December 23rd, 2008
by Sam
A number of dog walkers gave us unusual looks as we started preparing to leave. Lachlan was keen to here the results of the cane experiment, but was disappointed to find out that I had slept with a bottle sticking through the cane into my back. All-in-all the cane wasn’t too bad, except for a few parts that stuck into our ribs.
A car came towards us and the man said something in Italian. I spoke back in French and Simon spoke back in broad Australian. Lachlan was just nodding like he could understand. I roughly understood that the man was asking if we were moving on soon as a truck was coming to pick up the cane. Little did the man know, we had spread his neat bundles of cane out under our tent. After rolling the cane back up and discovering the pesky bottle under the tent we were back on the road, well almost. As I pulled up to the end of the driveway my front brake cable snapped. Although it was an annoying problem I was grateful that it didn’t happen while we were careering through Cinque Terre a few days prior. With no bike shop in sight, we decided to press on with care – Me with loose spokes and no front brake and Lachlan with two and a half gears and a wobbly back wheel. Simon’s bike looked decidedly new in comparison. We fixed my rear brake downed a coffee and pressed on.
We’d done about 20k of pretty normal riding on average roads when it all went pear shaped. I half turned to look at a funny sign name (as we’ve done hundreds of times over this trip) and in the process had a little tyre love tap with Lachlan who was in front of me. Normally this is no drama, you brake a little and continue rolling along. I grabbed the brake, but obviously got a different response from that I was expecting. The next thing I know my handlebars are crossed up and we’ve got the second crash of Euride08. I was on my feet before I’d realised what had happened, then was surprised Simon had avoided crashing into the back of me, and then walked up the road crouching and wondering how bad my knee was going to look. I turned around and saw the boys talking to some class of ambulance. I could have timed the prang worse, we were right across the road from an emergency response centre. Sometimes I feel like my life is one big fluke like that, but still, to have three spokes go, two flat tyres, a brake cable snap and a crash all in about 24 hours I was due for a lucky break! A doctor said my knee should be fine but to stay off the bike for a couple of days. Since my front wheel was now bent in half that wasn’t really an option anyway, so we trained the remaining 40k or so into Florence. We found a cheap but funky hostel. If you can’t be with family, there are worse places than Florence to spend Christmas. We can’t wait!
December 22nd, 2008
by Admin
It almost seems like every major city in Italy is dedicated to tourism, and that you wouldn’t run into people that actually live there. Massa was no exception, with half the hotels closed for the winter and the rest hors de prix. It was just 40km to Pisa with the road as flat as a tack, with hardly a whisper of wind, and a double kebabie pitstop, perfect. Yes, that’s right, two kebabs each, in less than 15 minutes.
We stumbled upon the piazza del duomo more quickly than we expected to when we pedalled into Pisa. A legion of souvenir vendors detracted somewhat from all four of the beautiful buildings in the square - “Those guys? Yeah, I think they’re allowed to sell that stuff here”. Simon, trying to prop up the tower with his massive quads was an instant hit with the Japanese tourists. We also ran into a surprising number of bicycle tourists. Okay 2 others independent of each other, but we found that’s still a lot in one place at one time in the middle of winter! We enjoyed the warm sun while it lasted, and followed the river east out on the way to Florence.
As the sun set, we tried knocking on a church door hoping to pitch a tent in the back yard but got a shrugging, head shaking move along. We found a spot near the river and set up the tent on a pile of cut cane. It was Lachlan’s idea of DIY insulation from the cold, wet ground. A bastard bloody dog threatened to expose our hiding spot, barking up on the rise for 2 hours, but we got away with the campsite and after cooking the first pack of pasta in the tent we ate the second packet raw, it was just as tasty.
December 21st, 2008
by Admin
We packed up the tent and headed out of the yard we had stayed in last night. When changing Sam’s front tyre, Simon remarked how dangerously loose 2 of the spokes were. Sam decided not to fix them at the moment as it was another cold morning and we hoped to get going soon. We shared breakfast of pasta left-overs. Sam dug in first, leaning over to eat from the bowl and dripping some fluid from his nose onto the pasta. Simon and Lachlan went hungry.
We were heading through Sestri Levante, when we joined up with a group of cyclists who appeared to be racing on their expensive Italian racing bikes. Not one to let a challenge go by we jumped on to the peloton, the group seemed happy to have us there as we chatted with them and kept up with the pace. Soon enough we arrived at a tunnel just out of town. The 15Kms of coastal road was mostly single lane tunnels between 1Km and 2Kms long. It had traffic lights at either end of the tunnel to allow traffic to run at certain times of the hour. We had just missed our green light so we waited with the few cars that were parked. The lights went green on the 5, 25 and 45 minute mark and push bikes were strictly forbidden. Pushbikes are supposed to take a mountainous road around the tunnels. Some of the cyclists that we were following before approached us to tell us, in broken English, of the dangers of riding through the tunnels. Doing some rough calculations we could only spend 8mins (max) in one direction before we needed to find safety and at the start of each tunnel we would have to wait for all the cars to pass us before we set off. It was decided that we were going to take our chances, we just needed to peddle our legs off.
The green light was on and the last car entered the tunnel. With adrenalin pumping we jumped on our bikes and sped after the red tail lights that were slowly shrinking into the distance. We rode flat out to try to keep the red beacons in our sights but, with the tunnel over 2Kms long, they were gone and it was just 3 blokes on bikes riding for their lives in a poorly lit tunnel. As the cars were slow to enter the tunnel at the start it had reduced the amount of time we had to make it to safety and with less than a minute remaining we burst out of the tunnel into beautiful sunshine. From then on we decided to limit the distance in the tunnels to under 2Kms.
After the short sprints through the tunnels we arrived at Levanto. The coastal roads ended here so we had to take a short train ride to the start of the Cinque Terre trail. We had hoped to cycle the trail but they are strictly walking paths with many steps. We had a choice to catch the train to the next village on the Cinque Terra trail or cycle to the top of the range and then drop down into the final two towns. With the thought of adventure we took the challenge to cycle. On the first hill out of Levanto we had to peddle up a 19% grade road. It was a difficult climb, but worth it. The amazing view of the coastal towns was everything we had been told about. Late in the afternoon we rolled into Riomaggiore to watch fisherman at their trade as the sunset into the Mediterranean. It was a beautiful finish to an exciting, but tough day… or so we thought.
We caught a train out of Riomaggiore and arrived in Massa late in the evening. From the train station we headed into the city to find a suitable place to stay, but there was nothing in our price range. A few locals pointed us in the direction of a hostel by the shoreline but it, like most things on this trip, was closed. We were lucky to find an hotelier with a soft spot for Australians. He offered us a great deal on a room for the night and even asked us to share coffee and chocolates with him and his wife. A mixed up pizza order and a sneaky kebab (sorry sambo) later we really were done for the day. A soft warm bed in an old three story mansion really was the grand finish to a grand day.
December 20th, 2008
by Lachman
We were glad we decided to take the caravan last night – gee was it cold! Today, however, is looking a little better. We warmed up pretty quickly as we tried to keep up with “Sunday riders” on their fast road bikes. We climbed up and over each hill dividing small towns with perfect blue skies and a warm sun, it was a wonderful day for riding. Keeping up with fit men on expensive road bikes was taking its toll and it wasn’t long before we had to take off the thermals. There were plenty of riders out today. If you counted up the collective value of the riders bikes – Bianchi, Colnago, DeRosa, Pinarello, etc – it would rival the GDP of some countries.
Considering the hilly terrain we had travelled a good distance in a relatively short period of time so we stopped for a short break to finally fix my gears. The clicking and clunking was annoying and I wanted to fix it up for good! But my skills on the computer keyboard don’t translate as well as I had hoped to bike maintenance. The result of my tinkering ended up breaking the shifters for the rear derailleur. I was now left with the two gears on the front crank – three, if I pull the wire that run underneath the top bar of the frame. It was not quite the desired result I was after.
The hills continued for the rest of the day, including a steep 15% grade hill climb over a mountain that seemed to rise directly out of the Mediterranean. The pass was 300m above sea level and less than a kilometre from the shore. But the effort wasn’t without its rewards. When we came down off the mountain we dropped into a beautiful small fishing village called Rapallo. The temptation to stay was great, but Simon’s long winded synopsis of a B-Grade movie made Sam and I look for any opportunity to leave the area.
The sun was setting, we had nowhere to stay, and we had no food. Lavagna was a very small town with barely any open hotels, let alone open grocery stores. We had to find a campsite before nightfall, after that time it would be almost impossible to find a suitable place to sleep. With our minds racing back to the illegal campsite in the construction site a couple of days earlier, we were determined to find somewhere safe and legal. We a small house just out of the middle of town with a large front yard. We knocked on the door, but got no answer from inside. We stood in the yard and debated if we should stay or leave. It was now almost dark so Sam decided to go back down to the house for one last effort to see if the owner was home, if no-one answered we would move on. But on this occasion we were lucky. The owner was home, and better still spoke was able to speak French with Sam. He agreed to let us stay in the front yard for the night. Within 10 minutes we had setup the tent and started cooking some pasta we found earlier in a small local store.
December 19th, 2008
by Lachman
We snuck out of our cheeky camp-site at the earliest moment of daylight and continued along the well maintained bike path until, about 5 Kms later, it ended abruptly and we were forced onto the main road with little-to-no siding for us to cycle on. As the cars whizzed past us on our left, on our right was beautiful Italian coastline of the Riviera di Ponente region. It’s a mixed up area with steep cliffs that drop off into the Mediterranean separating flat areas of coastline where small towns have popped-up to support the summer-time rush of tourists, but this was winter. The summer-time tourists of youthful people and families have been replaced by octogenarians sitting on the seaside benches getting their twelve minutes of sun chatting about who won cards last night. Many of the shuffling characters stopped, stared, and muttered a few words to themselves as they past our bikes leaned up against sea-wall, but they dared not talk to us like they might catch a disease. Maybe it was because we had commandeered one of the precious seats in the sun to eat our breakfast or maybe it was just because they’re old! None-the-less, we enjoyed the beauty of the region. In each cove was a town, a little piece of magic squished in-between hills that pushed out into the sea.
As we peddled on we were starting to realise that we weren’t going to reach our target of Imperia. We stopped for another brilliant Italian espresso to chat about our options. We got talking to the waitress, Flavia, who confirmed that Imperia was too far away from our current location in Savona. The coffee stop turned into a beer stop and we dropped the idea of getting all the way to Imperia. With very little hope at finding a camp-site that was actually open we looked for another area to set up our tent, but the coast-line was sheer cliff. With some amazing luck we ran into a caravan park that promised a shower and a warm bed. We cooked some food, charged our necessary items and got to bed.
December 18th, 2008
by Sam
It was only on the morning that we left Nice that I realised we were already about to leave France. We were all a little disappointed that the French stint was over, but we got a cool parting gift. We found the bike store owner we’d met the previous afternoon (who was the mechanic for Lance Armstrong apparently), and got some local riding jerseys! We climbed over hills overlooking alcoves with countless multi-million dollar yachts. Before long and almost without realising it we descended into Monaco. Of course there was a heap more yachts, a few Ferraris and (probably) the real Astana team, but apart from more stunning coastal outlooks, we were only mildly impressed with Monaco. With that, another ten km, and an embarrassing crash into a bench, we found ourselves in Italy! The first things we noticed were a lot of bike friendly tunnels, both with traffic and bike only ones! Not all of the old coastal railway has been converted yet, but I imagine the Northern Coast of Italy will be a pleasure to ride in about five years. Accordingly, there are stacks of enthusiastic push-bikers who whistle as us. We haven’t exactly figured out what that means yet… With sunlight fading fast we spotted a half constructed building in between two resorts and a marina, and took turns looking innocent on the bike path while the others ran the gear down inside. You always wonder who or what else you might be sharing your accommodation with when you pitch your tent in something like that, but along the coast we didn’t really have another option. That night we probably got away with our cheekiest campsite yet, right next to a marina that charges god-knows-what per night.
December 17th, 2008
by Lachman
We left St Maxime at the start of a beautiful morning. To our right was the gulf of St Tropez and across the water was the small village that gives the gulf its name. The road we are taking follows the rocky French coastline, not too dissimilar to the coastline we saw in the south of Spain, only slight less mountainous! Still this didn’t stop us from seeing beautiful red cliffs that plunged into the sea and in the background snow capped mountains in the distance behind the cities of Cannes, Antibes and Nice.
For the most part we were wearing just a cycling jersey and a pair of knicks (cycling pants). The sun was wonderful and the wind was relatively calm to the previous few days in this area. On the beaches we could see debris and seaweed washed up from the big swells. The waves were still around every now and then though, as we found out just outside of Cannes. Following the road next to the water we saw some surfers out riding the waves, which occasionally broke up against the barrier on the side of the road, splashing salty water onto the road. Unfortunately for me, I was a victim of one of the waves. Sam riding just ahead of me was lucky enough to duck under a wall of water that saturated me and my bike, twice!
Covered in a crusty layer of salt (well, just me) we peddled through Cannes and then onto the cute town of Antibes where we found a cycle path that led all the way into Nice. However, we didn’t quite make it to Nice. On the road to a bike store we met a local, Jean. After hearing about our dilemma with accommodation, he offered a mattress in his house for the night, and we, of course, accepted gladly! He and his wife, Caroline, were amazingly generous and accommodating. I’m sure it was a bit of a surprise for Caroline to have three Australians sitting in her home when she returned from work, but the entire time they made us feel welcome.
Over some nice wine, biscuits, cheese, olives, and other local food we listened to Jean’s stories. Well travelled and well read I was wondering at how one person can do so much. Inspiration for us to, maybe one day, lead our lives in a similar vein.
December 16th, 2008
by smar
The morning’s weather was not kind to us, as we woke to the familiar sound of rain. We hung around inside hoping the rain would clear up, but alas this would prove not to be the case. So we said goodbye to Sammy and Bene, and said a big thanks for all their hospitality and then headed towards the coast. After about 300 metres we were already saturated and were surprised to see the amount of localised flooding. We managed to find a bike track out of Hyeres with the weather conditions this proved to be a good option as it allowed us to relax and talk as we rode. Throughout the day winding in and out along the coast road we realised the flooding was not localised, but widespread up and down the coast. We left the bike path close to Rayol Canadel as it started to become unsealed and washed away in parts due to the weather. We decided to pull over for a late lunch using the excuse for a long lunch to warm up and dry out a little. After a the long lunch the rain looked to have stopped for a while and we headed out to continue riding, the rain had subsided but it was still very cold. With some climbing and winding in and out with the coast we quickly warmed up, just in time for the sun to come out at about three o’clock. We rode into to St Tropez to find that the flooding was worse than we expected. Roads were closed, shopping centres were flooded, and boats that were morred in canals were like river rafts in rapids. We rode through the closed roads as the water was not flowing it was mostly still, but it was very deep at times. All of the camping grounds were closed and most of the places we would set the tent up on the sly were flooded so we pressed on around the bay as the sun set towards Ste- Maxime where the flooding was not so bad. It was good to get out of the wet clothes and tuck in to a warm baguette with brie, tomato and avocado.
December 15th, 2008
by Sam
Everyone keeps saying around here that we’re unlucky with the weather in this region. From all accounts it is normally warm and dry, but this year it has snowed and rained more than ever. I think we’re still doing ok though, as these are the first few days of set in rain that we’ve encountered, and we’ve been lucky enough to be keeping out of it with Bene and Sami. They took us around to see what we could see in the cyclonic conditions. The same beach of the picture perfect sunset we witnessed on the way in is now buried under about half a metre of seaweed. I saw some real live flamingos for the first time of my life, and we witnessed the best windsurfing spot in Europe. Bene cooked up some great meals and started to understand some of our euride lingo and jokes. Simon and Sammi hit it off, discovering their shared love of surfing and rugby. We watched movies, chatted and read books. All in all it was a great rainy weekend in with good company. Thanks guys, looking forward to catching up soon!
