6 lane highway with heavy traffic...and the view was gone in a few seconds. Other than that 2km stretch, the ride into Paris was simple. There were small, quiet streets that ran alongside the main highway in. By chance we picked a road that led us into Paris right past the A1rc de Triumph. It seemed the ideal way to arrive.
After several photos, we went to the Eiffel Tower for some more tourist shots. It was raining again, so we didn't stay long. It felt a bit artificial too, since we went out of our way to get the photos there.
The youth hostel that Al liked was full, but we found another cheap hotel nearby.
3 - LeHavre - Louviers
May 23
130 km
Today we began cycling. We started with a trip to the beach for a wheel dip and photo opportunity. Al got a bit close and "dipped" his feet in an especially ambitious wave.
We stopped at a boulangerie to pick up some breakfast and lunch, and then hit the road. Unfortunately, the maps I have are not very good with city street details, and we rode in circles for about half an hour. Eventually, Al decided that we should just head East to get out of the city, and figure things out from there. This worked perfectly, and we rode along on some unknown road for several hours. (We knew the direction was right by the small town we passed.)
The weather was great: sunny and 75F. Terrain was pretty flat and no wind. Lovely. The scenery wasn't great because we were mostly on industrial-type sideroads. I miss the perfect routes that Bike Adventures always seemed to find the last time I rode with them across France. But route finding is fun too. The system that works is to steer yourself from little town to little town.
Our accommodation had bunk beds tonight. Al is open about his desire to "be cheap" on the trip, so we looked several places before finding a good deal. The only restaurant nearby was "Buffalo Bills3. As you might guess, its not exactly fine French food. Al and I are getting along well. I do the navigating and ride in front (which I like). The only trouble is the Al is riding a bit slower than me so far...especially on any uphills. Partly its because he has a heavier bike. But I suspect its mostly because he did not train at all (not one ride) before coming to France! He did get here a week early and went out 4 times, but I think he still has not found his legs. The result is that we were on the road from 10am to 8pm...and my butt was not too happy with that. Lets see how the legs feel tomorrow.
130 km
Today we began cycling. We started with a trip to the beach for a wheel dip and photo opportunity. Al got a bit close and "dipped" his feet in an especially ambitious wave.
We stopped at a boulangerie to pick up some breakfast and lunch, and then hit the road. Unfortunately, the maps I have are not very good with city street details, and we rode in circles for about half an hour. Eventually, Al decided that we should just head East to get out of the city, and figure things out from there. This worked perfectly, and we rode along on some unknown road for several hours. (We knew the direction was right by the small town we passed.)
The weather was great: sunny and 75F. Terrain was pretty flat and no wind. Lovely. The scenery wasn't great because we were mostly on industrial-type sideroads. I miss the perfect routes that Bike Adventures always seemed to find the last time I rode with them across France. But route finding is fun too. The system that works is to steer yourself from little town to little town.
Our accommodation had bunk beds tonight. Al is open about his desire to "be cheap" on the trip, so we looked several places before finding a good deal. The only restaurant nearby was "Buffalo Bills3. As you might guess, its not exactly fine French food. Al and I are getting along well. I do the navigating and ride in front (which I like). The only trouble is the Al is riding a bit slower than me so far...especially on any uphills. Partly its because he has a heavier bike. But I suspect its mostly because he did not train at all (not one ride) before coming to France! He did get here a week early and went out 4 times, but I think he still has not found his legs. The result is that we were on the road from 10am to 8pm...and my butt was not too happy with that. Lets see how the legs feel tomorrow.
Friday, May 23, 2008
2b - Madrid - Paris - Le Havre
May 22
6km
French keyboards are just different enough to make this message tough to type. (Why would you only change 8 of the keys???)
After a 3.5 hour wait, I flew from Madrid to Paris and met at at the hotel. Put my bike together no problem and left my 2 bags with the hotel. Then Al and I cycled to the train station, about 4km away. We had printed a google map for directions. Because I was late, we had to rush to catch the last train to Dieppe.
Unfortunately, there is a railway strike in France right now. This impacted us in 2 ways. First, there was a protest march along the street the google maps told us to take to the station. Since we only had these directions, we decided to weave in and out of the protesters as they marched. They did not seem to mind, since our bikes seemed like a good alternative to the "evil" trains. (Ironic that we were cycling to a train station.) After a while, we had to improvise a route (mostly going the wrong way one 1-way streets) because the crowd got too thick.
Second strike impact was reduced number of trains. After convincing someone to buy us tickets to Dieppe with her chip credit card (not easy for 2 non-french speakers) we found that the train was full...and would not go all the way to Dieppe anyways. Instead, we boarded a train to Le Havre, which is also on the coast. We will start there instead. We did not bother to switch our ticket, and no one checked it anyways...the one benefit of the strike for us.
Arrived in Le Havre around 8:30pm, found a cheap hotel (37 Euro for one person...Al slept on the floor), ate a pasta dinner and went to bed. The real cycling starts tomorrow.
6km
French keyboards are just different enough to make this message tough to type. (Why would you only change 8 of the keys???)
After a 3.5 hour wait, I flew from Madrid to Paris and met at at the hotel. Put my bike together no problem and left my 2 bags with the hotel. Then Al and I cycled to the train station, about 4km away. We had printed a google map for directions. Because I was late, we had to rush to catch the last train to Dieppe.
