Day 5 and Paris

Sitting in Porto, Portugal, I'm reflecting on the last day of our own micro Tour de France. 

I remember being concerned about the rain that was forecast for later that day. I thought by the time we got to our midway point, we'd have to pack up and try catching a train. Thunderstorms by 2pm were in the forecast, but as I have since come to accept, the Apple Weather app is sorely lacking in forecasting beyond the next couple of hours. The rain and thunder would hold off until about 4pm that afternoon. 

Despite this, we were up at about 6am --our Air B&B host taking pains to prepare our continental breakfast in the early hours, all the while in a white t-shirt and boxers. We quickly fuelled-up, changed, packed and set off. The final ride from Beauvais to Paris via Chantilly was about the same in topography as Arras to Beauvais: rolling hills with about two plateau climbs that, in retrospect, I was glad I built into our route. I was feeling strong. After I got to Paris, I found an old scale at our apartment which told me I'd lost about 5kg. It really showed on the last couple days of riding. I was flying up hills! I would usually start seated, getting as far as I could using a flat road gearing. When I lost my momentum, I would switch to a lighter setting as Ryan passed me by. After about 20 seconds of spinning, I would usually take a couple deep breaths, get out of the saddle, and just thrash the latter third of the hill, flying past my travel buddy. This pattern would repeat itself several times during the final day. 

Our detour through Chantilly was wonderful! For those not in the know, there are miles of horse tracks criss-crossing the forests around Chantilly. All are regularly groomed and riders take advantage of them often. All this has resulted in Chantilly proclaiming itself the Horse Capital (of the world? Of France? I'm still unsure about that.) In fact coming up to a larger six point intersection in what we thought was the middle of nowhere, we saw groups of riders sprinting by ahead. We approached slowly until we were waved on by a trial director that had seen us coming --a horse traffic director of sorts! 

Chantilly also has a magnificent, renaissance era castle that has since been converted into a fine arts museum. Unfortunately on our tight schedule, we weren't able to stop in.

 

Getting out of the forests around Chantilly, we had about an hour of pretty straightforward riding that went by in a flash. At the 30km to go point however, we encountered the suburbs of Paris. After riding on primarily back-country rural roads for four days, we have to acclimatize ourselves back into battling traffic for space and swerving around pedestrians. It seemed for a while that we hit every single red light coming into Paris. Without trees nearby, there was also no protection from the sun, which led to some overheating issues for me. 

What should have taken us less than an hour to barrel through ended up taking us about an hour and forty-five minutes of congested, miserable riding. 

Eventually, we saw some familiar roadmarks of Paris proper: bus lanes sprang up, running down the middle of the roads. This was a very welcome sight as bus lanes are typically shared with bikes in Paris. Busses usually stop every 500-800 metres so as a cyclist, you're usually travelling quite a bit faster then the busses, and only interacting with them a small number of times all day. Where boulevards exist, there is usually a shared walking and cycling path up the middle, which takes you away from motorized traffic altogether. Other times, if you're lucky you'll find a cycle track on the sidewalks of busy or popular streets. Large roundabouts also have sharrows to the outside of car lanes, thus making a bike-roundabout in which cyclists seem to have priority. That or drivers are generally hyper vigilant of cyclists. In fact after about four days using the Velib rental bikes, I don't think I received a single beep, honk or profane shout from any other road users in Paris.

Just a dream for urban riders, really!

 

 

Just after 3pm, we rolled up to the Montmartre neighbourhood and our next and final Air B&B booking of the trip. Our host was a woman in her 50s or so with a small bedroom that she was renting in her already cramped apartment. Despite the size of place, I quite liked the location of our apartment --in what could probably be considered the best food area of the city-- and our chatty, eclectic host. 

But that was it as far as our tour was concerned. Our long distance, tour-oriented travel was over. The next day, we rode out to Gar du Nord and sent our bikes to London via the Eurostar. We transitioned into just seeing a bunch of kitschy, touristy Paris destinations and icons. Although I may not write about our time in Paris anytime soon, I will try to make a simple splash page of Paris pics, as well as other photos from our trip.

