The Fridays Tour 2013 with added poll

[mmmmartin]

there is a railway line from Caen to Cherbourg and a station near Brix, so portsmouth-caen might be an option.
I might ride down from Calais and do it either as a 400k DIY audax perm in one go - which is unlikely as I'll be hardly able to ride a bike for the rest of the week - or as two days each of 200k. the best option looks like the fast ferry which I've used in the past and was good but i suspect more expensive.

 

[dellzeqq]

there is a railway line from Caen to Cherbourg and a station near Brix, so portsmouth-caen might be an option.
.

http://telechargement.ter-sncf.com/...s_V2_du_8_juil_au_8_déc_2012_tcm-14-15261.pdf

 

[mmmmartin]

But it's a bit early to be worrying about that now - there's still over 11 months to go.

indeed. 11 months of worry, planning, unplanning, deciding on the colour of valve caps, how many inner tubes to take, which hat to wear, how many pairs of socks, how to get there, how to get back, how much toothpaste should i take, which shoes to wear, which bags to take it in, have i packed too much/not enough/the wrong stuff, should i change the saddle, will greg want to be all-up man, is adrian packing multi-coloured plastic bags for his feet, should i bring my sandals and can i wear them with dark socks, and so on ad nauseum, i think you'll find 11 months is nowhere near enough time. i mean, we're already on 11 pages and haven't even booked chateau number one yet....at this rate The Fridays club will warrant an entire forum all to itself.

And as for getting there (more angst!) for example, it seems on a Saturday the 1.59pm train from Caen goes to Valognes arriving at 2.55pm and costs E16.70 single, it's 11k to Valognes from Brix. So if the Cherbourg ferries are too pricey or not an option, going to Caen might be.And there is a Formula One hotel in Cherbourg so arriving by ferry the day before and staying a night there might be a reasonable option. Looks like getting there will be pretty simple.

 

[dellzeqq]

As an aside we now have 11 for Chateau Le Val.

Greg you will have an e-mail presently

 

[Aperitif]

Trust an architect to do something in Brix. There's mortar that than meets the ail.

 

[mmmmartin]

for those with time to spare, a trip to google maps and a pootle around the roads near brix is a wonderful antidote to a monday in the office. i do appreciate the sun was shining when the google streetview car was there, so it looks pretty good, but those roads look fantastic. good tarmac, pretty views, it's all there. dribble dribble.
oh, and if Frank was coming, he'd be delighted to hear there's a bus stop nearby, one with walls and a roof, as well.

 

[Flying Dodo]

indeed. 11 months of worry, planning, unplanning, deciding on the colour of valve caps, how many inner tubes to take, which hat to wear, how many pairs of socks, how to get there, how to get back, how much toothpaste should i take, which shoes to wear, which bags to take it in, have i packed too much/not enough/the wrong stuff, should i change the saddle, will greg want to be all-up man, is adrian packing multi-coloured plastic bags for his feet, should i bring my sandals and can i wear them with dark socks, and so on ad nauseum, i think you'll find 11 months is nowhere near enough time.

This is very true. Such is the dedication of the FNRttC team, that I've offered a choice of transparent, yellow or black replacement valve caps in the past, after dealing with tyre related incidents. Whilst I could never be accused of being a dedicated follower of fashion, I can appreciate the aesthetics of trying to ensure a tyre/bike/clothing ensemble doesn't clash too much.

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

Never mind all that, I'm already wondering whether to take a helmet and/or hair straightners. I look frightful with helmet hair at the best of times but it would be a but much to inflict it on you all for an entire week.

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

I'd considered that too but my giant moon face needs the hair.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

As an aside we now have 11 for Chateau Le Val.

Greg you will have an e-mail presently

Really? I don't seem to have done.

 

[StuartG]

Really? I don't seem to have done.

I had to rescue the last couple of Leggograms from Google's spamtrap ...

 

[Aperitif]

I had to rescue the last couple of Leggograms from Google's spamtrap ...

There's a touch of the Stanley Unwin about that comment, Stuart.

 

[mmmmartin]

Obviously getting far too much ahead of myself here but:
for those contemplating the 16k (10 mile) ride from the boat at Cherbourg to chateau number one, there is a route on ridewithgps here:
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1414014
you should be able to see it. Following the main road out of Cherbourg southwards is 16.k with a climb from 6m about sea level to 169m above sea level in the 3k after the 4.5k mark. But this route is a bit shorter at 15.2k and the gradients are much more gentle, with a climb from 14m to 156m over the 5k after the 4.5k mark, mostly on tiny country lanes.

 

[mmmmartin]

oh, and the nearest big supermarket is in Valognes, about 8k away. I can see much laughter over bikes laden with bread, beer, etc etc etc. How will Dellzeqq carry 40 croissants on a Colnago?

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

oh, and the nearest big supermarket is in Valognes, about 8k away. I can see much laughter over bikes laden with bread, beer, etc etc etc. How will Dellzeqq carry 40 croissants on a Colnago?

In a wicker basket, complete with strings of onions and garlic around his neck. Can we get him a beret with his name embroidered across the front too? Or maybe a navy and white striped jersey?