Back to France, this year riding from Paris to Nice. Inspired by the famous race, the route incorporated some of the towns it has passed through, and roads it has followed during its long history. No, I was not racing, this was again a tour. Scroll to the bottom for a list of links to individual posts.
The more often I travel solo, the more committed I become. That is about the flexibility to stop where and when I want; to ride as fast, or as slowly as I want (or can); to detour or not; to choose meals on a whim.
Regular readers have heard me say that I like to ride the hardest thing I can and still have some fun. Of course, the trick is in figuring out just what that might be. The trick is also in balance: just what does "some fun" amount to; for that matter, what is "hard" ?
This trip was planned to be about 850 miles by the time my bike was packed up to return home. And to better address both hard, and fun, it included some detours that led away from a typical Paris-Nice race route, turning west to Mont Ventoux and then to the north east for some climbing in the Alps.
Lodgings were all reserved in advance, a decision I struggled with while planning this trip. The flexibility offered by traveling without reservations is appealing. But I am only comfortable cycle touring without reservations when carrying camping gear. There were some serious, long, steep climbs on this trip that I knew would challenge my climbing skills, so I did not want to be more encumbered beyond two panniers and handlebar bag.
The bulleted items here are the individual posts. Click anywhere you are interested to start. The next button at the bottom of each section will take you to the following day's post.
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| The beginning, near the Seine, in Paris |
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| The finish, above the Mediterranean, from the corniche |
The more often I travel solo, the more committed I become. That is about the flexibility to stop where and when I want; to ride as fast, or as slowly as I want (or can); to detour or not; to choose meals on a whim.
Regular readers have heard me say that I like to ride the hardest thing I can and still have some fun. Of course, the trick is in figuring out just what that might be. The trick is also in balance: just what does "some fun" amount to; for that matter, what is "hard" ?
This trip was planned to be about 850 miles by the time my bike was packed up to return home. And to better address both hard, and fun, it included some detours that led away from a typical Paris-Nice race route, turning west to Mont Ventoux and then to the north east for some climbing in the Alps.
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| The road down Mont Ventoux, during the descent |
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| View in the Alps, from Cime de la Bonette, after a long climb |
The bulleted items here are the individual posts. Click anywhere you are interested to start. The next button at the bottom of each section will take you to the following day's post.
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