Travels With Homebrew

Stage 24: Le Perreux to Paris (last stage)

2006-06-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Cool, so do I get some kind of finisher's medal? Probably not, but it's nice to be done. Arrival at the Arc de Triomphe, which is at the end of the road known as the Av des Champs Elysees.

The completed route. I didn't have a cycling computer but I am guessing the total length was about 3,500 to 4,000km long, but I really don't know. Who cares really?

Every year of the Tour de France ends on the Av des Champs Elysees, so that was my destination as I rode thru the city.

Notre Dame in the background and the Siene River down below. There was a blissful bike path along most of the river which made for safe riding thru the city.

A full room of soccer fans watching the match between France and Spain(3-1) in the youth hostel in Paris.

Time to pack up and head home. Back to sweet, beautiful California.

Much thanks to everyone who checked out the blog and for those who took the time to leave messages. This will be my last entry. Au revoir.

Stage 23: Auxerre to Nogent-sur-Marne

2006-06-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Fontainebleau! A true dream come true. I hauled my climbing shoes the entire trip just so I could climb at this spot.

Fontainebleau is a town about 80km south of Paris and is a huge area of old growth forest that was orginally protected to serve as royal hunting grounds. The forest also contains hundreds of sandstone boulders that have become a world class climbing destination.

I intentionally schedualed in about 4 days to spend in this beautiful area, but mostly to serve as a time cushion. In case I was behind on my schedual it would only take time away from Fontainebleau instead of potentially missing my flight home.

Luckily for me I arrived a full day early which meant I had a full four days to climb before heading up to Paris. I didn't have a chalk bag or crash pad, but I didn't mind. There was also amazing trail running and I ran each day I was there. At night I would head to the local bars to watch the latest World Cup match. It was incredibly relaxing to not ride the bicycle much and to just hang out under the canopy of the forest.

A camping spot in the forest.

Not all my self timered climbing shots were sucessful. On this one I fell off just before the photo went off. Let's try it again....

Much better.

Stage 22: Dijon to Auxerre

2006-06-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

I am getting skinny with lack of food and I think my tires are flat. Actually that's not me...a statue of Jacques Anquetil who won the tour five times back in the late 1950's and early 1960's.

Another lonely night of stealth camping just outside Dijon.

That's the largest heron I have ever seen! It was common to see public infrastructure painted with murals.

Arrival in Auxerre. The night I arrived there was a music festival in town with dozens of bands setting up all around the streets of downtown. People could walk around and check out all the bands for free. I only saw two bands before I decided I should leave town to find a camping spot but one of the bands I did see was a French reggie band. Wierd.

Stage 21: Dijon to Dijon (time trial)

2006-06-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

As I entered into each stage town I always took a photo of the sign as I arrived in town just so I could prove that I hit all the stage towns of this tour. This stage was another time trail stage, which for me meant that it was a freebe stage. Once again I got all flustered being in such a huge city and left as soon as I could. Fontainebleau was calling and I was getting impatient.

"Do you know what they call a quarter pounder in France? A royal with cheese." This is a paraphrased quote from the movie Pulp Fiction. But it is true, they are called a royal cheese, because of the metric system, and thankfully I didn't actually go inside to get this photo.

Stage 20: Saint-Priest to Dijon

2006-06-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

Can you please draw me a sheep?

Images from the book 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint Exupery on the walls of a school just south of Dijon. If you haven't ever read this book I recommend going down to the nearest public library and checking it out.

I am sorry my dear bicycle but there is no room for you in the tent.

Not the best photo, but how often do you see a white stork on the top of a telephone pole? I happened to hit this amazing birding area where I got seven life birds in the matter of 20 minutes including the night heron, purple heron, white stork, turtle dove, little grebe, poachard and the black-winged stilt.

Stage 19: Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint-Priest

2006-06-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

Grenoble is surrounded by three mountain ranges.
So, my riding thru the Alps was over, so I guess it is mostly downhill to Paris from here. Grenoble was beautiful and I really wish I could have hung around a bit more and checked out the town.

Here is another view of Grenoble. The hostel in town sounded enticing, however I decided to save the funds and stealth camp instead. Before leaving town I was able to get catch part of the Italy versus United States (1-1) match. It's pretty amazing that the US was able to tie such a good team.

Zen and the Art of Roadside Maintenance. Oh no, what is wrong with my poor bicycle. Check out how the chain line is a little curved and out of wack.