Unfortunately, there is a railway strike in France right now. This impacted us in 2 ways. First, there was a protest march along the street the google maps told us to take to the station. Since we only had these directions, we decided to weave in and out of the protesters as they marched. They did not seem to mind, since our bikes seemed like a good alternative to the "evil" trains. (Ironic that we were cycling to a train station.) After a while, we had to improvise a route (mostly going the wrong way one 1-way streets) because the crowd got too thick.
Second strike impact was reduced number of trains. After convincing someone to buy us tickets to Dieppe with her chip credit card (not easy for 2 non-french speakers) we found that the train was full...and would not go all the way to Dieppe anyways. Instead, we boarded a train to Le Havre, which is also on the coast. We will start there instead. We did not bother to switch our ticket, and no one checked it anyways...the one benefit of the strike for us.
Arrived in Le Havre around 8:30pm, found a cheap hotel (37 Euro for one person...Al slept on the floor), ate a pasta dinner and went to bed. The real cycling starts tomorrow.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
2 - Auspicious Start
If I´m going to throw around words like ¨auspicious¨, then I ought to appologise in advance for my poor spelling. I am using a terminal in the Madrid airport, and the spell check must think I´m the worst Spanish speller ever, because it flags 90% of these words as mistakes.
My flight from Boston arrived in Madrid on time, but my connection to Paris was cancelled. They unappologetically put me on another flight 3.5 hours later. I´ve sent Al an e-mail to tell him that I´ll be late. Hopefully he gets it in time...or reads this. Sorry Al.
My flight from Boston arrived in Madrid on time, but my connection to Paris was cancelled. They unappologetically put me on another flight 3.5 hours later. I´ve sent Al an e-mail to tell him that I´ll be late. Hopefully he gets it in time...or reads this. Sorry Al.
1 - Last minute shopping
90L bags sound a lot bigger than they are. My stuff wouldn´t fit, so I made a last minute trip to the local EMS (Canadians, think MEC) and bought a tiny new sleeping bag and sleeping pad. Hopefully the bag will be warm enough for Nov in China, and the pad will be comfortable enough for 6 months on the road.
Iberia airways charged me US$235 for my bike. I figured the bike was pretty essential and paid up.
Iberia airways charged me US$235 for my bike. I figured the bike was pretty essential and paid up.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Plan
Hello, and welcome to my blog. I plan to post regular updates from internet cafes as I cycle from France to China over the next 6 months. I leave tomorrow. Here's the plan:
May 21-22: Fly from Boston to Paris, then take a train to Dieppe and assemble my bike
May 23-30: Cycle from Dieppe to Munster (with my friend Al Bui)
May 31-June 1: Train back to Paris, then flight back to Boston
June 2-5: Graduation in Boston
June 5-6: Fly back to Paris, Train back to Munster, Join "Orient Express Tour"
June 7-July 20: Cycle to Istanbul (with "Orient Express Tour")
July 21-25: Rest
July 26-Nov 12: Cycle from Istanbul to Beijing (with "Silk Route Tour")
Nov 13-Nov 25: Cycle to Pacific Coast, then explore Beijing
Nov 26: Fly home to Toronto
December: Find a place to live in Toronto
January: Start work at CIBC
After 10 relaxing days in the Dominican Republic, I spent today doing laundry, buying last minutes supplies, and packing. I have more than the 2x90L bags I'm allowed, so I'll need to cut some stuff tomorrow morning. My thick sleeping pad is the most likely victim. Maybe I can buy something smaller.
Over the past 2 months, I've obtained visas for Azerbaijan, Uzebekistan, Kyrgystan, and Tajakistan. Canadians can apply for Turkish visas upon arrival, and the tour group has made arrangements for me to get my Turkmenistan visa upon arrival too. That leaves China, which is only issuing 3 month visas in Canada right now. Since I don't arrive in China until Sept 18th, I'll have to figure out something from the road.
Since mid-March, I've put 758km of training on my bike. (A bit less than the 2,506km of training I put in before my cross-Canada trip in 2004, but it will have to do.) For the record, I weighed in at 176 lbs today. Time for bed.
May 21-22: Fly from Boston to Paris, then take a train to Dieppe and assemble my bike
May 23-30: Cycle from Dieppe to Munster (with my friend Al Bui)
May 31-June 1: Train back to Paris, then flight back to Boston
June 2-5: Graduation in Boston
June 5-6: Fly back to Paris, Train back to Munster, Join "Orient Express Tour"
June 7-July 20: Cycle to Istanbul (with "Orient Express Tour")
July 21-25: Rest
July 26-Nov 12: Cycle from Istanbul to Beijing (with "Silk Route Tour")
Nov 13-Nov 25: Cycle to Pacific Coast, then explore Beijing
Nov 26: Fly home to Toronto
December: Find a place to live in Toronto
January: Start work at CIBC
After 10 relaxing days in the Dominican Republic, I spent today doing laundry, buying last minutes supplies, and packing. I have more than the 2x90L bags I'm allowed, so I'll need to cut some stuff tomorrow morning. My thick sleeping pad is the most likely victim. Maybe I can buy something smaller.
Over the past 2 months, I've obtained visas for Azerbaijan, Uzebekistan, Kyrgystan, and Tajakistan. Canadians can apply for Turkish visas upon arrival, and the tour group has made arrangements for me to get my Turkmenistan visa upon arrival too. That leaves China, which is only issuing 3 month visas in Canada right now. Since I don't arrive in China until Sept 18th, I'll have to figure out something from the road.
Since mid-March, I've put 758km of training on my bike. (A bit less than the 2,506km of training I put in before my cross-Canada trip in 2004, but it will have to do.) For the record, I weighed in at 176 lbs today. Time for bed.
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