nbjtours

Day Seven

Krems, Austria

87 miles 1490 feet climbed

Today was a very sobering and exhausting day both from a physical and mental viewpoint. Early on we took a little detour from the Danube cycle path to visit the Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial Centre which was an incredibly moving and saddening experience. More of which later.

In addition the constant headwind which we have had to deal with since the start of the Inn valley picked up even more strongly today so we had a block headwind all day. So much worse than a hill as there is no benefit for the extra effort.

We left a little later than usual so that we could arrive at Mauthausen just as it opened, having ridden about ten Miles with a nasty little hill at the end. This was a very good decision as it allowed us each to wander round the site on our own and reflect on how awful man can be to man for no real reason.

The site was very well presented and free to enter, respectful and not touristy ( although I’m sure it can be)

Some areas were particularly evocative, it should be on all school agendas to make children understand this horror and know that around 50% of the 190,000 inmates who were sent here between 1938 & 1945 died. Just so awful.

We left the visit quietly and contemplating what we had just seen. The road to the site had just been resurfaced and was the neatest smoothest road you will ever see. I was able to congratulate the workman ( in the background of the photo above) who were tidying the edges on their excellent workmanship.

Having had a quick coffee we knew we still had over 75 miles to cover and time was pressing on. We decided to change the programme a little to stop for lunch then have a tea stop later.

This stage was run mostly on the raised banks of the Danube and was particularly exposed to the draining headwind. Most of the levee was tarmac but one section was rough stone slabs so we had to resort to grass running for a while slowing us down further.

Allied to this , being stuck on the levee, meant there was little to see as the river was wide and featureless. A short section away from the river brought some relief and a bit of fun when we came across these pumpkins and squashes being sold

A full French stick lunch was followed by a slight change in the scenery as the Danube forced its way between hills on either side, but the wind was still slowing our progress.

Tea and doughnuts were taken with still 30 miles to go and we did not leave there until around four. After a short but very steep climb to get up and over a bridge we swapped to the other side of the river.

This was a good call as the cycle path no longer hugged the river itself but ventured into and out of the numerous small vineyard villages along the banks.

It was now that Nick said he had a phone meeting to attend to at 6pm otherwise he would be unable to put in his consultancy attendance invoice for $$$$$. As Chris and I had been holding Nick up we suggested he push on to get to the campsite. Although doing well he sadly ended up just over a mile short so we came across Nick in full conference call mode in the middle of a small village!!

Chris and I therefore throttled back and enjoyed the most scenic part of today’s route as much as our tired limbs would allow.

Durnstein was full of tourists probably having got off the Viking cruises boat docked nearby. We did not hang around, although understand Richard the Lionheart was supposed to have stopped here a few years ago.

Chris and I finally arrived at the campsite in Krems at 6.30 ready for our cold beer. Nick followed a few minutes later having successfully blagged his online attendance.

Once again Monica & Nigel rustled up an eagerly devoured dinner of chicken thighs potatoes and Monica’s infamous salad.

An exhausting and thought provoking day had come to an end Why can man be so evil and not learn the lessons of the past.

Day six

Linz, Austria

95 miles 2133ft climbed

Today we moved from the Tyrol to the Danube basin and the landscape changed significantly over the journey. However the one thing that we enjoyed and took advantage of during every stage was a lake. Very different lakes but ones that made the ride special. The other thing to note is that today we hit 500 miles completed after six days riding.

Leaving the campsite in Salzburg the initial destination was the area known as the Salzkammergut ( the Austrian equivalent of our Lake District) as ever we started immediately on cycle paths which wound their way up out of Salzburg, climbing gradually for 9 miles. As we left early we had to take care as coming the other way at high speed were numerous locals on their way into town to start work.

After out climb we entered a pretty Green valley where there was little activity apart from the farmers cutting their grass.

Moving on from the valley we approached Mondsee but first saw a bunch of climbers at St Loritz preparing to go up.

Mondsee was very pretty and we ran round part before disappearing into a long cyclist only tunnel – cars had a separate one.

As we moved on from Mondsee we came to the larger Attersee where we had hoped to rendezvous with the camper. However Nigel got moved on or was asked to pay so we ended up having to cycle the 15 mile length of this lake before we were allowed to have our coffee and pastry stop. It even included a few sharpish hills so a Karen flapjack stop was added to the programme.

We also enjoyed watching the grass collecting device as below!!