The town of Saint Priest was a subburb of Lyon and I wasn't very impressed. I left after only spending 20 minutes in town.

Stage 18: L'-Alpe-d'Huez to L'-Alpe-d'Huez

2006-06-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Alpe d'Huez is probably the most famous the climbs of the Tour de France. It was first climbed in the 1952 tour when Fausto Coppi (from Italy) went on to claim victory at the top as well as victory in the race. Coppi claimed, "It is by winning at Alpe d'Huez that a rider knows he has become the campionissimo of the world." The climb averages 8.5% in rise over the 13.8km and an elevation gain of over 1,100M. Lucky for me the only year that the Alpe d'Huez has ever been climbed twice by the Tour de France was in 1979. So, of course, I had no choice but to go up twice.

Wow is that the French flag? No, it is only my cycling shorts tan line. Thankfully it has been nice and sunny lately.

Each turn of the Alpe d'Huez is numbered starting at 21. Also, the names of riders who have won the stage are on each of the signs. It is kind of nice to be able to count them down as you go up. There are literally hundreds of cyclists that make the climb daily. It's very popular. When the real tour is in town over 500,000 fans line the route to watch the riders go up.

The second time up. See stage 17 for the first time up. I did the two climbs up on consecutive days and I raced myself on the second time up. My best time was 1 hour 26 minutes which was 22 minutes faster than my first time, but on the first time up I was taking photos and even bird watching. The course record time was set by the Italian named Marco Pantani with a time of 37 minutes and 35 seconds.

So, that is my last big climb in the Alps, from here it is a long, hill ride back to Paris via Dijon and several other towns. I am on schedual to get back on time but I can't linger too long in any towns.

Bouldering near Bourg d' Oisans. I finally found some boulders to climb on. There were only two boulders you could climb on and they were chalked up so people have been climbing them. It was the first time I have climbed so far in Europe, but I hope to stop by Fontenbleau on the way back to Paris for more bouldering.

Stage 17: Moutiers to L'-Alpe-d'-Huez

2006-06-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

Looking at the map this stage made me sweat. There was no easy way to get from Moutiers to the town of Bourg d' Oisans, which is at the base of the climb known as the Alpe d' Huez. I'll talk about the Alpe d' Huez more on the next stage blog.

So, I looked at the map and I had to choose between going over one of several difficult cols (aka passes) or ride about 150 km around a small range within the Alps thru Grenoble and then back up. Going around the mountain range would take over a full day longer than it would be to just painfully ride up one of the cols. I decided it would be cool to at least try one high alpine col in the alps on this trip, because how often do I get to ride around in the Alps? The problem was that my trailer would have to come with me and the thought of hauling the trailer over the pass made my knees scream bloody murder at me, but I decided to "nut it up," and go for what seemed to be the 'easiest' col which was the Col de Glandon.

The steep road up the Col d' Glandon. Check out those steep switch backs. For this climb I would ride for thirty minute intervals then rest. Half way up the climb I switched to 20 minute intervals. I sang the Tom Petty song "No, I won't back down, no I won't back down." Finally after a grueling 4 hours and 22 minutes I hit the top. This was by far my toughest climb of the whole trip due to the fact that I had the trailer. For me, it was way more difficult than the Alpe d' Huez.

Ah yes, the joy of reaching the top of a pass. From here I raced down other side to try and catch the England versus Trinidad de Togo match of the World Cup (2-0) which I was able to catch the second half.

England versus Trinidad de Togo in the World Cup. It is so nice to just sit in a chair and not be on a bike and just watch a soccer match.

The top of the Alpe d' Huez after going up the first time. I treated myself to a campground down in the town of Bourg-d-Oisans down below the climb where I was able to leave the trailer.

Stage 16: Morzine to Les Menuires

2006-06-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

Climbers painted on a wall near Morzine. Les Menuires was a town that I didn't know the exact location of when I started the trip. When I had a better map I found out exactly where it was. Up a steep, steep road high above the town of Moutiers.

On the climb up to Les Menuires. It took me three tries with the self timer on my camera to get this shot. Note that the trailer isn't trailing behind me. Where is the trailer?

The trailer stashed in the woods. There is no way I was going to haul the trailer up that hill if I was just going to turn around and ride down again.

I am not sure the exact elevation of this town, but I am guessing around 1,900 m. I was expecting a quiet alpine village, but as you can see there is a high rise hotel in the background. This is a popular ski resort in the winter and during the 1992 Alberville Winter Olympics this resort was host to several ski events.

