Foreign Tours Reports
Fred 'n' Carol’s Grand Tour in 'Heidi' Hymer - 2009
2nd September – caught Brittany Ferries “Amorique” to Roscoff. Trip bit bumpy but OK, arrived in Roscoff at 3.30 in the afternoon and drove towards Carnac – our intention had been to stop in Benodet and meander through Brittany for a week or so, but as it was raining (would it be frogs & snails in France) very hard we decided to travel onwards. There is an excellent Aire (free camping stop) in Carnac, but unfortunately by the time we got there at 6.00pm it was completely full, we backtracked a few kilometres to the town of Erdeban and stopped in the Aire there – and good heavens did it rain that night. The next day however was full of blue sky and sun and so we went into Carnac for a look round and also to look at “Les Alignments” – I had not realised just how many of them there were, for some reason I was thinking more of a Stonehenge granite boulder type layout, rather than granite boulders stretching onwards in straight lines as far as the eye could see.
That afternoon saw us heading to Quiberon, there is another Aire at the end of the isthmus but it was very very windy and exposed so we completed the circumnavigation and headed off to Nourmoutier. Unfortunately we couldn’t stop there either because it was full!! Honestly – the site could not squeeze another motorhome in, and quite how some of the people managed to open their doors was beyond me. In the end we stopped at the municipal site in La Rochelle (oh, and we also had the first of – believe it or not – only two “wherethefucarwe” arguments). The following day was spent cycling around La Rochelle, it was sunny, but unfortunately still very windy and became virtually impossible to cycle in straight lines along the “corniche”. We stopped along the harbourside for the obligatory coffee drunk whilst watching the world go by and decided our next stop would be Ile d’Oleron.
Arriving on Oleron we then discovered the French phenomenon – the long lunch break. It always takes us about a week to remember and naturally we couldn’t find an open site, they all closed between 12 noon and 4.30pm. We parked up at a convenient place, got down the bikes and set off for a short tour around the area. Later on we booked in at a very cheap (but also rather basic) site, however as we only planned to spend a couple of days cheap was good. Next day saw us breakfasting outdoors in the sun trying to decide on a “bike/walk/sit in sun” day. In the end we opted for walking through the forest to the beach – or rather, walking round and round in circles in the forest until eventually and more by luck ending up at the beach. Needless to say we managed to find a much more direct route on the way back.
The end of our first week saw us on the ferry from Royan to Verdon sur Mer, travelling down to Montalivet les Bains and enjoying the sun, sand and surf of a lovely campsite next to the beach.
This is an area of France I really like, not only is it relatively flat for cycling but also has a magic mix of small villages and towns inhabited by slightly mad residents – one village square has huge papier mache figures on a different theme each year – one year it was the Olympics, another Man on the Moon. Its quite surreal cycling around a corner and being confronted by a giant astronaut, or downhill skier or similar.
We cycled most days, some days only a short trip to the shops or into town and on others 35 miles or so. One memorable day being when, for some reason, I didn’t take enough care putting on the cycling shorts. We did 35 miles with no stops and when we got back to the site I had an overwhelming need to carry on past the van and straight onto the pool where I wanted to throw myself into the water – certain parts of my anatomy really needing a cool down (girls I am sure you will know what I mean). We spend a week at Montalivet and then moved on “down the road” to meet up with friends at Lacaneau Ocean which was supposed to be a surfing hot spot – only trouble was – no surf!!
After a couple of days we travelled into the Pyrenees and stopped at Argeles Gazost, only a short hop from Lourdes. Naturally we just had to cycle along the path into Lourdes (well, one trip just isn’t enough!). Believe it or not the neighbour of a friend had requested that if we went there we bought her back a plastic Madonna! We did manage to see more of the town that the touristy bit although we did notice that the emerald palace was just the same and just a crowded as when we were there earlier in the year.
Fred was really keen to drive the Cols of Soulouc and Aubisque – and so we did. The road to Soulouc was steep and bendy but wide enough not to cause Carol to close her eyes too often. We stopped at the top to take a few pictures and then continued to the Aubisque. The road was narrow and the drop steep, fortunately we did not meet many vehicles coming from the opposite but we did meet one French motorhome whose driver was frowning and pointing at his watch (idiot!). When we reached the top of the Aubisque we found out why – there was a big sign stating that you could only drive from Soulouc in the morning and in the afternoon you could drive from the Aubisque to Soulouc, we must have left Soulouc about 12.55 – oh well, we are English after all!
