The Fridays tour - Normandy 15th-22nd June

[ianmac62]

Happy Birthday!

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

Happy birthday, lovely!!

 

[wanda2010]

Another lovely day. I've even managed to have a salad when I don't normally. This could be my healthiest week yet.

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

Another lovely day. I've even managed to have a salad when I don't normally. This could be my healthiest week yet.

Eh? Away and behave yourself!

Totes o/t but Dan and I have just signed up for the London SIghtseer audax in September. You should too

 

[wanda2010]

@ABV - I'll check it out when I get back. Highly possible I will sign up for it.

 

[mmmmartin]

Feeling even more sorry for the cancellations. They missed another great day. In an effort to avoid sounding smug I shall steer clear of hyperbole. Tee hee.
Started with Dell beasting us out of bed in time for a a start at 8.30. The genius of this was lost on us at that moment. We rolled through quiet traffic-free lanea down to the sea. After a v civilised coffee stop (in my case accompanied by cake from srw illicitly borrowed from the château's supply) we turned south and rolled down to Utah Beach where Our Brave Boys gave Johnny Foreigner a Damed Good Thrashing (other inappropriate Blackadder quotes are available). Then lunch in Carentan. The Well 'Ard Section rode back, arriving a few minutes ago, displaying Dell's timing genius because this is in time for a quick shower and a mass invasion of Chez Cri-Cri where a night of carousing beckons. The return from Carentan by the Weakwilled Section was taken by train (including me because I was never much of a long-distance cyclist), which was €6.20 and involved a fast, efficient, clean and generally excellent train. A very nice lady in a smart uniform greeted us in perfect English and dealt with the logistics of getting 11 bikes including a tandem on the same train. Without batting an eyelid. These Europeans have created a wonderfully civilised place so stick that in your pipe and smoke it, UKIP.
Weather still great. Can't think why I bothered with the waterproofs.
Tomorrow the northeast coast. Bring. It. On.

 

[rvw]

As in the past, the weather forecast has - thankfully - been wrong. It promised rain, and there was none, and we ended up returning in radiant afternoon sun.

And we were joined today by a second tandem, which was rather nice. And especially good, on the nice flat coast road near Utah Beach, to have the ride led (temporarily) by both tandems!

A lovely day out: and also nice for srw and me to exorcise the demons of yesterday's wimping out.

 

[Aperitif]

Feeling even more sorry for the cancellations. They missed another great day. In an effort to avoid sounding smug I shall steer clear of hyperbole. Tee hee.
Started with Dell beasting us out of bed in time for a a start at 8.30. The genius of this was lost on us at that moment. We rolled through quiet traffic-free lanea down to the sea. After a v civilised coffee stop (in my case accompanied by cake from srw illicitly borrowed from the château's supply) we turned south and rolled down to Utah Beach where Our Brave Boys gave Johnny Foreigner a Damed Good Thrashing (other inappropriate Blackadder quotes are available). Then lunch in Carentan. The Well 'Ard Section rode back, arriving a few minutes ago, displaying Dell's timing genius because this is in time for a quick shower and a mass invasion of Chez Cri-Cri where a night of carousing beckons. The return from Carentan by the Weakwilled Section was taken by train (including me because I was never much of a long-distance cyclist), which was €6.20 and involved a fast, efficient, clean and generally excellent train. A very nice lady in a smart uniform greeted us in perfect English and dealt with the logistics of getting 11 bikes including a tandem on the same train. Without batting an eyelid. These Europeans have created a wonderfully civilised place so stick that in your pipe and smoke it, UKIP.
Weather still great. Can't think why I bothered with the waterproofs.
Tomorrow the northeast coast. Bring. It. On.

...way too late.

 

[MarkA]

I know that the road is resurfaced for the Tour de France but even Dell surpassed his own very high standards by organising this for the Friday's Tour de Normandie today:

 

[mmmmartin]

What else do you expect?

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

And nobody's drawn a massive cock on it. Yet.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

That photo is eight hours old now.

Time to organise a Cock Sportive then....

 

[Aperitif]

And nobody's drawn a massive cock on it. Yet.

You mean 'cock a doodle do', or 'doodle a cock, do'?

 

[Aperitif]

 

[mmmmartin]

And we wake up to a gorgeous sunny day. No wind. A bit of high cloud. I may not take waterproofs. Last night at Chez Cricri was epic. Noise. Huge portions. Vast amounts of red falling-over juice. Industrial quantities of Cidre. Four courses. €22.50 each. No wonder we're going back on Thursday night. Oh and it is downhill on the way there and downhill on the way back.

(That was not at all smug, was it?)