Stage 15: Evian to Morzine-Avoriaz

2006-06-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

It was a nice, little steep climb up into the Alps. Thankfully this was a short stage. In the 1979 tour it was a time trial stage which means that the racers were sent off in intervals of about 10 minutes. So, there is no riding with the group, just you and the bicycle. For me, it was a short stage of only 50 km.

The peaks just north of the town of Morzine. Note the beautiful blue sky in the background. I have been blessed with a week or so of good weather.

Hey buddy watch out for traffic! Not sure what kind of snake this is, but I rerouted him off the road and back into the grass.

More cool peaks to look at as I ride up the hills and shoot down the other side.

Exhausted from a full day of riding in the Alps. Morzine was a cool little town but I arrived on a Monday and most of the town was closed. This town is also a stage town for the 2006 Tour de France. Like most ski resort towns, in the summer things slow down and most shops close for the season.

Stage 14: Belfort to Evian

2006-06-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

This was the longest stage of the tour for me in terms of distance and time. It travels through the back roads of the Jura region and ends at the base of the Alps.

The first match of the 2006 World Cup between Germany and Costa Rica (4-2).I have been able to catch some world cup games live from some of the bars throughout the Jura and Alps. Any bar with a TV has the games on from 3pm till about 11pm. It's really cool to see the games live and to get my mind off the road.

Crossing the Switzerland border near Lac Leman (aka Lake Geneva). I was only in Switwerland for 2 and a half hours. I would have spent more time but I didn't have any Swiss curancy and I was itching to get into the Alps.

In Switzerland I saw the most impressive recycling center ever. As you can see the compost on the right and used clothing on the left. There was also a bin for batteries and another for coffee grounds.

Sunset on Lac Leman from the town of Evian, which is the same Evian that bares the name on water bottles. This town ended Stage 14. From this town it is up into the Alps for me.

Stage 13: Metz to Ballon-d'-Alsace

2006-06-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

This stage was pretty mellow, thankfully. The weather has also improved. Lots of sunshine. I am five entries behind, so I am going to write quickly and try to catch up.

Strange fruit on this tree. You pass by bizarre things sometimes.

This stage road through flat country of northern France and ended on the top of the top of the Ballon d' Alsace. I wasn't exactly sure what the Ballon was until I had a good map. It's a burly little climb up to a mountain range known as the Ballons.

Lance has been here. Allez means "GO!" Not all the road graffiti was good for Lance. About 500 meters uphill from this it said "Lance du Pussy!" The road isn't as steep as this photo would suggest. I tilted the camera to get the words in.

This ends Stage 13 for me. But, since I like to bag peaks I decided to walk up the last 200 meters to the true summit of the ballon.

This is my first ever European peak.

Stage 12: Rochefort to Metz

2006-06-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

Bart Simpson says, "Admirez la vue!" This was on a school bus stop in northern France.

Not only was the beer incredible in Belgium but it was also much cheaper than the average beer in France. Actually everything was cheaper. I wondered if perhaps I should just ride around in circles in Belgium instead of returning into France to finish the tour. Ah, but I have a route that I plan on completing so I must leave Belgium.

In Belgium I had three wonderful days of good weather. Not a single drop for three whole days. It was a new record. And literally, within 30 minutes after crossing back into France is started to rain again. This photo was taken from inside a warm cafe. Why does in rain so much only in France?

I am not angry, don't worry. I just thought this sign was funny.

Arrival in Metz which is a large city in northern France. All those white dots are mute swans on the river below. Cool city, but I didn't stay long. I have checked out my itineray and I am a little behind, so I need to spend less time in towns and more time on the road in route. Hopefully I will be in the Alps by next week sometime where the real hill climbs will begin.

Stage 11: Bruxelles to Rochefort

2006-06-06T05:56:00.000-07:00

Arrival in Bruxelles. You could spend months or years exploring this amazing city, but I only spent about four hours there. I just get all clausterphobic in big cities and I didn't like the idea of leaving my bicycle locked up anywhere in such a huge place. So, I just enjoyed a couple beers and got majorly lost trying to get out of the city, but for the most part I really didn't stay long. Oh well. I'm just not a city person. But, one thing that was exciting was that this was the furthest north I will hit on my bicycle tour. From here it will be a long ride south, back into France and into the Alps...hopefully.

Mr. Charlie Chaplin graces the side of a wall in Bruxelles.

Some graffiti in Bruxelles. I don't know who the red guy is but he looks pissed off.

