All the used gear

I don’t really like talking about products, but now that I’ve finished my two months cycle tour, I’d like to evaluate all the gear I was carrying with me in order to help other future cycle tourists to decide what they may need or not. If you are not into touring and you are not planning to do any, you will probable find the following text rather long and boring.

Bike stuff

Bike, Ridgback Flight T2 (2008 model)

I really like this bike and it did its jobs well. But unfortunately it’s not a bike designed for touring. Its thin tires (700×25) didn’t let me go to some off road cycle tracks and when fully loaded, the bike was feeling a little bit unstable, especially when I was cycling standing. In the beginning, I couldn’t stand at all, but after a couple of weeks I got used to the extra weight and I would ride standing for as long as I wanted. In facts it’s a little strange that I now find it hard to cycle standing when the bike is not loaded and I will have to get used it again. I should have listened Tim’s advice right from the beginning to swap the tires with (700×28) Schwalbe, which apparently are the most durable and appropriate for long cycling in different terrains. It would have probable saved all the trouble I went through, when I changed the worn out Armadilos with a random piece of shit, that exploded 20 kilometers down the road, ruined my rim and caused a chain of other problems. The bike has racing breaks with no much clearance, so a slight thicker tire means that they have to be deflated in order for the wheel to come out, which I think is not much of a problem.
It comes with carbon fork and seat post, which are great for a performance bike, but a little useless for touring. With so much extra weight, a few hundred grams don’t really make any difference. It’s also less flexible than aluminum, which means more vibrations on my arms. At some point before I started, I was reading about carbon components breaking and I was really worried about the fork and me kissing the tarmac. I don’t think that’s really an issue, as long as you ride the bike reasonable. There were many times that I hit bumps and pit holes, went down pavements and slight off roads paths and it is still in one piece. Also the fork can’t take front rack to attach panniers, which for me was a good thing as I limited to just rear ones.
My last little complain is its geometry, with the sheet higher than the bars. That’s good for high speeds, but not very comfortable as you put too much weight on your arms. The bar extensions, even if they take some time to get used to, helped a lot as you get a variety of positions to hold and prevent the wrists from getting too tired.
As a conclusion, I did the trip on this bike because that’s what I had at the time and if I had to do another one, I would probable use the same again. But if you need to buy a bike just for touring, maybe consider one that is designed for that purpose.

SPD pedals, Shimano M324

After cycling 6 years in England, I was seeing so many people riding with SPD pedals and cycling shoes that clip on to them. I was always thinking that wearing a special pair of shoes was too much of an effort to just get to work. Everybody advised me to get them for the tour and that’s what I am now advising now as well. Having your foot attached to the pedal, helps a lot in cycling. Rather than just pushing down the pedal, with SPDs you can also pull the pedal, applying force to the full circle, which makes a big difference going uphills. Someone once told me it increases your efficiency by 30%. They also ensure your foot is always on the correct position, preventing any injuries after a long ride.

SPD shoes, Specialised MTB

I chose these simply because they look a little more like ordinary shoes, rather than just dedicated cycling ones. The proper road shoes have a complete stiff sole, which makes cycling a lot easier, but walking impossible, where MTB ones will be a little flexible at the front. While touring, you will get off the bike many times and you don’t want to be changing shoes to go for a short walk.

Aluminum rear rack

The important thing for me was to have the plate on top that will double as a mud guard. Made out of alumium makes them lighter, but I am not sure for how long can they last. After two months using them, they are still ok, but have dents on all the points that the panniers touch. Someone also mentioned that if they snap, it will be impossible to weld on any ordinary metal workshop in case there is no bike shop around for a replacement. Also I wish they could be positioned a little closer to the wheel, to move the center of gravity lower.