 

    

Stay tuned for my next post which will be a rundown of the MEC Cote --a cyclecross style bike in geometry that I suited up for tour riding.

Day 3 and 4

As I write this, we are both relaxing in a small flat in the Montmartre neighbourhood in Paris. Huge windows are open to the street running up the hill towards the Sacre Coeur cathedral to the north, and a string of sex shops and strip clubs to the south. All around us, there are great cafes and restaurants offering delicious treats and delectable dishes.

So how did we get here?

Day three of our tour, only 25km long, was the perfect recovery ride for this jourey. Although it climbed Vimy Ridge, just south of Lens --an important battleground and cruiceable for Canadian forces in the First World War-- the weather was perfect, and our pace slow and relaxed. The site itself was breathtaking! A massive memorial to the sacrifices and virtues of those fighting in WWI, and to those Canadians whose bodies were never found, or had unmarked graves. The trenches around the site were also open for visitors wanting a more intimate experience of the site.

The memorial was more than satisfying for me. The somber experience. The crushing weight of loss that many Canadian families had to endure in the early 1900s, only to go through the same experience again in WWII. Our world today often feels like it beginning to teeter out of control. Back to that cruel, uncertain abyss. By standing witness to the weight of sacrifice and mourning at Vimy; I can see more clearly why it's so important to send people here to learn the human costs of war.

 

 

From here, we decended into Arras. Although our Air B&B check-in time was listed as noon, our host had been at work until about 4PM. Unable to contact him, we wandered about town. This is where I set off on my trip 10 years ago. Memories came rushing back: the two big squares downtown where vendors would set up for the weekend market; the dark wood interior and granite floors of l'Hôtel de Ville; the busy restaurants, pubs and cafes, too expensive tens years ago, but now completely affordable! Eventually when our Air B&B became available, we dropped our stuff off, had a quick shower and set off to the downtown restaurants to feast on some galettes. Galettes are a savoury, buckwheat crepe or pancake filled with meats, cheeses and vegetables. We'd need all the calories we could get as we were staring down our longest ride yet.

At 130km, Arras to Beauvais would cover a great deal of the same roads and trails we covered ten years ago. Arras was also where I set off on my journey, meeting Ryan and Dan along the way in Amiens --which we again passed through on this trip. This time, as we rolled along certain roads or buildings, the memories came flooding back to me: camping in Conty, loosing Dan after going through a roundabout outside of Mouy, the wheat fields that we took turns ducking into for photo ops. 

Despite the day's distance, we powered through our ride, perhaps fueled by our calorie-rich galettes from the night before. Though, we were going a little crazy from the blistering sun and probably some minor dehydration. We dropped into Beauvais and reached our next Air B&B quite abruptly, falling into what at this point became an autonomous series of functions: shower, change, search for good places to eat (tonight would be a pub), walk back home after supper, check out Facebook and YouTube and sleep.

 

  

We were nearing the end of our ride. Beauvais to Paris was a moderately flat affair, slightly less than 100km. With thunderstorms in the forecast, however, we knew we would be racing against the clock. 

Day 1 and 2

Looking back on our Day 1 trek from Sevenoaks to Dover, I might have underestimated the topography of the Kent countryside. Of course, Ryan, my traveling partner, had known about this all along, but only mentioned his confusion about my route selection after we had stopped for the day. Even if we'd completely rerouted our intro day, I don't think the hills would have been any more avoidable or forgiving.

In the last 15 km, we faced a beast of a climb to the north of Folkstone. Two kilometres in length (roughly), with sections of over 15% grade. I hit my limit. With thighs and hip flexors cramping up on my granniest of gears, I had to resort to hopping off the bike, having a quick 30-second recovery, then walking up to the next flat section to grind out the rest of the ascent --my life flashing before my eyes.