A cool bicycle path along a river near Dinah, Belgium. Ah yes, nice to be out of the city and back in the small towns. This is the town were the Leffe Trappist brewery is located. See next photo.

SHHHH! Quiet! Don't disturb the brewing monks. The Leffe Trappist Brewery in Dinah. This is a real trappist brewery, which means that the beer is make by monks. It says on the logo that they have been brewing beer at this monestary since the year 1240. Wow. Very cool. I couldn't go inside because it was closed for the day so I just hung out on the street.

I pass roadkill daily but this one was especially disturbing. A green woodpecker. I have seen them in flight, but this was the first good look I got of one. I got some sticks and took it off the road so that no one would run over it again. Bummer!

Stage 10: Roubaix to Bruxelles

2006-06-06T05:38:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this brewing perfection known as Duvel. This was one of my favorite Belgian beers. Crossing into Belgium was a big step for me. When I was in the Pyrenèes I would look at a map and Beligium seemed so far away. Soon I inched up the map and finially I arrived.

A city scupture of used bicycles in the center of a town in Belgium.
One of the first things I noticed in Belgium were all the bicycle lanes and cyclists. You can tell that cycling is much more popular in Belgium which was kind of shocking, but it is the land of Eddy Merckx, so I guess it makes sense.

That's me as I hit the border. There was no inspection or anything like that. Just a sign. A streetsweeper guy took this photo.

Many thanks to Gilbert and Elise Scholasch for letting me stay at their home in just outside of Roubiax. I had a much needed rest and excellent food. They were incredibly kind and generous. Gilbert and Elise are the parents of my friend Thibaut who is living in California and dating my cousin Eva. Thanks.

Stage 9: Amiens to Roubaix

2006-05-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

A huge Heron greets me in a round-about as I enter Roubaix.
This will be my last France stage town before entering into Belgium for about a week. It has been the same story for the last three weeks...lots of rain, but now the rain is a little more intense and very cold. Brrrr. Excuse any typos on this blog because these internet cafes are expensive and I am usually writing super fast.

This tunnel has a pedestrian lane on the right, then a bicycle lane and then two car lanes on the left. Very cool.

The Belgian beers are available in the bars of northern France. I am getting closer to Belgium. In fact the border is only about 10km away. I will be heading across tomorrow and then on up to Brussels.

Check out this crazy mural painting! It has Clint Eastwood on the left, Scroog McDuck in the low center, Peter Pan up in the top right and I am guessing that is the drummer from Kiss on the bottom right.

Stage 8: Deauville to Le Harve

2006-05-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

This stage crossed the Le Siene river, which is the same river that travels thru downtown Paris. Hopefully the next time I cross it will be a month from now when I end the trip.

The impressive suspension bridge over the Siene River.
I am kind of a geek about going over bridges. I think they are cool and I sat on the top of the bridge scanning the river below for birds. The engineering involved with this bridge was exciting.

Deauville was cool, but very expensive. I could barely afford to enter the city limits. It was similar to a homeless person on vacation in Mammoth Lakes, CA. For example, for about a pint of beer cost 12 US dollars. I had a little food and quickly left. The next town, Honfleur was a nice suprise with cute shops and more affordable food.

The bustling streets of Honfleur.
But, I was feeling good so I went over the bridge and into Le Harve, which I quickly realized was the American equivalent of Oakland. It was a huge port city and I got lost for about 2 hours in the port. All the cars get to take the easy, more direct route via the freeway, but the cyclist is left to find a way thru the back roads.

What happened to that beautiful coast? Lost somewhere in the port of Le Harve.

But at least there was a nice campground in Le Harve where I peacefully slept in a huge park similar to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in the heart of a huge industrial city.

Stage 7: St. Hilaire-du-Harcuèt to Deauville

2006-05-30T04:17:00.000-07:00

Bless the tailwind gods for this quick stage. I was a sail boat flying down the road, but still in the rain. Let me rewrite that...I was a wet sailboat still rolling slowly down the road, but thanks to the tailwind I was going a little faster.

Enjoying a peach near the shore of Deauville.

This stage took me along the coast and there were many sandy beaches. The beaches were empty due to the cold weather, but still were beautiful. Off in the distance I could see the gothic cathedral of Mont-St-Micheal, which is named after the Archangel Micheal. Can an Archangel also be a saint? I was a little confused about that.

Mont-Saint-Micheal off in the distance.