Panniers, Ortlieb

Yes, they are 110% ideal for touring. Initially I was a little skeptic about their roll type closure system and how practical that would be. But as everybody was telling about these, that’s what I got they are perfect. They are easy to put on and off, they can double their capacity if not closed, they are 100% waterproof and very durable as they are made from the same material they make the truck canvas. I met German cyclists that are using them for two decades and they are still in very good and working condition.
As they are wider than the rest of the bike, its easy to hit them on obstacles and I did several times. Only during the last day, I hit the sharp corner of a concrete bench going very fast and I made a small rip to one of them. I had a hard object right inside the pannier that helped the canvas to rip. I believe that small rip will be easy to repair.
The best is to put all the heavy objects as low and close to the wheel as possible and the softer and lighter on the top and outside so they act as pillows in case the bike is dropped or hit and obstacle.

Handlebar bag, Altura Dryline

I find the handle bar bag very handy for storing all the small things that you need to access very often. It also doubles as a shoulder bag, which means when you lock the bike you can easily detach it and take all the valuables with you.
The one I got is alright, but not perfect. It’s big enough, but doesn’t have any compartments or pockets inside. It’s like a big box where you through stuff in and after an hour of bumpy ride they are all mixed up. Before I started, I got a thick foamy material, like they one they use for sound insulation, and cut it in the right size to fit at the bottom. I was keeping my papers and things I wasn’t using regularly under it and then I would stuck other things like maps, sketchbook and camera, in between the foam and the bag walls.
The bag also claims to be waterproof, but the material it is made of soaks the water. I am sure it has an additional layer inside to prevent the water going through and it never did, but I didn’t really experience heavy rain for a long period of time to see how true that is.
It also comes with a very handy detachable clear pocket that goes on the top to put the map in it. It’s extremely handy to have a map always in front of you, that you can read without stopping. It’s design problem though is that it only attached at the front, so while cycling fast or string wind, the map keeps flapping. I solved this problem by using two of these strong black clips and they worked fine.
Overall a good bag, I just wish the designer used it him self a couple of times to find out these minor problems and correct them.

Speedometer, Specialised speedzone comp

What I was looking was a wireless one that has a temperature reading, which was a little hard to find. I am still trying to decide whether it is better to have a wireless or not. My old stolen one was not wireless, but the wire snapped just after a year. You also have one less wire hanging off the bars.
But then you have an extra battery to worry about. I also don’t know if that’s the case with all wireless computers or just mine, but my biggest problem was interferences. It took me a while to understand why by the end of the day it was showing extreme top speed. Basically if I put it near my laptop it shows that I am cycling at around 30km/h, if I put it next to my mobile it goes up to 60km/h and automatic sliding doors will boost it to above 100km/h adding an extra kilometer every few second.
It has a nice and big readout, with all the basic functionalities, but its operation is a little hard to get used to it and its manual a little hard to understand. The good thing is that I download its manual as a pdf and put on my laptop, which saved me carrying the booklet with me.

Tools, Topeak Survival Tool Bag

Tools are essential in a bike tour. It has a good selection of the tools, as well as a compartment for a spare inner tube, a lube and some other extras. Very ofter I put it inside the dry sack, to make things fit better on the bike.

Cycling Clothes

Cycling top clothing, Rapha Classic Jersey, Sleeveless base layer

Probable my most valuable bit of clothing. I received it as a leaving present from my colleagues and I am very thankful for that, as I don’t think I would have spend so much money for cloths at the time. Now that I’ve used them solidly for every single of my cycling days, I think they are really worth the money.
The sleeveless base layer is made out of 100% merino wool, which is by far the best material for cycling and I only found out on this trip. You can wear it for 3-4 continues days cycling and sweating and it never stinks like cotton. If it gets wets it doesn’t hang and it is fast to dry.
The Jersey is 40% merino 60% polyester. It has the typical cycling pockets on the back. Very important, it has a nice minimal design and not all these vivid colors, or big brand names that most of the cycling tops have.
It also cames with arm warmers, very useful for the cold mornings or to protect the skin from the burning sun. There was never an issue of being too hot on these, as there is a constant flow of air while cycling.
Unfortunately after so many days wearing the top under the burning sun, its black color on the back side has faded a little bit, but other than that it is still in a perfect functional condition.

