Life In The Saddle

Numbers aren't everything; but when combined with pictures, and context, they tell a story. The ' Coasts and Cols ' Tour was the hardest multi-day ride I have ever ridden. It was the biggest riding 'set' that I have ever completed. It was an achievement; an experience, and a challenge. It was also, crucially, a beautiful and enjoyable journey. Here are some of the key metrics from the trip; accompanied by my favourite photo from each of the twelve days away from home. 94 hrs 20 mins    - Total Riding Time 1933 kilometres  - Total Distance Ridden 28,629 metres     - Total Elevation Climbed Every kilometre and every metre climbed holds a little story. Below is a montage of memories. Photo Essay Day 0 - 'Rolling Out' The trip begins. I sit on the deck of the ferry, sipping a cold beer. We head out into the English Channel - bound for Spain, the mountains, and the unknown. Day 1 - 'First Pedal Strokes' Ferry delayed by a...

My alarm woke me at 5am. Having scoffed most of my remaining food last night, I munched down a stray banana, and stuffed my sleeping bag away for the last time this trip. Rain was pattering the tent lightly, as I packed it up, and then rolled out of camp. 40 kilometres to cover; to reach St. Malo, the ferry home, and a hot shower. The rain had abated by the time I reached Dinan, and the last 25 kilometres up the river were on deserted roads, in the gradually building light. I rolled to a stop at the top of the hill above St. Malo. Looking out over the English Channel, I reflected on the trip; I'd come to my final coast of the 'Coasts and Cols' tour... What an incredible journey it's been. From the mountains and plains of northern Spain; to the challenging weather and climbs of the Pyrenees. From a rest day with good friends in The Corbieres; followed by a northbound few days of mile clocking, through Bordeaux, Vendée, The Loire Valley and then Bretagne. Changi...

Bike touring never ceases to amaze me. You can see so much, and travel so far; all under your own steam (or rather, a constant supply of pastries). Today was all about covering as much ground as possible; in order to get as close to St. Malo as I could, before tomorrow morning's ferry home. From my finish near to Les Sables d'Olonne last night though, there was still a good 180 miles to cover to get to St. Malo. I had gone to bed praying for a tailwind... Luckily, as I woke amongst the wind farms of Vendée, I was pleased to see the previous day's north-westerly wind, which had made things such hard work on the open flats, had swung round to the south. Time to get romping! I've been behind on my planned mileage since my mishaps on Day 9 ( read of that day's events here ), and so I wasn't starting today from my intended spot, nor would I be following my intended route. In the words of my CCF days: 'B-line it Boys', was the name of the game i.e. t...

This morning began in a Bordeaux vineyard; hidden amongst some derelict vines. By 9am, I had reached Blaye, on the Gironde estuary; I celebrated the sight of the sea with pastries and coffee. Back on the road, my route took me through more beautiful Bordeaux wine country, and up to Royan - my first real west coast of France port of the trip.  From Royan, I set a target of reaching Rochefort, for a late lunch. To meet this, I ended up pushing hard along the A-road; but it got me there, and I enjoyed a good meal of pâté and oat cakes, in the city park. Not wanting to do any more dual carriageway action, I took the dedicated bike route from Rochefort to La Rochelle; it was a winding and often poorly surfaced option, but it made the most of the stunning coastline. La Rochelle is an incredibly beautiful port; I must go back there on a boat. For this trip though, all I had time for, was a quick photo - then a fast escape northwards. Now into the Vendee region, I'm surrounded...

It was always going to be a struggle to do my intended mileage today. 257 kilometres is a big day out on a fully loaded tourer. Little did I realise quite how difficult it would be... The day started out well, and I picked up the Canal Midi towpath with ease, and set about clocking through 135 kilometres along its length; enjoying the flatness, for a change. Things started to go a bit pear shaped when I noticed that I was losing pressure from the rear tubeless tyre, which seemed to be from a bulge in the sidewall opposite the valve. Eventually, the pressure loss was enough that I decided it was best to stop, and put a tube in. Puncture one of the trip. 40 kilometres later, and the front tyre seemed to develop an almost identical problem. Second puncture - now no more spare tubes. 10 kilometres further on, and on one gravel strewn section of towpath, the front tyre, now without any kind of tubeless sealing capabilities, fell victim to a cut. Because I had used both of my tubes...