Five things that I am constantly craving on the road:
1. A dry bed with clean cotton sheets with no alarm clock in many kilometers.
2. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - hey, it just sounds good. If only there was some way to watch the show every night before bed that would be blissful.
3. A Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, or maybe even the Pale Bock. Those American hops are truely missed by my taste buds.
4. Some kind of mega huge umbrella that would cover my entire bicycle and myself.
5. A little sunshine. Just a little.

My metabolism is a full on furnace right now. Just dump all these goodies into the flames.

Stage 6: Angers to Saint-Brieuc

2006-05-24T03:01:00.000-07:00

I have found that taking photos of reflections is more enjoyable than self timer shots.

Here is a photo of me up on the side of a building. Not really actually, but when I first saw this guy I felt like a was looking in a mirror. Wierd. The funny thing is that it is Bernd Hinualt who actually won the Tour De France of 1979, which is the year I am riding it. I believe this must have been is home turf because I saw his name everywhere.

Trail running just off the coast of St. Brieuc. When I arrived in St. Brieuc it was the first time I have ever seen the Atlantic Ocean. Including the plane flight to Europe where I was stuck in the middle row. So, that was exciting for me. This was an awesome trail that hugged the coast line. It seemed to go on for many more kilometers.

Oooh La La! Some French women hanging out showing off their stuff.

This may be the first time I have ever seen a bread vending machine.

Anyone up for some outdoor bowling? Check out the rail on the right side of the lane that sends the ball back.

My direction has finally changed and I am going to be following the Northwest coast and eventually will hit Belgium, or at least that is the plan. Thanks to all who have taken an interest in reading this blog.

Stage 5: Neuville-de-Poitou to Angers

2006-05-24T02:38:00.000-07:00

My bicycle is holding up well despite the fact that it is made of flowers, grass and sticks.

Some beautiful scenery just north of Neuville.

I met a guy in a bar in Neuville that knew where Bishop was and said it was one of the most beautiful places in California...I agreed. Then he bought me two beers because I was traveling by bike. Very cool. There was a campground in Neuville that turned out to be closed for the season, so I had no choice but to stealth camp once again....

I never plan on stealth camping. It just happens. Sometimes it is the only option. At this very spot I woke up at 3 in the morning due to a spider bite on my shoulder. It was a huge spider and I didn't get a good look at it. I started to panic and couldn't get back to sleep. Thankfully, there was no reaction to it. Only a sting that lasted an hour. I lucked out, but I haven't heard of any posionous spiders in Europe.

This was a better stealth camping spot just south of Bordeaux...

This stage was endless grape vines in all directions. And lots of rain as well. I just can't escape the rain. Some locals told me this is the most wind and rain they can remember for Spring. "Normally we are at the beach this time of year."

Stage 4: Captieux to Bordeaux

2006-05-15T01:29:00.000-07:00

On a bike path somewhere in southern France.

The section of the tour was mostly flat which has been a nice change from the big hill climbs of the Pyrènèes. Last night was spent at a hostel in Bordeaux, and with that was my first shower in over a week. To be honest I wasn't smelling my best and I felt bad for anyone I was in the same room with, ah, but after a nice shower and bed I'm feeling good.

A lonely bike path just south of Bordeaux.

After being on the road for 10 days I'm much more road savey in France. All the roads beinging with N, as in N21 are very busy and sketchy and don't have much of a shoulder. All the roads begining with D are very small country roads meandering thru quiet towns throughout rural France. This revalation has made riding much more safe and enjoyable. Sometimes a car will only pass once every 20 minutes. Then I found this bike path in the photo above that spans over 100km, but I was only on it for 40km. I didn't pass one person either direction on this entire path, and it was a Saturday afternoon. Where is everyone?

I couldn't figure out what this road sign meant. Caution: Cats fishing for goldfish ahead. Or perhaps: Caution: Crazy dancing cats doing crazy human things ahead. Maybe it means: Caution: Hallucination potential ahead.

In southern France there is a small 12th century church that has been converted into a cycling museum and it is very hard to find. Luckily my guidebook mentioned it and it was on the way. The place was full old cycling memorablilia including old bicycles and cycling jerseys from famous riders like Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong and Eddy Merckx.

The gates of the Notre Dame des Cyclists. Yes, that's the real name.

Jerseys fill the walls of the Notre Dame des Cyclists.

Very cool place. One bicyle they had on display was in the 1903 Tour de France and they even had a bike dating back to 1889. Anyway, it's time to leave Bordeaux. This city is a little too large for me.