Cycling shorts, 1 Endura MTB with lycra liner, 1 Gore lycra

The shorts are also extremely important item for cycling. Everybody would say just use lycra and nothing else, as it is really the most comfortable thing you can wear while cycling. They look ok on the bike, but the problem is they look a little bit ridiculous when off the bike. So I got some mountain bike shorts, that I was always wearing while stopping within towns, villages or when it was a little too cold. They have plenty of handy pockets and they are made of rip stop material, but if they claim to be very breathable, I found too hot to cycle with if the temperature was above 30. They came with their own detachable lycra liner, so I bought another pair of lycra to be able to swap them around everyday. I bought this combination to save money, but I later found out that in a way you get what you pay for. The Gore lycra costs almost as much as the Endura shorts with the liner as well. The Endura lycra proved to be less comfortable, with a thiner padding that was not big enough to cover the entire seat. There were many times that I did my best to dry the Gore one as fast as possible so I can wear it the next day as well.

Socks, 1 Rapha, 3 Pearl Izumi

I wanted to be changing a pair of socks every day, so I had a few with me. The Rapha ones were made of 100% merino wool, which means I could wear them a second or sometimes a third day without a problem if I was lazy to wash.

Leg warmers, Altura

They are necessary for the very cold days. They also double as thermals under normal trousers or while sleeping in the tent during cold nights.

Gloves, Mitts Pearl Izumi, Full cycling gloves

I never had these before, as I thought they are a little too much for just cycling to work. But after cycling for 5-6 hours a day, wearing mitts really make a difference and I highly recommend a relatively good pair.
I happend to find the full gloves and they worked ok for the colder days. They wear thin enough to put them under the mitts and stopped some of the cold. But cycling in colder weather, I would probable need a lot better ones.

Waterproof jacket, Kathmandu GoreTex type material (but not GoreTex)

Everybody was suggesting me to get a good pair of GoreTex rainproof jacket. Apparently they are the best for cycling in the rain. The problem is GoreTex are very expensive and I didn’t want to spend that much money. Luckily other brands now make the similar material, which are probable equally as good but cheaper. I got mine from Kathmandu as it had 50% discount and it served me really well during the trip.

Waterproof trousers

I got the cheapest pair I found in my local outdoors shop. They pack extremely small, they are waterproof but also breathable. The thing is you don’t use them as often as the jacket, because lycras and skin dryes fast enough and legs don’t get as cold as your upper body.

Overshoes

I knew I needed some, I left it for the last minute and didn’t find what I was looking for in London. In France I kept visiting cycling shops, but most of what they had wouldn’t fit on my MTB shoes. I ended up buying some that are not made from the typical wet suit material, that perfectly fits the shoe. Instead they are made from a thicker material that are completely water and windproof, but they don’t look as great. I didn’t have to use them as much, but they worked fine when I did.

Helmet, the cheapest Specialized one

I just used the one I had all these years in London. I think the price on the helmets don’t really affect security, as all of them have to pass the same regulation tests. It’s just a matter of weight and look, but the important thing is how it fits on your head. To be honest I don’t think mine fits very good, as it leaves the sides and the back of my head uncovered and on top I look a little ridiculous on it. But that’s what I had at the time and didn’t change it. Maybe next time I’ll get something better.

Non cycling clothes

Trousers, North Face zipoff trousers.

As I wanted to save space and weight on my bags, these proved to be ideal. They are very light and pack within one one of the pockets, they dry very fast especially when I am wearing them. The end of the legs can be rolled to make them 3/4 shorts, or completely removed with the zips for the very warm days.

Jacket, Berghaus jacket

Many suggested me to get a fleece, which is very warm. But I already had this, so that’s what I took with me. I would wear it with non cycling cloths, during cold evenings and it doubled as a pillow when stuffed with other clothes.

