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Breakfast
of champions and our favourite bike packer thread.
The randomiser failedme today. I went to a small 1 star campsite that looked really nice. No longer taking tents🙄😥
Ended up on a huge 4 star campsite instead. Oh well. I can get beer.
Near Leon beside the lake
Hot hot hot today. My goats cheese is rather runny
Bon Maman TJ. I was down near where your heading a few weeks back (Edukator - Pau is one of the loveliest cities I have been to).
Loving these updates, and on behalf of the silent 000's, thank you for letting us share the journey with you and Julie.
Errrmmm
With julie? I do have some ashes in my bag.......
....😀😎
Surfs up
Random lighthouse
Lac du Leon
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Effing stupid software
https://i.postimg.cc/1RMqrdkX/20220904-181213.jp g" alt="" />
Oh ffs. Why do pics not show randomly
I am getting rather tired. I do have a week in hand tho as its nearly 2 weeks untill i meet folk and its only 4 or so days riding left to where i am meeting them.
I think i might take a day or two off in the next couple of days. The pals I am meeting are too far apart to do by bicycle given the time constraints so what ill probably do is go to Estella where i am meeting one pal and hire a scooter to get to aguilla whete i am meeting another pal.
Not really looking forward to crossing the pyrenees. Oh well. 150 miles to Estella so not far to go
Also all my kit stinks🙄🤣🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️
Nice downhill stretches of road after every difficult uphill struggle 🤔⛰️.
With julie? I do have some ashes in my bag……
Forgive my clumsiness. I was thinking of 'her spirit rides on'. I read your updates like she's turning the pedals with you.
Apologies.
No problem at all. I was being a bit snarky. I am not sensitive about it.
I should be careful about making folk feel awkward tho really
TJ, are you on the camping sandaya le col vert campsite?
I stayed there a few years ago, it's massive but I loved it. We had 2 kids though and made good use of the pools and bars!! Got the kids to cycle out to the beach a couple of times, but that's all the cycling I've done out there.
Keep up the good work.
Yes ads i am. Nice campsite but not really what i need
In other moans my arse is sore. Plooks (spots) appearing. In the immortal words of Mike Wozniak "its a right casserole down there"🙄🤣
Yeah, I wouldn't choose a site like that doing what you're doing!
This morning it feels like I am reaching the endgame. 150 miles cycle to meet my pals and 12 days to do it in so i need to kill some time. Then a similar distance to get the ferry fron Santander back to the UK. I doubt I'll ride back up the UK to home but I'll decide how I'll do that later. The mountains of the pyrenees feel rather intimidating right now. Im deeply tired.
I'm going to walk a few days on the Compostella with those pals which will be a nice change.
Looking at the maps its hard to comprehend the distances. I feel a very long way from home but I also feel ready to go home. I should be home by the end of the month.
Im getting fed up of packing up every morning so i am looking at spending a few days in one place this week. Maybe even in a hotel.
Social media has been a huge boon. Its relieved the loneliness that has got me now and then.
I should have done some refreshing of my schoolboy french but over the weeks i have remembered more.
Im generally happy with the kit I have taken but plastic boxes for food storage would have been useful. My 30 euro a day budget has been more an aspiration than reality but i have still done this pretty cheaply.
The bike has been fabulous thank goodness. Comfy and reliable. I wouldn't change anything of the spec and i am glad i took the trailer not panniers.
Suggestions for somewhere to spend a few days anyone?
Ta for your interest and support. Its been surprisingly helpfull.
Love reading your updates. Like many others, we wish we were there too.
Maybe even in a hotel.
Also all my kit stinks🙄🤣🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️
One near a launderette?
One thing i would change is have a better way of charging the phone and backup batteries. I have had two batteries pinched leaving them in the lo block to charge and that has nade me paranoid. I think the stuff to do the electric hookup on campsites would be the way.
I can see the pyrenees! I haven't enough bandwidth to post a pic. Later
I think the stuff to do the electric hookup on campsites would be the way.
That would weigh loads. You would be much better off with a solar panel or dynamo hub. But a solar panel of course would work when not riding.
I can see the pyrenees!
Are they looming into view above a flat plain like something from a fantasy film?
Been a great thread TJ, am going to miss it when you finally get back on home turf. Glad to hear you're enjoying it as well, hope the last wee stretch goes well for you
Are they looming into view above a flat plain like something from a
fantasyhorror film?
FTFTJ 😀
That would weigh loads. You would be much better off with a solar panel or dynamo hub.
Wot a plug and a short lead to a socket?
Ttouble with a solsr panel is i use the top of the trailer for drying stuff a d a dynamo is non repairable. Hence for what i have done a hookup would be better
You would be much better off with a solar panel or dynamo hub. But a solar panel of course would work when not riding.
Dyno hub was my immediate thought. You don't get a lot of power from them AFAIK, but you're pedalling enough hours to overcome a slow charge rate.