Stage 3: Luchon to Pau

2006-05-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

This was to be a difficult stage that included 3 big passes or cols. Including the infamous Col de Tourmalet. I didn't have too much trouble on the first one, Col de Peyresourde (1,568m), except that the next day I noticed a injury on my left hamstring, so I took a full rest day in Arreau, which helped because I haven't noticed the injury again.

The highlight was definitely the Col d' Aspin (1,489m). The Tour de France has crossed the Col d' Aspin over 70 times with the first being in 1910.

The climb up the Col d' Aspin. You can see the top of the pass in the center of the photo.

I got passed by about 20 other cyclists making the climb. All said hello.

Me going up the Col d' Aspin with Arreau far below. Some of the turns are so sharp that they have mirrors.

Cows, cars and cyclists crowd the summit of the col.

So, with that col down I was excited to give it a go on the Col de Tourmalet, which is the most famous of the Pyrènèes climbs. I was planning on climbing it the same day, however...

Fermè means closed! Sh**$^ù$t!!!! Bummersourus.

So, I found a different route to Pau and it was ok. The new route I took had nice views of the Pyrènèes, but I'm still bummed. I was hoping the thrash myself on that climb.

Arrival in Pau.

Stage 2: Superbagnères

2006-05-11T06:01:00.000-07:00

My only rule with this bicycle tour was that I had to hit every stage stop of the 1979 Tour de France, and between stages I could pick my own route. Some stages I wasn't able to locate on maps back home and I decided I would just find them as I went. Well, when I arrived in Luchon I finally discovered where Stage 2 was. It was a 23km climb uphill gaining roughly 2,500ft uphill to a ski resort, plus it was in the opposite direction that I needed to go. So, I'm thinking to myself...you mean I need to ride up this huge hill then come right back down again. My first answer was hell no! But, after a nice malted beverage in Luchon I decided that I could make this work. I got a campsite in Luchon, then ditched the trailer, and headed up super light weight.

The road up to Superbagnères.

I'm so glad I decided to go. The peaks were beautiful and I saw several new bird species. I wanted to dedicate this climb to my father who passed away about two months ago. I was thinking about him on the way up, and strangely when I got to the top of the climb and I stopped my watch it was 2:23 which was his birthday.

Bad lighting, but that's me at the end of Stage 2.

Stage 1: Fleurence to Luchon

2006-05-11T05:52:00.000-07:00

Unfortunetly I didn't get many photos of this stage because it rained most of the time. In fact, I had a good solid hour or two of riding in downpour, which dampened my spirits. But, I still made progress even though all my stuff got wet. The problem with rain for the cyclist or backpacker, is that you never get completely dry no matter how hard you try. The water slowly accumulates.

A quiet road outside Fleurence before it rained.

Beautiful Luchon in the heart of the Pyèrèes. Note the cool peaks in the background.

Prologue

2006-05-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

The trip has started. Traveling by bicycle can be fun and rewarding, however traveling with a bicycle in a box is a huge pain in the ass. You should have seen me in the airport lugging this stuff around. Ugh!

That's the bike box and yellow trailer on the side in Paris.

In Paris, I got a hold of my friend Steve who showed me around town and helped me get the right train ticket. Steve is in Paris to study French. Although Paris was beautiful, it was time to get out of town and start the trip. While in Paris I unloaded the bicycle and assembled it.

There's my pretty bicycle looking good and ready in Paris at Steve's place.

Then there was the train ride. I was quite impressed by the speed of the train and yet it was so quiet. The town that I'm starting at, which is the first town of the 1979 Le Tour de France, is named Fleurence and is roughly at the base of the Pyrenees. Fleurence is small, and the nearest train stqtion is 60km away, which I rode this morning. So far so good.

If you look closely at the window you can see my reflection in Fleurence.

That beer in Fleurence was blissful. By far the best beer I've had so far in Europe.

So, for this trip I've decided to retrace the steps of the 1979 Tour de France, which is my birthyear. If all goes well the trip will be roughly 4,000km. The route first goes up into the Pyrenees, then up the West Coast, into Belgium, back into France, then into the Alps and on up to Paris. Ok, well, it's time to start riding up into the Pyrenees.

my first blog entry ever

2006-04-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

welcome to the digital age.

me climbing at indian rock in berkeley, CA before heading off to Europe.

in lafayette i got some kinks worked out on my bicyle that i will be using in Europe.

that's my pretty surly.