Others

2 normal cotton underwear for sleeping and wearing along with the normal trousers. 1 cotton tShirt and 1 long sleeve for the evening and the days of. 1 pair of light summer shoes. 1 pair of flip flops.

Camping stuff

Tent, Quechua T2 Ultra Light Pro

That’s one of the things it took me the longest to research and decide what to get. It’s always a compromise between cost, weight, space and quality. This one is a two layers, two person tent, which means it fits just two men, or one with his stuff. So that’s ideal, as a one man tent is just like a coffin, with no much head room to let you change within your tent. It weights a little less than 2 kilos and comes with a very forgiving compression bag. However your fold the tent, it will always fit in its bag and then you compress it and becomes a small pack. I experienced some very strong rains and winds that kept me awake all night and thankfully the tent proved it self to be rainproof and steady. It takes about 10 minutes to pitch and another 10 to pack.
It’s only minor problem, which I am not sure if other tents have solved, is that after a humid night the flysheet get a little wet and many times I had to let the tent dry in the sun before I could pack it and go.

Sleeping Bag, Snugpak Softie

I had this sleeping bag for some time before the trip and since it packs small, there was no need to get a new one. It states comfort temperature down to 2c and the extreme low to -3. In reality these should be a little higher, as there were a few nights that I was a little cold. It probable has to do with the humidity as well. In general I was very happy with it and I don’t think I’ll replace it in a future trip, unless if I go during cold winter.

Sleeping bag Liner, Quechua silk liner

I bought this half way through the trip and it’s one of the things I which I had right from the beggining. It really adds a few extra degrees of warmth in the bag as I never felt cold while sleeping with it, even if the temperature within the tent droped below 10 degrees. On the other hand, you can use just that on warm nights.

Mat, Self Inflating Mat Compact

That’s a 3/4 mat and as it is a self inflating one, it packs a lot smaller than the normal mets. Initially I was a little worried choosing a 3/4 or the full one, but it proved to be ok and my legs didn’t complain. The mat creates a good insulation between the ground and the body, which is the most important thing to stay warm over the night.

Stove, campingGas

I bought this during the trip, as initially I was worried about the space and weight of my bags. So three weeks into the trip, I found out that it was essential to have one, to be able to cook for my self, save money, but also save some money.

Cooking equipment, Quechua 1-person alu cookset

1 pan, 1 plate. 1 fork, 1 spoon, 1 clamp and 1 cup

Towels, 1 small and 1 medium Kathmandu fast drying ones

I didn’t really use the small one at all, but just the medium one. It was not really fast to dry out and I always had to attatch it to the bike to dry during the day. I also used to be white.

Small things

Mobile phone. I bought a French ‘pay as you go’ SIM card for that month and a half that I was there.

Compass, the smallest/cheapest one I could find on ebay. Small enough to fit within the map holder, but good enough to show me the correct way.

Headtorch which I had to buy one during the trip, as holding my bike light with my mouth while cooking was not convenient at all.

Swiss army knife, which was used for many different things.

Small cloth sack that would pack small, but big enough to carry a day’s shopping or a few things when walking around the city.

Mp3 player

1 Book

Sunglasses

Bell

Big things

A netbook! I only thought about taking one a couple of weeks before I departed and initially I was very sceptic whether it was worth the effort and rick. But now I am glad I had one during the trip. First without the netbook, I wouldn’t be able to write and maintain the blog. Internet cafes were very rare, very expensive and not in my tent. It was easier to find WIFI access. I was using it to store and view all my photos. I had many documents with me in digital format to save in weight, like manuals, tickets, insurance contracts and even scanned pages from guide books. I had all my music there which would go in my mp3 player selectively. I was charging my mobile using a USB cable. And most of all I had about 20 movies with me, which helped a lot during missarble nights.