Despite the difficulty of the day, the country lanes were a wonderful addition to the trip. Breathing in the fresh air, watching the rolling hills of Kent roll by. The peculiar houses and small manors. Even crossing over to some of the main highways wasn't too stressful, however navigating through the roundabouts --sometimes crossing two or three in immediate succession-- was a little hairy. Having put in a solid effort on Day 1, and after a very large Cesar salad with ample amounts of lardon, Monday night ended in a solid sleep.

 

    

 

We slept in the next day. Surprisingly, Ryan wasn't up with the rising sun --I was so stoked! Although my legs were a bit tired, they didn't feel crampy at all. Taking advantage of the breakfast buffet, we took off from Hôtel Metrpole at around 10:45. The open road over the first 40 km was panflat, and the quality was smooth. We made great time... until we crossed over to the canal trails.

If yesterday's bit of frustrating had to do with hills, today's major annoyance factor was way-finding. Although I had tried to scout out the canal track that we were supposed to take using Google Maps, sometimes each track would turn to gravel. Othertimes, business that used the canals for shipping would buy the trails themselves and lock them off to the public. Other times, the trails that were supposed to be there just weren't. When we did find a good track again, the pavement was awful. So bumpy, we might as well have been riding old 'bone shakers'. 

I'll probably be favouring a saddle sore for the next few days...

Trying to navigate the canals had added a solid two hours on our ride. With 40 km left in the day, we abandoned the canal trails completely, and booked it to Lens. Our average speed from there on shot up from less than 20 to about 30km/h. It was awesome!

Here in Lens, we've just devoured some Mexican food  gotten some more food for the morning, and are just chilling out for the rest of the night. Tomorrow is a recovery ride of about 30 km, through Vimy Ridge where we'll have ample time to stop and really take that site in. Our next afternoon/evening will be in Arras, where my bike trip actually started 10 years ago. Solo. As a 23 year old kid with virtually no money.

Sounds crazy to say that out loud.

 

   

Tour Prep

With only about four hours of sleep between Friday and Saturday, and having some fun --and a couple drinks-- at a small shin-dig last night, I was elated when I got back to Ryan's place to flop down and sleep the night away. Compared to ten years ago, I'm better handling the jet-lag of the transatlantic trip. For example, in my twenties I remember laying down shortly after arriving, thinking I was going to puke and pass out, thus creating a disgusting scene that would be surprisingly suitable as an intro clip of Law and Order.

This morning I was raring to get the bike assembled and get the general feel of how it would look and handle all loaded up. Although noticeably heavier with a set and a half of casual clothes, two extra sets of cycling kit, tools, toiletries, and treats, I can still accelerate well from standstill. Riding out of the saddle, even with weighted front panniers, was more comfortable than I thought it'd be. The Axiom front racks proved to be a bit of a problem with my front disk brake (clearance problems) but this was easily managed. And finally, after about a month-long wait, I was finally able to set up my ride with the Apidura saddle-pack, top tube pack and treat bag I ordered a month ago. 

 

Although there's some issues with the panniers (again, disk-break clearance problems), I'm overall happy with this setup. Moreso, I'm itching to start our ride tomorrow, despite what is slated to be a humid, and possibly rainy day.

What will be the first piece of equipment that I'll despise having taken? What will I forget to bring? What will be the first mechanical failure? Will the weather cooperate? All questions I hope I won't have to deal with.

Packing the essentials

Leading up to Friday, I'm starting to feel as though I may have left packing and planning a little bit to the last minute. But better late than never, right? 

Although I'm still a little undecided on some of my warm-kit, or if I should bring as many kits as I've laid out, I think overall this is what I'm packing during the ride. Take it all in!

I have problems with overheating during long rides, so I'm going with some of my whiter, blander kits. I also have my white sleeves in the top left there. I do find they help during that initial hour of a long ride, but as you warm up they switch from being sunlight deflectors to heat-trappers. I'm also hoping to take my Giant kit, as it's been a staple of many of my touring trips. 

