Biking to Barcelona

Day 12 Agen to Montauban 54 miles

tourdefriends — Fri, 7 Aug 2015 01:39:00 GMT

Day 12 started slowly. It ended 54 miles in 4:04 later - we were still so shattered from yesterday!

Although we woke at our usual 6am with the intention of getting going by 7am, this was not the case. Shiambi had sore hip flexors and needed extra rubbing, Jassar had sore knees and needed extra rubbing and Taitoko couldn't open her eyes. We fluffed around so much it took 2 hours to get organised.

Once on the bikes we found another lovely french cycleway. However today after 13mins we had our first stop - Taitoko needed to take her jacket off. And why she needed it on in the first place ....? Who knows as it was already close to 20 degrees. We stopped again after 10miles then 17 and 27miles. Finally found that ice cream and Chantilly combo in Massaic! Yum, yum!

Before setting off again Shiambi was sent into the resturant to refresh our drink bottles with ice cold water. She was greeted by a friendly fellow who thought it be most helpful to fill the bottles with red wine instead to give us that extra boost 😉.Shiambi with wide eyes and fear streaming across her face frantically shook her head kindly and pressed for the bottles to be filled with 'Aqua, water, l'eau...Please!'

Not too much later we came across a giant water feature where Shiambi and Taitoko let out their inner child. Jassar caught their antics on camera but was not tempted to join in as she did not want to squish and squelch in sopping padded shorts back on the bike. Once cooled we cycled on calling out bonjour to the keen outdoorsy types also walking or cycling in 39 degree heat. Every man and his dog was out today!

After another Coca Cola break Taitoko again forgot to click out of her peddles and slid down a wire fence! As laughter emanated from the bystanders (Jassar and Shiambi) Taitoko picked herslf up with her foot still locked in the peddle, 'Nothing to see here, let's go you donuts!'

Jassar's final words of the day before reaching the trio's destination were 'I don't care just get me there in 11km or less!'

Ever the navigator Taitoko got the pack to their overnight digs in 10.9km (shhhh, that's what she told Jassar).

Can somebody order us a pizza in French?

Day 11 - Saint Emilion to Agen 90miler!!

tourdefriends — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 02:11:00 GMT

Day 10 - Saint Emilion to Agen

Off to a flying start, the first stop wasn't until 30min into the ride a record for us! To strip down as the air was so still and muggy at 8am!

After 21miles we stopped for a snack and a biscuit or three or five even! Who said we would loose weigh on this trip 😡

Soon after our refreshment stop Taitoko got a puncture. Then 10 minutes later Taitoko decided she needed to fiddle with her newly fixed tyre and due to her fathers biceps she ripped of the fricken valve so we are stoping again! This is great means Shiambi can blog on route!

Our route took us through the Saint E-Milion vineyards and we were doused by the field sprinklers which was a welcome relief form hot hot muggy weather. Taitoko has been huge impressed by the French's passion for cycling the cycle routes and signage! So much so she wanted a photo!

The route was a long one, supposed to be a 77miler day but as we seem to average at least ten miles extra so we have all braced ourselves for at least a 6 hour ride. Keeping this in mind there was a lot less chatter, giggles and stoppages!

With Jassar's awesome route planning out longest day was also one of the flattest (with the exception of the first two hours).

It rained on and off all day but that didn't deter us.. We kinda liked the chance to cool off. We stopped along the canal under some shelter (standing room only) to much on our lunch, which consisted of a boiled egg for Taitoko and some bread and for the others bread and cheese not to mention a a drizzle of Apple purée to help moisten the bread (last nights desert) Taitoko's motto of 'waste not want not!'

We continued our journey after lunch setting a cracking pace of 18/20 mph on hour 5 so not too shabby! And finally cm found. Coffee shop for our much needed caffeine fix. Taitoko was impressed by the jumping fish in the canal - much to her disappointment later it was just the local boys throwing stones! After a 25min stop we all got back on our bikes to the discover that Jassar had a puncture!! Doh the third tyre change of the day! Now we really much fix all those tubes!!

As we entered the city of Agen we crossed over some cool bridges and took a few pics. The French have thought of everything for cyclists even the stairs have a little groove to put ur wheels on whilst you climb the stairs. Going up wasn't so bad but walking ur bikes down proved to be a little trickier! We stumbled across the coolest bridge that had water flowing through it and of course couldn't resist taking a photo.