When we went down to Lauruns we discovered that the Hymer was too wide to get to the supermarket fuel pumps and so had to set off back towards the Aubisque to find a normal sized fuel station!
We were now heading towards Spain. We stopped just over the border in the Formigel ski area which looked really good, although the actual town was a long bus ride away from the ski lifts, there was a huge car park by the cable car so we marked this down as a possibility of skiing/motorhoming. We trundled onwards – had decided to overnight at Boldana which looked to be about halfway across Spain on route to our next destination – 30km south of Tarragona. At first the roads were much better than we expected, but suddenly the roads sort of stopped and the last 100km were mainly potholes, bumpy, pitted and narrow – in fact everything we thought they might be!
The next day we set off again and discovered after a few kilometres that the roads reverted to being wide flat tarmac – bliss. In fact it was a very picturesque route along rivers and lakes.
We spent two weeks at the Temple du Sol site which had its own beach and was a really good site. Bikes were dusted off again and we explored the area, cycling one day to Camp Roig, another to Cambrils and Fred did a few exploratory trips into the “hills”.
One day we took the train into Barcelona. Train travel in Spain is amazingly cheap – only 14 euros for the hour and a half journey into Barcelona. Once in the city we decided to splash out on tickets for the tourist bus – in fact there are three routes around the city, its suburbs and beaches and the ticket allows you to use all three routes and just get on and off where you want. It’s a good way of seeing lots. We did all the tourist bits, walking up Les Ramblas, visiting the castle, the Sagrada Familia and many other sites – a good, if very long, day.
After a couple of weeks relaxing in the sun we decided to move onto the Picos du Europa in northern Spain. We had a really interesting drive through the centre – there was nothing and nobody, and, nowhere to stay to we stopped on what must have been a municipal gravel and dirt dump, fortunately no one came along at 5am with their JCB to load up.
We stayed at Potes in the Picos, the site was only 2km outside the town, but those 2km were straight uphill!! Fred got very excited at the thought of walking and/or cycling in the mountains and bought loads of guide books. We did one walk which took about 5 hours – that is, 4 going up and 1 coming down! We visited the Fuente De cable car and took a trip up to the top – Fred did mention that we could walk back down, having seen the narrow goat track zig zagging its was back down the mountain I opted for the cable car back down! By now we had been away almost 5 weeks and I was beginning to feel that I was ready for home, mind you, it was still hot and sunny. For the last couple of days we headed back to northern Spain’s beaches. Practically all the camp sites close at the end of September and many of the car parks had large signs warning that it was AGAINST THE LAW to stay overnight in your motorhome. We did find a field above a beach which for a vast sum (compared to what was on offer) it was possible to stay overnight. Much to our amusement when we looked around at the other occupants we realised that we had managed to treble the average age of the overnighters – full of surfing dudes man. Still the beach was stunning and the sun still shone.
We caught the ferry back from Santander, and in common with the day we arrived, the day we left was as wet as it was possible to be. We had planned to have a look round Santander but it was so wet we just had a short peddle around and then went and sat in the motorhome and read – only problem was that as the departure time was getting nearer – there was no ferry! It arrived very late, took ages to unload and ages to load again and it was absolutely full.
We later discovered that the ferry had left from Portsmouth and there had been a full scale alert for a missing canoeist off the Isle of Wight. Being in the area the ferry had diverted to help in the search, after a fruitless 3 hours searching they were told by the Coastguard the search had been a hoax call and they could stand down and be on their way. Arriving back in Plymouth in the drizzle and looking at the sour, white faces I decided that actually I wasn’t ready to be home yet, and could we go away again please!
What’s on for next year? – well we have to decide between cycling the Danube, Croatia, Portugal and Morocco – life’s never easy is it! Fred & Carol
PYRENEES 2009
A tale of 17 Falmouth Wheelers, 3 big mountains lots of bread, cheese and wine. And yes, there are a couple of pictures of us actually cycling.
Please note; the guilty have been protected and the innocent exposed. This is just a brief summary of some of what went on because, as everyone knows, "what goes on tour stays on tour!"
Day 1
After an 11 hour drive, for some, down through France, suffering flash floods and speed traps en route we arrived at Villa Tamerza nuzzled in the Pyranean foothills just outside the village of Pouzac full of enthusiasm for the scenic, but no doubt challenging, rides in the week ahead. Parky had mapped out various routes which went from easy to ‘oh…my…God, even Lance might struggle on this one’ - utilizing wonderful Google Earth in all it’s glory.