After leaving Attersee we left the mountains and lake and started to transition towards the Danube basin. The landscape changed and we picked up the river Ager which then merged with the Traun.

Whilst the majority of this stage was on cycle paths they were unusually nearly all gravel. It may have been something to do with the fact we went round over and beside several gravel lakes not unlike our Barden Lake back in Kent. We did see one large terrapin and many fish in several.

The gravel was mostly great except for a couple of stretches where it had been laid too thickly and challenged grip and stability. The many other as usual electric bike users grinned at our instability.

Nigel was pleased with his lunch stop which was just off the cycle path but the bunting of our drying washing was plain for us to see !

Lunch was merely frankfurters and scrambled egg and by now we kept out of the sun. The good thing about the extra long first leg meant that we only had 26 miles left as leg three to the next campsite.

This leg was almost entirely along the river on tarmac paths and Nick powered us along for several kilometres luckily mostly shaded from the sun.

Nearly there I actually had programmed in the wrong campsite so a quick lap of the wrong site before moving on to the site I’d booked which is far superior, as it boasts a swimming lake with water skiing the lot.

After the efforts of the day the three N’s , Nick, Nigel & Neil had a very refreshing swim before our very welcome beef stew

The cards have been as keenly contested as usual but this year Nick’s beginners luck appears to have vanished. Undefeated last year, Chris changed the game and he has lost every night so far!

Nick has just cried “it’s almost nine o’clock, time for bed. “ As Everyone is exhausted after another great day, the cards stop and we all disappear off to bed to recharge the batteries for the next day.

Day Five

Salzburg, Austria

86 miles 3120 ft climbed

Today was one of those great days cycling that we will remember for a long time. The weather was excellent and the scenery was truly picture perfect. Some of the views could not have been more typically Austrian if they tried. The key to this beauty was the colour green, the verdant mountainside pastures resplendent as bright as emeralds shining beneath the blue sky. Fabulous. The pictures don’t really do it justice.

Having decided to leave early, as soon as we had finished our compulsory porage, the first twenty-five miles continued our assault on the Inn valley.

It was quite a chilly start if we were not in the sun , and after a downhill start managed to warm up quickly as we sped along without a headwind making some good progress in the first hour and a quarter covering 20 odd miles.

What was noticeable as we rode down the ever maturing valley was it’s width and how the waters of the Inn calmed although it still ran quickly. We continued to share the valley with farms, the autoroute and the railway as the river got bigger.

Having crossed the Inn for the final time at Kufstein we shortly left the Inn valley for the first time in around 100 miles.

We then started a gradual climb up out of the valley alongside another river and this is where we started to see the Austria that we all think of with green grass and house balconies full of flowers with the mountains in the background.

Having decided to meet with Nigel & Monica by Walchsee the view and site did not disappoint. Few coffee stops will be as scenic. Even here Nigel took the locals to task for trying to charge him to park and he agreed not to pay!

We did see a bit more wildlife including some cranes in the fields and some autumn crocus too. Running along in the stunning scenery made cycling easier even if there were some more hills to climb.

As ever most of the riding was on dedicated tarmac cycle paths until we approached the German border when we had a couple of miles on a main road before crossing the border and turning off into the woods and we then had a few kilometres on rough gravel tracks including an additional hill added for Nick.

Whizzing down the first of several hills Nigel had set up our lunch stop at what he thought was a disused railway station only to find there were two trains an hour in each direction!

We remained in Germany until almost the end of the day as the border is on the outskirts of Salzburg. This means we will now stay in Austria until next Monday after our weekend break in Vienna. We will have completed by then the East to West crossing of the country.

Coming down from the high hills we had several great sweeping but not too steep descents and a couple of short climbs which again were great fun.

Crossing our final river of the day brought us into the outskirts of Salzburg and back into Austria where we had a short five miles on to the campsite.

This evening pork schnitzel, coleslaw & potatoes was followed by stewed plums with ice cream. Who needs a restaurant. Monica had even found the requisite German Beer.

So five days down and two and a half more to Vienna. The sun has promised to shine some more.

Day Four

Kramsach, Austria

85 miles 1200 ft

Chris coined this phrase as we were cycling along the Inn Valley as the flat fertile plain was full of various fruit and vegetables. We saw apples, vines, raspberries, blackcurrants, potatoes being harvested, and leeks too which filled the air with their distinctive odour. A field of celeriac also added a different smell too. This was all in addition to the usual maize and grass fodder fields as we cycled along.

