Eurovelo 15 - At the starting line!

Somehow breezed through check-in, security and immigration ... timing is everything I guess. Apparently a full flight ... the joys of economy class are boundless (that's me psyching myself up).

Still another couple of hours before boarding so time for a G&T and contemplating the realness of what I'm doing .... (again, psyching myself up!).

The first leg of my journey heads to Dubai for a 3 1/2 hour stopover which is enough time for another G&T and to see if my Tile luggage trackers really work and if my bike and bags have kept up with me. If not it will be an even harder ride along the Rhine!

Then on to Zurich!

While this is a solo ride I will have a couple of 'friends' with me. The first is Bluey ... my photo of him below hasn't captured his best side (I'm on to my second G&T). Bluey is the official mascot and emblem of the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation. He's also been my travelling companion on all of my fund-raising rides for Blue Dragon - usually strapped on the front of a motorcycle. This time, although still strapped on, it will be at a more sedate pace on a push bike!

I'll introduce my second travelling companion in due course but for now I'll head to the lounge for dinner and dessert .... and perhaps one final G&T.

I'm doing this ride to raise funds for Blue Dragon Children's Foundation. I'm self-supported so all donations go directly to Blue Dragon. If you can give please do at ...

https://au-bluedragon.givecloud.co/fundraisers/pedalling-for-a-purpose

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Eurovelo 6 - Day 21 - Nantes to Saint-Nazaire (final day)

Mission accomplished. We arrived in Saint-Brevin-les-Pins and dipped our toes in the Atlantic Ocean, after riding across France, east to west, from Mulhouse, near the Swiss border. We still had a short ride to Saint-Nazaire where we will spend the night and travel to Paris by train tomorrow. We've travelled over 1,300 km in 21 days, including 3 rest days in Nevers, Orleans, and Amboise. We experienced some of the best that France offers its visitors; cultural experiences, fine wines and food, and a glimpse of its history and heritage. Today's ride ... A few blogs I've read about the stage between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire described it as being a bit boring, however we found it great. Very diverse landscapes throughout the 65 km journey. We started this morning with stands up at 9.00am, cycling back towards the Eurovelo 6 route on the northern side of the river. The traffic was chaos to us, however by the looks on Nantais' (natives of Nantes) faces it wa...

Eurovelo 6 - getting to the starting line

So I'm travelling on this trip with 4 old and new friends. Two old friends read my blog from last year's trip and wanted to know when the next one was ... and so here we are! Col and Brett are ex-RAAF mates. I've known Brett for around 40 years. I was best man at his wedding with Janine, and I'm Godfather to his daughter, Ashley. We've done many of my hiking and motorcycling trips together over the years. So you could say we're best mates. Imagine my surprise when we breezed through check-in and immigration at Brisbane airport, entered the lounge and found the open bar ... just to him utter friendship-ending words of, "I'm not drinking". We're now sitting in different rows of our flight ... apparently too late to uninvite him! Sitting in different rows ended up being my bad! With haste to welcome my new travelling companion, an older woman heading home to Birmingham, I asked if she'd enjoyed her holiday in Australia. "Can't wait t...

Eurovelo 15 - Day 21 - Orsoy to Arnhem

So what I thought was a kid's sideshow alley was just a precursor for the main event ... a techno music festival ... just 50 metres from my room. I thought about joining the crowd, who seemed to be enjoying the spectacle (probably the musicians' parents), however, techno isn't real music, and their repertoire of 3 songs, played over and over, spoiled the magic. 11.34pm, 11.35pm, 11.36pm ... 12.02am - where is the rain, thunder and lightning now? 12.25am - surely someone has called the Mayor of Orsoy! 12.45am - hold my beer! Finally, all went quiet around 1.02am and I got to use my pillow! My body clock woke me around 6.30am and I'd arranged breakfast for 8.00am. The hotel didn't normally serve breakfast until 9.00am on a Sunday, however, they made an exception just for me! At 8.00am breakfast was served ... it was a feast ... I actually thought another half dozen people were joining me. I felt so guilty not being able to put a dent into all the offerings ... then t...

Pedalling for a Purpose

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