Anyway, on with the planning....
Another reason is I can jot down any random thought that might pop into my head. On that....
Random thoughts of a middle age man in lycra.... part one.
I just got the new vinyl record of the band RIDE called "Waking Up In Another Town" and it is remixes based on their latest album called Weather Diaries. Seems really appropriate to me at the moment so I might get a tattoo done of it but as I am a coward I found another way !!! I discovered the cheapest way to buy a skinsuit was to get one made by a company called Owayo who will add anything to the design you want. It is amazing how they can do this for such a low price, but the main reason I bought one is they sent me a sample and it was so well made and the fit was perfect I was sold. So my Le Frog cycling clothes are all sorted !!
The route is being researched and it looks like it is going to be a great trip, it will be my 50th Birthday in September so it is a present off the family. I am so lucky to have them allow me to do these things and I really appreciate it.
Random thought No.2... the best things in life are free ! ( although unfortunately crisps aren't ! )
Random thought No.2... the best things in life are free ! ( although unfortunately crisps aren't ! )
A lot of my long distance bike ride planning and preparation is done in a quiet corner in that bit between 25th and 31st December, it was surprising how quickly it came together. I knew from doing Lejog in 2016 what to pack and more importantly what not to pack. This time round I won't bother sending anything to each B&B. I will try and make do and stop and eat whenever I want and hope for the best. The food parcels came in handy in the UK especially as I added a bottle of anti midge spray to the Scottish places but in France I am really looking forward to the French food stops, namely the Quiche Lorraine, Apple Tarts & freshly made croissants !!! Nom Nom !!!
Also this time round I won't bother with a direction and map prompt to stick to the top tube of my bike as I have another gadget with maps preinstalled called a Wahoo GPS. I also have google maps on the phone and the list saved so fingers crossed I won't get lost !!! Famous last words !! As I write this blog about 6 months after I did the ride this sounds so crazy as I got lost every day (especially day 2) Read on if you want to know more....
So far Day One is looking like a flat road trip through the historic and emotionally charged area of Northern France that was the scene of so much fighting and immense bravery in both world wars (1914-18 and 1939-45) I will be remembering and paying my respects as I travel south.
Googling places of interest I found some important sites for day 1 and I will be stopping at some of the memorials to the 2 great wars.
One in particular to visit is the Lens14-18 Great War History Center near Souchez.. please click on this link..
LENS 14-18
Another is the Museum of WW1 in Peronne. Of course there are a lot around Dunkirk too which I would like to see and pay respects to.
I also know of many war grave cemeteries that are beautifully maintained and dotted all over Northern France. You can find them here at the Commonwealth War Graves Committee website....
CWGC
I will post the details of the route later when it is complete. One change I have made to the bike set up is to add some extra bags and water storage to spread the weight and pack as smart as possible. It is quite a challenge to take all you need for a week on one bike trying to limit the weight as much as possible. I have decided to just take the one lot of cycling clothes and to pack a spare set of light shorts and a t shirt for at night. I plan to get to each B&B and wash the lot and hang them out to dry somewhere while I go on the hunt for food. It worked really well on Lejog and thanks to some lovely people I had clean gear mostly every morning, dry and fresh. I will try the shower tray grape treading system I got quite handy with on Lejog.
So far my pack looks like the following....
Also this time round I won't bother with a direction and map prompt to stick to the top tube of my bike as I have another gadget with maps preinstalled called a Wahoo GPS. I also have google maps on the phone and the list saved so fingers crossed I won't get lost !!! Famous last words !! As I write this blog about 6 months after I did the ride this sounds so crazy as I got lost every day (especially day 2) Read on if you want to know more....
So far Day One is looking like a flat road trip through the historic and emotionally charged area of Northern France that was the scene of so much fighting and immense bravery in both world wars (1914-18 and 1939-45) I will be remembering and paying my respects as I travel south.
Googling places of interest I found some important sites for day 1 and I will be stopping at some of the memorials to the 2 great wars.
One in particular to visit is the Lens14-18 Great War History Center near Souchez.. please click on this link..
LENS 14-18
Another is the Museum of WW1 in Peronne. Of course there are a lot around Dunkirk too which I would like to see and pay respects to.
I also know of many war grave cemeteries that are beautifully maintained and dotted all over Northern France. You can find them here at the Commonwealth War Graves Committee website....
CWGC
I will post the details of the route later when it is complete. One change I have made to the bike set up is to add some extra bags and water storage to spread the weight and pack as smart as possible. It is quite a challenge to take all you need for a week on one bike trying to limit the weight as much as possible. I have decided to just take the one lot of cycling clothes and to pack a spare set of light shorts and a t shirt for at night. I plan to get to each B&B and wash the lot and hang them out to dry somewhere while I go on the hunt for food. It worked really well on Lejog and thanks to some lovely people I had clean gear mostly every morning, dry and fresh. I will try the shower tray grape treading system I got quite handy with on Lejog.
So far my pack looks like the following....
- Me & the bike
- Passport/cards/cash EU & UK
- Train tickets/Eurotunnel ticket
- Glasses & Contact lenses
- Toothbrush/paste
- Sun cream/paracetemol
- Loads of chamois cream sachets !!!
- T shirt & shorts
- Flip flops
- Mobile phone/GPS & chargers (EU)
- 3 Inner tubes/levers/CO2 & hand pump
- Multi tool/valves/extenders/spare chainlinks
- Lights & batteries
- Google maps of France preloaded on phone
I will also get a list on the phone of all the bike shops along the route.
Airbnb will be the plan again as this worked like a dream last time but I also have downloaded an app which translates English into French. Did I mention that I don't speak a word of it. This will be a challenge all on it's own. All I know so far is "Parlez-vous anglais s'il vous plaît"
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