Today was all about following the river Inn. Although in theory it was an easy flat day gradually going downhill we unfortunately had a steady headwind which strengthened as the day progressed. Although Nick continued to ride with verve, it is fair to say Chris & I were glad to finish at the end of the day.

Once again most of the route was on dedicated cycle paths, the vast majority being tarmac, but just to keep us on our toes every now and again we had a kilometre of gravel.

One of the notable features of the day was the growth in the size of the river valley which started out quite narrow in Landeck and grew as we progressed. The river was always running fast and as we found later we were lucky not to be here when the river was in Full flood.

One thing that we remarked upon as we cycled through was the lack of wildlife, particularly birds. We saw a few kites and crows but little else so presumed the farmers shot everything else.

However in addition to the odd lizard and a mouse that scuttled across the track we did see these Chamois grazing contentedly in a field.

What is noticeable is the compliant and trusting nature of the average Austrian. Whilst this may lead to some frustration with the obeying of the rules it does also mean that they don’t need to fence off railways and facilities are left in superb condition.

The first leg to coffee was the most varied and although we were sharing the river valley with the railway and a motorway we were often in trees and fields away from the noise.

At one point we did actually climb up well above the river to look down at a couple of bends.

I’m not sure how many times we crossed the river but it must have been well over ten often on dedicated cycle bridges, some wooden and others suspended.

The other interesting thing we saw a few times was a counter which advised the number of cyclists using the path. On the first one we crossed we were 28-30, the last was a few hundred and the annual figure was in the hundreds of thousands.

Having started at a tardy 8.05 coffee was very welcome where Nigel had managed to negotiate with a sports club to park up the camper to dry the tents and set out the pastries!

The next leg was split into two. The first section to Innsbruck was the least enjoyable of the day as we ran right next to the motorway. We even noticed a cyclist stopped to go into the motorway services. With the headwind and to noise of the traffic it was good to finally get into the outskirts of Innsbruck.

After a quick detour and walk into the very touristy centre of Innsbruck we then cracked on to meet the camper although had a repair stop because Nick was concerned his saddle had moved.

For our lunch stop Nigel had set up in the enormous Swarovski Crystal carpark. The good thing was that we now only had 24 miles left to go for the day.

We continued along cycleways but the most noticeable thing was the aftermath of the flooding that occurred only a week ago with some crops destroyed but also thousands of sandbags and mud having been snowploughed out the way.

Our campsite today was up the biggest hill of the day – only 250 ft- but we finished at 4.30 where Monica had managed to meet the next part of the challenge with the most popular Austrian beer. She is hopeful that as we pass into Germany briefly tomorrow she can catch back up on her quest.

Salmon and cucumber salad were on the menu this evening and there was even time for a round of cards.

With the weather due to get warmer tomorrow and some climbing earlier on we will be getting away early again to try to beat the heat.

Day Three

85 miles

6000ft climbed

The main objective of the day was the climb over the Silvaretta toll road. Featuring a seemingly endless number of hairpin bends up ( actually 30) and a gradient that averaged almost 7% after the first half being 10%, this was certainly going to be a challenge. I will let you have Chris’s quote later in the blog.

Again blessed with good weather we set out from our Liechtensteiner campsite at 7.30. Initially we ran beside the main road into the capital Vaduz. While obviously wealthy and lacking in charity & coffee shops it is no bigger than Tonbridge High Street with a parliament building and like us has s castle on a hill.

As we went through Vaduz early this Sunday morning they were setting up a TV chef based event with barbecues and stages for the impending show. Leaving Vaduz we once again headed along cycle paths through the middle of the wide valley that is Liechtenstein.

It did not take long to cycle the length of Liechtenstein, so after about ten miles we crossed the border into Austria.

Moving into Austria there was no let up in the high quality of the cycle paths which remained sealed with the smoothest tarmac you can imagine.

After a short while we cycled through the attractive town of Feldkirch which was really the last town of any note before we started to climb up the valley.

Leaving Feldkirch again on a super cycle path we started the very gradual climb up the valley towards Silvaretta. This took us away from the more famous and busier Arlberg pass.

Climbing along the valley beside the river, we saw farmers busy cutting grass to store for winter fodder. It was an easy and enjoyable experience. The smell was glorious and it was interesting to see how and what each farmer used to cut and collect. Some was very much hard manual labour, unlike the guy below.

Chris was a bit trepidatious about the climb and tried to catch this train to the bottom of the steep bit to save his energy. Sadly for him the train stopped for a whole 30 seconds to pick up a couple of passengers and was then off again. What efficiency.