December 13th, 2008
by smar
An early wake up to a beautiful day in Marseille, as we rode out of the hostel the sun was warm but the temperature was brisk. We rode past an early morning football game with frost on the grass. As we climbed the hills out of Marseille we were climbing in the shadows of the mountains. The further we rode out of town and up the mountain the fewer houses we saw. The cars that were on the side of the road were covered in frost and there were many cyclists on their way down the Mountain. Once we reached the top of the climb where the morning sun was warm on our knuckles and the crisp mountain air was starting to warm, we descended into the sea side village Cassis where there were even more cyclists. A lady stopped and chatted with us and told us places to visit, and the best roads to ride on the way to Toulon. We were stopped again by two older men cycling in La Ciotat who were keen for a chat and showed us to the local bike shop so we could get a local team jersey.
From La Ciotat we rode through many sea side towns where the roads were very accommodating to cyclists. We passed many large groups and individuals for the rest of the day. The clouds started to roll in from the ocean as we entered Toulon and the main square was full of Christmas stalls and the streets were covered in decorations. From there we followed the bike track all the way to Hyeres, where we watched the sun setting over the ocean. From the beach we met up with an old friend of Lachlan’s, Benedicte where we going to stay for the night. Benedicte went out to get some salad for dinner, and in that time we got talking to Sammie (Benedicte’s boy friend) and he asked us if we enjoyed rugby because there was a big game on tonight, we all said we loved rugby and he went to see if we could still get tickets. It was the one of the big games of the season, Montpellier V’s Toulon. When we arrived at the stadium, a man gave us three tickets to the outer, it was turning out to be a great day. A game filled with Australian and New Zealand players including Sonny Bill Williams, was very enjoyable, with Toulon winning 30-9.
Jour 34
Un rĂ©veil matinal pour une belle journĂ©e Ă Marseille; et comme nous quittions l’hĂ´tel, le soleil Ă©tait chaud mais les tempĂ©ratures vivifiantes. Nous avons roulĂ© près d’un match de foot, tĂ´t le matin, oĂą la pelouse Ă©tait gelĂ©e. En grimpant les collines autour de Marseille, nous pĂ©dalions Ă l’ombre des montagnes. Plus nous nous Ă©loignions de la ville dans les montagnes, moins nous voyions de maisons. Les voitures sur le bord de la route Ă©taient couvertes de givre et nous croisions beaucoup de cyclistes descendant la montagne. Une fois en haut de la cĂ´te, oĂą le soleil rĂ©chauffait nos doigts et oĂą l’air glacial devenait plus doux, nous sommes descendus vers le village cĂ´tier de Cassis, oĂą il y avait encore plus de cyclistes. Une dame s’arrĂŞta pour parler avec nous et nous indiquer des endroits Ă visiter et les plus jolis routes Ă prendre pour gagner Toulon. Deux hommes plus vieux nous ont encore arrĂŞtĂ© Ă La Ciotat pour discuter et nous montrer le magasin de vĂ©lo pour que nous puissions acheter un pull de l’Ă©quipe locale.
Depuis La Ciotat, nous avons traversĂ© beaucoup de villages de bord de mer oĂą les routes Ă©taient adaptĂ©es aux cyclistes. Nous avons vu beaucoup de groupes et d’individuels pendant le reste de la journĂ©e. Les nuages avançaient de la mer alors que nous entrions dans Toulon et la place principale Ă©tait pleine de stands de NoĂ«l et les rues couvertes de dĂ©corations. De lĂ , nous avons suivi la piste cyclable jusqu’Ă Hyères, oĂą nous avons regardĂ© le coucher de soleil sur la mer. Sur la plage, nous avons retrouvĂ© une ancienne amie de Lachlan, BĂ©nĂ©dicte, chez qui nous allons dormir. BĂ©nĂ©dicte est sortie pour chercher quelques salades pour le dĂ®ner, et pendant ce temps, nous avons parlĂ© avec Sammie (le petit ami de BĂ©nĂ©dicte) qui nous a demandĂ© si nous aimions le rugby parce qu’il y avait un gros match ce soir lĂ ; nous avons tous rĂ©pondu ‘oui’ et il est sorti pour voir s’il restait des tickets. C’Ă©tait l’un des plus gros matchs de la saison, Montpellier-Toulon. Quand nous sommes arrivĂ©s au stade, un homme nous a donnĂ© 3 tickets Ă l’extĂ©rieur, ça devenait une vraiment bonne journĂ©e. Ce match, plein de joueurs australiens et nĂ©o-zĂ©landais dont Sonny Bill Williams, fut très apprĂ©ciable, avec la victoire de Toulon 30-9.
December 12th, 2008
by Lachman
While lying in the tent inside the disused watershed we could hear wind blowing a gale outside. Thanks to our good efforts yesterday we only had to ride 6Kms to get to the centre of Arles. We grabbed a baguette and quick coffee and started heading out of town. On the way out we stopped by an old stadium where a French-language school tour group from Moreton Bay College had assembled. We had a quick (Brisbane) chat then got pedalling. The tail-wind was a God send. Finally we’d had a bit of luck with the wind. We shot out onto the highway and with the 40Kms winds blowing over our shoulder. No longer were the trucks pushing us around on the side of the road, instead they were giving us a helping hand in the direction of Marseille.
On flat ground Simon hit a top speed of 63Kms\hr. I was wondering if it might have something to do with his over-sized Gortex jacket acting as a sail! The side of the road was wonderfully wide and gave us enough room to ride side-by-side to have a chat, whilst still spinning at 30Kms\hr. But this didn’t last long. As we drew closer to the Mediterranean the siding of the road sometimes merged with the busy highway of cars and large trucks. After a few hairy moments we finally it to safer smaller roads that wound around a massive inland bay called Etang de Berre. From there it was a simple up-and-over the hills surrounding Marseille. Our first impression of Marseille was that it was a large, dirty city. We only discovered its beauty when we reached the centre of the city, around the marina. A beautiful sunset and a brilliant full moon topped off a pretty good day’s ride.
Jour 33
Alors que nous Ă©tions allongĂ©s dans la tente dans le hangar dĂ©saffectĂ©, nous entendions le vent qui soufflait violemment dehors. Grâce Ă nos efforts de la veille, nous avions seulement 6 km Ă faire pour atteindre le centre d’Arles. On s’est jetĂ© sur une baguette et un petit cafĂ© et avons commencĂ© Ă sortir de la ville. Sur la route, nous nous sommes arrĂŞtĂ©s vers un vieux stade oĂą un groupe d’une Ă©cole française de Moreton Bay s’Ă©tait rassemblĂ©. Nous avons eu une discussion rapide (sur Brisbane) puis nous avons repris la route. Le vent dans le dos Ă©tait un don de Dieu. Enfin nous avions un peu de chance avec le vent. Nous nous sommes lancĂ©s sur la voie rapide avec ce vent Ă 40 km/h soufflant sur nos Ă©paules. Maintenant, les camions ne nous jetaient plus sur le cĂ´tĂ© de la route, mais nous aidaient et nous poussaient dans la direction de Marseille.
Sur le plat, Simon a atteint la vitesse record de 63 km/h. Je me demandais si je ne devais pas faire quelque chose avec cette trop grosse veste en Goretex, qui fait l’effet d’une voile! Le cĂ´tĂ© de la route Ă©tait incroyablement large et nous avions assez de place pour rouler cĂ´te Ă cĂ´te et discuter, en roulant toujours Ă 30 km/h. Mais ça n’a pas durĂ© longtemps. Comme nous approchions de la mer, les bas-cĂ´tĂ©s se fondaient Ă la route chargĂ©e de voitures et de gros camions. Après quelques moments un peu dangereux, nous avons finalement atteint des routes plus petites qui s’enroulaient autour d’une Ă©norme baie intĂ©rieure, appelĂ©e Étang de Berre. A partir de lĂ , nous avions juste Ă passer les collines qui surplombent Marseille. Notre première impression fut que Marseille Ă©tait une grosse ville sale. Nous avons dĂ©couvert sa beautĂ© en gagnant le centre-ville, autour de la marina. Un beau soleil et une pleine lune brillante ont couronnĂ© une bonne journĂ©e de voyage.
December 11th, 2008
by Sam
Tuesday night we were too cold and wet to notice Lachlan had snapped yet another spoke, so that was a nice little surprise jobbie for this morning. We tightened up our brakes, swapped the tent over to my bike, scoffed two pain au chocolat each, and then scissor-paper-rocked off for the last two. Luckily for lach’s spokes Simon and I took them out. Yesterday we met up with Pascal and his mates for a few beers. I met Pascal grape-picking in Vinsobres this autumn, and it was great to catch up with him again. We’re trying to get to Marseille for the weekend, which puts us close to 200km over two days. Riding wise today was pretty stock standard. Garmi threw in a few muddy tracks and Simon very nearly lost it, luckily I had it attached to my bike or Garmi would be in the river. For a change we did have a cranking tailwind for an hour or so. It turned into a howling side-wind as we turned up towards Arles, and we all got blown off the road once or twice. With a cross-wind like that you’ve got the bike leaned into the breeze. When a truck momentarily takes out the wind as it passes you feel like you’re being sucked in and then you have to avoid getting thrown into the ditch as the wind hits once again. What I loved today though were the colours. We’re in swampy marsh-lands at the moment, and the long grass looks great in the afternoon sun between the rich green grass and the blue-grey wind-swept sky.
We accosted a young man as he stepped off a bus, and he pointed us down a service road and said we should be able to find a field to camp in. Even better. We found an ivy covered irrigation pump shed better protected than the last one we squatted. Luckily too, from in here it sounds like a cyclone out there. There are no gusts of wind because it’s constantly blowing 100km/h! Anyway, we’re warm and happy and off to Marseille tomorrow.
Jour 32
Mardi soir Ă©tait trop froid et humide pour que l’on remarque que Lachlan avait cassĂ© un autre rayon, ce fut donc une jolie surprise ce matin. Nous avons resserrĂ© nos freins, fixĂ© la tente Ă mon vĂ©lo, englouti 2 pains au chocolat chacun, et jouĂ© Ă pierre-feuille-ciseau les 2 derniers. Heureusement pour les rayons de Lach, Simon et moi avons gagnĂ©. Hier, nous avons retrouvĂ© Pascal, vendangeur Ă Vinsobres cet automne, et c’Ă©tait cool de le revoir. Nous essayons d’atteindre Marseille ce week-end, ce qui nous pousse Ă faire 200 km sur 2 jours. Rouler sagement aujourd’hui, Ă©tait plutĂ´t le niveau moyen. Garmi nous a amenĂ© dans quelques passages boueux et Simon l’a presque perdu, heureusement qu’il Ă©tait attachĂ© Ă mon vĂ©lo, sinon il serait dans une rivière. Pour changer, nous avons eu le vent dans le dos, pendant une heure environ. Il s’est transformĂ© en un vent latĂ©ral violent alors que nous nous dirigions vers Arles, et nous avons tous Ă©tĂ© dĂ©viĂ©s une fois ou deux. Avec un vent de cĂ´tĂ© pareil, le vent s’appuie Ă la brise. Alors quand un camion coupe momentanĂ©ment le vent en nous croisant, on a l’impression d’ĂŞtre aspirĂ©, puis jetĂ© au fossĂ© quand le vent revient. Ce que j’ai aimĂ© aujourd’hui malgrĂ© tout, ce sont les couleurs. Nous sommes dans une rĂ©gion marĂ©cageuse en ce moment, et les herbes hautes sont magnifiques dans le soleil de l’après-midi, entre le vert riche de l’herbe et le ciel venteux bleu-gris.
Nous avons accostĂ© un jeune homme alors qu’il descendait d’un bus, et il nous a indiquĂ© une route secondaire en disant que nous devrions trouver un champ pour camper. Encore mieux. Nous avons trouvĂ© un abri de pompe d’irrigation recouvert de lierre, encore mieux protĂ©gĂ© que notre abri prĂ©cĂ©dent. Heureusement aussi, depuis l’intĂ©rieur, on a l’impression d’un cyclone Ă l’extĂ©rieur. Il n’y a pas de rafale de vent puisqu’il souffle constamment Ă 100 km/h! Enfin, nous sommes au chaud et contents et nous serons Ă Marseille demain.
December 10th, 2008
by Lachman
 Today we took a day out to explore the city of Montpellier. Walking along the streets has easily made this city my most favourite city of Europe. The buildings are beautifully restored. At each corner there is another row of wonderfully decorative sandstone structures.  The people are young and friendly and the general vibe of the city makes me want to stay just a little longer. In the afternoon we enjoyed a few beers with Pascal, a friend of Sam’s from grape-picking in the south of France earlier in the year, and a few of his mates. Simon and I are working on our French, but it hasn’t really progressed past the bonjour and merci. It made it kinda difficult to create a full sentence in French. Sam continued to work as our translator.
Christmas is getting close. We can tell, not only because of the massive Christmas trees we keep passing in each town, but also because we can keep the beers cold by putting them outside. The temperature is getting pretty low at night and its making the tent-option less and less attractive. But hey, c’est la vie.
Jour 31
Aujourd’hui, nous avons passĂ© la journĂ©e Ă explorer la ville de Montpellier. Marcher dans les rues a facilement fait de cette ville ma prĂ©fĂ©rĂ©e en Europe. Les bâtiments sont admirablement restaurĂ©s. A chaque coin, il y a une nouvelle rangĂ©e de structures en grès merveilleusement dĂ©coratifs. Les gens sont jeunes et amicaux, et la ville en gĂ©nĂ©ral m’a donnĂ© envie de rester juste un peu plus longtemps. Dans l’après-midi, nous avons bu quelques bières avec Pascal, un ami que Sam a rencontrĂ© pendant les vendanges un peu plus tĂ´t dans l’annĂ©e, et quelques uns de ses potes. Simon et moi travaillons sur notre français, mais il n’a pas beaucoup progressĂ© en dehors du “bonjour” et “merci”. C’est un peu, disons, difficile de faire une phrase entière en français. Sam continue de travailler comme notre traducteur.
NoĂ«l approche. Nous ne le remarquons pas seulement Ă cause des sapins gigantesques que nous n’arrĂŞtons pas de voir dans chaque ville, mais surtout parce que nous pouvons garder les bières au frais juste en les mettant dehors. Les tempĂ©ratures deviennent vraiment basses la nuit, rendant l’option-tente de moins en moins attrayante. Mais bon, c’est la vie.
December 9th, 2008
by smar
We could hear the cars below driving in the rain before we woke. As the sun rose behind the clouds and the rain trickled down the panes of glass we woke from our slumber to our first day of what looked like full rain. As we exited Beziers we were thoroughly wet. My glasses were fogging up making it hard to see and our Goretex jackets were working over-time to keep us dry. We set a course towards Sete, a beautiful sea side town and along the way we stopped at Agde for a fresh baguette and some left over pasta and a break from the rain. The ladies at the bakery invited us in out of the cold and offered us a coffee. They wanted us to stay the night in the town as the weather was nasty outside, but it was still early in the day. After the quick meal and coffee to warm us up we were back on track to Sete.  As we rode along the coast with the wind in our faces the weather was creating massive waves out to our right but we could not glance for too long as to not lose concentration and cause a three bike pile up! But we headed in to Sete and again hid from the wind and rain, with the refuge of a hot coffee and warm shelter. Both of the seaside towns we passed would have been beautiful places, if the sun was shining. You could imaging in summer that they would be bustling with activity.
From Sete we headed back through wine vineyards and a rolling countryside toward Montpellier. About 15kms from our destination we found a bike path that we ended up riding almost all the way into to the town centre. This was a blessing as it allowed us to relax a little, not having to worry about the small shoulder and winds blowing us around. On arrival in Montpellier we headed straight to the hostel Sam had previously stayed at… it was closed and will be for a month! It also turned out that most of the inexpensive hotels were booked. The sun had gone down and the wind was blowing a gale when we stumbled on a very inexpensive hotel in the middle of town. Luck had gone our way. We were all keen for a shower and a hot meal and glad to get out of our wet clothes.