Fred had miraculously loaded all the bikes sardine fashion in his
van helped by some clever hi-tec support bar engineering and by removing wheels, pedals, handlebars and wheels etc - so the first task upon arrival was to rebuild all the bikes whilst the ladies prepared gin and tonics to slake the bike builders’ thirsts. Unfortunately there was no ice readily available in the villa but Donald and Sue had a surfeit of ice in their luxurious motor home’s freezer which saved the day.
(Oh yes, did I mention that Parky arrived at Plymouth ferry port with Hilary’s passport but not his own? Let’s just say there was a certain amount of nervous tension as Hilary made a mad dash with the missing passport to rendevouz with Parky and driver Bernie halfway between home and Plymouth. The passport was handed over and Parky and Bernie managed to return in time to board the ferry.)
Villa Tamerza was ideal but a slight bummer was that the promised wi-fi didn’t want to talk to our laptops so updating the club website at the end of each day was not going to be possible. Later that evening Roger arrived fresh from the Royal Cornwall Show via Pau airport and a jolly wine-soaked evening ensued. The weather forecast for the morrow wasn’t good, but we were from Cornwall, so naturally a little bit of rain wasn’t going to bother us.
Lessons learnt: 1.Always check you’ve got YOUR passport before travelling abroad. 2. Bernie’s car goes very fast. 3. The bloody WiFi doesn’t work at Villa Tamerza.
Day 2
All 17 of us made out for Cherolet on a beautiful sunny morning. Birds were singing and we were surrounded by picturesque foothills and steep tree-covered mountains. This was to be an easy ride, and so far it was. Several cyclists and cycling teams passed us along the way as they returned from their early morning training runs. Our pace was good and cars were kind to us. So much for the glory of Google Earth. The scenic tarmac road we wanted to go on turned out to be a gravel track which was rough in places. Half of us, the macho types, decided to go for it and carry on up the rough road, the other half, the sensible types, took an alternative tarmac route and we would all meet up at the head of the valley.
Unfortunately in all the excitement we lost Bernie and as his phone was on answer phone and not being answered we all assumed that he was now laying somewhere dying in a ditch. Search parties were sent out back down the road, all to no avail. Eventually we all met up at the top of the valley, to find Bernie sitting outside a nice restaurant/bar supping a cold one. Bernie had gone on to the pre-agreed meeting place thinking he was behind everyone else when he was actually in front. One of the breakaway groups was convinced he was behind them and sent out search parties. So, when you mix that in with non working mobiles, chaos quickly follows.
On the downhill run back to base we stopped to purchase several loafs of bread only to find that Jan, Sue M and Carol (they had wisely returned before reaching the group split into two) had just bought several loafs too, so we had 12 loafs for lunch. Mad eh? Anyway, we had a lovely picnic followed by a tennis tournament, which was nice.
Lessons learnt today: 1. Listen to the locals when one of them says that it isn’t a good idea to cycle up certain roads. 2. The Pyranees are not phone signal friendly. 3. Cold beer is good.
Day 3
From now on we were going to be more professional and Parky’s word on the route was to be final. Fine weather greeted us as we left Pouzac for Col de Aspin. En route we passed the Blacksmith’s that Eugene Christophe made a new front fork in the middle of a stage, that he was winning, in the 1913 Tour de France. With his hastily made DIY forks Eugene managed to finish the race and was hailed as the ‘people’s hero’ but was promptly disqualified because the blacksmith’s boy had pumped the bellows and therefore Eugene had received help during the race. You couldn’t make it up, could you?
The climb up Aspin wasn’t too bad, like the climb out of Gweek to Rame but 7 miles long, and we enjoyed spectacular views from the windy summit, which got very cold after a while. A pretty cyclist arrived on a Scalatchi type Cannondale and we were just getting to know (bore) her when her sulky boyfriend arrived and dragged her away. As if we were a threat!
We then descended at speed passing the same pretty girl now coming back up Aspin from the other side (yes, she was very fit). At the bottom we made our way along the river valley to Sarrencolin for lunch but unfortunately the only eaterie had run out of bread for sandwiches. Improvising, we found a boulangerie with some bread left on the shelves and farmers stall 100 yards away at the side of the road selling local cheese and wine, but alas! we had no corkscrew. Robin, taking a lead from Eugene, quickly unscrewed a screw from a front door (yes, someone’s front door) then drove the borrowed screw into the cork and then, with a pair of pliers, pulled the screw with cork attached out the bottle. After our little picnic by the river Robin returned the screw to the front door.