After almost 12 hours outside we all started to flag and saw a small super market and picked up our usual supplies to have a little fest in our hotel rooms once again. We then had our 'jobs' to do be for lights where out! Taitoko fixing the punctures, SHiambi uploading blogs and photos (and chatting away to her most amazing gf ever!) and Jassar making more scroggin! We now have it but the bloody truck load! and general house keeping -Jassar like the order!

Lights out at 9:30 ready for another day!

Day 10 - day off in St E-Milion

tourdefriends — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 02:08:00 GMT

Monday 03 August

Today was our scheduled day off and we learned to walk again. We prefer to cycle. The French kilometre strikes again!

Although this time we did go up the main thoroughfare into town instead of ambling through vineyards. There is no pavement as it seems people prefer to 'taste' and drive from one chateau to another. We ended up edging across rows of vines anyway and hopping across ditches where there was no shoulder - well, Sukhi was hopping with her long legs and the other two were taking more of a flying leap!

Saint-Emilion is worth spending the day in just wandering it's hilly, curving cobblestone streets. These are lined with art galleries, restaurants and countless wine shops that will ship your 56€ bottle of wine around the world! You may want to buy more to be cost effective. We prefer to drink our wine not post it so anyone with high hopes of a souvenir sampler can stop dreaming!

We had our first ice creams today oddly enough as both Kellys are obsessed with it. They made up for it with multiple scoops, but sadly for Taitoko there was no Chantilly cream. The hunt for the ultimate gorge-fest continues.

All we had really set out to do today was top up our provisions at a local shop and the mid-30s temperature and growing humidity had us rushing back to the B&B dripping wet. Can't waste an opportunity to wash and dry everything we have, such is the life of the weary traveller - haha, it was so much cooler in the stone house!

We spent the rest of the day doing laundry, snoozing and eating. Exactly what the body needed!

Day 9 - 70 miler Barbezieux-Saint-Hilair to Saint E Milion

tourdefriends — Wed, 5 Aug 2015 04:35:00 GMT

60miles in 4 hours riding time 🚲.

Another swig of port to start the day, shorts full of chamois cream, bananas and bread in the belly....off we cycled towards St Emilion. The gods were smiling and we had sunshine and a fabulous cycleway all the way to Clerac. En route we meet a French cyclist who tried his very best to strike up a conversation with Shiambi and Taitoko who quickly summoned for Jassar to intervene with her broken french. He lead us through the construction of a new motorway connecting Paris to Bordeaux. As our bellies were rumbling, we were desperately in need of food. With bread, cheese and chips in hand we had a lovely picnic at a nearby picnic area opposite a muddy pond. Feeling full, it was time for a nap. We were rudely awoken by none other than English tourists and a brat of a child calling out 'I want to go home'! Feeling a bit lightheaded Taitoko caused two crashes resulting in Shiambi landing on her arse and soon after Taitoko on her back with legs up in the air. All during an exchange of words with Jassar gently suggesting she might like to keep her distance otherwise she may cause an accident:
J. Don't stop suddenly! Give me warning.
T. Do you have to be up my arse?

After we all giggled at each other's mishap/s we finally arrived at our next accommodation. Taitoko's famous words 'Only ten minutes more and we are there' are very much like the french 1 kilometer: it is as long as a piece of string!

We celebrated with a few beers, some more port and a nice bottle of St Emilion red wine in a resturant. We were given a table in a wine cave....Shiambi and Taitoko thought they were being treated special...Jassar quickly advised them that they were being put out of the way 😀.... Food was fab though! Taitoko finally got her fish, Shiambi had meat and Jassar had an endless supply of bread with her veggies - everytime she finished a roll a waiter appeared at her shoulder with more.

Another french kilometer wander back through the vineyards and it was time for bed.

Day 8 - On 01 August - herpes! Melle to Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire (65miles)

tourdefriends — Wed, 5 Aug 2015 04:30:00 GMT

We left Melle and Jassar was slightly unimpressed as Shiambi decide to set the alarm at 7am so we could have a sleep in not that Jassar or Taitoko needed a sleep in as they racked up 11hours sleeping time!!

