Planning a bike trip? (page 9 of 37)

I get the feeling this thread is going off track! Could we get back to the real topic, which is simply sharing the bike trip everyone’s planning? That’s what interests forum members who start dreaming about future destinations. Happy planning, everyone.

+1

Yeah, things really go off the rails sometimes... How does a guy with raw nerves even function? It’s one of the big questions science still hasn’t figured out. Even when everything’s going well...

That said: As usual, someone’s gonna slap me on the back, so I’m bowing out to grab my saddle—Paris / Grasse / Dax / Paris, they call it paid vacation, and it’s been going on for 15 years now.

No GPS, no map—just me and my bike...

+2

The fanatic...

Hi,

Yes, I know Jean-Luc said not to push it, but if you post your plan here, it’s still so we can give our take—otherwise, I don’t see the point.

So, 5,000 km in 15 days works out to exactly 333 km/day, not 300 km!

At 20 km/h, 333 km means 16.5 hours on the bike every day.

If I figure you’ve got 7.5 hours left for parking your bike, showering, eating dinner, breakfast, and maybe losing half an hour chatting, you’ll barely get 5 hours of sleep a night!

And that’s without counting bathroom breaks and lunch...

I’m also assuming that even if you start at sunrise, say around 6:00 AM (I hope they’ll serve breakfast that early for you), you’ll still roll in around 10:30 PM.

So you’ll need to ride a lot faster than 20 km/h. Am I wrong?

I’d bet on a daily average of at least 25 km/h.

Now *that’s* impressive!

Best,

Enzo

Hola,

Yeah, I know, Jean-Luc said not to insist, but if you post your plan here, it’s still so we can give our opinion—otherwise, I don’t see the point.

That actually seems like a solid thought process.

So, 5,000 km in 15 days works out to exactly 333 km/day, not 300 km!

At 20 km/h, that’s 16.5 hours spent on the bike each day.

If I figure you’ve got 7.5 hours left to park your bike, shower, eat dinner, have breakfast, and maybe lose half an hour chatting a bit, you’ll barely get 5 hours of sleep a night!

5,000 km in 15 days is the plan if I understood correctly, not what’s been done yet. We’ll see if he pulls it off. In the past, he did 9,300 km in a month—that’s a solid 300 km/day (let’s give him a 31-day month ;))

And all that without counting bathroom breaks and lunch...

Well, I think he includes those. When he says he does 300 km a day in 15 hours, I think he’s counting from the moment he gets on the bike in the morning to when he gets off in the evening. That averages out to 20 km/h, but it doesn’t mean he’s riding at 20 km/h the whole time. If you ride for 48 minutes at 25 km/h and stop for 12 minutes, you’ve covered 20 km in an hour. For lunch breaks, I don’t think he’s the type to sit down for a meal—it’s more like continuous fueling (liquid?).

Personally, I’ve seen similar things in the world of ultra-endurance running (100 km, 24-hour races, 6-day events, Ultra Trail, etc.), whether participating or organizing. You’ve got examples like Serge Girard, who’s done several transcontinental runs, covering 70 km every single day for months. Right now, he’s on a Europe tour and is at 175 days of running—12,631 km total, averaging 72.2 km/day. Of course, he doesn’t carry a backpack—he has a mobile support team—so you can’t compare him to someone doing the same journey on foot with a backpack. So, 300 km/day on a bike for someone with that kind of endurance background is far from impossible. At my modest level, I’ve rubbed shoulders with world champions in ultra-endurance disciplines (France is regularly on the podium, but it’s less media-friendly than getting eliminated by Senegal in the World Cup group stage). These guys could start at 10.5 km/h (pretty slow, huh? It was 70° after an hour of running) but still be at 9.5 km/h 24 hours later, then sprint the last five minutes to add distance—ending up with over 240 km and, obviously, a win. For reference, the 24-hour world record is over 303 km—that’s 101 km every 8 hours... We’re far from the sub-10-second 100m, but it’s not the same sport. I think JL’s case is comparable.

Okay, I’m letting myself go with a reply.

1) We can all do it...

2) Obviously, it would be completely absurd

3) You can’t do something totally absurd without dying a little inside

We can all do it (I know it’s gonna be tricky for someone born quadriplegic). I’m writing this as a metaphor. Still, one of my best friends once rode his bike from Casablanca to Fès (285 km) and back in 48 hours.

That same year, he took his mountain bike, installed a rack, strapped on his tent, clothes, and all his gear—including his everyday prosthesis (he was born without a femur, so no hip joint, but luckily only on one side)—and set off for 1,800 km in 18 days, from Casa to the Middle Atlas, even cutting through a bit of the desert.