The ride home seemed to be a bit harder than the climb up Aspin, with long straights interspersed by long climbs. Upon arriving back at the villa it started to rain but in spite of this a merry evening ensued. Super fit ‘survivalist’ Robin, from now on aka Bare Grills, as in Bear Grylls, was named ‘Idiot of the Day’ for insisting doing the entire ride only using his big (52) cog and Gill Lightfoot was named rider of the day for keeping good pace throughout. Don, Sue M, Charlie and Robin then proceeded to have a tennis tournament and Don damaged his knee. We all hoped he would be okay for the big push up Tourmalet later that week. An enjoyable but challenging day in the saddle. 54 miles. 8,500ft ascent.
Lessons learnt today: 1. Carry a corkscrew at all times. 2. Sometimes what looks like a downhill run is actually a climb. 3. Don’t play tennis after imbibing wine.
Day 4
was a rest day for some, a recreational / exploration day for others but there was still a bit of cycling done. One group cycled to Lourdes, another group pootled around on bikes locally, Jan and Jono cycled to the foothills of the Tourmalet and back and Parky and Robin climbed Aspin again, the other way round, discovering a good picnic spot in the process, clocking up 54 miles and climbing 11,580 ft. In the evening the non-Lourdes visitors amongst us decided who managed to buy the tackiest souvenir from Lourdes for less than 5 Euros, which was very entertaining. Let’s hope He upstairs has a sense of humour. Non regular cyclist Carol was voted Rider of the Day for cycling 40 miles in the heat up some steep, long hills which would have seen most people off.
Lessons learnt today: 1. There are VERY tacky souvenirs for sale in Lourdes. 2. Never believe a cyclist when he says it’s mainly flat or it’s not far. 3. Sue R (along with assistant chef Brian) makes a really superb curry. 4. When on holiday don’t phone home to check if everything’s alright.
Day 5
was THE day. We were going for the Tourmalet.
The heat was intense, there was little shade and everyone suffered their own personal hell on the way up but for this writer the spectacular scenery made up for most of the suffering.
My personal advice for the Tourmalet would be to cycle up a little slower than you are capable of because the last few kilometres are fairly brutal and that’s when you’ll need everything you’ve got!
The ‘Queens of the Mountain’ were Gill and Jill who put in so much effort they both felt physically sick. Robin used his small cog at last, Bernie sprinted what he thought were the last few metres which turned out to be 100 metres more than he thought and he nearly died, Brian said it was the hardest thing he’d ever done (he wasn’t the only one to say th at) and Jill said she’d rather give birth to twins than do that again.The sensible non cycling members of the team had driven to the top and were waiting with lunch which went down well and we all then clapped and cheered in the many other cyclists also doing the climb that day as they too arrived at the summit. What a great occasion, it was for everybody.
Fred and Robin went on down the other side, the long route home, whilst everyone else freewheeled several miles back down the way we’d come. Unfortunately the only bars en route were closed (why, oh why, do the French have such weird opening times?) so we had to wait until we got home for cold beers.
That evening the winner of the tackiest Lourdes souvenir was judged to be a pen which featured the virgin Mary descending from heaven to reveal herself to Bernadette when the pen was held upside down. Well done to Jonathan for having such bad taste.
Lessons learnt: 1. The Tourmalet is a very long climb. 2. It’s amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. 3. Bernie especially likes blue cheese.
Day 6
was (luckily) a rest day because it was raining in the morning and cloudy for the rest of the day. Again, everyone split into groups and did their own things. The group who drove back up to the summit of Tourmalet found it bathed in sunshine above the clouds and met 2 cyclists from Falmouth, Naomi and Andy Cooper who knew Jono and Jan. Another group had an extremely large lunch at a country restaurant which was a) superb in everyway and b) inexpensive. Several wheelers visit
ed a local cave, Grotto de Medous, in which visitors enjoyed an underground boat trip.
The weather cleared a bit in the evening and everyone carbo loaded on beer, wine and fine food for another challenging ride on the morrow.
Lessons learnt: 1. Frozen potato chips, unfortunately, are not always ‘10 minutes and they’re ready’ oven chips. 2. Normandie bottled cider is good and cheap. 3. Sweetcorn husks are okay, but not quite as good as charcoal, for use as barbeque fuel.
Day 7
was Col d’Aubisque day and also, unfortunately, our last day but the weather was perfect.
We drove to, and departed from, Laurans which was seemed exceptionally wonderful, and immediately started climbing. Halfway up Charlie selflessly went a mile and a half back down the mountain for Jonathan’s forgotten water bottle, and Fred, Donald and Robin took a wrong turn and climbed an erroneous road for a while.