Here's my warm-up and rain gear. I'm a little on the fence about bringing the vest, but the MEC Drench Jacket has been a solid addition to my commuter gear. After looking into the weather recently in the Southeast UK and Northern France, it looks like I may need it! In the top right are some shoe-covers (MEC Cloudburst covers) --also rain proof. We've got the Shimano SH-XC31 cycling shoes. We've also got some MEC Logic sunglasses with clear lenses and and MEC Lift glasses with dark lenses. 

Some additional deluxe items I'm bringing: a simple Giro helmet that I got from Cyclesmith, my super-cool bandana, a couple pairs of gloves, a notebook and some bike lights. I'll also be bringing my iPad (it's really getting old at this point), a portable charger and a crib set. I'm using a simple Specialized speedometer as well. A couple special items will be my Wahoo TICKR heart rate monitor and a silly amount of Gummiland Gummy Bears!

After listening to the Velonews podcast about post-ride binging, watching Peter Sagan devour a bag full of bears after a classics-series race this spring and giving it a try myself (albeit mid-ride), I'm really starting to take a shine to these guys!

No pictures is my iPhone 5S. Although I used to be into Map My Ride for a long time, I've made the conversion and switched to Strava. 

My bike is all packed up. I'm bringing my MEC Cote as a touring bike. It may be a bit hard to see, but I also have a couple front-racks by Axiom (Journey DLX-Lowrider) and a couple small MEC World Tour pannier bags. I'll also be bringing two Camelback 750ml bottles. 

As you can see, I'll be using the biknd Jetpack bike bag that I got from Cyclesmith. It looks good now, and I feel like it'll do well in the hands of some surley baggage handlers, but time will tell. I'll be sure to make a review post about both this bag and the MEC Cote after this trip is over. 

Just a little personal touch from my super-cute girlfriend, a little name tag for my bike bag! It has my contact deets on the back. This was a really cool Birthday present!

Will have another update closer to my departure date. Take care out there!!

Leading up to a new Frank Trek

Looks like it's been a couple years since I've posted to this blog. The past few years have been tumultuous at times. I dropped out of distance cycling for a couple years, only to realize that I was getting fat and depressed and decided to hop back in the saddle for daylong rides of 50, 100 or the rare 150km ride. I'm not going to make a pledge to you that I'm restarting the blog, or make a commitment to post once a week --because frankly, I'll end up breaking those commitments and promises. But at the moment, I'm gearing up for something that I think is special. 

Ten years ago, I was fortunate enough to have a little bit of money in the bank, and a little bit of time on my calendar to travel. After consulting with a couple friends from high school, I decided to visit Europe, and to tour France. Not having a tremendous amount of cash, my friends and I brainstormed cheap and immersive ways to see France. Hiking was always mentioned, but to be honest, I absolutely despise walking! Hitchhiking was the next idea. Again, however, too much walking for my likes. Trains, car rentals, or tour groups seemed really expensive for all of us. Eventually, we settled on cycling. It was certainly faster then walking, and after watching a couple Tour de France videos on YouTube, we figured the French countryside would have better attitudes than Canada or the UK for cycle-touring. 

So cycling it was! The experience was so immersive, so thrilling, that I still define this trip as a turning point in my life. I turned away from the idea that I needed a car when I 'grew up,' to embracing --whole hog-- the bicycle as my main mode of transportation. Although I ain't no supermodel now, I lost a lot of weight, but more importantly lost many inches around my waistline. When I got back to Canada, after having my touring bike nicked in Paris, I bought an ungodly looking commuter (a KHS Westwood with an ape-bar) and started biking to school, to the store, to friend's parties, for small day trips. You get the idea. In time, I salvaged a medium sized frame from the garbage at the apartment building I lived in. I had it looked-over for safety reasons, and was told it was probably hit or run over by a car, but the chain- and seat-stays were pried back into place. I breathed new life into it: a new paint job, new drivetrain and groupset, wheels, cables, seat, grips --all the bells and whistles. Despite being a plain old frame with a straight-bar, it was super responsive and fast! Years later, I would buy a road bike --a Giant OCR3-- and a new commuter --a Jamis Coda. I gave the Frankensteinian bike away to a friend in hopes that she would find that special excitement and freedom that I had discovered in France years before. 

