Getting to the Start

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Once the trip was confirmed I had booked a room at the Clapham Premier Inn which is about a mile from the designated starting point at the Windmill Hotel on Clapham Common. I also bought a train ticket from Swindon to Wandsworth Road station (not far from the Premier Inn), The Sunday afternoon travel pricing towards London was extremely reasonable (about £12).

Alas, the expenditure was wasted as I was at home after reporting a positive covid test result the Wednesday before the trip was due to start. Bike Adventures required a negative covid test result before I could join the group in case I passed on the bug. There was, however, no similar testing requirement for other participants to see if they might be covid carriers and the current NHS guidance is to assume that it is safe to mix with other people five days after a positive test and if feeling OK.

Day 1: London to Lewes

The distance was a nominal 60 miles starting on Clapham Common. I understand that the day was uneventful.

I was still waiting at home waiting for a negative covid test result.

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Day 2: Lewes to Gourney-en-Bray

The distance was a nominal 57 miles but was effectively a long day with departure from Lewes at 7am after a rushed Premier Inn breakfast to ensure being at the Newhaven ferry terminal by 8am. Then, after landing in Dieppe in the afternoon there was another 48 miles through some heavy rain to the hotel. I was happy to miss this!

I was still at home waiting for a negative covid test result and was quite happy to miss this day with it's very early start and wet weather. My covid test, however, was only slightly positive, which was promising, so I went out for a 23 mile bike ride at home to get my legs working again after a week of idleness.

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Day 3: Gourney-en-Bray to St Witz

The distance was a nominal 68 miles to reach the edge of Paris.

I did a covid test before breakfast and was pleased to get a negative result as I could now plan to join the group. Unfortunately, the Easyjet flight from Bristol to Paris that afternoon, which had space the previous evening, was now full. This was most inconvenient as the group would be near Paris CDG that evening. I therefore booked the flight next day and would have the unwelcome challenge of getting from CDG to Provins or somewhere nearby from where I could be collected. I then went for a 45 mile bike ride and took 10 minutes longer than before covid struck.

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Day 4: St Witz to Provins

The distance was a nominal 67 miles but I wasn't there.

While the group was enjoying a sunny day of cycling, I had to get myself from Swindon to Provins. First a local bus to the railway station, then a train to Bristol Temple Meads (fortunately running to time), then the airport bus to Bristol airport to check in for the 12:15 flight to Paris. The plane was running to time but, most inconveniently, boarding coincided with rain arriving so I got a bit damp on the walk across the tarmac and up the steps. The plane landed ahead of schedule, passport control was fairly efficient and my bag was waiting on the carousel.

Now the big challenge started: Finding my way to Provins. My research showed that I needed the metro from the airport to Gare du Nord, walk a few minutes to Gare de l'Est and find a train to Longueville, a few miles, from Provins, where I would be collected by the van. The bigger challenge was getting tickets. Someone pointed out the ticket machines at the airport for the metro and, €11.80 poorer, I had a ticket in my hand and could get through the barrier. After about 10 stops I was in the bowels of Gare due Nord. This station, I discovered, was a cross between a maze and a rabbit warren. I needed the exit to Rue du Dunkerque and the signs pointing the way became absent as I got nearer the exit. Eventually, with guidance from the information staff, I emerged into the street.

After a short walk I reached Gare de l'Est (another enormous station) where a much bigger challenge awaited me:That of getting a ticket to Longueville. There were plenty of ticket machines. They allowed me to select Longueville but then said "no tickets available". I tried going to the main ticket office but was turned away and told to go to a different part of the station where I had already been. Eventually, a helpful information person showed me another, smaller, ticket office. I had walked passed it a couple of times without seeing it as I was looking for overhead signs. This one just had a sign over the window. After queuing for several minutes I ended up with the necessary ticket in exchange for €6 - good value for nearly an hour's travel. I think Longueville is within the Paris region and their commuter tickets are very affordable. There is a multi-storey car park next to Longueville station which suggest significant commuter traffic.

After reaching Longueville I phoned, as previously arranged, one of the tour leaders to come and collect me. Once he had arrived, he watched me take another covid test to demonstrate that I was free of infection before being allowed to get in the van and be taken to join the group in Provins.

My room in the Ibis hotel in Provins was notable for its compactness. It was, effectively, a single room containing a double bed and not much space for anything else. Others, I was told, also had to fit their bikes in their rooms but my bike was still on the van. Dinner was in the centre of the town of Provins which is a UNESCO World Heritage site with some interesting historical features.