We all thought it was going to be cold so we wrapped ourselves up nice and warm. Stopped within the first 15mins 'needing to take off arm warmers off', half hr later stopped to take leggins off, then would you believe we stopped yet again with the first hour to take shoe covers off.. Now Shiambi agrees that a 'sleep in' might not work for us!

We soon whizzed passed some amazing windmills that were so close to us. So yup you guessed it we stopped for a photo. Several hours passed by and we were greeted with an amazing sunflower field and couldn't resisted more photo opportunities.

Soon after scampered up some trying hills and dusty roads the sentry changes from sunflowers to grape vines and the two Kelly's couldn't resist getting up to their usual antics and playing silly games in between photo snaps.

Again with the weather warming and in need of drinking lots of water there were many pee breaks required! One pee stop was more eventful involving a topless Taitoko! Her top ripped off by Jassar as Shiambi spotted a sneaky wasp creeping up to give the girls a quick tweak!

We road through many small towns but one tickled us particularly! A town called Herpes! So took some candid shots with the town sign in the background and of course one as we left (clearly indicating no more Herpes!)

As time passed we are getting a tad more comfortable and instead of reapplying chamois cream to protect our behinds behind a bush we just do where are stood, no time to waste as that time is taken up with de clothing earlier in the day!

We had stocked up the night before on supplies and found a small deserted town and purchased on some hay bails to feed our hunger pains and to have a siesta! ( to let the food settle of course! and to fit in with our frequent stoppages!)

During our siesta Taitoko decided to decorate Sukhis nether regions with buttercups! (Don't worry this was in fact over her cycle shorts!) and Taitoko then thought she would use the opportunity as a photo shoot with possibility of making some money 😉.

We finally ended our long day with a walk to the supermarket which seemed to take forever! The French kilometre my arse!

Day 7 Bressuire to Melle. Spiders and spiders!

tourdefriends — Wed, 5 Aug 2015 04:20:00 GMT

A quick 65 miles in 4:25 ride time. Don't ask how long our breaks are...

A pretty uneventful day today but at least it was an easy ride. The hills are not as high and the day off probably helped a lot, too. We finished the Jaegermeister today. Sad times.

The Garmin immediately wanted us to cut across private land which is normally not a problem for us, but today Taitoko had a funny feeling that a sleepy farmer may shoot at us when we opened the locked gate to his property to sneak down our shortcut. Not wanting to tempt fate we detoured around the very, very, very large tract of land and hairpinned around to the other side on paved but rolling hills - at least it woke us up. We were back on the cycle route before long and made it into a small town with a bustling square for our morning coffee and pastry. The french put Chantilly cream on cappucinos! Ohmygod, almost better than the pastries!

Shiambi definitely deserved the treat after her traumatising near death experience earlier. No, not the farmer (who may have been a figment of Taitoko's imagination anyway), but the spider WEB - no spider - adorning her bike for a few miles before she finally noticed it. You will never see her move as quickly as she does when it involves spiders! Of course she wasn't too happy that the other two had been giggling and waiting for her to notice all the silken strands all morning! This is about as exciting as today got.

We came into a medium sized town with a big archway into it which had us thinking we might find open shops for once. But, typically, only one was open whilst the rest of the townspeople siesta'd all afternoon! Thankfully, it was a gourmet meat and salad place and we picked up a fantastic little picnic meal enjoyed in a newly built park. We should lay bets on who will gain the most weight by the time we reach Barcelona!

The day ended much as it began, quickly and quietly. But Shiambi's version must have been a lot more exciting because whilst she had her daily two hour long phone call with her girlfriend, Taitoko and Jassar passed out by 8 pm! Hey, it's getting hotter and the wine keeps flowing!

Day 6 - Angers to Bressuire

tourdefriends — Sun, 2 Aug 2015 05:49:00 GMT

Is it the seat? The cleats? Or just not enough cycling training?? 😢

On day six we saw the French countryside by way of train after a very slow start savouring cafes in the hotel cafe as the train to our next destination didn't leave until 1pm. Due to another 10 long days ahead Shiambi thought it better to stay off the leg after 300 miles and we were forced to have an early rest day. This has given us the chance to catch up on some much needed blogging!!