I'm not sure if she ever did or not. 

I got into the cycling advocacy racket and learned a lot about municipal and city planning. I still lend a hand every now and then when I have the time energy. I've also been dabbling in bicycle racing, having completed a couple biathlons in the early 2010s and recently, my first criterium (Cat D). 

Great kit! Great crit! Mediocre performance...

It's been 10 years since my foray into cycling started --all from one trip. At the end of the month, having grown as a cyclist and an adult, I plan to revisit many of those same roads in Northern France with one of those high school friends in tow. With our route planned from Sevenoaks, UK to Paris, France, we'll be staying in many of the same towns and suffering over the same hills and trials from 2007. 

I can't wait. 

Will post again about the bike I'm taking, the gear I've settled on and what little tech I'll be bringing along with me.

This might be a flash in the pan for this blog. I might return to years of silence, but I hope you'll join me for this reunion ride, 10 years in the making!

Join me for France Trek +10!

A busy summer and a NB-NS tour

It's been a pretty wonderful summer this year! Lots of sun, lots of distance logged in on the bike, and --last but not least-- a lot of big wins for cycling in Halifax. 

The Crosstown Connector, Windsor Street's beautiful bike lane, has a bit of an upcoming expansion in the Dalhousie separated bike lane. From there, it's just a hop, skip and jump to the Hollis Street bike lane in downtown Halifax. It's getting to the point that if you live in the North End or West End, you could hop onto a bike lane which will take you all the way to the universities in the South End, or to work Downtown. Hospital workers that live on the peninsula can also crossover from Windsor Street to the bike lane on Bell Road to get to work at both the Halifax Infirmary, Emergency Department or the Victoria General Hospital sites. Though it's true both the Dal bike lane and the Hollis street bike lane have hit last minute speed-bumps, I'm pretty convinced that they'll be started in the spring, at the very latest. 

As for myself, I'll continue biking during the winter in a commuter capacity and will try to keep up with this blog. I'll start likely begin reducing the distance I do per month leading up to November, when I start switching over the the indoor trainer --something that will be a little more tough to do with a smaller apartment. 

But before all this comes to pass, I've been planning a season-topping ride from Sussex, NB back to the shores of Halifax, NS. A ride of nearly 400km over four days. Starting in Sussex early next week, I'll be staying at a friend's place in Moncton after the first day of riding, then switch over to B&B's in Lorneville, NS and Truro on days two and three before grinding the rest of the way home on day four.

Most of my summer feels like it's been leading up to this. After having some vacation-timing troubles this month, I've been lucky to line this up, leaving myself with time to increase the length of my rides. Right now I'm more than comfortable riding a 100km day going between 27-30kph. Helping me get to this point was my season opener tour of Chester-Windsor-Halifax (about 200km). Then a couple weeks ago I busted out another 180km trek to Middle Musquodoboit and back (out through Lawrencetown and back through Enfeild --See pics below). This Sussex-Halifax trip will be the largest I've done in such a short amount of time, so it's going to be a real challenge for me. 

One of the largest challenges of the trip isn't really the distance at all, but controlling my pace. I'm usually a big fan of putting my head down and really pushing those pedals in order to go as fast as I can. On rural roads, I can reach and hold over 30kph. Hills are usually a pain, especially being a stately 200lbs, but I'm starting to tackle them with more gusto. The route I've mapped has a great amount of flat road, with a couple larger climbs sprinkled in each day --especially on the approach to Truro. Most of the time I'm following the shoreline along the Northumberland Straight, so the scenic aspect of this route should be super-enjoyable. I'll keep you guys posted and try to put up pictures as I go along. 

So do you all have season-ending rides you'd like to share? Leave your notes in the comments below!