Today’s destination was Frejus by the sea, but I decided not to continue on the coastal road to avoid the hills. I made my way north east of Toulon up one single hill and for the rest of the day it was mostly pleasant downhills.
All nice and pleasant until my rear tire went flat again. It was on the exact same spot with two days ago, where the inner tube touches the 5th spoke’s hole on the rim. I couldn’t see anything wrong with it, or something sharp that might have caused it. I covered that spot with loads of tape and the patch it self will hopefully prevent this from happening again. I then put some music to my mp3 player to restore my mood and continued cycling.

The entrance at Cuers

With this incident and that kebab in Cuers that took 20 minutes to appear on my table, I lost a couple of hours of my day and I was worried I won’t make it to my destination. But wasn’t much of a problem, as each little village on the way had a camping site.
Today’s route wasn’t that interesting, mostly because the road I chose run in parallel with the motorway and the scenery didn’t change much. All the villages I visited though had some really nice streets with colourful houses and very narrow alleys.

The little train

Noting new, just vines

That's not a tree. Look closer and you will see some antennas

Le Muy

At around 6pm I was in Frejus, late enough for the tourist office, but not for the town hall to ask for the map of the city and directions for one of the many camp sites. The city has also very nice streets and I noticed many Roman ruins on the way. The camp site it self is alright for 2 stars, but for 22 euros during the off season, it is the most expensive one I’ve been so far. Thanks to my excellent bargaining skills, I dropped the price to 15. I bet tomorrow in Nice, they will be even more expensive, so I may as well go to the hostel.

Frejus

The main church

Surely this colour combinatoin didn't came out randomly

Roman remains

Just after dinner in the tent

Overlooking Cassis

Cassis is  surrounded by hills and that’s why the camping was full of rock climbers. In the morning I had to go down to the center and buy a few things, so right after I had to climb a very steep road. Then looking for the road I needed to take to the next town, I got confused and tried two different roads for a couple of kilometers, both uphill and both wrong. Then I realized the road was down the village, close to its center. So there I was, first thing in the morning going up and down the mountains for no reason.
Even from the day before I was feeling a little tired and was thinking about taking the day off. Cassis was too small though to spend a whole day, so I decided to take the day off in Toulon which has a few more things to see and wasn’t that far away anyway.

One of the bays I went through

At midday I stoped at Bandol and bought some pate and a few other goods for a picnic style lunch at its port by the luxurious yacht. Since Toulon wasn’t more than 20km away and it was still early, I decided to take my time, have a drink at a cafe with wifi, until it gets a little cooler.

The small port of Bandol

As I was leaving, I noticed my back tyre needed some air. I pump it up, but a few kilometers down the road it went completely flat. I took it out and found the hole, which this time was on the inside. The protective tape was a little misplaced and I believe one of the spokes puncture it. It worries me a little though, as it’s the back wheel that was grinded on the tarmac the other day. Anyway, I fixed it and I moved on.
Once again, I got a little confused with how to locate the road I wanted. There were two roads to get to Toulon, each going around the different side of a hill. One of the passing drivers helped me to find it and suggested to take the upper one as it is faster. When I got to Toulon though I realized that the camp site is not actually inside the town but at the nearby town at the west. I ended up doing an extra 10km to find Seyne on the other side of the hill and close to where I was talking with that driver. That’s one of the reasons I am still in France, even if I’ve just reached my initial estimation of kilometers. But who said I am in a hurry?

Sunrise by the camping

I woke up earlier than normal as the night before I had collapsed straight after my dinner. Today’s day was all about Marseille. I didn’t want to spend the night there, just to have a quick look, so I am glad I wasn’t that far away. Even though, it took me three hours to get into the city, because of the hills that I had to go up and all the highways I had to avoid.

