An occasional podcast about an ordinary middle-aged bloke and his cycling adventures. Sometimes not featuring much, if any, cycling, and sometimes featuring more than one person who may or may not be a middle-aged bloke.
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More fromage than pain in this episode, as Rich and the family are in Auvergne with a table full of local cheeses to sample for your pleasure. Auvergne is home to an enormous variety of cheeses and we taste everything from tiny wrinkled goats cheeses to enormous tommes. There are five AOP cheeses in Auvergne … Continue reading Cheeses of Auvergne
After arriving in Nice 48 hours ago, Rich and Graeme summarise the trip, discussing the route, gear and their favourite climbs. There is a special fromage du jour that links the first and last days of the trip, and Rich gets something in his eye.
Puget-Thèniers to Nice, 103km. The last day of our tour. After a leisurely packup we took on the last two climbs of the trip, interspersed with some magnificent scenery, improbable villages and great coffee, before finally arriving on the Côte d'Azur for celebratory beers.
Jausiers to Puget-Thèniers, 103km. Rich and Graeme set off for one last big climb, the stunning Col de la Cayolle, which we shared with a bike race. Rich talked through the last stretches of a col and of course there was a very good fromage du jour.
Briançon to Jausiers, 93km. Refreshed after our rest day we tackled a real icon, the wonderful climb up Col d'Izoard, the perfect Alpine climb. After a stunning descent, a puncture and a crash, we were behind again and had to push on hard top get over the last col.
La Chambre to Briançon 96km. Today’s ride started off gently with a great French breakfast but the work soon began with a long tough climb up two cols. First the scenic Col de l’Albanne, then after Valloire the big one - Galibier. A proper day in the mountains.
Annecy to La Chambre, 97km. A beautiful intro around Annecy lake and through gorgeous Alpine meadows. After breakfast, Rich met a collie that reminded him of home we tackled our first major col, the Col de la Madeleine at 1998m, and finished on a gorgeous campsite.
Vonnes to Annecy, 165km. A tough day. Today’s ride took Rich and Graeme into the foothills of the Alps. It was a grumpy start, a challenging ride and it took all our mental and physical strength to push through to Annecy - where all the campsites were full.
Bourbon-Lancy to Vonnes, 135km. Today there is a bit of everything: a long ride, good climbs, thunderstorms in the forecast and of course a mandatory stop for a cheese that Rich has been particularly looking forward to. Rich witters about warblers and there's even a big tunnel.
Briare to Bourbon-Lancy, 184km. Hungry, we head out after a big breakfast of scrambled eggs in search of cheese and wine. We find both in lovely Sancerre, and with the main issue of the day ticked off there’s just a hell of a lot of riding to be done.
Melun to Briare, 148km. Today started brightly and we made good progress, taking in a disused velodrome and a cycle museum as we made our way south through the sunshine along the Scandiberique. But then Graeme’s rear derailleur broke and threatened to derail the whole trip.
Paris to Melun, 85km. Rich and Graeme’s epic journey from Paris to Nice is under way! Today’s highlights include a whistle stop tour of the French capital and then an easy roll along the Seine for the first camp. A straightforward day, or so we thought…
Rich and the family are in the beautiful Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) taking the long hike up to Waun Fach in the Black Mountains. After an early start, it’s breakfast on the hill and a good walk through one of Wales’s most beautiful landscapes. To read the blog that accompanies this podcast and for a … Continue reading Waun Fach and the Dragon’s Back
I’ve wanted to catch up with Jon for a while. His workshop is in the same building as my social enterprise is based, and I often stop for a look at the bikes he has been donated and projects being worked on. So I was delighted to get the chance to speak to Jon at … Continue reading Interview with Jon Oliverio of Cycle Torbay
Rich is on his last training ride before heading to Paris! Today he is heading from Dawlish up the river Exe to Bampton, across the southern edge of Exmoor to Wellington and back south via Cullompton and Broadclyst. It’s a glorious day with a bit of a headwind and there’s a Chinese waiting for him … Continue reading From the Exe Estuary to Exmoor
This is the first episode in a series following the boys as they head south on their epic ride from Paris to Nice. With 30 days to go to the grand départ, we met for a chat about the inspiration for the idea, route planning, the essential discussion about bike tour gear and fromage du … Continue reading Rich and Graeme’s Paris-Nice: Prologue
This episode was recorded on day one of a cycling trip in Brittany, starting in great weather but rapidly turning quite grim. It was recorded partly on the road, partly in the hotel after the event (narrated sections) and partly as a summary the following day. I quite like the bit about the stonechats. Hope … Continue reading Tour of Brittany Day One: Roscoff to Brest