After everyone finally and triumphantly arrived at the top, we enjoyed cold beers and jambon et fromage baguettes. The Coopers from Falmouth appeared as well and we had a cold beer with them. Charlie and Jill departed back down the way we’d come up to pick up their car and the rest carried on down the otherside. The road down was breathtaking. No one could think of a better road they’d ever cycled along with very 
spectacular views of snow capped mountains and green wooded valleys far below. Then Bernie’s bike had a hissy fit and managed to jam it’s chain between the rear cassette and the spokes causing Bernie to skid off the road. Luckily he controlled the skid and avoided hospitalisation but the bike was terminated and only halfway down the mountain.
After passing cars and bikes informed those waiting at the bottom of the predicament, Robin went back up and split the chain which meant that Bernie could freewheel down rather than carry the bike. After many unsuccessful mobile phone calls Charlie was eventually contacted and came to pick Bernie and his bike up.
A dramatic end to a wonderful day. The Aubisque climb and descent, as well as the ride back to base after, was described as “the best day’s ride ever” by several. Charlie, Robin and Bernie were joint 
riders of the day, Charlie and Robin for selflessly assisting other members of the group and Bernie for climbing Aubisque at a very respectable speed, avoiding a nasty crash and staying in good humour even though his bike was knackered.
Special mention must be made for Fred who did most of the organising of the trip including packing and carrying all the bikes in his van and Parky who not only did the pathfinding, route sheets and map print-outs but was always there helping out whenever help was needed.
Lessons learnt: 1. God must be a cyclist because He made the the Pyranees. 2. It’s easy to underestimate how much booze 17 people will drink in a week. 3. It’s easy to underestimate how much loo paper 17 people will use in a week.
Crashes: 2.5 Jonathan, Carol and a controlled skid by Bernie.
Mechanicals: 1 Bernie
Punctures: 1 Fred (non Armadillo)
Driver Road Rage: None
LRI (Lance Related Incidents): None
Heard from the saddle: “I am not the villain here.” “Oh she’ll be alright. Women have babies for Godsake…” “Same shit, different day.”
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THE TAPAS RUN 2008 - Santander to Roscoff
OverviewSix wheelers and a support driver (Jan) decided to cycle from Santander in Spain to Roscoff in France, a distance of between approx 875-950 miles over the Easter break.
Riding Dates
Leaving Plymouth on Easter Sunday (23rd March) and then returning Sunday 6th April with the Wheelers who come over for a Brittany Spring break, Sunday 6th April.
Sponsors
We have been very fortunate to have financial sponsorship from Hine Downing one of Falmouth's major solicitors. Funds are being used to purchase sponsored kit, fuel for the support vehicle and contribute towards the clubs website.
Cyclelogic of Helston kindly agreed to supply a wide range of support kit and
bike repair equipment on a 'use it & pay for it' scheme + the generous offer of a spare
Specialized Tricross in case of any serious bike failure
Riders
Hilary (not pictured) - (rider of the year 2005 & 2006) Bike - Specialized Sequoia
Jono - (joint rider of the year 2007) Bike - Nigel Dean (built in '88 restored in '07)
Paul - (joint rider of the year 2007) Bike - Specialized Tricross
and then the non award winning riff raff
Roger - Bike - Giant SCR Alliance
Don - Bike - Specialized Roubaix Tricross....
Jonathan - Bike - Claude Butler Levante
STOP PRESS.....
Due to a back injury Hilary is unable to cycle but is hoping to come along as support wine taster and energy bar administrator....
Ride Plan
The intention was to ride approx 75 miles a day over a 12 day period.
Accommodation was pre-booked as we've were lead to believe it was very
early in the French holiday calendar and not all places will be open.
Ride Diary
We took a laptop to update the website as and when possible...
Sunday 23rd March
Team Tapas left the Norway Inn, Perranarworthal @ 12.30 - outside MFI, Truro, Devon & Cornwall Constabulary stopped Jono to wish him all the best (something to do with too many bikes on the back.....) First domestic at the ferryport when Jono realised that the support vehicle's filler cap was back at the Esso Garage on Dracena Avenue. To quote Jan "Your're l ucky these other people are here..."The team spent most of the ferry trip to Santander in the piano bar as the 'Shameless'/ 'Phoenix nights' rerun at the other end of the ship didn't appeal.
