DOUBLE BREAK!
Day 192, Avignon, 11.231 km I had left Jay at the repair shop before the holidays, my heart full of hope and my head full of plans, already rejoicing at the idea of skirting the Mediterranean from Spain, hair in the wind and facing the sun, while the rest of Europe would suffer from coldLire la suite « DOUBLE BREAK! »
Christmas!
Day 154, Avignon, 10.763 km Here we are, slowly but surely, I’m approximately halfway. 5 months already since I left under the sun in Hamburg, and I ended up arriving in Avignon. And since Jay was starting to limp a little (I’m breaking a spoke every other day at the moment), I decided to offerLire la suite « Christmas! »
It’s Raclette time!!
Day 147, Toulouse, 10.251 km The advantage of being welcomed by friends and family is that the question of meals often comes up: « Is there something that would make you happy? – Everything except rice. And I eat a lot”. People also know that I love cheese (where I go, cheese platters die out), soLire la suite « It’s Raclette time!! »
The cyclist and the sun
Day 142, Bordeaux, 9.835 km A cyclist who has cycled all summer,Found himself very helplessWhen the North wind came.Impossible during the dayTo warm up just one moment.He went to yell scandalTo the Sun, this vandal,Begging him to lend himSome ray to subsistUntil March or April.I will pay you, he said,Before August, if I ride,Principal andLire la suite « The cyclist and the sun »
Europe Tour – Episode XXV: A New Departure
Day 135, Nouan Le Fuzelier, 9.189 km That’s it, it’s official. I’ll go to the dark side. I’ll become a resistant. I’ll turn into a criminal. I’ll defy the prohibition. I’ll break the taboo. I’ll hit the road again. My aunt Flo will be able to sleep easy, I will stop cutting trees. Thibaut willLire la suite « Europe Tour – Episode XXV: A New Departure »
COVID stopped me…
Day 108, Nouan Le Fuzelier, 8.628 km Confucius used to say that a picture speaks more than 1000 words … Here is my picture for today: But since I have to find new occupations for the 8 hours of cycling a day that I will not be doing for the next month, I will startLire la suite « COVID stopped me… »
The return of the prodigal son
Day 95, Nouan Le Fuzelier, 7.920 km It took me 3 months, braving almost 8,000 km of roads and paths across 10 countries, overcoming the scorching heat, freezing cold, rain, snow and wind, escaping mosquitoes, geese and hedgehogs, eat kilos of rice, chocolate and dried fruits, to finally arrive home … Some of you willLire la suite « The return of the prodigal son »
Bike overboard!!
Day 92, Rouen, 7.592 km A new initiation for Jay and Bob in the last days: we went to see the sea! To be fair, we are talking about the North Sea, I did not dare to go for a dip either, but it is still the sea! And on top of things, under theLire la suite « Bike overboard!! »
He lives north, way up north
Day 89, Brussels, 7.139 km I had been warned: « well, the North in October, that’s going be tough… ». Since I’m a little stubborn (I wonder who I got this from), I found a lot of excuses to go anyway (if I wanted to see everyone, I didn’t really have a choice, better October than January,Lire la suite « He lives north, way up north »
Back to the roots
Day 83, Frankfurt, 6.597 km 8 days. An eternity. An 8 days break (I am not counting the trip to Strasbourg, I had no luggage and no mountains to climb to justify it), 8 days without biking. In one go, almost as many days off as in the previous month and a half, and ILire la suite « Back to the roots »
The longest day
Day 73, Barr, 6.084 km It flashed through my mind as I was planning my trip between Beaune and Barr: “What if …”. Then it went away quickly and I didn’t think about it anymore. And on the road to Besançon it came back: “What if I did it in one day …”. And theLire la suite « The longest day »
Autumn Break
Day 68, Beaune, 5.728 km Change of pace since the last article: I’ve spent more time eating and drinking than riding my bike during the past week. Some memorable moments anyway: part of journey at night, the 4 passes of the Chartreuse massif, the departure from La Féclaz under the storm, or the “Chemin desLire la suite « Autumn Break »
Never say never
Day 60, Lyon, 5.228 km It’s over, my pneumatic immunity is gone… The question often came up during conversations on the road: “What about incidents? – I was really lucky so far, just a spoke to change and some worn brake pads – Not a single flat tire? – Not one !” When I arriveLire la suite « Never say never »
Les jolies colonies de vacances, … (song from Pierre Perret)
For these who are not 100% familiar with French music, this might help understand the title: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeCM3V2lqfw Day 54, Clermont, 4.947 km July 1997, a small village lost in the heart of the Ardèche region, France. Little Pierre is torn between contradictory feelings: on one hand, he will have to live without his mother forLire la suite « Les jolies colonies de vacances, … (song from Pierre Perret) »
Sweet France
Day 51, Valence, 4.641 km No offense to my Berlin, Vienna and Rolle friends (and hosts), France has a little something that the countries I have just crossed do not have: it is (very) densely populated with family members, friends, friends of family members, friends of friends, etc … which makes its crossing much livelier!Lire la suite « Sweet France »
Winter is coming!