Jour 30.
Nous entendions les voitures rouler sous la pluie avant mĂŞme de nous lever. Pendant que le soleil se levait derrière les nuages et que la pluie dĂ©goulinait sur les vitres, nous sommes sortis de notre sommeil pour ce qui paraissait ĂŞtre notre premier jour pluvieux. A la sortie de BĂ©ziers, nous Ă©tions complètement mouillĂ©s. Mes lunettes Ă©taient embuĂ©es, ça devenait difficile de bien voir et nos vestes en Goretex faisaient des heures sup’ pour nous garder au sec. Nous avons pris la direction de Sète, une jolie petite ville cĂ´tière et le long du chemin, nous nous sommes arrĂŞtĂ©s Ă Agde pour du pain frais, le restant des pâtes et un petite pause au sec. Les dames de la boulangerie nous ont invitĂ© pour un cafĂ© hors du froid. Elles voulaient que nous restions en ville pour la nuit Ă cause du mauvais temps, mais il Ă©tait encore tĂ´t. Après le repas rapide et le cafĂ© pour nous rĂ©chauffer, nous Ă©tions de retour sur la route de Sète. Comme nous roulions le long de la cĂ´te, avec le vent dans nos visages, il se crĂ©ait d’Ă©normes vagues sur notre droite mais nous ne pouvions pas jeter de trop longs coups d’Ĺ“il, au risque de perdre la concentration et faire une pile vĂ©los! Nous avons atteint Sète malgrĂ© tout, et nous nous sommes Ă nouveau cachĂ©s de la pluie et du vent, avec un cafĂ© chaud et un abri. Les deux villes cĂ´tières que nous avons traversĂ©es auraient Ă©tĂ© des endroits merveilleux si le soleil avait brillĂ©. C’est facile de les imaginer dans l’animation et l’activitĂ© de l’Ă©tĂ©.
A partir de Sète, nous retrouvions les vignes et la campagne vallonnĂ©e menant Ă Montpellier. A 15 km de notre destination, nous avons trouvĂ© une piste cyclable qui arrivait pratiquement au centre ville. C’Ă©tait plutĂ´t bienvenue puisque ça nous permettait de nous relaxer un peu, sans avoir besoin de nous inquiĂ©ter des accotements trop petits ou du vent qui nous fait dĂ©vier. En arrivant Ă Montpellier, nous sommes directement allĂ©s Ă l’hĂ´tel oĂą Sam avait dĂ©jĂ sĂ©journĂ©… il Ă©tait fermĂ©, et ce pour un mois! Et en fait, tous les hĂ´tels bon marchĂ© Ă©taient complets. Le soleil avait dĂ©jĂ disparu et le vent soufflait vraiment fort quand nous sommes tombĂ©s sur un hĂ´tel très bon marchĂ© au milieu de la ville. La chance Ă©tait avec nous. Nous Ă©tions tous bons pour une douche et un repas chaud, et ravis de quitter nos vĂŞtements trempĂ©s.
December 8th, 2008
by smar
 After celebrating with the Spanish pilgrims til the wee hours of the morning and thoroughly enjoying the rest day in the castle at Carcassonne, we were keen to hit the road again. We were eagerly awaiting the winds that greeted us the other day as head winds, to assist us today as a tail-breeze but as we set out, again the wind would be at our faces. As we headed out of Carcassone we looked to leave the hills behind with only a few rolling mounds and winding roads through the grape vines and canals that covered the country side. We stopped for lunch beside a bridge and finished off last nights dinner, as we lathered our baguettes with pâté, pesto and chorizo, a car pulled over and a gentleman stepped out and greeted us, it turned out he was a couch surfer  that we had contacted about staying at his home, but he was only heading back to Carcassonne after a business trip, but recognised the flag and three blokes and their bikes and stopped for a chat.
The afternoons ride was a steady pace into to Beziers were we stopped in the afternoons setting sun for a coffee in the main square, while deciding what to do next. We decided to stay in Beziers for the night to have a look around the city, and rest up to head on to Montpellier tomorrow.
Jour 29
Après avoir fait la fĂŞte avec les pèlerins espagnols jusqu’au petit matin, et profitĂ© du château de Carcassonne le reste de la journĂ©e, nous Ă©tions prĂŞts Ă reprendre la route. Nous attendions impatiemment que ce vent, qui nous avait accueilli de face l’autre jour, nous assiste aujourd’hui comme une brise dans le dos, mais comme nous l’avions prĂ©vu, le vent Ă©tait une fois encore face Ă nous. Comme nous quittions Carcassonne, nous comptions laisser les montĂ©es derrière nous, avec seulement quelques chemins vallonnĂ©s et des routes venteuses Ă travers les vignes et les canaux qui couvrent la campagne. Nous nous sommes arrĂŞtĂ©s près d’un pont pour manger et finir le dĂ®ner de la veille, nos baguettes au pâtĂ©, pesto et chorizo, quand une voiture s’est arrĂŞtĂ©e et un gentleman en est sorti en nous saluant. Il s’est trouvĂ© qu’il Ă©tait le couchsurfer que nous avions contactĂ© pour rester chez lui, mais il retournait seulement Ă Carcassonne après un voyage d’affaire, avait reconnu le drapeau et les trois types sur leur vĂ©lo et s’arrĂŞtait juste pour discuter.
Le trajet de l’après-midi a suivi un rythme constant jusqu’Ă BĂ©ziers, oĂą nous nous sommes arrĂŞtĂ©s dans le soleil couchant pour un cafĂ© sur la grande place, pour dĂ©cider ce que nous allions faire après. Nous avons choisi de rester Ă BĂ©ziers pour la nuit afin de jeter un Ĺ“il Ă la ville et se reposer pour atteindre Montpellier demain.
December 7th, 2008
by Lachman
 We woke this morning to a warm hostel bed, a nice change from a cold sleeping bag yesterday, and got ready to ride. Instead of getting on our bikes outside in the cold, we slid back into our hostel beds and stayed there until we decided that staying in the castle another day was a more attractive option, and we’re glad we did. Later we rode throughout the town enjoying the old streets, had a beer in a local pub watching the rugby and bought groceries for a massive feast at dinner. We had pate, baguettes, a healthy pasta dish, and a generous serving of wine.
While the 150 strong crowd of mediaeval Spaniards enjoyed their festivities we played drinking-Uno with a couple of Spanish girls we met earlier, a French girl,  and our Italian room-mate. Who thought Uno could be so much fun? A bit too much drinking meant we lost track of time, but it was around 7 hours later that we joined the Spaniards drinking and eating fresh jamon. We were shown how to drink from a traditional sack of wine, where Sam mastered the technique drinking for 60 seconds! He was then thrown in the air by a few to the calls of CHAMPION and OLE OLE OLE.
Tomorrow should be OK, strong tail winds predicted we’ve heard.
Jour 28
Nous nous sommes rĂ©veillĂ©s ce matin dans un lit douillet Ă l’hĂ´tel, pour changer du duvet froid d’hier, et nous Ă©tions prĂŞts Ă partir. Au lieu de grimper sur nos vĂ©los dans le froid, nous nous sommes Ă nouveau glissĂ©s dans les lits et nous sommes restĂ©s lĂ jusqu’Ă ce que nous dĂ©cidions que rester au château un jour de plus Ă©tait une option plus allĂ©chante, et nous sommes contents de l’avoir fait. Plus tard, nous avons roulĂ© Ă travers la ville, en profitant des rues anciennes, bu une bière dans un pub en regardant du rugby et achetĂ© des provisions pour le festin du soir. Nous avons eu du pâtĂ©, des baguettes, un plat de pâtes salutaire, et un gĂ©nĂ©reux service en vin.
Pendant que les 150 costauds espagnols mĂ©diĂ©vaux profitaient de leur fĂŞte, nous avons jouĂ© au Uno et bu avec deux Espagnoles que nous avions rencontrĂ©es plus tĂ´t, une Française et notre voisin de chambre italien. Qui aurait pu penser que le Uno pouvait ĂŞtre aussi marrant? Le fait de boire un peu trop a fait que nous avons oubliĂ© l’heure, mais 7h plus tard environ, nous avons rejoins les Espagnols en buvant et mangeant du jambon. Nous avons appris comment boire avec une outre Ă vin, et Sam a vraiment maĂ®trisĂ© la technique en buvant pendant 60 secondes! Après ça, quelques uns l’ont jetĂ© dans les airs au son des CHAMPION et OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ.
Demain devrait ĂŞtre tranquille, avec un fort vent de dos, parait-il.
December 6th, 2008
by Sam
The best thing about setting up the tent inside the abandoned tool shed is that in the morning it had finally dried out for once! We’d lost a water bottle and used the little water we had cooking the day before, so we rode pretty parched into the first town. Today was great. Friendly local artisan trades, several chateaux high up on hills, markets, and a long easy ride beside some river rapids. Arriving in Carcassonne we were met with a huge medieval castle. Huge. Garmi was directing us right inside to where the hostel was supposed to be, over the drawbridge and everything. We were pleasantly surprised to see that for once he was right!!  We timed our stay in the castle well too, because this weekend there were 150 Spanish medieval enthusiasts stamping around in costume with drums and pipes and wine sacks and swords. Outside the castle in the downtown area, there were Christmas markets, light shows, and an ice skating rink. There were people everywhere and everyone was generally having a good time. We joined in and had a great night to finish off a great day.
Jour 27
Le truc bien quand on installe sa tente dans un hangar Ă outils abandonnĂ©, c’est que ce matin, elle Ă©tait sèche pour une fois! Nous avions perdu une bouteille d’eau, et utilisĂ© le peu qui nous restait pour cuisiner la veille, donc nous avons roulĂ©, plutĂ´t assoiffĂ©s, jusqu’Ă la première ville. Aujourd’hui a Ă©tĂ© vraiment cool. Des commerces d’artisans sympas, plusieurs châteaux en haut des collines, des marchĂ©s, et une longue ballade le long des rapides d’une rivière. En arrivant Ă Carcassonne nous faisions face Ă un Ă©norme château mĂ©diĂ©val. Énorme. Garmi nous dirigeait directement lĂ oĂą l’hĂ´tel Ă©tait supposĂ© ĂŞtre, de l’autre cĂ´tĂ© du pont-levis. Nous avons Ă©tĂ© agrĂ©ablement surpris de voir que pour une fois, il avait raison!! Nous avons donc prĂ©vu de rester Ă l’hĂ´tel, parce que ce week-end, il y avait lĂ 150 Espagnols en costume, fĂ©rus de Moyen-Age, avec des tambours et des cornemuses, des outres Ă vin et des Ă©pĂ©es. A l’extĂ©rieur du château, en ville, il y avait des marchĂ©s de NoĂ«l, des sons et lumières et une patinoire. Il y avait des gens partout, et tout le monde avait l’air de s’amuser. Nous nous sommes joints Ă eux et avons passĂ© une super nuit, après une super journĂ©e.
December 5th, 2008
by smar
 With our stomachs well lined and clean dry clothes we waved goodbye to the Isaias and headed off towards Carcassonne. We realised early on that we were in for a hard days riding with a head breeze and squabits of rain about. Trying to avoid the winds we decided that following the advice of the global positional system was getting a little boring and tried the old method of guess and see. This took us on many back roads, that then digressed to gravel paths and then further to muddy goat tracks, some how we popped out back on track and had managed to escape the winds for a hour or so as well as getting in some great but unexpected mountain biking! We were already behind our predicted times as around every corner was a great view but also winds that were making riding very difficult. We stopped to eat the lunch that the Isaias had given us after almost 60km and saw a storm coming down the valley we were in, we scrambled into a farm shed where we planned to wait out the storm and hope with the passing storm the winds would die down.  This proved to be a presumptuous decision as the storm passed, the winds only got stronger, having trouble controlling the bikes in the winds before the storm we decided that it was to dangerous to head back out and set up camp in the shed. With the tent up inside the dilapidated shed we fired up the camp stove for some Spaghetti bolognaise and tried to have an early night, but it was an un easy sleep as we all continually woke to the sound of the howling winds occasionally accompanied by bursts of rain.
Jour 26
Avec nos estomacs bien remplis et des vĂŞtements propres et secs, nous avons saluĂ© les Isaia et nous sommes mis en route pour Carcassonne. Nous avons rĂ©alisĂ© assez tĂ´t que ça allait ĂŞtre une grosse journĂ©e avec un vent de face et des annonces de pluie. Pour essayer d’Ă©viter le vent, nous avons dĂ©cidĂ© que suivre l’avis du GPS devenait un peu chiant et nous avons repris la vieille mĂ©thode de “deviner et voir”. Ceci impliquait de rouler sur des routes secondaires, qui se transforment en chemin de graviers, puis en traces boueuses de chèvres. D’une manière ou d’une autre, nous sommes sortis de ces sentiers et avons rĂ©ussi Ă Ă©viter le vent pendant environ une heure et Ă faire du cyclisme de montagne inattendu mais cool! Nous Ă©tions dĂ©jĂ en retard sur ce qui Ă©tait prĂ©vu, parce qu’il y avait de super vues tout le temps, et aussi le vent qui nous ralentissait. On s’est arrĂŞtĂ© pour manger ce que les Isaia nous avaient donnĂ© après quasiment 60 km, et on a vu un orage arriver dans la vallĂ©e oĂą on Ă©tait, on s’est entassĂ© dans le petit hangar d’une ferme oĂą nous avons prĂ©vu de rester jusqu’Ă ce que l’orage passe et le vent avec lui. Ceci a Ă©tĂ© une dĂ©cision un peu prĂ©somptueuse puisqu’une fois la tempĂŞte passĂ©e, les bourrasque sont devenues encore plus fortes, et comme nous avions du mal Ă contrĂ´ler nos vĂ©los avant, nous avons dĂ©cidĂ© que c’Ă©tait trop dangereux de ressortir alors nous avons plantĂ© notre tente dans l’abri. Après avoir montĂ© la tente dans cet abri dĂ©labrĂ©, nous avons allumĂ© le rĂ©chaud pour quelques spaghetti bolognaise et essayĂ© de nous coucher tĂ´t, mais ça n’Ă©tait pas facile parce que nous Ă©tions continuellement rĂ©veillĂ©s par le bruit du vent parfois accompagnĂ© d’averses de pluie.
December 4th, 2008
by Lachman
 It was a frosty morning outside in the small village of Rhodes. Sam and I had barely slept from the cold, dew, and ice that had formed on the outside and inside of the tent. Our sleeping bags were good down to zero degrees, but it was below that. Simon on the other hand was quite toasty in his Mt Everest-resistant sleeping bag and sleeping mat. Our water bottles on our bikes outside were still frozen, as was the Australian flag attached to Simon’s bike. We stood outside the tent waiting for the sun to come over the small mountain range to dry the tent, but the clouds prevented that from happening.
 Trying to get warm we cycled towards Perpignan at good speed. Passing through village after village we were getting close to Perpignan when a car pulled over in front of us and waived his arm asking us to stop. He got out of the car and marched towards us to ask, “Is one of you Lachlan McKenna?”. In shock, it took me a little while to work out that it was Jean Marc Isaia, the father of an exchange student my family had hosted 13 years ago. Last night he had spoken to his daughter, Benedicte, who told him about our ride. It was only because he saw the half-frozen Australian flag on Simon’s bike that he stopped.  He called his wife, Gisele, to direct us to their house who made us coffee, gave us lunch and all-round brilliant French hospitality.
In the afternoon Jean Marc drove us all over Perpignan and the surrounding areas to see the old village, wineries (including wine tasting), the local country-side, some bike stores, and Perpignan city - all in an afternoon! During this time Gisele was cooking an amazing feast at home which we dived into after we got back. A brilliant finish to a brilliant day. Thank you again Isaias!