Monday 24th March 
Santander - Laredo
Hearty breakfast (bit more than the average wheeler pays, but what the hell, it was good) boat docking on time but it was wet and windy and looked like good
Cornish weather. Unloaded the bikes, team photo and then we were off. Roger decided to go off the rails within 200 metres (Mrs H if your reading this he's alright...) Ever ridden a bike on a motorway? Team Tapas have and we thought all the Spanish motorists were hooting to wish us well.
Once we got on the right route it was good excellent roads, quiet and fast - Jono's top speed along the flat was 34 mph. One big hill two mile climb and wet & windy at the top. Arrived in Laredo and Jono decided to get to know the locals really well. Livestock not looking when they cross are clearly a nuisance, at least the bikes ok even if Jono's knee is bloodied. Hotel good but receptionist must be related to Franco (or Basil fawlty). Now waiting for dinner at 9.00 and counting...
Tuesday 25th March
Laredo-Gernika
Heavy rain started the day and to quell Jono's demons after hitting Spanish livestock, we took an unplanned tour of Laredo trying to find the way out. With 'The rain in Spain staying mainly on the cyclists' we followed a hilly, coastal route and could imagine on a sunny day it would be stunning. Jonathan had the first puncture of the tour and Don lost a tooth and so did his bike. Fourteen eagles (or were they vultures...?) spotted by Parky. Into Bilbao where we ended up in the Spanish equivalent of Old Hill, luckily the Police came along and escorted us to safety. Good fast road out of town except for all the trucks whizzing past. Arrived in Gernika and found a very friendly bike shop who spent half an hour sorting out Don's bike for just four Euros. Team photo in the shop and found hotel eventually - yes they have a Tapas bar (great olives, peppers & anchovies...) Now waiting to sample traditional, Gernika fayre.
Food Update - Great meal and wine followed by a nightcap.
Wednesday 26th March
Gernika- San Sebastian
Rain, rain go away....
Another day another adventure, left Gernika in teeming rain - soaked to the skin within minutes. Undulating ride to start and then a four mile climb during which Parky wanted a rest and so ensured his chain snapped. Half hour to sort it out and then onwards and upwards with a glimpse of sun at the summit. Great views and superb ride thru' pine forests (imagine leaving Gweek towards the Lizard for 10 miles). Long descent into Lekeitio a large fishing port - we hissed at all the Spanish trawlers for nicking our mackerel. Superb coast hugging road that dropped into seaside ports before winding its way along 600 foot cliffs. Parky said he felt unwell but still rode faster than the rest of us. Eventually he succumbed and as it was still 45k to go the support vehicle sprang into action & medi-vac'd him to the hotel.
Without our tourleader/navigator we got horribly lost at the 'Roundabout From Hell' (wish Don Gunner had come...). Rescued by two passing cyclists out on a training run we were escorted into San Sebastian - still chucking it down and sense of humour evaporating quickly. However great shower quick kip and a San Miguel cures most fatigue. Praying for Parky's recovery (keep off the Spanish H2o...). Post trip update - it was a nasty stomach bug.
Thursday 27th March
San Sebastian - Moilets-Et-Mars
Awoke with rain tipping down. Parky has been as sick as a dog throughout the night and unfortunately will not be cycling today. Jonathan has stomach cramps but will try to see how far he can go. After 10 miles we entered France, the heavy rain turned atrocious and we entered a storm. After 20 miles Jonathan had a puncture which was extremly difficult to mend in gale force winds and driving rain! With the temperature dropping to 6C we were very cold and mild hypothermia was just around the corner. Stopped at a supermarket and recovered a bit with food and drink. Another 15 miles and the rain became merely heavy. The gale force winds subsided and we warmed up again - thank goodness. Made it to Moilets-Et-Mars and Jonathan retired to bed to try and recover. He hardly ate anything all day because of severe stomach cramps. Parky is nearly recovered and should be able to cycle tomorrow. This trip is no picnic!
Friday 28th March
Moilets-Et-Mars - Bisccarrosse Le Plage 
Hooray its dry (we count damp as dry). Paul rejoined the ride and as usual led from the front and for once it was easy riding through miles of pine forests on straight, undulating roads. Roger swears he saw the sun when we stopped at a Velo shop for brake pads - several of our pads were worn away on long descents in N. Spain. Jonathan had his daily puncture (actually two today). Stopped at a Patisserie and Jonathan found his back tyre was trashed and needed a replacement. Made it to the hotel before the rain came in and we even felt a little civilized as we picnic'd under an awning. After showering Team Tapas went off and explored the local sand dunes (biggest in Europe) and then found a good bar & restaurant with a cracking waitress - food was ok as well. Just to make our day (but not Jan's) the cycling was on Eurosport when we got back to the hotel and Chris Hoy got a medal.