Day 48, Rolle, 4.302 km It seems that winter is coming (scientists agree that it begins around December 21, let’s see if it’s like that this year again…) and the last days have shown me that I was clearly not equipped for it… Cycling in the rain, all right, but in the snow, not allLire la suite « Winter is coming! »
Treatise on Swiss neutrality…
Day 43, Interlaken, 3.898 km I have now been in Switzerland for 4 days and, by force of circumstances, I have been around its inhabitants. I have always been told that the Swiss are neutral (a little history: since the Treaty of Paris of November 20, 1815, the European powers have recognized the perpetual neutralityLire la suite « Treatise on Swiss neutrality… »
Life for two…
Day 40, Hohenems (let’s say Bregenz), 3.486 km Two days, two stages, two bikes, two cyclists, two pairs of sunglasses, two… (I can still go on like this for a long time but we’re not going to make an article of it… let’s get back to business!!). For the first time since leaving Hamburg, ILire la suite « Life for two… »
Alps-inists !
Day 37, Innsbruck, 3.241 km What a day! This 34th day of travel will remain in history books and this for several reasons: first departure in the cold with use of the Autumn-Winter 2020 cycling outfit, a pass at 2,500 m, the 3,000 km mark reached during the descent and finally a “surprise” pass atLire la suite « Alps-inists ! »
One month already…
Day 32, Salzburg, 2.857 km Yes, it’s been a month since Bob joined us. A month of pure happiness, learning how to live with a little Dino, interrupted nights, special moments, changed diapers and prepared baby bottles… It’s also been a month since we left Hamburg. Jay took some scratches. Bob neither put on weightLire la suite « One month already… »
These little details that make all the difference…
Day 29, Graz, 2.541 km Sometimes all it takes is a little thing, that little something that makes you go from having a good time to having a bad time, that makes a good idea a bad idea, go from success to failure, from heaven to hell … (okay, I’m getting a little excited). AndLire la suite « These little details that make all the difference… »
The second plague of the cyclist
Day 25, Vienna, 2.000 km I hope that in a few months I will not be writing a post named « The Twelve Plagues of the Cyclist », but it turns out that I had to face a second challenge of nature. The rain was already something, but I didn’t expect them at all: mosquitoes (!!). ButLire la suite « The second plague of the cyclist »
One day in hell
Day 19, Olomouc, 1.636 km And I thought that it would be a piece of cake, that it would pass handily, that it would go like a knife through butter … (and the list is long, I could go on for a little while – I am not 100% sure of the English translation though,Lire la suite « One day in hell »
Prague Summer
Day 16, Prague, 1.351 km Like the Czechs in 68 (I realize that the comparison is a bit ambitious but I needed to explain the title of the article …) I have just made my own revolution: I did not pedal for a single second during the last two days! However, I still wanted toLire la suite « Prague Summer »
48 hours of the life of a cyclist
Day 14, Prague, 1.351 km You are in a small family pension on the French Riviera on a spring evening. All customers are very excited because the media have just announced that the last winner of the Tour de France was using doping products. A heated discussion ensues between the various clients of the establishment,Lire la suite « 48 hours of the life of a cyclist »
The Day I invaded Czech Republic
Day 10, Pilsen, 954 km After a week of exercising my legs on German roads, I am ready to move on elsewhere, in this specific case in the Czech Republic. Side note, I wonder when I leave Dresden why Germany isn’t called the flat country too. 500 m of elevation gain over a 500 kmLire la suite « The Day I invaded Czech Republic »
Encounters on the road: Berlin – Dresden
Day 7, Dresden, 624 km Small summary of the way I took on the map : Arrived yesterday evening in Dresden, I spent the day sightseeing (a little), eating (a lot) and resting (a lot too, including a nap in the shade of an oak tree in a park, amazing!). But I do not forgetLire la suite « Encounters on the road: Berlin – Dresden »
Berlin (was) calling : First stage
Day 4, Berlin, 344 km Before starting with the story of my adventures, I would first like to thank you all for all your messages and comments on the blog, it was a nice surprise when I turned my phone back on when I arrived in Berlin. I hope you won’t be mad at meLire la suite « Berlin (was) calling : First stage »
First Challenge : Packing…
Day -1, Hamburg, 3 km Survival course 101, end of the first day. The participants are looking at each other, frightened, not certain of what awaits them after this hard day. The instructor enters the room and tells them, « My friends, the last test of the day will not be the easiest: you will allLire la suite « First Challenge : Packing… »
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