Pedalling for a Purpose

I had a quiet last night catching up on some reading, writing, checking emails and booking accommodation for the next few nights ahead. No doubt an extended tourist season, plus the Rugby World Cup, is making accommodation more challenging to lock in, especially for 4 people looking for twin rooms. Stewart joins us in a few days making number 5 in the band, so things will become more interesting accommodation-wise. Meanwhile, Col, Brett and David went into Chalon-Sur-Saone to find a bar to rehydrate after a big cycling day and some dinner. They finally came home around midnight. I was asleep by then until I heard the Google Maps voice announcing "You have arrived at your destination" at the front door of the hotel. Our hotel, Hotel  A La Villa Boucicaut, is excellent and the service was very good. They even do cyclist's washing for free! The breakfast was filling, and the menu was expansive ... all for 9.50 euros. Our first stop after leaving the hotel was the local marke...

It was a 'Melbourne-like' day today - we started riding in the rain, and ended up riding in full sun, and a very strong headwind to finish. It just didn't have the cold with the wet. David led us out of town and onto the Eurovelo route for the 95 km ride to our next stop, Chalon-Sur-Saone, a town with a population of around 45,000 people. Fun fact - the town is famous for being the birthplace of photography plus, local resident, Nicephore Niepce took the earliest surviving photograph. I knew you'd like that. The rain was constant, however, it was rather refreshing given the heat of 28 degrees Celsius we rode in yesterday. Our American teammate, David, was setting a cracking pace early and it was challenging keeping up with this 72-year-old man! Today was different from our first 3 days of riding. We spent time away from the canals and Doubs river, to explore the many French villages and towns en route. We rode through the town of Damparis - the car drivers were very cou...

We had breakfast at the hotel to start the day before cycling through the historic part of Besancon. This place drips with history. After about half an hour of touring, we made our way towards the Eurovelo, passing the other side of the Citadel from where we entered the city yesterday. Today we're heading west for about 60 km to Choisey, near Dole. The waters along the canals and river are so smooth, and the light is at an angle that makes the reflections of the cliff face, and autumn leaves, perfect picture. Like the past two days of riding, the colours of the leaves of the deciduous trees of the area are amazing. Today is a continuation of the previous day's ride in a gorge, with steep hillsides of trees and exposed cliff faces. The breeze, at least for the morning, is at our backs.  Since the repairs to the bike yesterday, it feels fantastic. I feel fantastic. I now focus on the many fisher folk I see along the banks of waterways! Fisherfolk are those who fish the canals but...

Yesterday I had 'issues' with my cantankerous bike which resulted in me emailing the hire company about the much-needed maintenance requirements otherwise, as advised by a bike shop in Montbeliard, the front axle wouldn't last until Saint Nazaire. More on this later in this post.  We wanted to get an early start to Day 2 as we were to travel 90 km to the city of Besancon (pronounced nothing like it spelled). Our host, France (yes, I checked again!), had prepared a wholesome breakfast consisting of bread and cheeses, croissants, pancakes, fruit compote and coffee. We had our fill and left around 8.00am. It was a really picturesque ride out of Montbeliard, through parklands on very good bike paths. The wind was at our back so we made a good distance, averaging around 19 kilometres per hour. It's very flat along the Canal Rhone du Rhin and today we also spent time following along the Doubs River which we'll follow for the next few days. Some two hours after eating a fu...

To minimise costs we've decided to twin-share where possible. David and I were to share a room this first night. To set the scene, David and I are newly-minted friends, meeting a few times on the Eurovelo 15 last year. We checked in and I headed off to the shower with around 30 hours of travel grime to wash off. As I re-entered the main room I saw something that one can't unsee ... David was completing stretches after his journey from Paris. For a guy over 70 years of age, I have to admit that he is very flexible ... I just wish he wasn't doing the exercises in his underwear! It could have been worse ... thankfully he was facing away from me. I'm not sure if the twin share arrangements were getting off to a great start in room number two either. Brett had a shower, dried himself off with a towel, and then proceeded to use the remaining towel to wrap around his waist and trundle back into the main room to get changed.  Cue Col going for his turn in the shower only to fin...

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...