Saturday 29th March
Bisccarrosse Le Plage - Hourtin
We woke to wall to wall, blue sky (how's the weather back home???) and at ten miles out stopped to play sandcastles on the dunes - amazing height. More pine forests than you can shake a stick at and fast pedalling @ 18-20 mph helped crack the miles out. Spotted storks circling (see later...) and a Red Kite. Stopped for a roll and a cake at a typical French patisserie, sure the assistant must be related to our lovely waitress last night. She was certainly not a WC Rowe girl.
Onto excellent cycle paths that stretched for over 10 miles in a straight line. At one point there was debate at a junction and Jono was overjoyed at being able to dig out his trusty pocket compass, at last, and check we're still heading north - stories of Jono being lost on Bodmin Moor 'compassless' abound. Back onto the road - 13k straights and time to wind it up again, wanted to see if we could average 15 mph for this day's 75 mile run. By now a certain wheeler's 'Davina McCalls' were suffering - if only we'd listened to Redleader tip 'Don't forget the Savlon' luckily Jono had some nappy rash cream that he generously shared with the sufferrer. Arrived at hotel @ 4.30 to be greeted by a cold beer and a real picnic in the sun. Roger discovered that he is now a Great Uncle Bulgaria so we toasted baby Erin and yawned our way throu' dinner. Looking forward to tomorrow - even though more flippin' rain is forecast.
Sunday 30th March
Hourtin - Rochefort
Obviously one good sunny day was all we were allocated - back to the norm, grey skys threatening rain, although seeing Jono put on suntan lotion for the bits he burnt yesterday was a bit hopeful. 15 miles down the road Jonathan realised he hadn't paid his hotel bill - visions of being press ganged into the Foreign Legion were quickly quelled with a quick phonecall to Jan & Hilary who were still at the hotel. We covered 55k in two & half hours to rendevous with the girls and the ferry to Royan. On the way bumped into a cyclist from Bristol heading south to Bilbao and was cursing the head winds. Leaving the ferry we were faced with heavy rain and wind (whats new?) Ten miles out Jan had found a place to shelter and we enjoyed an el fresco lunch on the loading dock of a wine company on an industrial estate (it was Sunday so no one was about). On the way to our destination we intended to go via an old transporter bridge that was very impressive but unfortunately closed. Into Rochefort, nice town, very clean - how come French towns have no litter? Found a good brassiere where we encamped for the night - wine, few women and a bit of song - but remember what goes on tour stays on tour....
Monday 31st March
Rochefort - Telmont St.Hilaire
Grey overcast day as we changed ride plans and headed to La Rochelle. Found a good cycle route that went a little bit around the houses and villages of Charente, unfortunately the cycle route signs disappeared 10 miles from La Rochelle and Jono choose the local village idiot riding a bike to ask directions - one for KK to take under his wing...
Beautiful weather in La Rochelle, lunch on the quay with Hilary showing early signs of the lurgie. On the way out tried our favourite trick of using the the motorway and ended up walking back to the intended road - stil ended up as a 9k detour. Up to now it had been quite a nice day but we now had 50 miles to ride and a head wind blowing force 6-7 (no joke...). It was totally flat, no Cornish hedges to hid behind, and we were in what became known as the 'Head wind from hell'. The force of the wind could not be exaggerated. It was flat but we all had to stand on the pedals. Everyone was suffering, even Paul was running on empty but after a coke and chocolate stop in a tin sheet bus shelter - we made a final push and arrived at the farmhouse where we were staying, five hours later at 6.35pm having covered 83 miles. A total of 7:59 in the saddle !
Quick shower and then genuine French hospitality with the Farmer, Gilles and his wife Annie in their farmhouse. All the food was home grown/raised, the wine flowed and we headed for bed at 9.30 ish exhausted.
Tuesday 1st April
Telmont St.Hilaire - Pornic
Being April Fools day, Paul over breakfast with a very straight face, told Jonathan he had a puncture in his front Armidallo to sort out – ha bloody ha….