Taitoko and Jassar have been fab at playing nurse, popping along to the pharmacy and getting Shiambi bandages, muscle rubs and painkillers, etc. The only things missing are their nurses outfits 😝!

On the train we were suitably impressed with the French way!! Bikes hanging from racks and plenty of seating room with power outlets. We admired the potential cycle paths from the window - Taitoko looking more than a little forlorn already missing her saddle! But as we have somehow been racking up a dozen plus extra miles a day, we'll make up the lost mileage in no time!

We munched yet another baguette sandwich on the platform waiting for our next train and attracted attention not just from le Francois but from their bloody ants as well!

Upon arriving at our bed and breakfast we were greeted by a retired Englishwoman who had a lot to say not to mention she was expecting 3 guys to show up! Sukhi knew all along but thought it hilarious not to correct her or tell us to her own amusement when we all stared at each other awkwardly.

We lazed around the pool and the Kellys had a dip in the freezing water. Temps have been unseasonably low but are set to rise tomorrow, but still good enough for all our washing to dry - hey, gotta make use of not being shattered. We finally had dinner outside in the warm French country air washing it down with yet another bottle of vino. We did say we were on holiday, right?

Another early night as we think our cycling time will be slower tomorrow to help protect the calf muscle - fingers crossed it holds up!

Day 5 - The magical disappearing bike trail Laval to Angers in 70 miles in 5 hours 25 minutes

tourdefriends — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 01:27:00 GMT

Oh, blue skies are here again! Finally our summer holiday feels like it's taking place in summer!! A little nippy under the cover of the trees on another voie verte, but as we love ourselves a good voie verte, we happily donned our arm warmers and set off at the usual time. The Jaegermeister in the hip flask also helped.

This was meant to be another 50 something mile day, but in her enduring quest to avoid as many effing French mountains as possible, Sukhi cajoled us into adding another 15+ miles to skirt around them. Shiambi readily agreed with her calf now becoming a real problem. A brisk pace on the flats was a challenge for the leg today and Shiambi is suffering big time. We kept being passed by a trio of octogenarians who brought to mind the old tortoise and hare adage!

Thankfully mostly flat and 'gently' undulating terrain today. We were passed by a retired couple also on their way to Angers whilst we negotiated medical terminology with a pharmacist and stopped to admire a field of sunflowers.

Again looking for coffee we settled for a posh pizzeria that we couldn't wait to get out of - who puts raw egg on a mushroom pizza! Finally outta there, we were accosted by a grisly old fellow, wider than he was tall, who brought to mind the sailors in Moby Dick. He declared himself 'no problem' before lifting up Shiambi's top! He'd caught sight of her tattoo somehow and wanted a closer look! He made up for it by asking if Jassar and Taitoko were her mum and dad - cheeky sod! Shiambi and Taitoko think they could learn French with their students so they can communicate with the lovely and crazy French we meet on these trips. Not sure the lessons would cover how to tell strangers not to try and undress them...Or maybe they would. We live in crazy times.

After another fit of giggles we got underway only to come across the cafe we had been looking for. Here we came upon the same path we had dropped a few miles back but it quickly turned into a mountain bikers paradise. This had us baring our arses once again and slapping on more chamois cream! Conscious of the chafing situation even Taitoko stopped reminiscing over her tramping and building igloos on glaciers days and we got off the path as soon as possible making our way through apple orchards instead.

We were off and on the trail all afternoon as it tended to turn rocky or want to take us through campsites and pastures complete with roaming cows - no thanks! We picked it up for the last 5 miles where it finally suited road bikes.

Angers is the biggest town we've come to so far and the Garmin was determined to show us as much as possible by directing us up cobblestone paths that people were struggling to walk up! We did come across the Cathedral which saved us a hike back up later. And our hotel was perfectly situated opposite the Chateau.

Unfortunately, it looks like Shiambi's leg is going to need a break from cycling tomorrow. Maybe another bottle of red wine will help make it better?

Day 4 - The 50 that turned into the 70 Flers to Laval

tourdefriends — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 01:13:00 GMT

JAEGERMEISTER every day keeps the pain at bay...Except today!

