Victoria

October 21, 2024

Post Tour Ramblings

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!

The bike tour beard disappeared yesterday. I quite liked it but I think I prefer the clean shaven look.

Home isn’t a shabby place to ride. Forest to Keith’s left, ocean to the right. The Galloping Goose trail in August.

And we have excellent locally brewed post ride recovery beverages.

I will be hiking on Wednesday. This picture is in July.

We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world.

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Comment on this entry	Comment	21

Steve Miller/GrampiesGlad you made it safely home. Sorry Covid struck again. Get well soon. We enjoyed following your trip. Why not try Portugal or Spain next time? The weather is great, the costs are mostly lower than Northern Europe, they have hills if you really want them, lots of good food.....did I mention the great weather? Hope to see you in Victoria next month. Dodie
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3 weeks ago

Karen PoretAwesome photos, readings, and ending! I totally agree with Keith about the smokers! UGH. This and the prolific graffiti on everything are my (really) sore spots!
But, the sights, sounds and fun we don’t have “at home” are kept close at heart and mind when we return!
Get well! At least you don’t have “no hearing” in your ear one month later ( as I still do) :(
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3 weeks ago

Mike AylingThanks for another great journal.
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3 weeks ago

Michael HutchingHi Kathleen and Keith- Really enjoyed reading your journal, having covered a few of those places in the last 3 years, though not as adventurously as you! This year we found ESIMs were definitely the way to go for WhatsApp. Bonne route.
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3 weeks ago

Tricia GrahamThank you for a great journal. For me your writing epitomises the really joys of cycle touring and makes us determined to do it again even if we can only stick to canals and rivers
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3 weeks ago

Scott AndersonFour cappuccinos per morning! Now there’s an interesting statistic.

I’m sorry that you both became ill at the end of the trip, but at least it had a pretty small impact on the tour overall. Hopefully Keith will recover from it soon.

And again, thanks again for going out of your way to meet up with us in Saint-Rémy. It was a real highlight of the tour for both of us.
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3 weeks ago

Angela NaefThank you for another delightful cycling journal. I so enjoy following along and getting great information. I’m not sure how you have the time and energy to write after a hectic cycling day but I really appreciate it!
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3 weeks ago

Pierre EhingerThank you so much, Kathleen & Keith for the marvelous trip report with awesome pictures and comments.
It gives me the "cyclotouring taste"😋 and that could transform the "bikini biker" (nickname given to Hawaii triathletes by road bikers in the early eighties...
jalous 🤪🤪) in a future cycletourer...
Happy to know that you are both (almost) out of Covid and soon ready for hiking.
I'll start learning Vancouver Island soon for a detailed visit next year to your wonderful place.
Take care of yourself.
Sincerely
Pierre
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3 weeks ago

Mark M.Your summary of why you love bike touring rang so true for me too. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us, and here's to many more. For what it's worth, I agree with you about the hills, too: while we can, I think we should 😊
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3 weeks ago

Jacquie GaudetWe dither over lack of calling ability with data-only eSIMs too--especially since our home provider only keeps voicemails for 10 days. We've both missed important messages because, not only were they deleted before we got home, we never knew we'd been called because, with the line off, calls went straight to voicemail and thence to oblivion. For our upcoming trip, I plan to get $5 credit with Skype and call my voicemail weekly.
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3 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Steve Miller/GrampiesWe loved Portugal and Spain, but having done that the last two years we thought France would be delightful, and it was. But maybe that great weather spoiled me!!
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3 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Karen PoretOh I hope your hearing returns soon. That must be so frustrating and disconcerting. It would be hard to tell where sounds are coming from I would think.
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3 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenThanks Mike. We are so glad we do it for our own memories, and so glad others do both for arm chair travel and decisions about next year!
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3 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Michael HutchingI think you are way more adventurous!! You camp. We have a tent but somehow we keep leaving it behind.
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3 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Tricia GrahamYou and Ken are our polestars. We really admire what you do. How I wish we had discovered bike touring when we were younger. We tell all the young people we meet to start now! But we hope for continued good health and the wisdom to take advantage of it. We also hope to get back to NZ for another CycleBlaze meetup with you.
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3 weeks ago

Karen PoretTo Kathleen ClassenMuch appreciated, but I have a 🤫.. I have had poor hearing all of my 74 years, due to being a preemie and as my Mom said “ you didn’t finish baking” .. This is another notch I will tackle after beating breast cancer this year! Most thankful for your kindness and especially your great journals !
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3 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Scott AndersonOur CycleBlaze meetup was a highlight of our trip too! As for those cappuccinos, I admit to a true addiction ☕️. I limited myself to one in the Zurich airport as they were 6.50 Ch which is about a million dollars Canadian.
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2 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Angela NaefThank you! Some nights I worry I have been incoherent because I start to nod off before I am done, but the journals are so valuable to us to help us remember. At our age we need all the help we can get! I always kept a hand written journal of our trips before, and journaling on CycleBlaze has introduced us to so many wonderful people and places it makes it really worth the effort. We love reading other people’s journals too. If you aren’t touring it is great to read about it, and it gives us so many ideas for future trips.
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2 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Pierre EhingerWe can’t wait to show off our beautiful corner of the world to you, you bikini biker! That made me laugh so hard 😂. We will have to train hard before you get here, but we still won’t be able to keep up when we go biking.
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2 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Jacquie GaudetGood idea. We are with Fido and they only keep our messages for three days. Yikes. When we had a land line I could access my messages as an email. I wish we could do that with our cell phones. When I bought my Vodafone esim they had a special on, double data for the same price. A Europe wide esim was $38 Canadian for 40 GB rather than 20 GB. You could activate anytime within a year. Last time I looked they were offering a 50% bonus…30 GB instead of 20. I am going to keep checking so I can grab a good deal when I see one for next year.
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2 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Mark M.Climbing is just so darn rewarding in so many ways. That sense of accomplishment is unbelievable and the views are usually beautiful. Then there is the reward of the descent. And when I can’t do it anymore I will have the memories and will enjoy dawdling along rivers.
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2 weeks ago