As we continued to run along a cycle path off the main road Nigel very cleverly managed to find a spot just where the cycle path ran beside the road for a few hundred yards. We breakfasted in the carpark of a sports outlet shop, as Monica had earlier found out everything is closed in Austria on a Sunday!

Carrying on after breakfast we had a very surprising detour having noticed some ski jumps we were amazed to see a competition for teenage girls in full swing on the synthetic surface. Most impressive.

By this time the cycle path was running out and we were advised to take the road and this is where the toll road started and the gradient moved from 2% to 10% and we started the 30 hairpins. We topped our bottles up at hairpin one and then Nick proceeded to do his mountain goat bit and disappeared into the distance.

Unusually Nigel stopped before the top so we had our lunch after the majority of the hairpins but with still a few left and some steep ramps to get to the summit three miles up the road.

Having reached the top Nick was keen for more, I was relieved and Chris was dreaming of an electric bike.

Leaving the busy summit where the hoards of motorcyclists had stopped like us to look at the peaks. Including Piz Buin, the famous one that has its own sun cream.

We then still had 25 miles to go to the campsite. The only bonus of being at 2036 metres is that afterwards everything is downhill.

Apart from a short hill a mile from the end this 25 miles really was fun running along the road through several tunnels and at time’s approaching 50 mph. ( note there were only two hairpins near the summit to slow us down) So only an hour and a quarter after leaving we were in the campsite.

Nigel’s speciality this evening was his version of a Jamie Oliver one pot chicken curry. After todays efforts there was nothing left.

Tomorrow Monica has promised to resume her Lidl shopping. The campsite is right next to one so she is hopeful of finding an Austrian beer as well as restocking the camper.

I will leave you today with this picture of Chris at our lunch stop after hairpin 26. If anyone would like to send suitable caption please do so.

Day Two

Triesen, Liechtenstein

98 miles 2474ft climbed

The first thing to say before launching into todays blog is that no cyclists were seriously damaged in the pursuance of this trip. NBJ Tours is proud not to have had any accidents in 15 years and over 20,000 miles of cycling but today we had two within ten miles.

Firstly in coming off the main road to join a cycle path Nick failed to see that the kerb was raised a bit higher than it should have been and taking it too obliquely lost his front wheel and ended up on the deck. He banged his knee and elbow but dusted himself down and we went on our way.

Then just ten miles later as we were negotiating round Zurich a bit off piste where there were big concrete posts holding up a building Chris glanced down at his Garmin then glanced off a post and ended up on the pavement. Luckily he too suffered nothing more than a grazed elbow to match Nick’s earlier effort. No serious damage had occurred and our Dr was not summoned nor was worried about the injuries.

Knowing the day was a long one we were up and out after our porage by 7.25 with most of the rest of the campers still shuttered up. It was less than a mile before we crossed the Rhine and left Germany to go back into Switzerland We immediately ended up running on a bike path next to a lake and despite the early time saw a good number of twichers with their binoculars out looking for avian life. We even stopped to climb a large lookout a remarked how this made Bough Beech and its twichers seem second division.

Running mostly along the Limmat valley into Zurich navigation was good although the town of Brugg provided a challenge as we were caught out by two underpasses. one I took by mistake and another we struggled to find and spend an extra ten minutes or so before we got back on track. A couple of short climbs then led us onto the mostly gravel path beside the river. It was turning onto here that Nick chose to lie on the pavement!

It was still quite early and the river paths were full of joggers and cyclists out for their morning exercise Coming into Zurich we made a bit of a detour to cross the river on an old railway bridge and seeking this was where Chris had his argument with a post.

Dusted down we passed a section of river/canal that had been converted for swimming and was busy with people enjoying the warm weather. Sweeping through Zurich we coffee’d in a park on the outskirts overlooking Lake Zurich as trying to organise a rendezvous in the city was too complicated.

The next section of the day was running alongside the lake on a cycle path and was probably the least enjoyable riding of the day. At least it was mostly flat and we saw countless fancy cars going the other way including some nice 1960’s US and English examples.

Lunch with Nigel and Monica was at the far end of the lake after around 25 miles with still over 40 to go. Having set up in a great spot Nigel gave short shrift to the lady who told him he couldn’t camp there After all he was only airing the tents and setting up for our lunch.

The end of the lake was not much further and we then had a link section across farmland to the next lake Walensee. The landscape was by now becoming more alpine too.