Jour 25
C’Ă©tait un matin glacial dans le petit village de Rodes. Sam et moi avons Ă peine dormi Ă cause du froid, de la rosĂ©e et de la glace qui s’est formĂ© Ă l’extĂ©rieur et Ă l’intĂ©rieur de la tente. Nos duvet sont bons pour des tempĂ©ratures autour de zĂ©ro degrĂ©, mais il faisait plus froid que ça. Simon, lui, Ă©tait presque rĂ´ti dans ses sac et tapis de couchage spĂ©cial Mont Everest. Les bouteilles d’eau sur nos vĂ©los Ă©taient toujours gelĂ©es, comme le drapeau australien attachĂ© Ă celui de Simon. On Ă©tait Ă l’extĂ©rieur de la tente, Ă attendre que le soleil sorte de derrière la petite chaĂ®ne de montagnes pour la sĂ©cher, mais les nuages laissaient prĂ©sager ce qui allait arriver.
En essayant de nous rĂ©chauffer, nous roulions vers Perpignan Ă une bonne allure. Traversant village après village, nous nous approchions de la ville quand une voiture pila devant nous et le conducteur bougea les bras pour nous demander d’arrĂŞter. Il est sorti de sa voiture et a marchĂ© vers nous en demandant “Est-ce que l’un d’entre vous est Lachlan McKenna?”. Un peu choquĂ©, ça m’a pris un moment avant de reconnaĂ®tre Jean-Marc Isaia, le père d’une Ă©tudiante en Ă©change que ma famille avait accueillie il y a 13 ans. La nuit dernière, il avait parlĂ© Ă sa fille Benedicte, qui lui avait parlĂ© de notre tour. C’est juste parce qu’il a vu le drapeau australien Ă demi gelĂ© sur le vĂ©lo de Simon qu’il s’est arrĂŞtĂ©. Il a appelĂ© sa femme, Gisele et nous a emmenĂ© jusqu’Ă leur maison pour nous faire un cafĂ©, nous donner Ă manger et toute la gĂ©niale hospitalitĂ© française.
Dans l’après-midi, Jean-Marc nous a conduit Ă Perpignan et ses alentours, pour voir de vieux villages, des caves (dĂ©gustations de vins incluse), la campagne locale, quelques magasins de vĂ©lo et la ville de Perpignan; tout ça en une seule après-midi! Pendant ce temps, Gisèle nous prĂ©parait un festin Ă la maison dans lequel nous avons plongĂ© dès que nous sommes rentrĂ©s. La fin Ă©clatante d’une journĂ©e Ă©clatante. Merci encore aux Isaia!
December 3rd, 2008
by Sam
 It was a bit surreal waking up on a mountain peak in Andorra. There was more snow than mountains I’ve skied on, and it was funny to think we rode here. We amused ourselves breaking of 2m icicles and throwing them around in the snow, and then sat down to the best buffet breakfast of the tour. The first 10k’s we were riding on snow, having fun doing big skids and taking in photos of the surrounding ski slopes, with the ski lifts below our altitude! The customs officer didn’t bother checking our smokes and alcohol quotas, and soon enough we found ourselves in Fraaaance!
I thought we were in for an all day downhill, but we still had a sneaky 900 odd metre climb in middle. The second downhill lasted forever and was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. As soon as we were back at a normal altitude, we started passing through fantastic little French villages every 10km or so. I was loving it and so were the boys. There was no way we were going to make it to Perpignan before sunset as planned, but as the rain set in we decided to try anyway.  After another hairy 15km night ride, we thought we should call it a day, Simon couldn’t see through his glasses anymore. We rolled down a suburban street asking locals if we could pitch the tent in their yard, without much love. An old bloke informed us however of an empty lot where no one would bother us, so we pitched the tent right in the middle and waved to the neighbours as they drove in and out around us. The old bloke was right but we almost froze to death that night. Well, Lach and I did, keeping Simon warm in the middle.
Jour 24
C’Ă©tait un peu irrĂ©el de se rĂ©veiller sur un pic de montagne en Andorre. Il y avait plus de neige que sur les montagnes oĂą j’ai dĂ©jĂ skiĂ©, et c’Ă©tait drĂ´le de penser que nous avions roulĂ© ici. On s’est amusĂ© Ă casser des stalactites de 2m et Ă la jeter dans la neige, et puis on s’est assis au meilleur buffet de petit-dĂ©jeuner du tour. Les 10 premiers kilomètres, nous roulions sur la neige, faisions des gros dĂ©rapages et prenions des photos des pistes de ski aux alentours, avec les remontĂ©es mĂ©caniques plus bas que nous! Les douaniers Ă la frontière ne se sont pas embĂŞtĂ© Ă vĂ©rifier nos quotas d’alcool et de cigarettes, et assez tĂ´t, on s’est retrouvĂ© en Fraaaance!
Je pensais qu’on Ă©tait bons pour une journĂ©e entière en descente, mais on a quand mĂŞme trouvĂ© une cĂ´te sournoise de 900 mètres Ă grimper au milieu. La seconde descente Ă durĂ© mille ans et a Ă©tĂ© l’une des choses les plus marrantes que j’ai jamais fait. Dès que nous sommes redescendu Ă une altitude normale, nous avons commencĂ© Ă traverser de fantastiques petits villages français, tous les 10 km environ. J’ai adorĂ© ça, et les autres aussi. Il n’y avait pas moyen d’arriver Ă Perpignan avant le coucher du soleil comme c’Ă©tait prĂ©vu, mais comme il commençait Ă pleuvoir, nous avons dĂ©cidĂ© de le faire quand mĂŞme. Après 15 autres dangereux kilomètres dans la nuit, nous avons pensĂ© que nous pouvions nous arrĂŞter, Simon ne voyait plus rien Ă travers ses lunettes. En roulant d’une rue de banlieue, nous demandions si nous pouvions planter notre tente dans tel ou tel jardin, sans beaucoup de succès. Un type nous a quand mĂŞme indiquĂ© un petit coin ou personne ne nous dĂ©rangerait, alors on a mis notre tente en plein milieu et saluĂ© les voisins quand ils passaient vers nous. Le type avait raison mais on est presque morts de froid cette nuit lĂ . Enfin, surtout Lach et moi, puisque nous tenions Simon au chaud au milieu.
December 2nd, 2008
by Admin
 We started the day with bike maintenance as the cold weather was having an effect on the gears. It was a little wet outside after a night of light drizzle but we set on our way towards the Andorran border, only 10kms away. The road wound at the base of the mountain as the frost line in the trees came closer to the road we were travelling on. We had a quick stop at the border to get our passport stamped and as it was still just above zero degrees with low dark clouds, which might have rain for us ahead, we made it to Andorra la Vella where the clouds opened up for sunshine. At around zero degrees we ate lunch in the street, trying to keep warm, and then continued to wind our way up the valley towards the peak.
The climbing meant we were burning through the energy. We had to stop every 5 kms to refuel with water and energy bars. The road had been recently ploughed and the snow was built up to the side. The edge of the road was like a dirty slurpee from 7-11 and every now and again we had to dodge large boulders of coagulated snow. Just over the guard-rail was the fresh white powder snow that the skiers come here for. As the road climbed and turned it revealed greater and greater peaks, one of which we were supposed to climb.
The cold was so extreme that our water bottles were starting to freeze and the tunnel through the mountain looked pretty good at this stage, but we powered on. Previously cars gave us waves and beeps of encouragement, but now it was cold and steep, with a white snow-laden road. Those that passed us were more surprised and shocked. People waved, recorded videos, and took photos as we struggled our way up the final ascent. Even the snow plough driver stopped to take photos of us. The snow on the road made it difficult to power up the hill. Our tyres, full of snow, keep spinning in the white powder, but with persistence, we got there. We were cold and exhausted, but happy to be at the top, 2408m. We were without water as it was all frozen, and for good reason, it was actually -11 degrees.
 At the top we met a couple from Spain, after taking a few photos of us they invited us in to the warmth and a cold beer, some cheese and sausage. We talked for a while, and enjoyed the well deserved beer, in this short period of time the weather outside turned nasty with the temperature dropping to -14 with a snow storm setting in. We decided to stay in the warm hotel for the night after a quick dash outside to save the bike from being buried under the falling snow.
Pyrenees, done.
Jour 23
Nous avons commencĂ© la journĂ©e avec de la maintenance parce que le froid a quand mĂŞme une incidence sur notre matĂ©riel. C’Ă©tait un peu humide dehors après une nuit de crachin, mais on a continuĂ© notre route vers la frontière, Ă seulement 10 km. La route longe la base des montagnes, comme la ligne gelĂ©e des arbres qui s’approche de notre chemin. Nous avons fait un arrĂŞt rapide pour tamponner notre passeport et comme il faisait Ă peine plus de zĂ©ro degrĂ© et qu’il y avait des nuages gris et bas, synonymes de pluie, nous sommes passĂ© par Andorra la Vella, lĂ oĂą les nuages s’ouvraient sur des rayons de soleil. Autour de zĂ©ro degrĂ©, nous avons mangĂ© dans la rue, en essayant de nous tenir au chaud, puis nous avons continuĂ© Ă remonter la vallĂ©e en direction du pic.
Grimper brĂ»lait toute notre Ă©nergie. Nous devions nous arrĂŞter tous les 5 km pour nous ravitailler en eau et en barres Ă©nergĂ©tiques. La route avait Ă©tĂ© rĂ©cemment dĂ©blayĂ©e et la neige repoussĂ©e sur les bas-cĂ´tĂ©s. La route Ă©tait vraiment crade et de temps en temps, nous devions esquiver des gros rochers de neige agglomĂ©rĂ©e. De l’autre cĂ´tĂ© de la barrière de sĂ©curitĂ©, il y avait la poudre blanche et fraĂ®che qui fait venir les skieurs. En montant et tournant, la route nous laissait entrevoir des pics de plus en plus haut, ceux-lĂ mĂŞme que nous Ă©tions supposĂ©s grimper.
Le froid Ă©tait si intense que nos bouteilles d’eau commençaient Ă geler et Ă ce moment lĂ , un tunnel Ă travers la montagne aurait Ă©tĂ© le bienvenu, mais nous avons mis les bouchĂ©es doubles. Avant, les voitures nous klaxonnaient et nous faisaient signe pour nous encourager, mais maintenant, la route Ă©tait froide, escarpĂ©e et chargĂ©e de neige. Ceux qui nous doublaient Ă©tait surpris et choquĂ©s. Les gens nous faisaient signe, nous filmaient et nous prenaient en photo pendant que nous nous dĂ©battions pour terminer notre ascension finale. MĂŞme le conducteur du chasse-neige s’est arrĂŞtĂ© pour nous photographier. La neige sur la route rendait la montĂ©e difficile. Nos roues, pleine de neige, patinaient dans la poudre blanche, mais avec un peu de persĂ©vĂ©rance, nous y sommes arrivĂ©es. Nous avions froid et nous Ă©tions Ă©puisĂ©s, mais contents d’ĂŞtre en haut, Ă 2408 mètres. Nous n’avions plus d’eau comme elle avait gelĂ©, et c’est normal, il faisait -11°.
En haut, nous avons rencontrĂ© un couple d’espagnols, et après nous avoir pris en photo, ils nous ont invitĂ© au chaud et nous ont offert des bières fraĂ®ches, du fromage et des saucisses. On a parlĂ© un peu et apprĂ©ciĂ© la bière bien mĂ©ritĂ©e, et pendant ce laps de temps, dehors, le temps est devenu mauvais et les tempĂ©ratures sont descendues Ă -14°, avec une tempĂŞte de neige qui commençait. Nous avons dĂ©cidĂ© de rester au chaud Ă l’hĂ´tel pour la nuit, après une petite course dehors pour mettre les vĂ©los Ă l’abri de la neige qui tombait.
Les PyrĂ©nĂ©es, c’est fait.
December 1st, 2008
by Lachman
 A fairly early start (for our standards) meant we got riding in 3 degrees at 10am. After picking up our bikes from the hotel owner’s house we fixed my broken spoke and got breakfast. Simon tells me, the broken spokes are due to the gravitational forces I am putting through the back wheel, ie I’m fat. It doesn’t surprise me that he broke 10 spokes when he travelled through China. Starting out we pushed for 30 Kms into a strong head/cross wind. All of us were pushing hard knowing we had many kilometres to ride to get to De La Seu D’Urgell. Finally we were able to take a hard right, turning a head wind into a tail wind, albeit up-hill. At the top of the hill we had a great decline where Sam and I tried for a speed record – as seen in wheel cam. At the same time I passed Sam I also reached 72Kms per hour, a tour record. Sam and Simon attributed my speed to my inertia (again a crack at my weight).
Our road towards Andorra weaved through the mountains where the sun slowly disappeared behind the grey clouds that covered the peaks of the mountains. We passed peak after peak, but luckily our path was fairly flat. It wound on the side of the mountain looking down at glacial rivers and passed through long tunnels, that we probably shouldn’t have been in. As we progress further towards Andorra we have noticed more snow on the ground. No time to get excited though with many hard kilometres ahead, it’s going to get serious tomorrow.
Jour 22
Un dĂ©part assez matinal (d’après nos standards) signifiait que nous devions rouler par 3° Ă 10h du matin. Après avoir rĂ©cupĂ©rĂ© nos vĂ©los chez les propriĂ©taires de l’hĂ´tel, nous avons rĂ©parĂ© mon rayon cassĂ© et pris un petit-dĂ©j. Simon m’a dit que les rayons qui cassent sont causĂ©s par les forces gravitationnelles que supporte la roue arrière, en d’autres termes : je suis gros. Ça ne me surprend pas que Simon casse 10 rayons lors de son voyage en Chine. En partant, nous avons roulĂ© 30 km dans un fort vent de face/cĂ´tĂ©. Nous avons poussĂ© fort parce que nous savions que nous avions beaucoup de kilomètres Ă faire pour atteindre De La Seu d’Urgell. Finalement, nous avons fait tout ce que nous pouvions, et le vent a tournĂ© dans notre dos, quoiqu’Ă la fin de la cĂ´te. En haut de la colline, nous avons eu une bonne descente oĂą Sam et moi avons essayĂ© de battre notre record de vitesse (visible sur le film de la camĂ©ra-de-roue). Au moment oĂą je doublais Sam, j’ai atteint 72 km/h, un record. Sam et Simon ont attribuĂ© ça Ă ma force d’inertie (encore un trait d’esprit sur mon poids).
Notre route en direction de l’Andorre zigzaguait dans les montagnes oĂą le soleil disparaissait peu Ă peu derrière les nuages gris, qui cachaient les sommets. Nous avons passĂ© pic après pic, mais par chance notre chemin Ă©tait assez plat. La route suivait le flan des montagnes avec en contrebas, des rivières gelĂ©es et des tunnels Ă l’intĂ©rieur desquels nous aurions probablement dĂ» ĂŞtre. En progressant plus loin vers Andorre, nous remarquions plus de neige sur le sol. Pas le moment d’ĂŞtre excitĂ©s pourtant, nous avons beaucoup de kilomètres difficiles qui nous attendent demain, ça va ĂŞtre sĂ©rieux.
November 30th, 2008
by Sam
 Coming out of Barcelona was thankfully surprisingly cruisy, wide streets and loooots of other pushbikers. We were overtaken by a cyclist with one leg (!), and passed by big groups of cyclists who cheered for us and also got lots of beeping support from cars on the highway (yes you can tell an angry beep from a go-for-it beep). Simon was suitably impressed by the small towns and castles we kept passing all day, and couldn’t believe that Lachlan and I had already become a bit blazé about that sort of thing. We had some pretty testing climbs for Simons first day back in the saddle, but on the bright side we had a friendly Catalonian point out the best (and only) restaurant open in one of said small towns. We spent far too long enjoying the massive three course lunch and the warmth, then got back on the road knowing full well it was already late in the day. Another long climb put us on the top of a beautiful windy hill, and then it was already dark for the decent into the next town. We asked a few houses if we could pitch a tent in the yard, without success, and finally ended up finding a hotel whose owners stored our bikes in their house and did shuttle bus runs back to the hotel. This is the most glad we’ve been for a roof so far, it was so cold at that point we couldn’t steer straight for the shaking of our arms. No biggy, it’s the Pyrenées the day after tomorrow.
