Marseille to Annecy

We've been on the bike for eight days now. That's a little over 600 kilometres. But the real effort has been on the inclines ... let's call them hills, shall we? My Garmin tells me I've climbed 8,700 metres. It's more than I'm used to, even when cycling daily near my home in the Blue Mountains. Perhaps cycling over Mont Ventoux and Col de l'Espigoulier had something to do with it?
Certainly, the highlight of the trip so far has been Col de l'Espigoulier on the first day. A winding switchback climb of nine kilometres, it was mercifully free of cars in perfect weather with the sun on my back and no wind. It's the first time I've climbed a mountain on Bruce, my new AWOL touring bike and he performed admirably, carrying me and the panniers to the summit without a creak.
My wife sensibly cycled around the Col and met me on the other side. Both bikes have been great so far - they offer comfortable long-distance cycling and yet can climb any mountain the rider is stupid enough to attempt. 
And this particular owner assumed that Mont Ventoux wouldn't be so hard even though the weather report mentioned rain and wind. I've climbed Ventoux twice before - both times on a road bike without panniers and in sunny mild weather. 

This was an entirely different mountain - the conditions were so poor the road was closed at the top and I had to return via Bedoin and over Col de la Madeleine to get to my destination. I froze on the descent and took refuge in a restaurant. The chef offered me a dry t-shirt to wear because I was shaking so much. Although I was the last person to enter, I was the first served. The other diners didn't mind. Have you ever sat in a restaurant while one man shakes uncontrollably in the corner? 'Give him food and give it to him now!'
Cathie and I also stayed with our first 'Warm Showers' hosts - a lovely young couple in Crest who are intent on learning English. Marie-Aude and Regis are devoted to their region and served us delicious food and local beer. 'Warm Showers' is a world-wide web-based organisation where cycle travellers can get a bed and food for free from fellow devotees of the push-bike. The beauty of reciprocity!
Most of the cycling has been on back roads, thanks to the blessed Maps.Me app which works without mobile phone reception and allows us to wander as we please. It's now a free download and I heartily recommend it to all cyclists.
The motorists have been very accommodating, as usual, always giving us space and never being in a hurry to pass. It's the first thing I notice in Europe - the opportunity to relax while cycling through villages and towns, without being worried about whether I'm holding up traffic or am about to be abused by some yobbo in a ute (yes, I'm generalising!).
Because we chosen this route ourselves and aren't following a predictable cycle way, the hills have been much more frequent. And yet, it's remarkably intoxicating to be cruising along a minor D road surrounded by snow-capped mountains.

The accommodation offered in France never ceases to amaze me - for less than we pay in Australia for a boring roadside motel, we've spent a night in a gypsy caravan; stayed in a B&B in the centre of the old town of Apt; slept in a French farmhouse with a view of the mountains in Provence and stayed in a lovely AirBnB where the owner fed us lunch because we arrived too early! (try doing that in Australia). Astonishing.

From here, we go to Geneva and along the lake before veering left and heading through the Champagne region and into Belgium. Sparkling wine awaits.


I've written four travel ebooks on my cycling adventures across Europe. They sell for between $2.99 and $3.99, depending on which currency you use. You can visit my Amazon page here for the USA; here for the UK and here for Australia