Interestingly it appeared locals would get on anything that floats and then let the very rapid current take you down from one lake to the next needing no effort to whizz along Just requiring a lift back

Swiss railways are legendary and we ran alongside them often today. Two points to note were that big security fences are not required( we could have walked onto the tracks where ever we wanted and the trains are so quiet. You could not even hear them clatter over the rail joints. Quality engineering.

We had decided on a quick tea stop at Walensee just before a couple of road tunnels. The last 25 miles were then probably the most surprising and fun of the day.

Here a cycle path ran next to both a road and railway sometimes one side sometimes the other and occasionally in between. Now the most surprising section of all was a cycle tunnel which we entered as the road entered its tunnel we started out below the road with the road on the right and ended up above the road with it on our left!

Just after this we had a nasty surprise of a short 28% gradient as not all our cycle path had been tunnelled!

Just after this we rejoined the road and we’re immediately overtaken by a lady on an electric mountain bike. Nick as we know does not like being passed and we then proceeded to chase her down and overtake her. Nigel captured this above and it has to be said she was very pleased with her efforts and encouraged us off as we sped along.

The last bit of the route saw us cross another flat valley bottom having a quick stop for a Karen flapjack before the final push along the Rhine ( yes it’s back ) then crossing it again to move from Switzerland to Liechtenstein. The day top and tailed by crossing the Rhine to move from one country to another. The campsite was then a short climb away to finish a satisfying and long day at around 5pm.

The site is good and expensive. Apparently the GDP here is one of the highest in the world, but the Population is only 38,000.

Nigel barbequed Swiss sausages with Monica’s coleslaw and new potatoes in butter for the menu this evening After such a good day everyone was too tired for cards and went to bed.

The cycling infrastructure in Switzerland has been amazing and that has been reflected with the number of people we have seen cycling in families and groups along these paths. A few. Lycra clad warriors but mainly those out for a gentle cycle with friends along the smooth and flat valley paths. Most have had electric bikes too. The converse issue to this wonderful resource has meant it has been quiet hard planning a rendezvous with Nigel and the camper where our routes coincided. However if you fancy a surprising cycling holiday try the flat traffic free cycle paths in the flat valleys of Switzerland

Tomorrow sees the biggest climbing day of the tour as we enter Austria

Waldshut, Germany

Day One

65 miles.

1398 ft climbed.

We finished our day’s cycling earlier than expected so took advantage of the fine weather and washed our cycling kit when we took our showers. Hanging it up round the camper it had fortunately almost dried when the owner came round on her electric scooter and told us that we could not hang out our washing as it spoils the look of the site. Bonkers, but there we go. Like good Brits we complied. This will be our only night in Germany.

Starting off in France today would see us tick off three countries on our first day. After extracting ourselves from Mulhouse the first 25 miles ran alongside canals and the Rhine to Basel and into Switzerland. We took our passports just case but they were so not required. This was all off road on flat cycle paths. A really good introduction to the cycling on the trip.

Finally emerging from our cycling heaven along the traffic free canal tow paths we entered Switzerland and need not have worried. The cycling infrastructure in the city centre was great and the traffic light, so we were able to cycle around over the river into the old town and back again without issue.

Leaving Basel via cycle paths running through posh suburbs and endless huge chemical and drug company manufacturing plants ( BASF, Novartis, Roche & DSM to name a few) we finally veered away from the Rhine to cut a meander, climbing a whole 125 ft to meet up with Nigel & Monica who had stocked up the camper, so our coffee and pastries were ready. This short stretch of road was the busiest all day and the only one without a cycle lane. We cannot complain though because we think that of the 65 miles covered today less than 10 miles we’re not on dedicated cycle paths.

We were running ahead of time for this short day and did look to see if we could add a few miles but could not see another campsite en route so had to remain as planned.

This meant our last stage today was relaxed as there was no hurry to get to our campsite so we did take a couple of little detours. One through the pretty border town of Langenlauf where we crossed the Rhine over an old cobbled bridge and into Germany.

Now in Germany we followed the Rhine to the campsite. Managing a quick crossing over a long cycle bridge to briefly pop back into Switzerland before continuing onto the campsite.

Stopping to watch a ferry dock whilst fighting against a very fast flowing river we were able to race and beat it by some minutes to its next stop at the campsite.