I've also really enjoyed these threads. If TJ doesn't want to ride back up the UK, maybe there's an STW relay transportation solution from the south coast to Edinburgh. There's got to be a sufficient distribution of vans on here to manage that, as the bike and trailer combo would probably be tricky/impossible on the train.
They tend to be something like this TJ so pretty bulky (unless french campsites are different)
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15988666/eurohike-mobile-mains-kit-15m-15988666
Enjoy the rest of your journey
Lolz
Same plug but all you need is the 3pin outdoor plug a foot of flex and one 2pin euro socket. Couple of hundred grammes
Anyway thats me camped up on a camping municipale near labenne. They have an area for bikes with a covered kitchen setup. Charging for phones etc and 7 euro
Pyrenees looming ominously
The other kit mistake is not having a proper bar mount for my phone. I picked up a cheap rainproof one but the plastic over the screen made the phone impossible to see in sunlight so i ended up hacking it about with my penknife.
Not needed this in the past but this trip it would have been good. Im not wearing my softshell so no pockets to put the phone in.
Oh well. Live and learn
And yes moley you were right about the phone mount🙄😎🤣
I decided against a dynamo hub because they are not repaiable if the bearongs go wheras the hope hub i have uses stock bearings eady to get.
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Although not all french sites have those plugs.
I decided against a dynamo hub because they are not repaiable if the bearongs go wheras the hope hub i have uses stock bearings eady to get.
Well I didn't know that! I'll have to investigate further as I've got one on my commuter bike.
And I'd be less worried about the Pyrenees than the massive jump you're going to have to attempt to reach them. 😁
Shimano can be at least partially dismantled and repaired i think but its difficult to do iirc. Others are basically sealed for life
I have a sps dynamo on my commuter. I had to have it teplaced under warrenty when the bearings seized. Not much hassle on a commuter but the idea of having to source a new wheel hundreds of miles from home worries me hence not going for one
Shimano's what I have. They're cheap enough to buy, (I assume the OEM one on my bike is a £30 one, not £130) and I can build wheels so that's no problem but it does seem a bit wasteful that they are essentially disposable.
Fair point about the hub.
And yes moley you were right about the phone mount
I don't even remember what I said now 🙂
Re the hookup cable - I think it depends on whether or not you can pitch up next to the electricity pole. There's a chance that not all sites have an emplacement with its own plug. In Germany, we had a bit of a surprise as there was one big set of plugs in the middle of a field and everyone needed about 20m of cable.
You told me to buy one in halfords.
As im only wanting to phone charge I would be happy with having it sit by the leccy box.
No solution is perfect
I stayed in a little village on the border. St Jean de Luz. It was lovely, about 12 years ago, why not find a coastal hotel and book a few nights.
Fimd a launderette and an Italian restaurant. Get some carbs on board, a few patisserie offerings taste lovely, but lets be honest, butter iscnt great fuel for long distances.
You could do a wee tour of the Pyrenees after meeting your pals.
September is usually perfect temps for cycling. Dump the trailer and climb some cols. Visit Gavanie, Pau, etc
Loving the daily updates, brightens my day.
Whats the rush to get back anyway. Nothing will have changed here
A few nights in an etap chain Hotel will sort you out.
lets be honest, butter iscnt great fuel for long distances
Well if he's doing 50 miles a day at a pottering speed of let's say 14mph average that's 3-4hrs of rising every day, at maybe 500 calories per hour. That's 2,000 calories on top of your normal dietary needs so 4,000 a day. Nearly every day that's a lot of extra calories and it can't all come from carbs. If you tried it'd be 2.5 whole baguettes on top of your normal say half a baguette for lunch. Three baguettes a day on your own? And breakfast and dinner as well?
This is why long term tourers or expedition doers eat plenty of fat - it's just not possible to get enough calories otherwise.
9mph average
Fats are 9 calories per gramme. Carbs 4. Transpolar walkers etc eat butter by the pound because its calorie dense
Im attempting to eat 4000 calories a day but failing. No appetite in the heat ive lost around 10 kilos
Usual day would be 3 pastries if croissants then with jam on. One baguette 200 g cheese 100g ham 4 pieces of fruit a pack of biscuits and a large pasta or rice based dinner with plenty of veg and a couple of hunded grammes of sweets and / or ceral bars
FWIW, bearings in the SP/Alpkit/Exposure dynos can be replaced but it's not something you'd be wanting to do on a tour.
There's also another design that runs off the rim and can be disengaged. I can't recall the brand but I'll try to find it.
Edit:
How much butter is in a croissant anyway? 20gms \ish I reckon , so hardly polar explorer volumes
Plus they probably walk really slowly for 12hrs , as opposed to riding for 6hrs. So probaly 1800cal burnt plus say 1000cals sitting eating tarte au tan.