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Day 5: Provins to Dolancourt

Day 5 Summary

Distance 77.9 miles: Total Ascent = 867m (2,840ft)*

Elapsed time = 7hr 17min: Moving time = 5hr 52min

Average moving speed = 13.3mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

Finally I could belatedly start cycling on this trip. For me, a 77 mile ride was a potentially challenging distance (I've yet to cycle more than 78 miles in one day), but I survived and my average speed was good, by my standards. We were generally going in an east to south-east direction with a stiff south-westerly breeze which was a crosswind and added a bit of drag. The route mainly passed through open farmland which provided no shelter from this wind.

The first task of the day was to retrieve my bike from the van, refit the pedals and ensure that it was still in working order. A short trip in the hotel car park revealed that the rear derailleur cable had slipped, which was fixed very quickly. For the first few miles I followed one of the other riders in order to get myself used to cycling on the other side of the road. There was a small diversion off-route in Marigny-le-Chatel to visit a Boulangerie for some supplies although I didn't stock up as there was the suggestion of stopping in Troyes for lunch. However, I then decided to continue through Troyes after admiring the fountains in the river Seine and improvise a picnic from supplies on the bike. Fuelled by both a large breakfast and a cooked dinner, I'm not in need of a big lunch.

After Troyes there was a very pleasant 8 mile section on a good cycle track alongside an irrigation canal with some fine weirs and I stopped for my picnic when I came to three of the group, who were slightly ahead of me, tucking into their picnic on nice bench. After the canal there was a much less pleasant section on a fairly busy road. The roads were generally wider than at home but the traffic was moving briskly.

The day's biggest hill was towards the end of the ride, but fortunately was not very steep. The Le Moulin du Landion hotel on Dolancourt was based on an old mill with added rooms. My room was a good size and had an air conditioner. The food was good.

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Day 6: Dolancourt to Bourbonne-les-Baines

Day 6 Summary

Distance 68.5 miles: Total Ascent = 1,235m (4,050ft)*

Elapsed time = 7hr 25min: Moving time = 6hr 03min

Average moving speed = 11.3mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

This day was a hard slog. While nearly 10 miles shorter than the previous day, it took more time. Cycling south-eastwards into a southerly headwind made it feel as if I spent the whole day cycling uphill. In addition, the temperature started off at 19C and steadily climbed to 31C (data from my Garmin Tempe sensor which is fitted under the stem and out of direct sunshine) and it will be hotter in direct sunshine. It's the first time I've got through 3 bottles of water on a single ride.

I noticed that I was achieving a speed up a 2.5% gradient that I would normally expect for a 5% gradient which seemed to me to be a possible way to quantify the effect of cycling into this wind. A quick calculation gives the effective ascent for 2.5% climbing over a conservative 35 miles (about half the distance - it felt like more than this was into the wind without shelter) as equivalent to extra 1,400m of climbing.

Early in the day we passed through the corner of the Champagne region and passed the monument to Charles de Gaulle. There was a good Boulangerie in Chaumont where I stocked up on food and filled all three water bottles on my bike. Two were empty at the end. The route included a trip up a substantial hill, through an unmemorable village and then down to join a road which had by-passed the village and the unwelcome climb. Perhaps the course planner thought that we might need to use the non-existant facilities in the village?

I finished the ride with numerous aches. Not only were my legs hurting from spending all day pushing into the wind, but my feet were aching and I was very saddle sore. I think a combination of getting somewhat sweaty plus crouching on the drops trying to reduce the wind drag meant I spent a lot of time in a non-normal position on the saddle. A futher factor, I have concluded, is that what was a very comfortable leather saddle had gone out of shape when it had been soaked in Ireland. Towards the end I found that a more upright position with my hands on the flats changed the saddle contact points and provided some welcome relief.

My room in the Hotel Herard in Bourbonnes-les-Baines was a reasonable size. The most notable feature was the random positions of the electricity sockets. A thunderstorm during the evening made us happy that it hadn't arrived earlier and we were fortunate to be dining at the hotel.

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Day 7: Bourbonne-les-Baines to Belfort

Day 7 Summary

Distance 66.6 miles: Total Ascent = 1,258m (4,130ft)*

Elapsed time = 6hr 26min: Moving time = 5hr 37min

Average moving speed = 11.9mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

This was a much easier day due to a light tailwind and a more moderate temperature reaching 22C in the afternoon although 66 miles still represents a long day for me. The roads were initially damp after the previous evening's rain but soon dried out. I was consciously riding fairly slowly and trying to give my legs an easy day. There were, however, some moderate hills to get up but nothing too challenging.

After the previous hard day when some participants struggled to find sufficient water, the van was more diligent in providing support, particularly as it was a Sunday with fewer facilities likely to be open, so the van waited at about 20 miles to hand out water and bananas, then again at 38 miles.

The roads were initially very quiet as it was Sunday morning but became busier later on. I proceeded at my slow pace, usually by myself, with time to study the scenery and buildings and observe some interesting roadside features. About three miles on the approach to Belfort followed a canal which helped with getting through part of the town although the last mile was was a wiggly route following streets and urban cycle paths.