We were on the road in the pissing rain (again) by 7:40am hoping for breakie at McDonald's with the excuse that Sukhi needs protein...in the form of an egg McMuffin. The Kellys were in total agreement and thought it best to support her by joining in...Wtf..It didn't open until 9:30am! What kind of McD's are the French running here? So the only option was to share the last Snickers bar and pedal on.

We were lucky to find another voie verte taking us along a disused railway track. A beautiful path through forests with rivers running beneath the bridges we crossed - and it was an easy cycle, bonus! In need of caffeine we veered toward Dormont as directed by a lone walker in the woods. A friendly chap who wouldn't let us go until he gloated to Taitoko about some rugby match France won against New Zealand, possibly in 2006...

After climbing up a steep windy hill to the centre ville because we were that desperate for coffee we savoured our first pastries and baguette sandwiches. Clearly no one is going to miss out on the food!

As we sat eating in the cold wind enjoying our monstrous breakie our body temperatures dropped and we popped into a nearby bar-cafe (awesome combo!) where we learned how to order normal sized coffee: cafe grande!

Dressed to impress in our muddy Lycra we soon became the talk of the place. It was full of local oldies who we like to think were impressed with the details of our adventure thanks to Sukhi's broken French! Probably they were just calling us crazy.

Tried to capture some action shots with Sukhi shouting 'Cycle SLOWLY...' to capture the BEST SHOT. Further down we spotted a very old and virtually disintegrated treehouse that Taitoko couldn't resist climbing inside. Sukhi the ever keen photographer with no inclination to die from a decrepit treehouse collapsing on her snapped away. Shiambi was too scared to climb in because of the SPIDERS! Probably there were massive ones inside. Like really massive.

After a few undesirable hills Shiambi's calf muscle started to flake out. Shoulda listened to Sukhi and lowered her seat. Just sayin'. Even after unloading some weight on the other two, the gammy leg is getting gammier.

We reached our destination after 70 miles in 5.5 hours ride time. Not too bad an effort in the end! Whose bag is the red wine in?

Sukhi's missing muff and the Kelly's have a bang day 3

tourdefriends — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 05:34:00 GMT

53 Miles in 5 hours

Ear muff, that is, and banging heads on the drop beds in the ferry, what did you think we meant? Thankfully, the ear muff was found with the soaking wet shoe covers and there was no permanent damage to our heads...we think.

But before this whilst still in Portsmouth, the Kellys decided to go for a walk after our bags exploded in a pub to allow our sodden belongings to dry (probably the pub will introduce a new policy to chuck out anyone whose bags explode and those who use the hand dryers to dry every article of clothing they were wearing, which takes hours). Is it still flattering if you get wolf-whistled at by teeny bopper girls who mistake you for boys? The Kellys would like to think so! The girls sped off after one look in the rear view mirror displayed two grinning bois 😉

Back on the ferry: had a shaky start this morning as we firstly were woken up by the alarm that the pervious occupants had bloody set for 4:45am! We then were woken up by the captain at 6:00am. Bags packed and off the ferry by 7:40am, leaving the Port of Caen and peddling toward the city of Caen.

The first stop was for Taitoko to pose in front of graffiti saying 'New Zealand - hobbit for life'! Sukhi asked how a hobbit is different from those other little gremlins in all the other movies. We concluded that they're not. After that we found a cool cycle route that got us most of the way to Flers. The Kellys, handful that they are, finally conceded that they should lather up their butts with chamois cream so down came their shorts in a not so secluded picnic area in the pissing rain! They declined the photo op, sadly.

So, France is known for food and we learned two facts: french slugs are massive and orange, and wild snails are enormous! Shells bigger than ping pong balls and people tramp around picking them after a rain fall - free escargot en route, yum.

Not soon after Jassar and Shiambi sneak past the Guard Ducks - yes, that's right Guard DUCKS not dogs - Taitoko gets hunted down by them for trying to take a photo of their friend the donkey! The owner of this random house in the middle of nowhere had to come running out with a big stick to herd the gigantic ducks and their 1.5 meter wingspan away while they rushed at Taitoko cowering behind her bike!

The cycle route lulled us into a false sense of security as we were then faced with monster hills! Yet again Taitoko was her usual impressive self. Gradient on one of the never ending hills was 6.6% and she just powered up like nobody's business. Sukhi is just not interested in the hills, lol!! She refused to do them but finally relented when it appeared the hills would not flatten after she turned the air blue and glared at them a lot.