A nice but louder way of traveling

I knew Marseille is a big port but only when I first saw it after exiting a small tunnel, I truly appreciated its scale. In order to get to the center, I had to go through its massive port, under highways and loads of construction sites. It was a little hard and didn’t really enjoy cycling there. At the center it was extremely busy, with loads of tourists and had a massive traffic jam. I kind of wanted to leave straight away, but in the end I did stay for a few hours, to eat some lunch and wonder around a little bit.

First view of Marseille

Looks like a human made beach

One of the street in the city

The old port

A market

As I was about to leave, I noticed my front brand new tire was flat, even if it claims to be bulletproof. I repaired it quickly and started cycling again to the south. On the way out of the city, I stopped briefly to see one of Le Corbusier’s building that is build there. I am sure there should be an apartment open to visitors, but it was getting late in the day to look for it.

Le Corbusier Meuble Court

and the famous Modulor

Marseille from the near by hill as I was leaving

Right after I exited the city, I started climbing the nearby hill to pass to the other side. My destination was Cassis, for which I heard it is a nice fishermen village with a camping. I found it, put my tent and after my dinner I went for a walk in its center and its nice port.

For all those that think that cycle touring is dangerous, hard and way too much effort, I met two German girls in the center that are on their bikes for the last month, cycling all around France, going up and down the mountains and sleeping in the wild. Rosy and Antonia are 19 and 20 years old and they still have another three weeks to go. I wish I had started touring at that age.

]]> http://blog.ch3.gr/day-40/feed/ 1 http://blog.ch3.gr/day-37/ http://blog.ch3.gr/day-37/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:32:12 +0000 Georgios http://blog.ch3.gr/?p=710 18km of 2483km so far…

After a heavy and good sleep in the hotel’s room, I woke up and quickly packed my stuff, anxious to see what will happen with my burst tire. The owner of the hotel did drive me to the closest shop to look for a spare. The first place had a very poor selection and couldn’t find the right one. The second one had a single tire of the correct size and even if it was’t what I liked, I just had to buy it, as the hotel guy was loosing his tempter. I returned to the hotel and fitted it and off I went again.
After all these I wasn’t up for much cycling and luckily Montpellier wasn’t far at all. On the way, I cycled over a freshly paved road and a layer of hot tarmac stuck on my front wheel. After what happened the day before, by the time I got to Montpellier, I went to a decent bike shop and replaced the front tire as well just to prevent any more surprises.
I send a text to one of the guys I met in the Carcassonne’s hostel, that he had just moved there. He invited me to stay over and we ended up spending the whole day together sightseeing the city. Hubert is from Quebec and has just started architecture in Montepellier, which happens to be a big student city, with many schools and universities.
We visited a photographic exhibition of the famous aerial photographer Yann Arthus Bertrand. Then we wondered around the old part of the city, which is rather big and consists of hunderds of small alleys. At one end of the old city, there is a big plaza from where you can see the old water system and many buildings in Roman style. In general Montpellier is fantastic and very lively, with its fantastic old city, loads of events and crazy students.

After a few hours of walking, we went back to the flat to cook and eat. As it was still early, we decided and went out again for some drinks. After more than a month living in my tent, I am very glad I had this opportunity to out again and socializing with french people.

That's a lot of bear

The Mediterranean was still there in the morning

From early in the morning it was rather warm, so I knew it would be a hard day. After a short stop at the post office to mail a few things back home, I started cycling north-east. By accident I came accross the Canal du Midi again, so I didn’t miss the opportunity to ride its last 10km, which were equally beautiful with the rest of what I’ve seen.

Once again, at the Canal Du Midi

and the tarmac cyclepath next to it

The canal took me straight to one of my destinations, to the city of Adge. The old city, like many others I’ve visited, was full of small alleys and nice squares. I stopped for a light lunch and a break to read my book.

Adge

...and its streets

Next stop was Sete for which I’ve heard good things as well. To go there, I took a 13km road which is on a very thin strip of land between the sea and a big basin.

