We have been home three days and counting and are starting to feel like our bike tour was a long time ago. The mountain of laundry is done, groceries have been acquired, bikes are reassembled and we are settling in. We arrived just in time for an atmospheric river, which is the new term for lots and lots of rain, so those bikes remain unridden. 

There has been one big surprise. I mentioned that I caught a mild cold about eight days before we flew home, and then Keith came down with it a few days before we were to get on the plane. I emphasize that my symptoms were mild, his too, and we really didn’t think much about it. It didn’t impede our bike riding at all. The end of the tour was flat and easy, and we were fine. Yesterday Keith casually suggested we test for Covid. We were scheduled to take vulnerable seniors out for a ride in the trishaw in four days, so why not test. I was negative, but Keith was positive. We stared at each other in disbelief. The only logical conclusion is I had Covid and passed it on to him. We were so certain we just had mild colds. So it is out there of course, and will now always be part of the human condition I suspect, but it is another reminder never to assume!  I don’t think there is anything we could have done differently if we had known, except be more careful and mask around others, but we didn’t bring a test kit with us, and we were so absolutely certain it was mild colds. 

It was a wonderful tour. There is really nothing we would change except to have another week of riding to avoid the train travel. We have discussed our weather, as I made the observation to Keith that it was only okay. It certainly was never terrible, except for the day we took the train out of Neuchâtel, but we never had long strings of days with fabulous weather. Every day was just different. One day beautiful sunshine, the next clouds and grey and then back to sunshine. I don’t recall ever riding in just my jersey and shorts. On the other hand, I rarely needed my tights either. We went south hoping to get more consistent weather, and it was warmer and lovely. Keith really liked the weather and told me not to complain.  I told him I was just stating facts 😁. It was not too hot, not too cold, just right as far as Keith was concerned, and he is always thrilled about a day he doesn’t have to slather on sunscreen. 

We saw so much, some familiar and lots that was brand new. There were so many highlights and absolutely no regrets.  Falling into the restaurant in small town France in the middle of a downpour led to one of the best meals we have ever had. Experiencing Col de la Machine and the Vercors for a second time was glorious. Our hike out of Pont en Royan was breathtaking.  Our ride in Gorges de l’Ardeche was amazing and we had perfect weather at the perfect time. Our kayaking trip on the Ardeche will never be forgotten 😂. We loved Arles, and it put us in the perfect position for a CycleBlaze meetup with the Andersons which was such a delight and we felt so lucky we could make it work. Nimes and the Roman history there was amazing.  Meeting Pierre in Montauban and riding with him the next day filled up our hearts. His promise to come see us on Vancouver Island is something we really look forward to. And Montauban itself, where we met him, was such a great spot. Rocamadour and the Goffre de Padirac were a double wow. Seeing Gerhardt and Yvonne in Rheinfelden and catching up with their lives was a treat. I could go on and on and on and bore you to death. 

Bike touring is such a fantastic way to travel. We are so fortunate we both love it. We love the ability to stop at a whim and take in the views. We love being outside all day every day. We love that you can appreciate so many amazing places that are off the tourist trail for sure. The little discoveries are so wonderful. You see things it would be impossible to see in a car. There are no parking dramas. Navigational glitches take place at slow speeds. Feeling so fit is a real bonus. 

People really make the trip for us as well. There are so many helpful people in the world. Our hotel hosts, strangers on the route, passersby, other tourists gawking at the same things with us, we love these interactions. 

There are a few things we will change for next year. One is a phone number. We have been doing data only embedded sims the last few years, and with WhatsApp it had never been a problem not to have a phone number. This year twice we were helped by kind and generous strangers when a phone call was necessary. The first was an automated check in process that didn’t recognize our reservation, and the hotel didn’t have a WhatsApp number. The second was simply getting into our accommodation as no one was answering the bell and the only option was to phone. In the past we have been able to WhatsApp when needed but it didn’t work in these two instances. So next year one of us will have an esim with a phone number. They are more expensive but in terms of total trip cost, nothing to worry about. My embedded sim was with Vodafone, $38 Canadian for a whopping 40 GB. Keith’s was with Airalo and was a little more. We love the esims for their ease of use. Buy them at home and turn on when you land. 