At the top of one of the hills was a Canadian war memorial which made her silent for a minute.

Stopped for a coffee in Conde-sur-Noireau where a lovely woman brought us our first French cafes. They are tiny. And the hot chocolate also was served in an espresso cup/thimble, wtf?

We then had our last leg to Flers and were kindly greeted by more hills. Now about to conk out in our hotel beds. Good night!

Day two Frimley Green to Portsmouth

tourdefriends — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 03:07:00 GMT

53miles in 4hours and 20 minutes.

This morning started with self-adoration by way of an abs showdown (not Sukhi because she is far too cultured for this type of uncouth behaviour...She took the pictures 😝) ... Posing in front of the mirror followed by a Jaegermeister swig! Bags packed and we then hit the road. Got caught in a massive downpour and were soaked to the core in minutes!

Our fancy padded shorts soon became bike sponge pants! Squelching down and up the roads. A few more hills needed to be climbed today and one was so challenging that Shiambi and Jassar needed a pit stop After becoming lightheaded from exertion! Taitoko on the other hand powered on right up...Impressive stuff. The South Downs are a sight to behold! Was like cycling through a rainforest on either side of us. Regrettably didn't stop for a photo to avoid raising the beast in Taitoko who the other two were happily holding up to ooh and aah at this and that.

Jassar taught Shiambi the magic of CHANGING GEARS which helped immensely with the SOUTH DOWNS!

Approximately 15miles out Taitoko got a puncture and managed to change it in 7minutes and 30secs in the rain... I'll be lucky to change mine in under 15minutes.

Arrived soaking wet and most of our stuff at least damp! So much for water proof bags 😡.

Now hanging out in a pub for food be an attempt to use the hand dryers to keep warm!

ferry doesn't leave till 11pm - not sure how I'll stay awake!

Shiambi

Day one! Norf Landon to Frimley Green

tourdefriends — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 05:07:00 GMT

49 miles in 5 hours ;-). Day started with a puncture - in Taitoko's backyard! A through and through picked up the night before! After of course throwing back some Jägermeister and filling up the hip flask that will surely come in handy we were ready to set off at the early morning hour of 11:20am 😀 However the sludgy Regents Canal and river paths were not a good idea after a day full of rain previously, but we saw sights we wouldn't have on some A road. Beautiful scenery (if you didn't look down at the mud and discount a fall that landed mere inches...okay, a couple of feet from the water), the divine smells emanating from McVities, a graffiti artist hard at work, and a regatta on the Thames. With 2 minor falls - bloody clip ins - 1 little elbow scrape and a sore arse later we arrived at our first destination. Still smiling, still full of adrenaline, now full of G&T and caffeine...Bring it on!!!!!

Photos: Biking

tourdefriends — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 06:20:00 GMT

Biking

Minus day one. North Finchley

tourdefriends — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 05:57:00 GMT

About a year ago Sukhi had a grand plan to cycle to Barcelona with Kelly x 2! Previously, we had cycled to Paris from London, along with only a couple of long day trips in between. However, cycling to Barcelona will be a challenge above anything we have undertaken so far.

In the last six months my cycling preparation has invloved cycling to and from work around trip of 16miles, however a move to within half a mile of work has resulted in a worrying lack of daily cycling over the last two months. Back in Spring we took part in a charity 50miler event and this coupled with the cycle there meant we racked up just over 100miles (still no where near enough for our Barcelona slog!) Since then training has been more ad hoc! For my part this has involved the cycle dash to tutoring, the odd evening and weekend cycle across london to Balham and a less than speedy cycle to windsor with Rebecca on her Mary Poppins bike! Most recently, Kelly, Sukhi and I attempted a training ride from Lonon to Brighton. The scene was set 15minutes when Kelly thought we needed to head towards Kings Cross when in fact we needed to head towards London Liverpool Street, where Sukhi clocked B@1, and due to the bike SAT NAV saying NO! and Kelly getting a punctutre Sukhi thought a cocktail or two was a far better idea!

SO with my bags packed, bike serviced I feel more than ready to pedal my (our) way to a Barcelona!

Kelly S