Sps dynamo needs to be retuned to factory for new bearings i was told when mine failed
Im attempting to eat 4000 calories a day but failing. No appetite in the heat ive lost around 10 kilos
That's the same issue i've had on multiday tours and events. Usually trying to put away a fair chunk more than that though, after about a week it was pretty much forcing something like 4 bottles of energy drink down your neck (500 calories per bottle) and a HUGE plate of pasta, with creamy, cheesey sauce, maybe 2500 calories, then flapjacks and baguettes etc during the day, plus my normal drink intake.
Still hungry all the time, or massively over full immediately after eating and borderline dehydrated at the end of every day.
Also got to watch nutrient and protein intake etc or that'll end up screwing you up long term.
Unfortunately, i usually started events/tours with pretty much zero weight to spare!
Aye im a bit concerned about trace elements. Protien im not. I eat far more than needed
I am.lighter than i have been fir 30 years
Are you taking vitamin pills?
Only vit d and only when i remember
Probably worth some more supplements.
Usual day would be 3 pastries if croissants then with jam on. One baguette 200 g cheese 100g ham 4 pieces of fruit a pack of biscuits and a large pasta or rice based dinner with plenty of veg and a couple of hunded grammes of sweets and / or ceral bars
Sounds like a typical day for me too. I sit at a desk all day 🙁
Update time
I've decided to stay another night here and then as per Matts suggestion I have contacted Doug at Basque mtb and looks like I'll stay a couple of days with them. He is a daya ride along the coast. Very helpful and kind chap from the email conversation.
That then gets me well rested before I tackle the mountains to meet my pals.
Gonna have a chilled day today
I have a family of blackbirds scrounging croissant crumbs around my tent this morning
Well i have ended up in Hondarribia staying in the guest house run by Doug from basque mtb. Lovely chap who bought me beer.
Long days ride today. The eurovelo goes over the place. Maybe 60 miles.
Im ganna stay here 3 nights probably. Do some exploring of thevarea and maybe even a little mtbing
Kindness of strangers once again
Some lovely towns and architecture today
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Bloody nora
Looks perfect and I'm sure a proper bed will go down well for a few days
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Anothe dud attempt ffs
Of course the place im staying was up a ruddy steep hill. But the view is splendid
Can Doug recommend a barber?
Aye it been a couple of weeks since i had a real bed maybe 3
Pffpts scotroutes
Can Doug recommend a barber?
Pmsl.
*Waves at Doug*
I was one of those annoying folk who tried to sneak in on some guided riding earlier this summer - we chatted on phone, and you pointed me at some trails further towards where we stayed near Ondarroa.
In addition we found ace trails at Berriatua.
Fabulous. just got back from that area and I loved it. I'm sure Doug will sort you out with San Sebastian tapas recommendations , but we enjoyed Bar Sport, Paco Bueno & La Vina for cheesecake.
And when you get to Bilbao, make time for the tortilla at Cafe Bilba (@43.267775,-2.9266855,17.5z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x8ccd56f297da5f8c!8m2!3d43.2679919!4d-2.9274607">here) as its sublime (and cheap). 2 mins off the euro velo route through bilbo, just before you cross the river on the white bridge.
I arrived in the mountains today after a month of flatlans. That hurt
Ooooohh a real bed. Mmmmmmmmm
I take no one wants pics?
scotroutes
Can Doug recommend a barber?
That was exactly my first thought!
Ahhhhh
A day when I dont have to pack up my kit and ride. Tomorrow is the same. Bliss.
Bike washed. Clothes washed. Me washed.
Its fiesta day here so this afternoon I will have a wander around the town and check it out. Already the cannons are going off and the marching bands started at 7am. Its all about celebrating giving the french a kicking some time way in the past.
Wait, you're in Spain now? New thread!
Spain, bacon Tapas, food of the gods.
Ive been for a wander around the town. Lovely old town but boy are the gearing up for a huge party. It felt like the calm before the storm. Every bar was full of folk in variants of basque costume. White with a red scarf and a big floppy red beret. Even the cops had the berets on.
Wait, you just happened to arrive in town as a party is being set up and, QUITE BY COINCIDENCE, are staying for a couple of days?
Hmmmmmm.
"Resting". Suuuuuuure.
😎
The parade was cracy. Hundreds of men marching with rifles( mainly toy ones)whistles and drums. All very happy atmosphere tho. I have never seen anything like it
. It felt like the calm before the storm……basque costume. White with a red scarf
For a minute I thought you were going to say you turned a corner and a he’d of bulls were charging, but Pamplona’s in the South!
gearing up for a huge party.
you should visit Valencia for Fallas (remember Ll pronounced like a J so it’s not a phallus festival). When my sis moved there in the late 80s & I visited I was not prepared for the fireworks. UK displays were like 1 pathetic rocket every 5 minutes. There it’s relentless cannon fire. And they practice every day in the week before the main display.