The road to Sete and the city at the background

The city is all around the hill. On the south side, the one I was coming from, is just a resort with many big hotels and facilities. On the other side I found the older part of the city. Sete is a fishing town with a port full of big fishing boats and the distinct smell of fish.

Sete

It was getting late and I wanted to go to Villeneuve-les-Maguelone to camp, because it’s only 10km away from Montpellier and I wanted to avoid getting into the big city. As I was looking for my way out of Sete, I saw a bike shop and I thought I should fully pump the back tire after the puncture I had three days ago. When I did so, I realized that the tire had a massive split and it was the inner layer that was holding it together. Luckily I was in a bike shop with many spares, but unfortunately it didn’t have the exact size I wanted. The tire was 25mm thick and the shop had 23mm and 30mm.  Thinking about all these off tarmac routes I’ve taken, I thought it should be better to get the 30mm one. I put it on, pumped it up and off I went.

For a moment I thought about celotaping it

Flamingos and many other birds

That's not a commando training center, that's a petit dog school of acrobatics.

As I was getting in to Villeneuve-les-Maguelone, disaster happened. I hit a light bump, then I heard a strange sound, then my back tire burst and then the back rim was grinding on the tarmac! Both the inner tube and the brand new tire were split and I was stuck in the middle of nowhere and too far away from the shop I bought it. I was probable my mistake, because I used the same inner tube which was probable to thin for a bigger tire. I took the inner tube out and put the destroyed tire back on, so at least I can push the bike without further destroying the rim. I asked some kids where the camping is and I started a long walk to get there. Half an hour later I got to the camp site and saw that it was closed because of the season. Great! It was already dark and I needed to find somewhere to sleep. I had a pizza from a little van opposite the street and the lade told me there is a hotel in the village. Having no other option I walked there and begged for a discount. Thankfuly I got it and the owner promised he will drive me to Montpellier to find a bike shop and fix the bike. So let’s see…

After a whole baguette with nutella for breakfast, I packed my bike and joined the Canal du Midi from within the city. I was hearing a lot about this canal for a long time during my trip, so I was very enthusiastic about cycling it this morning.
Canal du Midi connects the Atlantic with the Mediterranean, going through many cities and villages. Along the canal for the majority of its length, there is a path for bicycles and pedestrians, so for about 20km from Toulouse, I was seeing many people cycling, jogging, walking and having picnics.

The canal within the city

One of the many locks

The path by the canal

Since I woke up, there was a complete overcast and I hardly saw the sun during the day. Todays surprise was my first puncture of the trip. After 2200 km, a piece of glass managed to go through the tire and its inner protective layer. I stopped at the side of one of the canal’s lock to have a look and of course half way the repair it started raining. It rained a lot and I had to put my water proofs and ironically the rain stopped just as I started riding again.

The place I had the puncture

pat pat pat.... for pate

One of the small ports

Canal crouse

In total I cycled 50km by the canal, but unfortunately after that distance the tarmac finished, so I had to abandoned it. Cycling on the road and with a nice tail wind I was going faster and I knew I could make it to Carcassonne. On the way I passed through the nice city of Castelnaudary, full of old houses and churches.

Castelnaudary

Luckily I made it to Carcassonne the minute before the tourist information was closing, so I managed to get the information I wanted. As it was wet all day, I was considering the option to stay in a hostel again and after I realized where the hostel is located I decided to stay there and also take the next day off to visit the city.

The old city of Carcassonne

The view from the hostel

I woke up and I had a good breakfast waiting for me, with tea croissants and home made marmalade. Packed my bike, said goodbye and thank you and headed for Toulouse.

Rennes and me before I left for Toulouse

Toulouse wasn’t far away at all. A little more than 10 km, so I took it easy and got there at about 11am. I knew it was going to rain today, so I was debating whether I should look for a hostel and be closer to the center. At the tourist office they told me there isn’t any camp site, so that solved my problem. It took me some time and frustration in the rain to find it, because the word hostel doesn’t exist in French. I am a little curious to see how much better, or not, I will sleep on a bed, after spending a month sleeping in my tent. The hostel it self is good enough and very cheap plus free wifi.