This guy, 20 months earlier, had never ridden a bicycle. It was unthinkable and pointless. He’d never left Casablanca either. He was misshapen. He became beautiful. I mean, in his own eyes. Last year, I came to Switzerland to bring him my 6.5 kg bike so he could compete in the Zurich Ironman, which he finished in 13 hours—with a few crashes along the way. This year, now that he has a 10-year tourist visa for many countries (he competes in triathlons worldwide, except in Spain, which denies him entry), he’s attempting to swim across the Strait of Gibraltar with a support boat and his one good leg (and let’s not dwell on his left arm, which is 7 cm shorter than his right, but will still let him flip off the Spanish coast guard in style).

This year, he also just got married in San Diego to a young Chinese woman born in Hawaii who just finished her prosthetics studies in Canada and works in California. They met at a triathlon.

If I’m taking the time to tell this story, it’s just to say that what’s completely absurd and senseless to you is absolutely vital—like breathing—for someone else.

It’s only when you’re prevented from breathing that it becomes difficult. I think the most beautiful thing you can do in life is let others breathe. It’s not that common. Yet, in principle, it’s so obvious. It does require extreme delicacy, but what beauty there is to share afterward!!!!!!!

Well, I'm off to do the Tour du Lubéron. A "short leg" (under 300 km) in probably 4-5 days... But since I haven't cycled in ages, it’ll already be quite something. Not sure it’ll inspire many forum members, but I hope I’ll have a blast! 😉

Hi there, the Luberon is still a dream come true... I’m also planning to do the tour this week if the weather holds up. 4 or 5 days of cycling under the sun with trees in bloom—sounds like a great way to dream...

We’re dreaming of the Luberon too as we pack our panniers to go cycling there next week. The trees in bloom... mmm, and those gorgeous spring colors. Can’t wait for next weekend!

We're heading out tomorrow—between Mont Ventoux and the Luberon for 3 days. The forecast isn’t great, but it should be okay. Once I’ve uploaded the photos to the blog (see signature), I’ll drop a quick note right here.

Reading your posts from yesterday and today, it seems like something’s brewing in the Luberon... Am I wrong?😮

Hey tomas,

Your project looks amazing, hope it’s doable! Keep it up! !

Hey everyone, Luberon is done! ... averaging 60 km a day, but that includes time to stop and admire the scenery—cherry blossoms everywhere, the colors of the South just like we love them, and the rosé, of course! 4 amazing days! Didn’t see many other cyclists though...

Hi everyone, Luberon is done... just 60 km a day, but with time to look around and admire the scenery—cherry blossom fields everywhere, the colors of the South like we love them, and the rosé too! 4 amazing days! Didn’t see many other cyclists though..

What route did you take?

Which route?

There we go—just posted the recap of my 3-day Luberon trip on the blog (see signature). Three days of pure bliss.

Another project of the same scale is in the works for May, likely between Rosans (05) and Montbrun (84).

Thanks, you’ve done a beautiful route with some stunning scenery.

Re: Planning a bike trip?

April 9, 2010 at 9:00 PM

"I’ve got the book in my library, and of course I’ve read it ;). It’d be interesting to post a photo of your carbon box (I’m thinking of trying these kinds of long raids over a few days), because I’m having a hard time picturing what it looks like. No issues with thigh discomfort?"

Okay, I tested it big-time today: 322 km in 13 hours of biking + 1 hour stop. It’s a bit flexible at the back, and there’s no problem with my thighs, but I’ll still make a second version with a more rounded lid just to be sure I don’t snag anything if there’s a mishap.

Otherwise, it’s awesome—no backpack, minimal weight. And for eating, the ergonomics are perfect, plus your phone and papers are within easy reach.

We should meet up one of these days if you’re thinking of doing something like this. The 70 isn’t far from the 54.

Hi Jean-Luc,

Thanks for sharing your tests—really appreciate it! We’re actually not too far from each other, and I often pass through the 54. But right now, I’m heading off for a 3-month bike trip (classic setup). If I stick with the idea of outfitting my road bike, I’ll get back in touch around September.

Cheers,

Wow!! Three months? Where are you going?

Planned route: Germany, Sweden, the Åland archipelago, Finland, Norway (Lofoten), and return via Denmark and Germany again. Well, I'm finally taking the plunge—we'll see if I manage to do all that. I've never done more than 3 weeks or 1,800 km, so I'm heading into the unknown a bit, but that's also what makes the project exciting.

New encounters, different landscapes, probably a little less culture shock. http://aventures.ordinaires.free.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=221&Itemid=28 Stay tuned in the "On the Road" section, coming soon. Happy travels!