A day ride in France - Sat. 11th April

[Arthur]

So, having looked at the list of esteemed parties, is anyone planning on doing this on fixed. Or am I likely to be the sole nutter?

Depending on how much mileage I get out and do between now and then, I might well bring the Langster for this one.

 

[User10571]

Depending on how much mileage I get out and do between now and then, I might well bring the Langster for this one.

I think the weather forecast might determine this one.
The fixer has guards.
Only one of the geared bikes (The Bianchi) is similarly appointed
....

 

[Flying Dodo]

I think the weather forecast might determine this one.
The fixer has guards.
Only one of the geared bikes (The Bianchi) is similarly appointed
....

Gears - you'll need lots of gears. I'm going to see about revamping the route a bit to try and cut out some bits.

On the recce today there were a few places where I had to drop into 1st gear, put my head down and spin away.
On this little section it was obviously used for road races, as there were some chalk names. Check out the contours.........

 

[velovoice]

Gears - you'll need lots of gears.

Gosh. This, coming from Mr No Hills, has my quivering in my cleats.

 

[User10571]

Gears - you'll need lots of gears. I'm going to see about revamping the route a bit to try and cut out some bits.

On the recce today there were a few places where I had to drop into 1st gear, put my head down and spin away.
On this little section it was obviously used for road races, as there were some chalk names. Check out the contours.........

Oh!
That kind of thing just makes me more determined to bring the fixer

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Gears - you'll need lots of gears. I'm going to see about revamping the route a bit to try and cut out some bits.

On the recce today there were a few places where I had to drop into 1st gear, put my head down and spin away.
On this little section it was obviously used for road races, as there were some chalk names. Check out the contours.........

Even on the coast road there are a couple of places where it cuts inland at headlands and climbs quite hard. This is a profile of Bordeaux to Calais. Wimereux is only a couple of miles from Bordeaux so it's pretty much the same.

I wish I'd have known what I'd have been doing when this ride came up.

 

[Flying Dodo]

I've revamped the route a bit to cut about 5 miles off, and reduce some of the l o n g uphill drags.

The revised route can be seen here. It's meant missing off a stretch of coastal road between Wimereaux and Ambleteuse which although it had nice sea views and very fast descents, did suffer from being a bit narrow and a lot of traffic.

Some general thoughts:-

In Dover, getting from the train station to the port can be done either on the A24 or by using the shared use path next to the sea. Yesterday on the A24 I was riding between a Romanian truck and a Lithuanian truck for most of the way. Most trucks are foreign so at least the driver is on our side of the road. Plus of course it's a dual carriageway. When we get back to Dover I will be using the cycle path, as at night there's too much traffic. Once you get into the port itself there is a wide red line to follow on the right hand side. The edge of the concrete isn't in good condition though, not swept and there are numerous bits of metal, lumps etc so you have to keep your eyes open. There's a bit of a killer ramp to get up first. At the first barrier, we have to dismount, go into the cabin and confirm which ferry we're using. We'll be given a slip of paper to then hand into the P&O desk inside a building shortly after the barrier. They then give us a boarding pass which confirm which number lane we need to queue in.

When cycling up the ramp onto the boat take care to avoid any parallel grooves and once on the boat don't cycle over any mounting bolts. There's a rack for bikes:-


It only has 6 spaces so we'll have to be inventive although there may be another rack in the opposite corner of the boat. Once in Calais, heading off the boat is very simple, and we just need to keep to the right hand side as it's not too far to the exit roundabout.

The lunch stop is after 10 miles in Guines at the L'Auberge de 3 pays, which I've booked for around 1:15 pm, so don't have too big a breakfast on the boat.


(it's a tough life doing a recce)

Most of the roads are quiet little back roads, although the main coastal road for the last 15 miles will have some traffic. However most French drivers give you much more space when overtaking than English drivers.

After 28 miles, I've put in a little diversion to the Todt Battery if anyone wants to look at it. Heading back towards the coast, there's a short, sharp climb at Escalles, but then on the run into Sangatte we should have the wind behind us. I was cruising along at 20-25 mph without much effort. I ended up getting the 5:45 pm boat back rather then the 8 pm one so there's plenty of scope for stops.