Unfortunately the site was full so the lads in their tents are in the site and we are on the opposite side of the road in a camper park which is now full too. The weather which has given us our first dry day on a tour since 2019 encouraging everyone out for a long weekend camping. Our other sites are booked but here they would not take bookings.

A hearty spag Bol and ice cream was followed by a lesson on mitochondria and ketones from Monica, just to keep our brains, hearts, lungs & pancreas functioning properly

Tomorrow will see us leave Germany within a mile of this site as we cross the Rhine again to go back into Switzerland. Perhaps a good thing as these strict rules are just a tad annoying. Three countries today and all being well three more tomorrow as we should end in Liechtenstein.

Chris was very proud of himself today as he felt he used it in the correct context. Temerity is a proper grown up word. It was nothing to do with what Nick had been up to earlier either!

No cycling today but the aim was to meet up with Nick & Chris at Mulhouse-Basel airport. Nigel drove last night until just after midnight and we pulled up in a services for a sleep with just over four hours of driving to go. We drove towards the super blue moon for hours but Monica was disappointed that we didn’t seem to get any closer.

The lads flight was delayed a couple of times due to a technical issue and then a bird strike, so was going to be an hour an a half late This took the pressure of getting to the airport so we made it in plenty of time even with an extra coffee stop.

Having picked up the lads we then had to head off to our first visit to Lidl’s. We left Nigel & Monica to go and do the shopping Monica taking control in her role as tour treasurer and quartermaster as well as our resident doctor.

We of course then had our lunch in the camper whilst still in Lidl’s car park , much to the amusement of the other shoppers going in to buy their weekly groceries.

Having not lost much time to the delayed flight we still had the opportunity to go to visit the French National Motor Museum in central Mulhouse. The collection of cars was built up by the Schlumpf brothers hidden in their textile factory but when they went bankrupt in the 1970’s the collection was discovered and requisitioned by the state and it remains there to this day. A good visit.

After the museum it was time to find the campsite and safely set up. Monica treated us to fried chicken accompanied by our favourite Beetroot and apple salad making a very early but welcome appearance on the menu.

The meal was washed down by a local beer Meteor which received a positive thumbs up and set the scene for the trip.

Oh and I almost forgot – Monica’s challenge – to which the Meteor was the first successful entrant. As we are going through each country Monica’s task is to buy the local or regional beer so we can taste test each one. Tomorrow we finish in Germany so Monica will be looking for some Paulaner weissbier.

And we will actually be starting the cycle.

Despite the fact we are on an Irish Ferry we are not revisiting last years Circuit of Ireland but are on our way to the start of the next adventure at Mulhouse in France.

As mentioned in my previous note we are to cycle through nine different countries. Just looking at the monetary logistics of the trip. Six of these countries are in the EU. Five of these six countries use the Euro so we won’t have too many currencies aboard. The Swiss Franc comes in number two with two countries with the Hungarian Forint third as the only EU country not to use the Euro. Serbia has its Dinar which as a closed currency is only obtainable within the country’s borders Cards can still be used but we have some US Dollars just in case palms need to be greased.

So Nigel, Monica and I are travelling down in the fully laden camper in the hope that we can pick up Chris & Nick at Basel-Mulhouse airport around lunchtime tomorrow, air traffic control problems excepted.

For regular nbjtours trip readers you will be relieved to know that Tundra, Monica’s super warm camouflaged top bought in Finland on the first trip will make an appearance as we persuaded her that the top of an Alpine mountain may need it’s thermal protection! Monica has a very serious challenge of her own to undertake this year too, more detail to follow in tomorrow’s blog.

Well there’s less than a month to go and preparations and training have been ramping up these last few weeks.

Chris has been over to France ostensibly to watch Le Tour de France but was able to take in a couple of the mountain passes to up his fitness. Nick has had enough of the dire weather over the last month and disappeared off to Spain for some warm weather training and we are not sure when he’s back. I’ve taken a pause in my work contract and finished on Monday to get some last minute rides in. So the cyclists are nearly there.

Nigel promises that Broomey the camper is fit and rating to go and Monica has promised her famous apple & beetroot salad as well as finding the best pastries across Europe and continuing to try to visit every Lidl’s en route.

Our tour jerseys arrived today courtesy of Kalas whose outfits can be seen on Team GB at the cycling world Champs this week. So if it’s good enough for the pros….

As ever Cadence ( previously Everndens) at Paddock Wood are providing us with a big box of spares which we hopefully won’t need.

Next post will hopefully be at the end of the month as the adventure begins.