Jour 21
Sortir de Barcelone fut Ă©tonnamment tranquille, avec de larges rues et pleeeein d’autres cyclistes. On s’est fait doubler par un unijambiste (!), et par de gros groupes qui nous ont encouragĂ©, d’ailleurs des voitures sur la voie rapide nous ont aussi acclamĂ© en klaxonnant (oui, c’est possible de diffĂ©rencier un coup de klaxon mĂ©chant d’un coup de klaxon-encouragement). Simon a Ă©tĂ© normalement impressionnĂ© par toutes les petites villes et les châteaux que l’on croise toute la journĂ©e, et je n’en reviens pas que Lachlan et moi soyons devenu presque blasĂ©s par tout ça. Nous avons eu quelques bonnes cĂ´tes pour le premier jour de remise en selle de Simon, et en prenant les choses du bon cĂ´tĂ©, nous avons eu un aperçu convivial du meilleur (et du seul) restaurant catalan ouvert dans une des petites villes citĂ©es prĂ©cĂ©demment. Nous avons passĂ© bien trop de temps Ă apprĂ©cier le repas de trois services et la chaleur, puis nous sommes repartis en sachant pertinemment qu’il Ă©tait dĂ©jĂ tard dans l’après-midi. Une autre grande montĂ©e nous a fait voir le sommet d’une belle colline venteuse, et il faisait dĂ©jĂ trop sombre pour descendre vers la ville suivante. Nous avons demandĂ© dans quelques maison si nous pouvions planter notre tente dans leur jardin, sans succès, et nous avons finalement trouvĂ© une chambre dans un hĂ´tel. Les propriĂ©taires ont rangĂ© nos vĂ©los dans leur maison et nous ont reconduit Ă l’hĂ´tel. Cette nuit Ă Ă©tĂ© celle oĂą nous Ă©tions le plus heureux d’avoir un toit jusqu’Ă prĂ©sent, il faisait tellement froid que nous ne pouvions pas empĂŞcher nos bras de trembler. La belle affaire, après-demain, c’est les PyrĂ©nĂ©es.
November 29th, 2008
by smar
 We started the day with a bounce in our steps, I was looking forward to the Gaudi adventure ahead. After a Chorizo and cheese baguette, while the rain poured down, we planned the day’s walk and set off to the metro towards La Sagrada Familia. We got of the tube and headed down the street and could see the La Sagrada Familia from a long way down the street. On arrival, the Gaudi masterpiece exceeded all expectations. Unfinished and covered in scaffolding it was still breath taking.
Once we left La Sagrada Familia we headed towards Park Guell for more Gaudi inspiration and spent the afternoon till dark walking around Park Guell. Once the sun set we put the cameras away and headed back to the hostel. Lachlan and Sam were both amazed with the work of Gaudi and were both glad that it lived up to the hype that I had talked up. The jet lag has caught up and my eyes are getting heavy, and on that, goodnight……Buenas Noches.
Jour 20 - Barcelone
 Nous avons commencĂ© la journĂ©e avec souplesse, j’avais hâte de vivre l’aventure gaudienne. Après une baguette-fromage-chorizo sous la pluie, nous avons planifiĂ© notre journĂ©e et notre parcours, en mĂ©tro et a pied, jusqu’Ă la Sagrada Familia. En sortant de la station de mĂ©tro, on pouvait voir LA Sagrada Familia, tout en bas de la rue. En s’approchant, le chef-d’Ĺ“uvre de Gaudi dĂ©passait toutes nos attentes. Encore en construction et couvertes par des Ă©chafaudages, c’Ă©tait quand mĂŞme Ă couper le souffle. En quittant la Sagrada Familia, on s’est dirigĂ©s vers le Parc Guell pour un peu plus d’inspiration gaudienne et nous avons passĂ© l’après-midi, jusqu’Ă ce qu’il fasse trop sombre, Ă marcher dans le parc. Une fois le soleil couchĂ©, nous avons Ă©teint nos appareils photo et nous sommes retournĂ©s Ă l’auberge. Lachlan et Sam Ă©taient tous les deux impressionnĂ©s par le travail de Gaudi et contents qu’il soit Ă la hauteur du battage que j’en avait fait! Le dĂ©calage horaire me rattrape et mes paupières deviennent lourdes et sur ce, bonne nuit… Buenas Noches.
November 28th, 2008
by smar
 With a cold start and talk of rain we were glad to see the sun was shining this morning. We had decided to go on an organised walking tour, it turned out to not be that organised as the tour guide had flown out to turkey the night before. After a slight deliberation over a cup of coffee we headed out to see the old city, that mainly composed of the Gothic Quarter, La Rambla and El Raval. This area is famous for its historic monuments and narrow streets, creating a bohemian feel to the area. After the old city we walked down to the esplanade near the port, this was followed by some of Gaudi’s work, the El Palau Guell and then the Casa Calvet. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the self guided tour. To top it off we headed back through a small fresh  food market with a multitude of stands ranging from fresh fruit and vegetables, smoked ham, butchers, and seafood vendors.
We are leaving the La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell for tomorrow.
Jour 19 - Barcelone
Avec un dĂ©part froid et des avis de pluie, nous Ă©tions plutĂ´t contents de voir que le soleil brillait ce matin. Nous avions dĂ©cidĂ© de faire une visite guidĂ©e Ă pied, qui s’est avĂ©rĂ©e ne pas ĂŞtre si guidĂ©e que ça puisque la personne en charge s’Ă©tait envolĂ©e pour la Turquie la veille. Après une courte dĂ©libĂ©ration autour d’une tasse de cafĂ©, nous nous sommes dirigĂ©s vers la vieille ville, qui se compose principalement du quartier gothique, de la Rambla et du Raval. Cette zone est cĂ©lèbre pour ses monuments historiques et ses ruelles Ă©troites, lui donnant un air bohĂ©mien. Après la vieille ville, nous avons marchĂ© sur l’esplanade du port, ponctuĂ©e par quelques Ĺ“uvres de Gaudi, le Palau Guell et la Casa Calvet. J’ai vraiment adorĂ© cette partie de la visite auto-guidĂ©e. Pour terminer, nous avons vu un petit marchĂ© de produits frais, avec une multitude de stand allant des fruits et lĂ©gumes au jambon fumĂ©, en passant par les boucheries et les poissonneries.
On garde la Sagrada Familia et le Parc Guell pour demain.
November 27th, 2008
by Lachman
Sam and I woke at 5am (or maybe 5:45 after hitting the snooze button a few times) to catch an early train to Barcelona to meet Simon. By my calculations we would get in at 10am and ride to the airport to greet Simon as he strolled out of the airport. But this morning was to have other plans for us.
 We stepped outside into 4 degrees, shivering in the dark street, got on our bikes and rode quickly to the train station. Sam ran to the ticket office to grab the tickets while I looked after the gear. With just seconds to spare we ran to get on the train only to be told that we cannot take bikes on this particular train. The regional express was the train we needed. It took six hours and the next one left at 5PM! On a prayer we rode a few kilometres in the blistering cold to the bus station hoping they would allow us to take on the bikes. And suprisingly they did! In this rare moment of good fortune for today, Sam celebrated by destroying a potato frittata sandwhich. YUM!
Eventually we got to Barcelona and to greet Simon only 5 hours late, but better late than never, eh? To strange looks, we helped put together the bike in the airport terminal, with only one problem, we forgot the pump. To inflate the tyres we pushed the bike from the airport to a petrol station, the long way round.  At one point the police stopped us to suggest that we do not enter a particular district as we would more than likely be robbed. They gave us directions to the nearest petrol station and they were on there way. We didn’t realise the directions meant we had to lift the bikes over highway guard-rails, pushing them along highway overpasses, down steep embankments, and through muddy tracks on a small farm. All we had to do then was ride 14Kms in the dark, with no lights, along narrow streets.
After a few touch and go moments, which included a three bike pile-up on a bridge after Simon, taking the role of the domestique (out in front), slammed on the brakes to avoid a, fairly insignificant (as I argued), hole. We all got in safely to have polish off a bottle of Jamesons and a few extra beers in a local pub!
Jour 18 - de Valence Ă Barcelone (en train)
Sam et moi nous sommes levĂ©s Ă 5h (ou peut-ĂŞtre 5h45 après avoir appuyĂ© sur snooze plusieurs fois) pour attraper un train afin de retrouver Simon Ă Barcelone. D’après mes calculs, on devait arriver Ă 10h, puis aller jusqu’Ă l’aĂ©roport pour accueillir Simon. Mais ce matin avait d’autres plans pour nous.
On est sorti par 4°, en tremblant dans les rues sombres, on a attrapĂ© nos vĂ©los et rejoint la gare. Sam a couru au guichet pour retirer les billets pendant que je surveillais le matĂ©riel. Avec seulement quelques secondes pour arriver au quai, on a couru juste pour s’entendre dire qu’on ne pouvait pas transporter nos vĂ©los dans ce train lĂ . Cet express rĂ©gional Ă©tait celui que nous devions prendre. Le voyage dure 6h et le suivant partait Ă 17h! On a roulĂ© quelques kilomètres dans le froid cinglant, jusqu’Ă la gare routière en priant et en espĂ©rant qu’ils nous laisseraient monter avec nos vĂ©los. Et Ă©tonnamment, ils ont acceptĂ©! Dans ce moment de chance rare aujourd’hui, Sam a fĂŞtĂ© ça en anĂ©antissant un sandwich-patata-frita. MIAM!
On a enfin rejoint Barcelone pour saluer Simon avec seulement 5h de retard, mais mieux vaut tard que jamais, hein? Curieusement, nous avons assemblĂ© le vĂ©lo Ă l’aĂ©roport, avec seulement un problème. On avait oubliĂ© la pompe. Pour gonfler les chambres-Ă -air, on a poussĂ© le vĂ©lo jusqu’Ă une station service tout le long du chemin. A un moment donnĂ©, la police nous a arrĂŞtĂ© pour nous suggĂ©rer d’Ă©viter un quartier en particulier si nous n’avions pas envie de nous faire tout voler. Ils nous ont indiquĂ© la station service la plus proche et sont partis. Nous n’avons pas rĂ©alisĂ© que cette direction signifiait que nous devions passer les vĂ©lo de l’autre cĂ´tĂ© de la glissière de sĂ©curitĂ© et les pousser le long d’une voie rapide très frĂ©quentĂ©e, avec des ornières de remblais et des sentiers de ferme boueux. Tout ce que nous avions Ă faire ensuite, c’Ă©tait de rouler 14 km dans le noir, sans lumière dans des rues Ă©troites.
Après quelques moments plutôt durs, par exemple faire une pile de trois vélos sur un pont après que Simon, qui joue le rôle du domestique (tout tracé), ait pilé pour éviter un trou assez insignifiant (je le soutiens). Nous avons fini tout ça sans encombre pour nous envoyer une bouteille de Jamesons et quelques bières de plus dans le pub du coin!
November 25th, 2008
by Sam
 We have a thousand training km’s under our belts now, and we are heading up to Barcelona to meet up with Simon and get into the serious riding! There’s reports of snow all over Europe at the moment so I’m looking for thermal gear in shops, and I’m looking forward to Simons expert advice on dealing with winter on a bike! So we’re catching the train up from Cartagena, and we couldn’t miss a stop off in Valencia for a couple of days.
Like a lot of cities, Valencia has a big river that turns through the city centre, except that it has been dry for a long time and has been turned into a long strip of park with lots of trees, fountains, playgrounds, and at one end, a massive exhibition area with huge futuristic buildings and pools everywhere. It’s pretty impressive.
We came across another travelling cyclist from Brazil named Arthur. We met him on the street and started chatting. He has been on the road for three years (!) and has ridden all over 5 continents. He had lots of amazing stories and was super friendly and certainily very inspiring. You can check out his site at www.pedalnaestrada.com.br
Day 16 night we had a cook up and a 90’s trivial pursuit challenge, then headed out on a bit of a pub crawl the hostel was organising. Today I’m looking forward to some more perfect weather (which has been following us around I think, because it really is snowing everywhere else apparently!) and exploring Valencia some more, it is another stunning Spanish city.
Jours 16, 17 - Valence
Nous avons un millier de kilomètres dans les jambes maintenant, et nous nous dirigeons vers Barcelone pour retrouver Simon et commencer les choses sĂ©rieuses! Il y a des rapports de neige dans toute l’Europe en ce moment donc je regarde les Ă©quipements chauds dans les magasins, et j’ai hâte d’entendre l’avis expert de Simon concernant l’hiver sur un vĂ©lo! Nous avons pris le train Ă Cartagène et nous ne pouvions pas passer Ă cĂ´tĂ© d’un arrĂŞt de quelques jours Ă Valence.
Comme beaucoup d’autres villes, Valence a une grosse rivière qui la traverse, sauf que celle-ci a Ă©tĂ© assĂ©chĂ©e depuis longtemps et transformĂ©e en une longue bande de parcs avec beaucoup d’arbres, fontaines, aires de jeux et Ă un bout, une zone d’exposition massive avec des Ă©difices Ă©normes et des piscines partout. C’est plutĂ´t impressionnant.
Nous avons trouvĂ© Arthur, un autre cycliste venu du BrĂ©sil. Nous l’avons rencontrĂ© dans la rue et avons commencĂ© Ă discuter. Ça fait trois ans qu’il est sur la route (!) et il a voyagĂ© Ă travers les 5 continents. Il avait plein d’histoires incroyables Ă raconter, Ă©tait super sympa et nous a sĂ»rement beaucoup inspirĂ©. Vous pouvez visiter son site ici www.pedalnaestrada.com.br
La 16ème nuit, nous avons innovĂ© et fait un tournois de trivial pursuit des annĂ©es 90, puis nous avons rejoint un bar oĂą l’auberge organisait un truc. Aujourd’hui, je regarde le temps qui ne pourrait pas ĂŞtre plus parfait (il nous a suivit je pense parce qu’apparemment, il neige partout ailleurs!) et j’explore Valence un peu plus, c’est une autre ville sensationnelle en Espagne.
November 24th, 2008
by Lachman
 We have the entire day to spend in Cartagena until the train to Valencia in the afternoon, and we’re glad we do, to walk off these hangovers. Last night was madness Dennis entertained us with stories from his travels Livia played the role of DJ with her eastern European gypsie acid rock, until of course, we all just fell asleep where we were sitting.
Today we were lucky to have our tour guide, Livia. She’s fairly new to the city so we got a little lost and had to climb a few fences to get into and out of parks. We talked and walked around Cartagena until the afternoon when we caught the train to Valencia.
We had a train carriage to ourselves, so we made the most of it and repeated bad spanish exercises outloud to each other. We didn’t stop when some people did enter our carriage and so soon had some new friends teaching us a thing or two and pointing us in the right direction when we arrived. These people are great!
Jour 15 - de Cartagène à Valence (en train!)
Nous avons la journĂ©e entière Ă passer Ă Cartagène avant de prendre le train pour Valence dans l’après-midi, et nous sommes contents de marcher avec notre gueule de bois. La nuit dernière Ă©tait de la folie, Dennis nous a amusĂ© en nous racontant les histoires de ses voyages, Livia jouait le rĂ´le du DJ avec son rock gitan et acide de l’Europe de l’Est., jusqu’Ă ce que nous nous endormions finalement lĂ oĂą nous Ă©tions assis.
Aujourd’hui, nous avons eu la chance d’avoir notre guide touristique, Livia. Elle est nouvelle dans la ville donc on s’est un peu perdus et on a du escalader quelques clĂ´tures pour entrer ou sortir des parcs. On a parlĂ© et marchĂ© Ă travers Cartagène jusque dans l’après-midi, au moment de prendre notre train pour Valence.