Left in light rain – (we hear it’s nice in Cornwall…) easy cycling on a very nice cycle route to St Jean de Monts, a seaside town. We picnic’d on the promenade with fog rolling in. From here we had a 40 mile run hopping through villages and towns every 10k with a slight headwind all the way. No mechanical or emotional failures (apart from the support driver who got lost in Pornic and turned to the men-in-blue for help). Despite the hotel losing our reservations(!) we managed to book in and enjoyed a great shower. Amorous Frenchmen down the corridor really should learn to close the door when you’re waiting for the lift - that's all we'll say. Pornic is a great port and J & J found a great little restaurant behind the Casino, although what fish Don & Jonathan ate was questionable – Paul thought it was either a Gobi or a Wrasse. 73 miles covered today (5 hours in the saddle) Tomorrow like Cockleshell Hero’s we face the bridge @ St.Nazaire & our biggest planned mileage of the tour. Post trip update - the 'questionable' fish dish was Roti de Lotte, a monk fish.
Wednesday 2nd April
Pornic – Auray
Day started slightly misty but we knew it would burn off. 20 kilometres to the bridge @ St Nazaire on a busy A30 type road. Team pics at the foot hills with the Sherpas – Paul & Roger checking the route over the bridge. Saw the U boat pens in their original state – pleased I watched ‘Das Boot’ a fortnight ago. Easy ride thru’ St. Nazaire into beautiful Brittany countryside. The day was warming up and finally our rain jackets came off.
Great lunch at Arzal (Cornish for Argal) and then continued on in bright sunshine with only 40 miles to base camp. After travelling thru’ more beautiful countryside and idyllic villages we entered Vannes, unfortunately the French railways tracks took their toll on the Wheelers – Jonathan took a spectacular tumble and joined Roger & Jono in the Road Ska Club – pleased to say bike was ok. Continued on without incident to Auray after 83 miles on the saddle. Wandered down to the cobbled harbour of St. Goustan and enjoyed the best evening meal yet – with 2 days to go we finally we feel we are on holiday!
Thursday 3rd April
Auray – Huelgoat
S
tarted the day with a small incident in the car park – the support vehicle managed to destroy a flower pot much to the amusement of on-looking hotel guests.
Discovered a place called St.Anne d’ Auray where supposedly in 1623a farm labour saw the Virgin Mary’s mother (as if….). Imagine Budock with its own Cathedral, a Convent, Monestary & visitor’s center – and you get the picture. Cycled thru’ undulating countryside – picture postcard Brittany. Enjoyed a baguette unch (next to a bar) in Plouray.
This was supposedly going to be an easy day (only 60ish miles) however the hotel we had planned to stay in decided differently and had given our pre-booked rooms away! An extra 16 miles along increasingly hilly terrain meant aches and pains started to show with the culmination being a climb over Col Toulmaine at 288 metres. Fast downhill runs with Jono recording the top speed of the trip at 45.3 mph and Roger pedalling furiously trying to catch him. (Roger is now planning to get drops & clips-ins). Support crew had done a great job booking a new hotel overlooking the lake @ Huelgoat. Whilst enjoying a beer in the evening sun and a great crispy pizza we all looked forward to cycling just 40 miles tomorrow, to the legendary Martin Patisserie cake shop in Morlaix followed by our final destination, Roscoff, and a fine celebratory lunch.
Friday 4th April
Huelgoat - Roscoff
The final push - a beautiful still, chilly day greeted us for our last 40 miles. Very cold down in the valleys and a couple of long climbs
lasting over 4k each before we launched ourselves on a fast 10k, downhill run into Morlaix. Visited the Gourmet cake stop of the Wheelers, the fantastic Martin Patiserrie that Hilary and Paul were raving about - Jono has already decided that the Wheelers Gourmet Guide is going international and this will certainly be included.
Left Morlaix along the coast road but decided to go up over the hills when we saw cold mist cloud rolling in from the sea. An easy last 20 miles before we met up with the support vehicle for obligatory team photo at the Roscoff town sign (see below). Then into Centre Villa to a good restaurant Paul knew for a celebratory lunch of Moules & Frites - how good it tasted compared to a Go Bar & energy drink.
Up to St. Pol-de-Leon mid afternoon where we plan to celebrate Hilary's birthday with champagne. Sunshine, champagne and a feeling of great achievement (or is it relief????), was this the best trip ever? - ask us after the scars & backsides heal. Who's for the next challenge in 2009?
SummaryMiles: Approx 800 miles
Hours in Saddle: 62 hours : 09 mins
Average Speed: 12.4 mph
Accidents/ Falling Off: 3
Motorway Cycling: 2 (almost 3)
Lurgy Victims: 3
Punctures: 4
Brake Blocks: 6
New Tyres: 2
Bike fixing: 2
Police Escorts: 1
Bike Escorts: 1
Flower Pots destroyed: 1