And so, another adventure begins! This time last year, I was around halfway through my solo ride, source to sea, along the Eurovelo 15, from Oberalppass to Hook of Holland. I fly out tonight from Brisbane, Australia, to cycle across France from Mulhouse near the Swiss border to the Atlantic Ocean at Saint-Nazaire. The ride follows the Eurovelo 6, along the Doubs and Loire rivers, exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Loire Valley. The tourist brochures note that the Loire Valley is renowned for its numerous châteaux (castles), charming villages, vineyards, and the Loire River itself. Given that there are over 300 chateaus in the Loire Valley alone, I’m sure I’ll enjoy the first one … and then concentrate more on the many wineries enroute. Similar in distance to my ride last year, the route will be around 1,250 kms (plus an additional couple of hundred exploring towns and villages ... and getting lost!) This year will be a bit different as I’ll be travelling with 4 friends who decided...

I started out Day Three with a clicking noise from the front wheel that seemed to go away after an hour or so. I'm no mechanical genius, but doing nothing fixed it ... just saying! Also, my Hammerhead Karoo GPS unit seems to want to continually go on pause while riding ... cold early starts may not be its thing. Again, after about an hour it seems to right itself.  The ride through Bad Ragaz at 8.00am was otherwise uneventful. The backstreets were just as impressive as the town centre. I depart this town very envious of its inhabitants.     After a short ride on quiet country roads, I came back to the Rhine where I left yesterday. There is a drought in Europe, and Switzerland is not immune. Rivers and lakes here are at record low levels generally and the Rhine is no exception. It still is an impressive river. The river's backdrop of mountains looked great in the early light.   I'm feeling very Swiss. Having mastered 'Guete Morge' (Good Morning) I've now truncate...

Eurovelo 15 – The Rhine River Route In 2019, my wife, Kathy, and I cruised the Rhine River with friends, and we got to see the cities, towns and villages of the Rhine, as well as the magnificent scenery in between suburbia. Perhaps as interesting were the myriad of well-formed bike paths along the river, and the numerous camping grounds dotted along the journey. Occasionally we took the supplied electric bikes for rides through those towns and even between towns, eventually meeting the cruise vessel upstream.  The idea to ride the the length of the Rhine River was borne. The cities of the Rhine are full of history - ancient or modern - and I'm looking forward to wallowing in the cultures of different nations along the river. Travelling through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands should see that box ticked. I landed in Zurich for an overnight stay before heading by train to Oberalpass where I'll start my ride. I'll need to change train...

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...

 Below is my list of gear I'm taking ... Bike Merida Speeder 500 - a hybrid bike with a gear range that is not great for tour cycling but really comfortable - I've added a 'timeless' Brookes B17 leather seat. Still wearing it in so may not be the most comfortable for the first 100kms or so! I've also added Tubus Tara Big Apple front rack and the Topeak Explorer rear rack - the MTX trunk bag slides on brilliantly. I have a combination lock for the bike and a lightweight bike cover - this cover weighs next to nothing but can act as a deterrent for would-be thieves (and protects my expensive leather seat from the elements).  I'll also have 2 x 750ml water bottles (I'm reliably informed that there are plenty of places to fill up), a bike pump, a pedal spanner (taking this all the way there and back just to take my pedals on and off for flights), puncture kit, zip ties, and a multi-tool set. I did look to hire a bike in-country however as I was travelling one way...

I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved with Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, in my own small way, over the past few years. Many of you have supported that by sponsoring me on motorcycle rides through Vietnam, India and Tibet as we raised funds. I now embark on my biggest challenge yet to raise some much-needed funds for Blue Dragon. On the 19th of August 2022, I fly out from Australia to cycle (pedal power, not motor power) along the Rhine River, some 1400 kilometres from the source of the river in Switzerland to the sea in the Netherlands. I’m self-supported for the trip so all donations go to Blue Dragon. For your donation you’ll be helping the lives of some of the most vulnerable families in Vietnam. I’ll also keep you up-to-date on my trip where I can – the highs, the lows, the laughs and the tears (I’m sooooo unfit!) – that in itself is worth the price of entry isn’t it? I know many of you already support great causes and, unfortunately, there is that need across many p...