On avait un wagon pour nous tous seuls, on en a donc profitĂ© pour faire de mauvais exercices d’espagnol Ă haute voix. Nous n’avons pas arrĂŞtĂ© quand des gens sont entrĂ©s dans le wagon, et nous avons donc eu assez vite des nouveaux amis pour nous apprendre un ou deux trucs et nous montrer la bonne direction Ă l’arrivĂ©e. Ces gens sont excellents!
November 23rd, 2008
by Sam
 We had a fantastic tent breakfast this morning. Muesli, chocky milk, nanies, the lot. And because it was a sunday we got back in the sleeping bags, until a bunch of dirt bikes sped past the tent and we decided we should get going. After an hour or so we came across the first massive mountain, with sunday motorbikers everywhere indicating to us it was going to be steep and windy. We spotted a nice tunnel going straight through, but it was guarded by a toll gate. We tried to sweet talk our way through, but the toll booth woman pointed to the peak and said “lo siento!”. So we turned around and spent at least an hour and a half climbing up and racing down before we saw the other end of the tunnel on the other side! Lunch was on a rocky beach with our feet in the (bloody freezing) water, and then it was two more serious climbs with a long lovely decent into Cartagena, downhill all the way.
 In cartagena we are lucky enough to be hosted by a couchsurfer named Dennis, an intelligent young German who speaks several languages and is volunteering in spain before he starts his university degree. He and his Hungarian roommate Livia showed us around the city, and then it was back to the appartment for drinks, music, and
I passed out at some point I think… :)
PS Lach says happy birthday to his mum!
Jour 14
On a eu un petit-dĂ©jeuner sous la tente fantastique ce matin. Muesli, lait au chocolat, nanies, la totale. Et comme c’Ă©tait dimanche, nous sommes retournĂ©s dans nos duvets, jusqu’Ă ce qu’un groupe de vĂ©los sales passent devant notre tente et nous dĂ©cident Ă retourner sur la route. Après une heure environ, nous avons trouvĂ© notre première montagne de la journĂ©e, avec des motards du dimanche qui nous ont indiquĂ© que ça allait ĂŞtre escarpĂ© et venteux. Nous avons alors remarquĂ© un gentil tunnel qui traversait la montagne, mais il y avait un pĂ©age. On a essayĂ© de nĂ©gocier notre passage mais la dame dans la cabine nous a montrĂ© le sommet en disant “lo siento!”. Alors on a fait demi tour et passĂ© une heure et demi Ă grimper et Ă faire la course jusqu’en bas avant de voir l’autre cĂ´tĂ© du tunnel! Le dĂ©jeuner a eu lieu sur une plage de cailloux, les pieds dans l’eau (vraiment gelĂ©e), ensuite nous avons eu deux autres montĂ©es sĂ©rieuses et une jolie et longue descente jusqu’Ă l’intĂ©rieur de Cartagène.
Nous avons Ă©tĂ© assez chanceux pour ĂŞtre accueillis par un couchsurfer nommĂ© Dennis. Cet Allemand jeune et intelligent qui parle plusieurs langues fait du bĂ©nĂ©volat en Espagne avant de commencer son diplĂ´me universitaire. Lui et sa colocataire hongroise, Livia, nous ont fait visiter la ville puis nous ont ramenĂ© Ă l’appartement pour boire et Ă©couter de la musique, et je pense qu’Ă un moment donnĂ©, je suis mort… :)
PS: Lach souhaite un joyeux anniversaire Ă sa maman!
November 22nd, 2008
by Lachman
 We cruised out of Almeria (albeit late after another sleep in) and headed towards a small town just outside the city. Garmi was telling us some crazy stuff so we ignored him for a bit and just followed our nose. We did have to take a few dirt roads, but they were a dream compared to those head-winds. There was barely any wind to start the day, which was a nice change from yesterday. After a couple of hours the wind changed to a bit of a tail wind so we were both travelling well.
We stopped for lunch at Carboneras a coastal bay/harbour thing and relaxed after a good 67Kms in just 3 hrs. Little did we know what lay ahead of us. Just out of Carboneras we hit a massive mountain which killed us on the way up, but gave us great views of the coastline in both directions.
From there it was steady undulating hills all the way to Aguilas (or just 5Kms south). We grabbed some food, setup the tent next to a small beach, ate, and slept for 11 or just over, hours. Tomorrow should be a little better, only 90Kms to Cartegena, and a couch surf! Woohoo!
Jour 13
Nous avons naviguĂ© hors d’Almeria (quoiqu’un peu en retard après une autre nuit Ă l’intĂ©rieur) et en direction d’un village juste Ă la sortie de la ville. Garmi nous racontait de drĂ´le de trucs, on l’a donc ignorĂ© un moment et suivi notre flair. On a du suivre quelques routes un peu crades, mais c’Ă©tait un vrai rĂŞve comparĂ© Ă celles avec le vent de face. Il n’y avait presque pas de vent quand on a commencĂ© la journĂ©e, ce qui Ă©tait un bon changement par rapport Ă hier. Deux heures après, le vent a changĂ© et soufflait dans notre dos, nous voyagions donc plutĂ´t bien.
On s’est arrĂŞtĂ© pour dĂ©jeuner Ă Carboneras, une zone portuaire/cĂ´tière et on s’est dĂ©tendu après nos 67 km en 3h. Nous ne savions pas beaucoup sur ce qui nous attendait. Juste Ă la sortie de Carboneras, nous sommes tombĂ©s sur une montagne imposante qui nous a tuĂ©, mais nous a aussi donnĂ© une super vue de la cĂ´te, de chaque cĂ´tĂ©.
A partir de lĂ , la route d’Aguilas (soit 5 km au sud) Ă©tait vallonnĂ©e. On s’est jetĂ© sur la nourriture, on a installĂ© la tente Ă cĂ´tĂ© d’une petite plage, mangĂ© et dormi un peu plus de 11h. Demain devrait ĂŞtre un peu mieux, seulement 90 km Ă faire pour rejoindre Cartagène et un couch surf! Wouhou!
November 21st, 2008
by Sam
 Streches of the coastline between Motril and Almeria are amongst the most stunningly beautiful I’ve ever seen, but let’s put this plainly, today sucked! We were both slow getting out of bed, and maybe we shouldn’t have bothered. The first 80km today was uphill, on bad roads and into a strong wind, not to mention, we were both completely buggered. I almost spat the dummy several times. I felt like throwing the bike into the gutter and kicking the nearest car. On the massive uphill stretches I was praying for a big truck to pass to knock out the headwind for two seconds. It was that painfull. Our first 40 kilometers took almost three hours and we were starting to doubt if we were going to make it to Almeria before sunset, if at all!
At this point I think it’s about time I thank Lachy publicly, because not only is he dragging me along in his slipstream a lot of the time, he’s always keen to keep going when it gets tough (although he did suggest flagging down a truck today!).  Anyway, we slogged on, through what looked like some of the poorest parts of Spain. Row after row of capsicum and tomato plantations and African immigrants tending to them (or just playing cards).
Finally, very late in the afternoon, we had a decent downhill blast with the traffic through town, another beautiful sunset behind the cliffaces, and an easy enough roll down to the hotel. Yep, stuff camping tonight.
p.s. the first 80k’s was really shithouse.
Jour 12
Les tronçons de cĂ´tes entre Motril et Almeria sont parmi les plus beaux que j’ai jamais vu, mais il vaut mieux le dire franchement, aujourd’hui Ă©tait merdique! On Ă©tait tous les deux assez lents Ă sortir du lit et peut-ĂŞtre qu’on aurait pas du s’Ă©nerver finalement. Les 80 premiers kilomètres montaient, sur de mauvaises routes et avec un vent fort, pas besoin de mentionner que nous Ă©tions tous les 2 foutus. J’ai presque abandonnĂ© plusieurs fois. J’avais envie de jeter le vĂ©lo dans le caniveau et shooter dans la première voiture venue. Pendant les cĂ´tes massives, je priais pour qu’un camion passe et arrĂŞte le vent deux secondes. C’Ă©tait aussi douloureux que ça. Nos 40 premiers kilomètres nous ont pris quasiment trois heures et nous commencions Ă douter du fait d’arriver Ă Almeria avant le coucher du soleil, si tant est que nous puissions le faire!
Je crois que le moment est donc venu de remercier Lachy publiquement, parce que, non seulement il m’a pris dans son sillage un tas de fois, mais il est en plus toujours enthousiaste, mĂŞme quand ça devient difficile (bien qu’il est suggĂ©rĂ© de hĂ©ler un camion aujourd’hui!). En tout cas, on a bien bossĂ©, Ă travers ce qui semble ĂŞtre les rĂ©gions les plus pauvres d’Espagne. RangĂ©es après rangĂ©es de plants de tomates et d’immigrants africains qui y travaillent (ou qui jouent aux cartes).
Finalement, très tard dans l’après-midi, nous avons eu une descente correcte, pleine de voitures jusqu’en ville, un autre magnifique coucher de soleil derrière les falaises, et une arrivĂ©e assez facile jusqu’Ă l’hĂ´tel. Ouais, notre bazar campe ce soir.
PS: les 80 premiers kilomètres étaient vraiment pourris.
November 20th, 2008
by Lachman
 As you could imagine, we started the morning slowly. Last night was still affecting us and by the time we were out of bed, the sun was well and truly in the sky. We gathered our things, checked out, and finally got riding just after midday, only about 4 hrs late!
We were lucky. A good breeze pushed us up the coast and in just over 2 hrs we’d travelled 45Kms out of Málaga. In high spirits we stopped to get a coffee and snack only to see some dark clouds climbing over the tops of the mountains. A menacing looking storm was brewing and we were going to be sleeping in a tent tonight. We kept going up the coast, but as soon as we got going the wind had changed direction and with vengeance! We were peddling into gusts up to 40Kms an hour. Just riding in a straight line was difficult and adding to that the steep roads were now winding round cliffs that dropped directly into the dark blue Mediterranean. Knowing there was a big day ahead of us tomorrow if we don’t get to Motril tonight, we pushed on.
We’d been riding against the suggestion of Garmi all day. Not knowing about recently laid roads that we had been riding on, he was flipping out. 211Kms was the distance Garmi thought we had to travel to get to Motril, just 30Kms away by this stage. With a bit of trickery we eventually got the right distance following a coastal road. The problem was that Garmi thought we were walking, not riding. It suggested we travel up pedestrian paths that were too steep or too narrow to ride up. We pushed our bikes for about half a kilometre (in riding shoes it’s not easy!) before getting back on to struggle up the rest of the hills. Hopefully tomorrow Garmi will be a little nicer to us.
Sore, tired, and a little broken we eventually got to Motril. We’re staying in a family-run hotel/hostel. We would hardly be surprised if someone yelled for BASIL! We might just stay for breakfast to see Emmanuel make us up a Waldorf salad.
Jour 11
Comme vous pouvez l’imaginer, nous avons commencĂ© la matinĂ©e tranquillement. Nous Ă©tions toujours affectĂ©s par la nuit prĂ©cĂ©dente et quand nous nous sommes levĂ©s, le soleil Ă©tait dĂ©jĂ vraiment haut dans le ciel. Nous avons rassemblĂ© nos affaires, quittĂ© l’hĂ´tel et finalement repris la route juste après midi, avec seulement 4h de retard!
Nous avons eu de la chance. Une brise nous a poussĂ© jusqu’Ă la cĂ´te et en seulement 2h, nous avions fait 45 km en dehors de Malaga. En super forme, nous avons fait un arrĂŞt pour boire un cafĂ© et grignoter, juste pour nous rendre compte des quelques nuages sombres qui passaient le sommet des montagnes. Un orage assez menaçant s’annonçait et nous devions dormir sous la tente le soir. Nous avons continuĂ© Ă longer la cĂ´te mais dĂ©s que nous avons dĂ©marrĂ©, le vent a changĂ© de cap comme pour se venger! Nous pĂ©dalions face Ă des rafales de près de 40 km/h. Le fait de pĂ©daler en ligne droite Ă©tait dĂ©jĂ difficile et de plus, les routes tortueuses suivaient Ă prĂ©sent des falaises qui tombaient Ă pic dans la MĂ©diterranĂ©e. En sachant que la journĂ©e de demain serait dure si nous n’atteignions pas Motril ce soir, nous avons persĂ©vĂ©rĂ©.
Nous avons roulĂ© contre les indications de Garmi toute la journĂ©e. Ne connaissant rien des routes sur lesquelles nous roulions, il pĂ©tait un peu les plombs. 211 km Ă©tait la distance que Garmi estimait entre nous et Motril, lorsque nous en Ă©tions Ă environ 30. En le trompant un peu, nous avons finalement eu la bonne estimation en suivant la route cĂ´tière. Le problème Ă©tait que Garmi pensait que nous marchions, pas que nous pĂ©dalions. Il nous suggĂ©rait des chemins pour piĂ©tons qui Ă©taient trop escarpĂ©s ou trop Ă©troit pour y rouler. Nous avons poussĂ© nos vĂ©los sur un demi kilomètre environ (avec des chaussures de cyclisme, c’est pas facile!) avant d’y remonter et de lutter pour grimper ce qui restait des cĂ´tes. Demain, avec un peu de chance, Garmi sera un peu plus sympa avec nous.
Endoloris, fatiguĂ©s et un peu cassĂ©s, nous avons finalement atteint Motril. Nous allons dormir dans une auberge familiale. Nous serions difficilement surpris si quelqu’un criait “BASILIC!” Nous allons juste rester pour voir Emmanuel nous prĂ©parer une salade Waldorf pour le petit-dĂ©jeuner.
November 19th, 2008
by Lachman
 We spent the day walking throughout the beautiful city of Malaga… actually we spent the morning walking throughout Malaga, the afternoon we enjoyed ourselves with a few good scotchs in a few bars and pubs.
 I’ve been to Malaga briefly before, but I hadn’t seen the sights. What a wonderfully crafted city steeped in a generous amount of (probably arab?) heritage. We enjoyed getting lost in a maze of winding streets in the old section of town with detailed buildings from a bygone era. I understand where Picasso may have got some of his inspiration from, or maybe it was just the cheap booze?
We eventually got to bed at 1am with the intention of rising at 7am to do 100Kms the next morning. At this stage we were both in denial at the fact that we had 5 days of 100Kms riding per day ahead of us.
Jour 10
Nous avons passĂ© la journĂ©e Ă marcher Ă travers la belle ville de Malaga… en fait, nous avons passĂ© la matinĂ©e Ă marcher dans Malaga, l’après-midi, nous en avons profitĂ© pour boire quelques bons scotchs dans quelques bars et pubs.
J’Ă©tais dĂ©jĂ allĂ© Ă Malaga avant, mais je n’avais pas fait de tourisme. Quelle magnifique ville d’artisanat immergĂ©e dans un gĂ©nĂ©reux hĂ©ritage (probablement arabe?). Nous avons adorĂ© nous perdre dans le labyrinthe de rues sinueuses de la vieille ville, avec les Ă©difices dĂ©taillĂ©s d’autrefois. Je comprend d’oĂą Picasso a pu tirer son inspiration, ou peut-ĂŞtre Ă©tait-ce juste le vin pas cher?
Finalement, nous sommes allĂ©s nous coucher Ă 1h du matin avec l’intention de se lever Ă 7h pour faire 100 km. A ce moment lĂ , nous Ă©tions tous les deux dans le dĂ©ni du fait que nous avions encore 5 jours de 100 km chacun devant nous.
November 18th, 2008
by Lachman
 We woke this morning to the sound of a farmer on his tractor. Wondering if he had seen our tent we quickly packed our things and got cycling. There were no crowds with pitch-forks so we assumed he either didn’t see us, or didn’t care. We rode to a village called Almargen to have breakfast. The work we did up-hill the day before paid off and we got there quickly. Breakfast in the warm sun in the middle of the village attracted some attention. A (probably crazy) old man in a wheel chair tried speaking Spanish at us, but we understood about 0.2% of what he was saying. We showed him the map hoping he might be able to give us an indication as to where we should travel to get to Malaga, but all he could say was “Malaga, Malaga”. We left and relied on Garmi for our expert advice.