My room at the Belfort Novotel was generously sized and air-conditioned (a necessity given hotels' propensity to put thick duvets on the beds). There was plenty of space for a bicycle although the bikes had their own room in the hotel. The hotel itself was large but not very busy. It appears to cater for events. Dinner was taken in the historic part of the town which was only a short walk from the hotel.

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Day 8: Belfort to Rheinfelden

Day 8 Summary

Distance 71.2 miles: Total Ascent = 509m (1,670ft)*

Elapsed time = 7hr 03min: Moving time = 5hr 45min

Average moving speed = 12.4mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

If only all cycling days were this pleasant! Just over 70 miles without a lot of effort as it was mainly downhill. The day started off a bit chilly (15C) but it was a pleasantly warm afternoon. There was an easterly breeze which created a slight but noticeable headwind when trees didn't provide shelter, which they did for much of the time. Much of the day was spent on good cycle paths alongside the Rhone - Rhine canal or the river Rhine. The latter was mainly good quality gravel which could have been messy if wet but was fortunately dry. Getting through Basel reduced the average speed.

The cycle path along the Rhone-Rhine canal made getting through Mulhouse relatively easy. After the route joined the Rhine cycle path (which I had traversed last year in the opposite direction) I discovered that I was at the back with tour leader Paul and Gary (on his Thorn Nomad touring bike). We hurried along the track to Basel where we expected to come across those in front taking a refreshment stop. However, we never saw them (they had gone off the route for refreshments) and we eventually stopped at an Aldi in Basel to buy some food and drink.

Cycling through Basel wasn't very pleasant. In some parts there were good cycle tracks plus a very nice cycling/pedestrian bridge over the river, while in other places it was through the streets (mind the tramlines). This included climbing a steep cobbled hill which I remember going down carefully in 2023. In Basel we crossed the river from France to Germany for a short distance before going into Switzerland. Officially, the city is in Switzerland but has suburbs in France and Germany. I never noticed any borders.

After Basel we continued through to Rheinfelden. I took few photos on this section of the ride as my companions seemed to be in a hurry to reach the hotel. I stopped, however, to photograph one of the two covered cycling/footpath bridges and also the outside of the remains of a Roman ampitheatre.

Although we had travelled through Switzerland between Basel and Rheinfelden, our accommodation in Rheinfelden at the Hotel Danner was located on the less expensive Germany side of the river. I had a remarkably poor recollection of this hotel given that I had stayed there in 2023.

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Day 9: Rest day in Rheinfelden

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This was a rest day so I didn't do any cycling (some others did). Instead I had four tasks on my list: (i) try to tighten my cassette lockring as I was getting a bit of transmission creaking in certain gears; (ii) try to update this blog and get it live (foiled by a slow hotel internet connection); (iii) wander over to the Swiss side of the river and get some Swiss Francs out of a machine in case I needed refreshment at somewhere that didn't take contactless payment (which happened in 2023 - fortunately someone else had some Swiss Francs); and (iv) visit the local Aldi and buy some more lunch snacks.

I also did some laundry. The room had an air conditioner which helped with drying. It was also needed to lower the temperature as the duvet was the thickest I've encountered on my recent travels and was matched with an excessively thick pillow. The hotel's electricity bill could be substantially reduced by providing thin duvets.

My trip to the Swiss side was with a couple of the group who were going to visit a good bike shop next to the railway station to look for some spares. It was an interesting shop with an excellent stock of parts run by someone who clearly had extensive knowledge of bicycles (and good command of English). He had several frames hanging up that belonged to a previous cycling era. A brief wander along one of the streets revealed that I could understand what was on sale in the shops.

Dinner on both evenings was taken at a good restaurant in the town which had an Italian-based menu.

Day 10: Rheinfelden to Neuhausen

Day 10 Summary

Distance 63.5 miles: Total Ascent = 894m (2,930ft)*

Elapsed time = 6hr 46min: Moving time = 5hr 22min

Average moving speed = 11.8mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

This was another relatively easy day with a light easterly breeze which was noticeable when cycling in open areas. We started in sunshine but cloud appeared which lowered the temperature from comfortable to chilly. However, once we were past a nuclear power station which was producing a big cloud of water vapour from its cooling tower we were back into sunshine. Was this creating a micro-climate along the valley for several miles to its west?

The journey started by crossing the river into Switzerland, cycling along a shopping street which was quiet due to the time of day and then following a good gravel cycle track. I noticed that the Swiss didn't need big fences between a cycle track and the adjacent railway. At one point I stopped to watch a rail-mounted hedge trimming machine. Some of these are needed in the UK.

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Day 11: Neuhausen to Bregenz

Day 11 Summary

Distance 68.8 miles: Total Ascent = 627m (2,050ft)*

Elapsed time = 7hr 33min: Moving time = 5hr 39min

Average moving speed = 12.2mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

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The morning was relatively pleasant.