After I checked in, I did a massive laundry and I took some time to look after my bike. It’s been a few days now and especially after Pyrenees, that I wanted to swap the front to back tires, as the back one wears off faster because of the weight. After visiting the local outdoors shop to fully pump up the tires and buy a few extra things, I was ready to go around the city.

I randomly wondered around the alleys, I crossed the bridges a couple of times had a snack. The city is big enough and even has a metro system. The most fascinating thing though are the bikes. Toulouse like many other big French cities, have public bikes to go around. With 5euros per week, you can ride a bike for half an hour for free and then each hour is about a euro or something. Very good system I believe and I saw many people using it. Most of the big buildings are made of bricks, apparently because there aren’t any quarries close enough. Bridges, churches, town hall and museums are all red.

Reloading the public bikes

Painting on a store

La Garonne

The river from the other side

After a little bit of walking I ended up in the Modern art Museum. Most of it is being renovated at the moment, so nothing special apart from the big permanent exhibits outiside.

The entrance of the museum

The cafe of the museum

Les Abattoirs

Espace d'Art Moderner Contemporain

Then it started raining again. I got soaked and started making my way back to the hostel, graving for some pizza to eat. Luckily I realized there is a very good and cheap restaurant at the hostel, so with only €9 I had a full mean with salad, desert and drink.

Time for sleep now on a soft bed!

Approaching Navarrenx

The main gate

The view of the river by the walls

The houses inside the fortress

I started pedaling again to the next city of Mourenex, where I didn’t find anything interesting to make me stop apart from a self service car wash. It was time again to clean the bike and remember that my gears and chain are nickel and not black. After the wash I put some fresh lubricant and the ride was once again as smooth as when I first bought the bike.

Hi, my name is kitsch!

The road from there onwards, was running parallel to the Pau river, which means it was entirely flat and easy for my legs. I got to Pau early enough to go via the tourist office for a local map and a supermarket for supplies.

Decayed joyland

A little more interesting town I went through was Talmont Saint Hilaire which had more character and a castle from the 11th century.

11th century castle

It also had a big petrol station along with a car wash, where by using my perfect by now french, I managed to convince them to let me use their pressure water spray to clean my bike. After 12 days on the road through many dusty cycle paths, my bike was full of dirt and mud. After the wash, all the wierd sounds from the chain disappeared and the ride was once again smooth and more enjoyable.

The freshly washed bike, ready for a few more thousand kilometers.

As I approached La Tranche, I went into the supermarket for picnic supplies and to look once more for that stove I need. This time they had the two different types of gas tanks, but none of the burners. I had my lunch by the beach under a tiny patch of shade. At least the wind from the ocean kept me very cool. After lunch, book reading, a short siesta and an ice cream, I departed for the last part of today’s ride.

That's a big water tank and one of the interesting things of the day.

It was hot all day long, but I don’t mind while cycling as the air cools me down and as long as I drink pleanty of water everything is ok. For about 10km I was heading north and I noticed that I could effortlessly reach speeds of 40km/hr but that was of course because of the strong tail wind pushing me. Then there was a big U turn and about 25km in the opposite direction and for about 2 hours I was strugling to cycle over 15km/hr. The wind along with temperatures sometimes above 35, made it one of the toughest rides I’ve done so far in the trip. As a teenager I used to hate the wind because it was messing up my carefully styled hair before school. Now I hate when it is on my face as it makes my ride harder.

Fighting with the wind

I guess with all that struggle I should have found a camp site on the way and call it a day. But what I wanted was to get as close as possible to La Rochelle, but not inside, as it will probable be a lot more expensive. Tomorrow I am taking the day off, so I’ll be close enough to go and visit the city and I will also have the opportunity to cross the bridge to the opposite island de Re. I also need the next map and a banana to celebrate.