Out of Almargen we cycled up-hill for what seemed like an eternity. Finally we reached a peak of the mountains just out of Teba and from there it was almost all downhill to Malaga. I hit 70Kms\hr before the speed wobbles gave my brain the idea to stop peddling. Sam was a little more wise and took in more scenery going down the hills. It can be a little hairy when large trucks pass by. As they approach they suck you towards them, and after they pass, they push you away.
 We spent the afternoon traversing the streets of Malaga trying to find an appropriate hostel without 50,000 stairs leading up to the front door! We eventually found a great little hostel near some bars which we are contemplating on staying in for an extra day…
PS Don’t eat olives directly off the tree, they taste awful.
Jour 9
On s’est rĂ©veillĂ©s ce matin au son d’un paysan sur son tracteur. En se demandant s’il avait vu notre tente, on a vite rangĂ© nos affaires et repris la route. Il n’y avait pas de foule avec des fourches donc on a supposĂ© qu’il ne nous avait pas vu ou qu’il s’en fichait. Nous avons roulĂ© jusqu’Ă un village appelĂ© Almargen pour prendre le petit-dĂ©jeuner. Les heures supplĂ©mentaires que nous avions fait la veille ont payĂ© et nous sommes arrivĂ©s lĂ -bas assez vite. Un petit dĂ©jeuner au soleil et au milieu d’un village attire un peu l’attention. Un vieil homme (probablement fou) sur sa chaise roulante a essayĂ© de nous parler en Espagnol, mais nous avons compris environ 0,2% de ce qu’il disait. On lui a montrĂ© la carte, en espĂ©rant qu’il puisse nous donner des indications pour rejoindre Malaga, mais tout ce qu’il pouvait dire Ă©tait “Malaga, Malaga”. Nous sommes partis et nous nous sommes reposĂ© sur Garmi le GPS pour avoir notre conseil d’expert.
Après Almargen, nous avons grimpĂ© pendant ce qui paraissait ĂŞtre une Ă©ternitĂ©. Finalement nous avons atteint un pic dans les montagnes juste après Teba et Ă partir de lĂ , ça n’Ă©tait pratiquement que de la descente jusqu’Ă Malaga. Je suis montĂ© Ă 70 km/h avant que mon cerveau ne me conseille d’arrĂŞter de pĂ©daler. Sam a Ă©tĂ© un peu plus malin et apprĂ©ciait le paysage tout en descendant. Ca peut dĂ©coiffer quand on croise un gros camion. Quand ils approchent, ils nous aspirent vers eux et quand ils sont passĂ©s, ils nous repoussent en arrière.
Nous avons passĂ© l’après-midi Ă rouler dans les rues de Malaga en essayant de trouver un hĂ´tel sans 50 000 marches qui menaient Ă la porte d’entrĂ©e! Nous en avons finalement trouvĂ© un petit et gĂ©nial, près de quelques bars oĂą nous nous demandons si nous n’allons pas rester un jour de plus…
PS : Ne mangez pas les olives directement de l’arbre, c’est vraiment mauvais.
November 17th, 2008
by Sam
 We needed to start putting in some big days. It was 240 or so kilometres to Malaga. We planned to do 100Kms on this day and get to Osuna, but we started early and got a good head start. We travelled 20Kms before we ate breakfast on the side of a country road out of seville, where the air was smelling like manure and blowing a frosty breeze across the olive plantations.
It’s no surprise that when you cover a lot of kilometres you see a lot of things, mainly a lot of dead things. We came across a hundred dead rats, cats (three times), dogs, birds, and rabbits. A sad reminder of how these country roads can effect the local environment.
 Early in the piece we had a big downhill where Lachlan took a massive wrong turn and had to peddle all the way back up! For most of the day we were cycling into headwinds but Lach saw a tractor in the distance and had the idea to catch it up and let it pull us along in its slipstream for a couple of k’s. It was a great idea which saved our legs and helped us ride at 27Km\hr without raising a sweat! All in all, it was a long tiring day of riding but we never cease to be amazed by all the small towns, huge plantations and wonderful views. When we got to Osuna, we thought that if we put in another 20+ Kms we would have an easy day tomorrow. So off we went to El Saucejo.
 I tried out some spanish to find a place to camp, but of course we couldn’t really understand the response. A few kids tried to buy our spare tyres and we eventually set up the tent under an olive tree. Without asking the owner of the plantation we were unsure if we were able to sleep there or not. We were both incredibly tired and decided to stay anyway. We ate about 50 sandwiches each and passed out at about 7.30. It was fricken freezing!
Jour 8
Nous devions commencer Ă faire de grosses journĂ©es. Nous Ă©tions Ă 240 km ou presque de Malaga. Nous avions prĂ©vu de faire 100 km aujourd’hui pour rejoindre Osuna, mais nous avons dĂ©marrĂ© tĂ´t et pris un bon dĂ©part. On a fait 20 km avant de prendre un petit-dĂ©jeuner, au bord d’une route de campagne en dehors de SĂ©ville, lĂ oĂą l’air sentait le fumier et oĂą un vent glacial soufflait sur les champs d’oliviers.
Quand vous faites beaucoup de kilomètres, ce n’est pas une surprise de voir beaucoup de choses, principalement beaucoup de choses mortes. On a atteint la centaine de rats, des chats (trois fois), des chiens, des oiseaux et des lapins. Un triste moyen de souvenir que les routes de campagne peuvent affecter l’environnement local.
TĂ´t dans la journĂ©e, nous avons eu une grosse descente oĂą Lachlan s’est trompĂ© et a du tout remonter! La plupart du temps, nous pĂ©dalions avec un vent de face mais Lach a vu un tracteur au loin et a eu l’idĂ©e de l’attraper et de nous laisser tracter pendant quelques kilomètres. C’Ă©tait une bonne idĂ©e puisque ça a Ă©conomisĂ© nos jambes et nous a aidĂ© Ă parcourir 27 km sans transpirer! Globalement, c’Ă©tait une journĂ©e longue et fatigante, mais nous n’avons pas cessĂ© d’ĂŞtre impressionnĂ©s par les petits villages, les champs gigantesques et les magnifiques panoramas.
Quand nous avons atteint Osuna, nous avons pensĂ© que nous pourrions faire 20 km de plus pour avoir une journĂ©e plus facile demain. Nous avons donc roulĂ© jusqu’Ă EL Saucejo.
J’ai testĂ© mon espagnol pour trouver un endroit pour camper, mais nous ne pouvions pas vraiment comprendre la rĂ©ponse. Des enfants ont essayĂ© d’acheter nos chambres-Ă -air de rechange et nous avons finalement plantĂ© notre tente sous un olivier. Comme nous n’avions pas demandĂ© au propriĂ©taire du champ, nous n’Ă©tions pas sĂ»rs de pouvoir dormir lĂ . Nous Ă©tions tous les deux si fatiguĂ©s que nous avons dĂ©cidĂ© de rester malgrĂ© tout. Nous avons mangĂ© environ 50 sandwiches chacun et nous sommes tombĂ©s comme des pierres Ă 7h30. Il faisait super froid!
November 16th, 2008
by Sam
 Sevilla is going on my list of cities-that-I-could-definitely-live-in. After parking our stuff Saturday afternoon we set off for a lap around town without the heavy panier bags. We did a city tour on the cheap following a tourist bus, saw troops of mountain bikers jumping down flights of stairs, rock climbers scaling bridges, some great city art and we found the greatest bakery ever. Today was even better.  Beautiful buildings, orange trees lining every street, vast sqauares with bars spilling out and people mingling, tapas restaurants, concerts in the streets, and a second trip to the greatest bakery ever. It just feels cool here. Sevilla, me gustas tĂş.
We’re back on the road tomorrow, Malaga here we come.
Jours 6 et 7, SĂ©ville
SĂ©ville est maintenant sur ma liste des villes-oĂą-je-pourrais-vivre-sans-aucun-doute.
Après avoir garĂ© nos affaires le samedi après-midi, on est parti faire un tour en ville, sans nos lourdes sacoches. On a visitĂ© pour pas cher en suivant un bus touristique, vu plein de cyclistes sautant des volĂ©es de marches, des grimpeurs escaladant des ponts, apprĂ©ciĂ© l’art de la ville et trouvĂ© la meilleure pâtisserie au monde. Aujourd’hui Ă©tait encore mieux. De beaux Ă©difices, des orangers dans chaque rue, de vastes squares avec des bars qui dĂ©bordent de gens, des restaurants Ă tapas, des concerts dans la rue et un deuxième voyage Ă la meilleure pâtisserie du monde. C’est tout simplement cool ici. Sevilla, me gustas tĂş.
On reprend la route demain. Malaga, nous voilĂ .
November 15th, 2008
by Admin
 We met Fernando through couch surfing and we’re glad we did. We now have a new word for a mish-mash of food cooked up into a soup, named “Fernando Food”, but it has to taste good.
He was a delight to be around, playing rummy and drinking Porto wine (port) until the wee hours of the morning. We were also delighted to have Fernando walk with us through the gardens of Porto’s old districts. His local knowledge was valuable to us given the short time we had to spend there.
At some point we will return, if only to buy that coffee that we still owe for loosing rummy!
Thanks again Fernando.
Fernando (et Fernando Food)
Nous avons rencontrĂ© Fernando grâce Ă Couch Surfing et nous en sommes vraiment ravis. Nous savons maintenant comment appeler ce micmac de trucs cuisinĂ©s dans un genre de soupe : la “Fernando Food”, ça a plutĂ´t bon goĂ»t.
C’Ă©tait un dĂ©lice d’ĂŞtre avec lui pour jouer au Rami et boire du Porto jusqu’au petit matin. On Ă©tait Ă©galement enchantĂ©s d’avoir Fernando avec nous pour marcher dans les jardins de la vieille ville de Porto. Son savoir sur la rĂ©gion Ă©tait prĂ©cieux, compte-tenu du peu de temps que nous devions passer lĂ -bas.
C’est sur qu’on reviendra, juste pour lui offrir ce cafĂ© qu’on lui doit toujours pour avoir perdu au Rami!
Merci encore Fernando.
November 14th, 2008
by Lachman
 We reluctantly left behind Lagos to catch a train to the border with Spain. Lagos was a beautiful coastal town with lots of small cafes, bars, and clubs – a little pocket of Portugal where the first language is English. Although it’s off-season the atmosphere was still fun and we met some interesting locals. The train system was a little confusing, but we eventually found a place in an open door cargo bay with our bikes. Two trains and a boat trip across the border later, we were in Spain.
We had to travel 20Kms in an hour, before nightfall, to get to Huelva to catch a train to Seville. After just 300 metres Sam noticed that my back wheel was badly buckled. A spoke had snapped. We stopped to fix the spoke only to realise that I had neither of us had a spare spoke and even if we did have one, we didn’t know how to replace it. With the light quickly fading I tried fixing the wheel while Sam rode a mercy mission into the town centre to get us some spare spokes. With the thoughts of Portugal I had little hope of Sam finding a bike shop, but remarkably he did. With some ingenuity we somehow got the spoke in place and trued-up the wheel, well almost.
By the time we set out it was dark and Garmi was now telling us that we had to ride 50Kms, not 20Kms. With little other option we got spinning. At first there was the slight glow of the sunset, but it quickly turned into blackness. We could see little except for what we could make out in the moonlight or the approaching car’s headlights. At one point on a dark highway Sam hit a large stone that got stuck in his tyre. He stopped to remove it, but I didn’t notice him slowing down and I careered into the back of him, pushing his bike onto the near lane. He quickly recovered to stop 10 metres ahead, but unfortunately, my bike threw me sideways. There were no cars coming from behind and as I got thrown from the bike I rolled on the bitumen along the white line. A little shaken I moved off as far as I could to the side of the road to check all my arms and legs were still attached! Sam was a little shaken and came quickly to see if I was ok. A traffic jam of cars in the other direction was lining up to see the carnage, but unfortunately for them we were both fine. We both apologised numerous times and got back on the bikes.
With great expectations we did eventually get to Huevla. We found the train station and from what we could make out there was a train departing in an hour for Seville. We waited the hour, cold and hungry, only to find that the train wasn’t going to Seville but arriving FROM Seville. The next train was the following day at 7am. We got ourselves to a hostel and in French/English/Spanish (Frengrish) got a room for the night and to sleep at about 2am. We both hope tomorrow is more fun.
Jour 5
A contrecĹ“ur, nous avons quittĂ© Lagos en train jusqu’Ă la frontière espagnole. Lagos est une belle ville cĂ´tière avec beaucoup de petits cafĂ©s, de bars et de clubs - un petit coin du Portugal oĂą la langue première est l’Anglais. Bien que ça ne soit pas la pleine saison, l’atmosphère Ă©tait encore fun et nous avons rencontrĂ©s des gens intĂ©ressants. Le système du train Ă©tait un peu confus, mais on a finalement trouvĂ© une place dans un wagon de fret sans porte, pour nos vĂ©los et nous. Deux trains et un voyage en bateau plus tard, nous Ă©tions en Espagne.
Nous avons du faire 20 km en une heure, avant la tombĂ©e du jour, pour atteindre Huelva et prendre un train pour SĂ©ville. après seulement 300 mètres, Sam s’est rendu compte que ma roue arrière Ă©tait voilĂ©e. Un rayon avait cassĂ©. Nous nous sommes arrĂŞtĂ©s pour rĂ©gler ça jusqu’Ă ce qu’on rĂ©alise qu’aucun de nous deux n’avait de rayon de rechange, et mĂŞme si nous en avions eu un, nous ne savions pas comment le remplacer. Avec le jour qui baissait, j’ai essayĂ© de rĂ©parer la roue pendant que Sam partait pour une mission de sauvetage en ville pour nous trouver des rayons. Avec ce que nous avions vu au Portugal, j’avais peu d’espoir que Sam trouve un magasin de vĂ©los, mais Ă©tonnamment, il a rĂ©ussi Ă en trouver un. Avec un peu d’ingĂ©niositĂ©, nous avons pu remettre en place le rayon je ne sais comment et redresser la roue, ou presque.
Pendant ce temps, l’obscuritĂ© Ă©tait dĂ©jĂ arrivĂ©e et le GPS nous disait Ă prĂ©sent que nous devions rouler 50 km, pas 20. Avec peu d’autres options, on tournait en rond. Au dĂ©but, il restait les lueurs du soleil couchant, mais tout est rapidement devenu noir. On ne voyait pas grand chose, exceptĂ© ce que l’on distinguait grâce au clair de lune ou aux phares des voitures. A un moment donnĂ©, sur une route sombre, Sam a heurtĂ© un gros caillou qui est restĂ© dans sa chambre-Ă -air. Quand il s’est arrĂŞtĂ© pour le retirer, je ne m’en suis pas rendu compte et je lui foncĂ© dedans, envoyant son vĂ©lo sur l’autre voie. Il s’est rapidement arrĂŞtĂ©, 10 mètres plus loin, mais malheureusement, moi, je suis tombĂ© en travers. Aucune voiture ne venait de l’arrière et j’ai Ă©tĂ© Ă©jectĂ© du vĂ©lo, puis j’ai roulĂ© sur le bitume, le long de la ligne blanche. Un peu secouĂ©, je suis allĂ© aussi loin que je pouvais sur le bas-cĂ´tĂ© pour vĂ©rifier si mes bras et mes jambes Ă©taient toujours attachĂ©s! Sam Ă©tait un peu secouĂ© aussi et est venu rapidement voir si j’allais bien. Un bouchons de voitures en face s’est formĂ© pour voir le carnage, mais malheureusement pour eux, nous Ă©tions tous les deux saufs. On s’est excusĂ©s chacun Ă notre tour, plusieurs fois, et on a repris la route.
