France Med to Channel....I'm off tomorrow

[stuartmac]

Have a great time, will follow your progress, planning to go the other way in August. All the best

 

[jay clock]

I am going north to south as it makes the bike on the plane easier and at this time gives me a better chance of warm weather in the North..but summer will be lovely

 

[stuartmac]

Still considering that, perhaps Cherbourg to South Coast, think I've ditched the Barcelona idea but might train it back? Depends how easy it is to get your bike boxed and get to an airport?

 

[Dave Davenport]

Depends how easy it is to get your bike boxed and get to an airport?

We use CTC bike bags (AKA a big clear plastic bag), just remove pedals and turn the bars.

 

[jay clock]

We use CTC bike bags (AKA a big clear plastic bag), just remove pedals and turn the bars.

Dave is right.. I find it stressful but never had a problem.. I do remove the rear mech too though

 

[robing]

What was the hotel you stayed at the first night, an F1? I look forward to reading your blog as I am doing a France E2E in September. Starting at Bayonne, going to cycle all the way home from there via Calais.

 

[jay clock]

Premiere CLasse. Better than F1 it seems. Very acceptable. book ahead and paid 32eur and free wifi and a/c. And if you have not perked brekkie there is every chance they will forget!

 

[briantrumpet]

I am going north to south as it makes the bike on the plane easier and at this time gives me a better chance of warm weather in the North..but summer will be lovely

And less likely to get broken by the Mistral, plus the lure of southern France to drive you onwards. I couldn't have faced flying to the sun and cycling away from it when I did similar in 2012.

 

[jay clock]

And less likely to get broken by the Mistral,
.

Have you read today's update at www.jmhr.com - it was BRUTAL

 

[briantrumpet]

Have you read today's update at www.jmhr.com - it was BRUTAL

Oh, you're going south to north! Bad luck. I had cross-winds for four of my five days in France, but a strong northerly on the fifth day got me the last 140 miles to my destination.

 

[briantrumpet]

It's been really cold down there for a couple of months, and when I was down at Easter the southerly winds were unreal. It's only really warming up next week.

 

[bigtoe]

Another one enjoying the blog as doing it the other way in summer.

 

[jay clock]

It has been sodding hard work. Give up after 40k today due to the 80+kmh headwind www.jmhr.com

 

[fossyant]

Enjoy

 

[briantrumpet]

BTW, I've found that Meteociel gives a more nuanced (i.e. accurate) forecast in France than any of the others. If anything it verges on the pessimistic. Meteo France is a rubbish website, and its forecasts aren't much better.

Hope you don't suffer with the wind (fnar fnar) like today's again. Always a bit of a risk heading north. The TDF is heading traight up the Rhône from Montélimar this year - that would be interesting if they catch a corker Mistral (though it's much more common in spring and autumn).