I have a 1978 BSA road bike, and I'd fancied a challenge for a while. I had lots of annual leave to use up, so I planned a trip from London to Marseille in the last two weeks of March.
I set off from London (Guy's Hospital) at 0800 on Weds 16th March, arriving at Dover via the A2 (mostly) at 14.15. I took a ferry to Calais and booked into a cheap hotel in the city centre.
The next day I set off South, via St Omer, Arras and then to a town called Bapaume, where I stayed in a €40 night hotel called Le Gourmet. Food OK, but not gourmet! I had done 85 miles in bright sun into a 30 mph headwind, and the roads were not as flat as I'd hoped, so I was knackered.
The next day I set off late as it was raining hard til about 0930. I got to St Thierry as it got dark, and eventually found an Ibis hotel, comfortable and decent food. The bike had its own cupboard off the lobby.
And off again, up the other side of the steep valley and then onto open undulating roads to Troyes, and then out again to my sister's weekend cottage (she lives in Paris). A great welcome and lots of food.
I was now in Burgundy, so properly in France with pretty villages, the odd chateau and a few vineyards. Much of the day was spent alongside the Burgundy canal, so pretty flat and very easy cycling, covering over 100 miles. I ended up in Beaune, a medieval city, but stayed in an industrial estate business traveller hotel and ate in a fake US diner.
From here I was close to the Rhone, so it was flatter and straighter. I spent the next night in Villefranche, and then got to Valence. From Valence I went to Marseille, finally with a tailwind and in sunshine. In total I covered about 750 miles in eight days.
I raised about £2500 for prostate cancer nurse training, as I was diagnosed with prostate cancer four years ago.
The bike is staying in Marseille with an old friend, and I've bought an 80s Peugeot as my new retro-hack.
I set off from London (Guy's Hospital) at 0800 on Weds 16th March, arriving at Dover via the A2 (mostly) at 14.15. I took a ferry to Calais and booked into a cheap hotel in the city centre.
The next day I set off South, via St Omer, Arras and then to a town called Bapaume, where I stayed in a €40 night hotel called Le Gourmet. Food OK, but not gourmet! I had done 85 miles in bright sun into a 30 mph headwind, and the roads were not as flat as I'd hoped, so I was knackered.
The next day I set off late as it was raining hard til about 0930. I got to St Thierry as it got dark, and eventually found an Ibis hotel, comfortable and decent food. The bike had its own cupboard off the lobby.
And off again, up the other side of the steep valley and then onto open undulating roads to Troyes, and then out again to my sister's weekend cottage (she lives in Paris). A great welcome and lots of food.
I was now in Burgundy, so properly in France with pretty villages, the odd chateau and a few vineyards. Much of the day was spent alongside the Burgundy canal, so pretty flat and very easy cycling, covering over 100 miles. I ended up in Beaune, a medieval city, but stayed in an industrial estate business traveller hotel and ate in a fake US diner.
From here I was close to the Rhone, so it was flatter and straighter. I spent the next night in Villefranche, and then got to Valence. From Valence I went to Marseille, finally with a tailwind and in sunshine. In total I covered about 750 miles in eight days.
I raised about £2500 for prostate cancer nurse training, as I was diagnosed with prostate cancer four years ago.
The bike is staying in Marseille with an old friend, and I've bought an 80s Peugeot as my new retro-hack.