The afternoon was tedious as the warm weather had resulted in what seemed to be thousands of cyclists, few in any hurry, using the cycling route along the east side of the lake. On some sections it was a matter of moving at the speed of the slowest.

Day 12: Bregenz to Davos

Day 12 Summary

Distance 76.4 miles: Total Ascent = 1,641m (5,380ft)*

Elapsed time = 9hr 06min: Moving time = 7hr 0min

Average moving speed = 10.9mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

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This was a day of two halves. Overall, the combination of distance, climbing and heat made it a hard day. The day started with a bewildering choise of teabags at the JUFA hotel breakfast.

The first half of the journey was largely following the Rhine with a gently rising gradient. Navigation out of Bregenz was a simple matter of following "CH" marked on the cycle path. One hazard while cycling along the west side of the river was cycling thorugh swarms of small insects which had drifted off the river in the light easterly breeze. Keep mouth shut unless extra protein needed! There was a good variety of scenery. The route crossed over to the Lichenstein side of the river for a few miles. If nothing else this added another country to those visited but it was also free of the little insects. The van was waiting at a road junction and I took the opportunity to ensure that all my water bottles were full. At one point there was a temporary diversion onto a gravel path closer to the river. The ramp down to that path had a loose gravel surface which was a little challenging. By 11:30am the temperature was over 30C.

At 48.5 miles, we parted company with the route I had cycled in 2023 on day 2 of the Rhine trip and started to climb towards Davos. At first the gradient was modest and the route passed through a narrow gorge on the old main road (the traffic now uses an adjacent tunnel) but progressively became steeper. Some of the journey was on good cycle paths and some was on less busy roads. By mid-afternoon my supply of water was diminishing and I topped up my bottles with a 1.5 litre bottle from a shop. There were several roadside water troughs. While I didn't trust these for drinking water, I used them to soak my cycling cap which kept my head a bit cooler for a while. At one point I stopped on a steep section of cycle path to photograph a small waterfall but couldn't get moving again as my front wheel was lifting off the ground and I had to push the bike a short distance to flatter ground.

Just after leaving Klosters, there was a glimpse of snow in the distance. We then joined the main road to Davos. The climb from Klosters until about 4 miles from the end was particularly horrible. This was on a main road with, it seemed, lots of traffic wanting to get to Davos for the weekend, in an unpleasant temperature (which started to drop towards the end) and a gradient which reached 10% at times. There were plenty of close passes as drivers were more interested in getting up the hill without losing momentum than providing space for weary cyclists.

Altogether I got through sufficient water to use five electrolyte tablets. The only positive aspect of the day's hill climbing to Davos at about 1,600m altitude was that it meant less climbing the next day to the highest point on the trip.

The hotel had an interesting bike rack where the bikes are parked by hitching the nose of the saddle over a steel rail. With bikes hung both ways round it's very space efficient and tyre width (sometimes a problem with slot-in bike racks) is irrelevant and there's no risk of bending wheels or disc brake rotors.

Day 13: Davos to Le Prese

Day 13 Summary

Distance 59.8 miles: Total Ascent = 1,879m (6,160ft)*

Elapsed time = 9hr 03min: Moving time = 5hr 59min

Average moving speed = 10.0mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

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The day started cloudy and there had been some overnight rain which had lowered the temperature.

Day 14: Le Prese to Breno

Day 14 Summary

Distance 45.5 miles: Total Ascent = 981m (3,220ft)*

Elapsed time = 5hr 26min: Moving time = 3hr 51min

Average moving speed = 11.9mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

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This was, in relative terms, an easy day.

Day 15: Breno to Riva del Garda

Day 15 Summary

Distance 54.7 miles: Total Ascent = 2,274m (7,460ft)*

Elapsed time = 10hr 40min: Moving time = 6hr 17min

Average moving speed = 8.7mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

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This was a very long day in terms of overall time and also had the highest amount of hill climbing.

Day 16: Riva del Garda to Vicenza

Day 16 Summary

Distance 60.1 miles: Total Ascent = 1,560m (5,120ft)*

Elapsed time =7hr 26min: Moving time = 6hr 07min

Average moving speed = 9.8mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

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This was another challenging day with one very long hill to climb.

Day 17: Vicenza to Mestre

Day 17 Summary

Distance 47.3 miles: Total Ascent = 163m (530ft)*

Elapsed time =4hr 56min: Moving time = 3hr 58min

Average moving speed = 11.9mph

*Ascent according to my Garmin Edge 1040 which usually agrees closely with Google Earth. My Edge 530 usually records about 15% less climbing which is more consistent with RWGPS. I assume that the newer hardware is more accurate.

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This was the final day of cycling.