Another change might be building in more climbing. Believe it or not, we missed it and feel like we need to do it while we still can!   We had some great days with lots of elevation gain and I have to be honest, I enjoy that more than canal riding, although that has its own appeal. I have also promised myself (again) that I won’t always follow Keith down his shortcuts!   He asks where the adventure is in that kind of attitude!!  Of course I have to follow him. Without him I would be lost, in so many ways. 

We are also talking about possibly moving to a more hub and spoke kind of tour. There are so many places to spend time and explore out from there. We will see. As to where we will go, that is the question, and one we find hard to answer. We have loved everywhere we have ridden. We want to go north, there are things we would like to see, but we want to stay south and warm and climb, and there are things we would like to see. How on earth will we decide?   We had better start thinking about it now. 

As I close, I have to give a shout out to my partner. My Chief Navigator, Chief Photographer, Chief Hotel Booking Agent, Chief Windbreak and my rock and best friend.  He never complains, always reassures me when I start to get anxious (train schedules, routes, accommodations) and he always, always makes me laugh. So hard. Doing this together is so much fun. 

Keith has just done a proof read of this entry. I said he never complains and he wants me to point out he complains about the smokers. Often, vociferously and they really do drive him crazy. France was absolutely the worst. We both enjoy eating outside, but smokers really do ruin the ambience. Germany seems much improved in that regard. 

And now, some tour statistics:

Total length of trip: 45 days

Number of days of riding: 32

Total km ridden: 1804

Total elevation gain: 17,230 m

Number of flat tires: 0

Number of mechanical breakdowns: 0

Number of people who recognized us from CycleBlaze: 3, a couple in the Zurich airport and Nancy at the Van Gogh exhibit in St. Remy de Provence. This has never happened to us before and surprised the heck out of us. This website is a treasure trove of information for us and others. We so appreciate it. 

Number of croissants consumed:  too many to even estimate

Cappuccinos consumed by me: I estimate 4 per morning x 43 = 172. They don’t serve them on the plane or it would be x 45. This results in what the Tour de France calls a nature break, much sooner than the CN would like. He is endlessly patient about it as I search the landscape for what we have nicknamed a pee platz.   Unharvested cornfields are a girl’s best friend. 

I want to give kudos  to Swiss Air/Edelweiss Air. They were terrific, and flying direct from Vancouver straight to Swiss efficiency was great. They don’t charge for bicycles, which was also great. We would certainly fly with them again, although Switzerland isn’t on our radar for next year. If anyone can figure out the thinking behind those silly blue straps on the Zurich airport luggage carts do let us know!

I am now going to go read some CycleBlaze and live vicariously through others.  We feel grateful to others still on the road who provide so much pleasure and so many ideas for us by making the effort to journal. 

Finally, I am feeling pretty much 100% but Keith still has some symptoms. I hope to get my bike out tomorrow as the forecast is good. Besides, I don’t have a driver’s license at the moment as mine expired while we were away. I have an appointment to renew it next Monday. First spot that was available!

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Jacquie GaudetAl grew a beard on our first big tour together, in 1992. He kept it a while after we got home and then shaved it off--and I didn't notice until he grew it back again. His colleagues thought my not noticing was hilarious! In any case, he decided that the initial itchiness passed and he preferred trimming the beard every week or two over shaving every morning.
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1 month ago

Kathleen ClassenYou really made me laugh. I only noticed Keith had shaved his because he forgot to put his razor away!!
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1 month ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Jacquie GaudetYou really made me laugh. I only noticed Keith had shaved his because he forgot to put his razor away!!
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Scott AndersonYou make a good case. We’ll have to make it up there again sometime.
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We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world.