The nasty bit is getting off the boat at Dover. It would be best to be the last off. There's another nasty ramp to go up and then you end up going a long way east inside the port, then dropping down and heading back west, to eventually get to the A20 roundabout, and then there's a bit of manoeuvring to get onto the cycle path on the left hand side. Apart from that, it's all plain sailing.

 

[Flying Dodo]

Gosh. This, coming from Mr No Hills, has my quivering in my cleats.

It could of course have been the 25 mph headwind which made me feel a little disheartened on the slow slogs uphill.

 

[Jimmy Doug]

The lunch stop is after 10 miles in Guines at the L'Auberge de 3 pays, which I've booked for around 1:15 pm

How many people did you book for? What were the prices like?

 

[User10571]

I've revamped the route a bit to cut about 5 miles off, and reduce some of the l o n g uphill drags.

The revised route can be seen here. It's meant missing off a stretch of coastal road between Wimereaux and Ambleteuse which although it had nice sea views and very fast descents, did suffer from being a bit narrow and a lot of traffic.

Some general thoughts:-

In Dover, getting from the train station to the port can be done either on the A24 or by using the shared use path next to the sea. Yesterday on the A24 I was riding between a Romanian truck and a Lithuanian truck for most of the way. Most trucks are foreign so at least the driver is on our side of the road. Plus of course it's a dual carriageway. When we get back to Dover I will be using the cycle path, as at night there's too much traffic. Once you get into the port itself there is a wide red line to follow on the right hand side. The edge of the concrete isn't in good condition though, not swept and there are numerous bits of metal, lumps etc so you have to keep your eyes open. There's a bit of a killer ramp to get up first. At the first barrier, we have to dismount, go into the cabin and confirm which ferry we're using. We'll be given a slip of paper to then hand into the P&O desk inside a building shortly after the barrier. They then give us a boarding pass which confirm which number lane we need to queue in.

When cycling up the ramp onto the boat take care to avoid any parallel grooves and once on the boat don't cycle over any mounting bolts. There's a rack for bikes:-
View attachment 81889

It only has 6 spaces so we'll have to be inventive although there may be another rack in the opposite corner of the boat. Once in Calais, heading off the boat is very simple, and we just need to keep to the right hand side as it's not too far to the exit roundabout.

The lunch stop is after 10 miles in Guines at the L'Auberge de 3 pays, which I've booked for around 1:15 pm, so don't have too big a breakfast on the boat.

View attachment 81890 View attachment 81891
(it's a tough life doing a recce)

Most of the roads are quiet little back roads, although the main coastal road for the last 15 miles will have some traffic. However most French drivers give you much more space when overtaking than English drivers.

After 28 miles, I've put in a little diversion to the Todt Battery if anyone wants to look at it. Heading back towards the coast, there's a short, sharp climb at Escalles, but then on the run into Sangatte we should have the wind behind us. I was cruising along at 20-25 mph without much effort. I ended up getting the 5:45 pm boat back rather then the 8 pm one so there's plenty of scope for stops.

The nasty bit is getting off the boat at Dover. It would be best to be the last off. There's another nasty ramp to go up and then you end up going a long way east inside the port, then dropping down and heading back west, to eventually get to the A20 roundabout, and then there's a bit of manoeuvring to get onto the cycle path on the left hand side. Apart from that, it's all plain sailing.

Thanks for doing that, Adam.
Sounds like it was a most worthwhile reccy.

 

[man in black]

I really looking forward to my little adventure out with you all! Let's hope the weather is ok!

 

[Flying Dodo]

How many people did you book for? What were the prices like?

I've booked it for 10 people, but they've got loads of space.

Sorry, although I took some photos of the food:-

I forgot to take a photo of the menu. For a diet coke, starter and a main, it was 20 Euros.

 

[Arthur]

Hmmm, there appears to be some weird green and purple stuff taking up plate space where more chips could go...

 

[User10571]

Hmmm, there appears to be some weird green and purple stuff taking up plate space where more chips could go...

Could be anything.
Don't forget, the picture was taken in France.

 

[Flying Dodo]

Well, if you're going for national stereotypes, instead of empty lager cans by the roadside that you get in the UK, there were a few of these:-