Avec de bonnes prĂ©visions, on a finalement atteint Huelva. Nous avons trouvĂ© la gare et Ă ce que l’on a compris, il y avait un train pour SĂ©ville une heure plus tard. Nous avons donc attendu une heure, dans le froid et la faim, juste pour dĂ©couvrir que le train n’allait pas Ă SĂ©ville, mais en revenait. Le train suivant partait le lendemain Ă 7h. Nous nous sommes trouvĂ© un hĂ´tel et dans un Français/Anglais/Espagnol (du Franglagnol) nous avons rĂ©ussi Ă avoir une chambre pour la nuit et vers 2h, nous nous sommes endormis. Nous espĂ©rons tous les deux que demain sera plus marrant.
November 13th, 2008
by Sam
I’ve heard about Couch Surfing, but before this trip I’d never really looked into it. For the uninitiated, it’s a network set up on the internet designed to help travellers meet locals and get set up with a bit of local knowledge. As implied by the name, a big perk of the system is free accomodation, and it works because you’re staying with like minded travellers who also benefit from the system when they travel abroad. The first step is to set up a profile with pictures and information about yourself, the more detail you add the more your host is able to be confident that you are who you say you are. This week we were hosted in Lisbon and Porto, and both experiences were really fantastic and very beneficial. Couchsurfers also organise events where hosts from a city and whoever their guests might be at the time meet for a dinner, or a coffee, or whatever. We were lucky enough to be in Porto for such a dinner, and we met loads of great people and honestly had a great night out. People not confortable with having strangers in their home can also volunteer to meet for a coffee or a chat or to show someone around. If you’re out there travelling, or if you’re at home and would love to meet some interesting characters, I highly recommend signing up. www.couchsurfing.org
Couch Surfing
J’avais entendu parler de Couch Surfing, mais avant ce voyage, je ne m’Ă©tais jamais vraiment penchĂ© dessus. Pour les non-initiĂ©s, c’est un rĂ©seau internet visant Ă aider les voyageur Ă rencontrer les locaux, et Ă se constituer un petit savoir rĂ©gional. Comme le nom l’indique, le gros avantage du système c’est le logement gratuit, et ça fonctionne puisque vous trouvez des gens Ă l’esprit baroudeur, qui bĂ©nĂ©ficient aussi du système lorsqu’ils voyagent. La première Ă©tape est de crĂ©er un profile avec des photos et des informations sur vous, plus vous ajoutez de dĂ©tails, plus votre hĂ´te est amenĂ© Ă croire en ce que vous dites que vous ĂŞtes. Cette semaine on Ă©tait hĂ©bergĂ©s Ă Lisbonne et Ă Porto, et les 2 expĂ©riences Ă©taient vraiment fantastiques et très bĂ©nĂ©fiques. Les Couchsurfers organisent aussi des Ă©vĂ©nements oĂą les hĂ´tes d’une ville et leurs invitĂ©s du moment se retrouvent pour un dĂ®ner, ou un cafĂ©, ou n’importe quoi d’autre. Nous avons Ă©tĂ© assez chanceux pour participer Ă l’un de ces dĂ®ners Ă Porto, nous avons rencontrĂ© plein de gens cool, et honnĂŞtement nous avons passĂ© une super soirĂ©e. Les gens qui ne sont pas assez Ă l’aise pour accueillir quelqu’un chez eux peuvent tout de mĂŞme se joindre pour prendre un cafĂ©, discuter ou servir de guide. Si vous voyagez, ou si vous ĂŞtes chez vous et que vous aimeriez rencontrer des gens intĂ©ressants, je vous recommande fortement de vous inscrire. www.couchsurfing.org
November 13th, 2008
by Sam
In average conditions on flat ground the beginner cyclist can maintain a speed of 20-25 km/hr, so when we were knocking out 30-40km/hr pretty consistently on the way to Sagres this morning, I found myself thinking “man those first three days have paid off!”, and thought it would be smooth sailing from then on.
 Sagres is the most south-western point of Portugal, and not that you can tell by looking out to sea, but it sits on the “border” of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. All of these Portuguese towns we have been passing in the south have lovely whitewashed square staged houses with terra cotta roofs. Sagres had those, but also some very beautiful beaches with high sheer clifs, and a fort out on the point with a troop of fisherman who pay their 1E50 each day for the right to fish off the south-western most cliffs, they must have ginormous sinkers.
We polished off the shortbread, cursed the cobblestones on the way out and got back on the road. Because Sagres is right out there on the point, we were forced to back-track a little before heading east. This is where I realised that yes, this is still week one and it sucks, and no, you’re not awesome that was a tailwind helping you out this morning. We battled into wind and uphill for 10Km, and after a bunch of highway we are now snuggled up in our first hostel in Largos. Who knew how much we’d miss a real bed and a bath after 3 days. Yeah I know, a teaspoon of cement should do the trick right?
Jour 4
En moyenne, sur du plat, un cycliste dĂ©butant peut se maintenir Ă une vitesse de 20-25 km/h, alors quand on a passĂ© les 30-40 km/h plutĂ´t systĂ©matiquement sur le chemin de Sagres ce matin, je me suis surpris Ă penser “ouah, ces 3 premiers jours ont payĂ©!”, et j’ai pensĂ© que ça serait assez simple de rouler Ă partir de lĂ .
Sagres est Ă la pointe sud-ouest du Portugal, et ce n’est pas que vous puissiez le dire juste en regardant la mer, mais ça se trouve juste au “bord” de l’Atlantique et de la MĂ©diterranĂ©e. tous ces villages portugais que nous avons traversĂ©s dans le sud avaient des petites maisons carrĂ©es blanchies Ă la chaux avec des toits en terre cuite. Sagres a les mĂŞmes, mais a aussi quelques belles plages bordĂ©es de falaises Ă pic, et un fort avec une troupe de pĂŞcheurs qui paient leur 1,50€ tous les jours pour avoir le droit de pĂŞcher au large des falaises les plus au sud-ouest, oĂą il doit y avoir des Ă©paves Ă©normes.
Nous avons expĂ©diĂ© nos biscuits, maudit les pavĂ©s du chemin et repris la route. Parce que Sagres est vraiment tout Ă la pointe, nous avons Ă©tĂ© forcĂ©s de revenir un peu sur nos pas avant de nous diriger vers l’Est. C’est lĂ que j’ai rĂ©alisĂ© que oui, on Ă©tait toujours dans la première semaine et ça craint, et non, je ne suis pas merveilleux, c’Ă©tait juste le vent arrière qui m’aidait ce matin. On s’est battu contre le vent et on a grimpĂ© 10 km, et après un tas de nationales, on est maintenant pelotonnĂ© dans notre premier hĂ´tel Ă Largos. Qui sait Ă quel point un vrai lit et un bain peuvent nous manquer après 3 jours. Oui, je sais, une petite cuillère en ciment devrait suffire, c’est ça?
November 12th, 2008
by Lachman
Waking a little earlier than the day before we left the camping ground just north of Vila Nova de Monfontes and rode towards the town. We past through only to pickup some supplies to have a brekky looking over the wide river with large cliffs.
 We headed for Odeceixa, a coastal town tucked in behind some tall ranges. A little slip-up with garmi (Gamin GPS) meant we took an extra four kilometres getting there. Luckily most of the way we had a tail-wind, which we remarked to a couple of American cyclist, to their disliking, heading in the other direction.
At this stage we were hoping to possibly make it all the way to the southern tip of Portugal, Sagres, but we had to rethink our plans just out of Odeceixa. Steep hills followed by steeper hills meant we were slowed down a bit. By the time we got to Aljezur (a quaint little town) we were pretty puffed and decided that Carrapateira would be more a more suitable location to camp for the evening.
“http://euride08.com/components/com_mojo/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/Day3.png” align=”left” class=”w180l” />We found the town just on sunset and stocked up on some food. We found a good spot to camp almost out of a strong wind but it happened to be in the front yard of a vila-cum-apartment building. We knocked on the door of the only house with a light on to find a little old lady, who by the smell of it was making a delicious pasta dish. We asked if we could camp in her front yard and she said yes, but around the back would be more out of the wind (from what we could understand). She showed us a ground level patio that was half under-cover. It was completely out of the wind and also came with a hot outdoor shower!
We set-up camp, had dinner and a couple of beers at the local club and hit the hay. It was only 9:30.
Jour 3
En se rĂ©veillant un peu plus tĂ´t que la veille, nous avons quittĂ© le camping juste au nord de Vila Nova de Monfontes et nous avons roulĂ© jusqu’en ville. On est entrĂ©s en ville pour prendre quelques rĂ©serves et jeter un coup d’Ĺ“il Ă la large rivière bordĂ©e de falaises.
Nous avons rejoins Odeceixa, un village cĂ´tier entourĂ© de prĂ©s. Une petite bourde du GPS nous a fait faire un petit dĂ©tour de 4 km. Heureusement, pendant la plupart du trajet nous avions le vent dans le dos, ce que nous avons remarquĂ© vu l’air d’un couple de cyclistes amĂ©ricains qui roulait dans l’autre sens.
A ce moment lĂ , on espĂ©rait aller jusqu’Ă la pointe sud du Portugal, Sagres, mais on a du revoir nos plans Ă la sortie d’Odeceixa. Des pentes raides Ă©taient suives d’autres pentes, encore plus raides, ce qui allait nous ralentir un peu. En arrivant Ă Aljezur (un petit village pittoresque), nous Ă©tions plutĂ´t essoufflĂ©s et nous avons dĂ©cidĂ© que Carrapateira serait un endroit plus adĂ©quat pour camper le soir.
Nous sommes arrivĂ©s au village au coucher du soleil et nous avons stockĂ© un peu de nourriture. Nous avons trouvĂ© un bon endroit pour camper, presque hors de portĂ©e du vent fort, mais il s’est trouvĂ© que dans le champ d’en face, il y avait un Ă©difice d’appartement-villa. On a frappĂ© Ă la porte de la seule maison encore allumĂ©e pour tomber sur une vieille dame qui, Ă l’odeur, devait ĂŞtre en train de cuisiner un dĂ©licieux plat de pâtes. Nous avons demandĂ© si nous pouvions camper dans le champ d’en face, ce Ă quoi elle rĂ©pondit oui, mais que l’arrière serait plus Ă l’abri du vent (pour ce que l’on a pu comprendre). Elle nous a montrĂ© une terrasse, couverte Ă moitiĂ©. C’Ă©tait complètement Ă l’abri du vent, et comprenait aussi une douche d’extĂ©rieur avec de l’eau chaude!
On a installé notre campement, on a dîné et bu une ou deux bière au bar du coin et on est allé direct au pieu. Il était à peine 21h30.
November 11th, 2008
by Lachman
After a late night we were both late rising. On just 6 hrs sleep (after 4 hours the night before) we awoke to a foggy beach-side view to the Atlantic ocean. The fog was so intense that our visibility was only about 30 metres and as we were riding my arms were getting wet!
 We stopped at a small petrol station were we got breakfast and a new companion. A dog, that we gave a pat, decided to run with us for about 3Kms. In that time he almost got hit by either us or cars on numerous occasions. I hope he got home alright.
We had lunch which included a sleep in the warm sun on a hill over-looking a the bay in Sines. From there we travelled along a beautiful stretch of beach during the red-orange Atlantic sunset. We were a bit short of reaching Vila Nova as it was pitch black on a thin road with many cars speeding past. But we found a camp ground with some basic amenities to get us through.
I was impressed with Sam, sticking it out through the pain and soreness, he’s doing well for no training! Hopefully tomorrow will be warm and sunny again.
Jour 2
Après un coucher tardif, nous avons eu un rĂ©veil tardif. Avec 6h de sommeil (après 4h la nuit d’avant), nous avons ouvert les yeux sur une plage avec une vue brumeuse sur l’ocĂ©an atlantique. Le brouillard Ă©tait si intense que notre visibilitĂ© ne dĂ©passait pas 30 mètres et en marchant mes bras devenaient humides!
Nous nous sommes arrĂŞtĂ©s Ă une petite station service oĂą nous avons trouvĂ© un petit-dĂ©jeuner et un nouveau compagnon. Un chien que l’on avait caressĂ© a dĂ©cidĂ© de courir avec nous Ă peu près 3 km. Pendant tout ce temps, il a plusieurs fois failli nous percuter, ou percuter une voiture. J’espère qu’il est bien rentrĂ© chez lui.
Nous avons dĂ©jeunĂ©, sieste au soleil incluse, Ă Sines sur une colline qui surplombait la baie. De lĂ , nous avons roulĂ© le long d’une plage magnifique pendant un coucher de soleil rouge-orangĂ© sur l’Atlantique. On Ă©tait un peu court pour rejoindre Vila Nova puisque nous Ă©tions dans le noir total sur une petite route avec beaucoup de voitures qui roulaient plutĂ´t vite. Mais on a quand mĂŞme trouvĂ© un endroit pour camper avec quelques installations basiques.
Je suis impressionné par Sam, qui supporte bien la douleur et la souffrance, sans aucun entraînement! Avec un peu de chance, il fera à nouveau beau et chaud demain.
November 10th, 2008
by Lachman
 We started the day at 6am in Porto, about 300Kms north of Lisbon. Fernando generously gave us a lift to the station. I didn’t realise people could drive that fast over cobble-stone streets. It was much appreciated as we were running a little late for the train to Lisbon. Once in Lisbon Rui kindly picked us up from the local metro station and drove us around town to pickup the last items for our ride.
 We headed to the airline cargo bay to pickup our bike only to find them closed for a long lunch. We had lunch ourselves, got a lift back said our farewells to Rui and finally tried to pickup the bikes at 3pm. We then had three other pieces of paperwork to sign off, pay €30, then wait half an hour for the cargo men to bring us the bikes. Darkness had well and truely set in before we had finished putting the bikes together. We started our tour at 7pm.
To get out of the city quickly and safely we caught a train from central Lisbon to Sebtula, a town with a ferry crossing. This took us across to a spot about 16Kms from Comporta. We left the ferry terminal at about 10:30 and arrived to an empty town. We got some dinner from a local club and had a chat to a fisherman who suggested we sleep on the beach. And that we did. We setup camp next to an empty beachside restaurant and slept until the sun woke us in the morning.
On a commencĂ© la journĂ©e Ă 6h du matin Ă Porto, Ă 300 km environ au nord de Lisbonne. Fernando nous a gĂ©nĂ©reusement dĂ©posĂ©s Ă la gare. Je n’avais pas rĂ©alisĂ© que des gens pouvaient conduire aussi vite dans des rues pavĂ©es. C’Ă©tait tout de mĂŞme apprĂ©ciĂ© parce qu’on Ă©tait partis un peu tard pour le train. Une fois Ă Lisbonne, Rui est gentiment venu nous chercher au mĂ©tro et nous a conduit en ville pour qu’on puisse rĂ©cupĂ©rer nos affaires.
On s’est rendu au bureau du fret aĂ©rien juste pour s’apercevoir qu’il Ă©tait fermĂ© pour une longue pause dĂ©jeuner. Nous avons nous mĂŞme dĂ©jeunĂ©, sommes retournĂ©s pour faire nos adieux Ă Rui, pour finalement aller chercher nos vĂ©los Ă 15h. Nous avons alors eu 3 autres papiers Ă signer, nous avons payĂ© 30€, puis nous avons avons attendu 1/2 heure que l’on nous apporte les vĂ©los. L’obscuritĂ© s’Ă©tait dĂ©jĂ honnĂŞtement installĂ©e avant que l’on finisse de les assembler. On a commencĂ© notre tour Ă 19h.
Pour sortir de la ville rapidement et sans encombre, on a pris un train du centre de Lisbonne jusqu’Ă Sebtula, un village avec un passage de ferry. On a traversĂ© jusqu’Ă un endroit Ă environ 16 km de Comporta. Le ferry est arrivĂ© autour de 22h30 et nous avons trouvĂ© un village vide. Nous avons dĂ®nĂ© dans un petit resto local et avons discutĂ© avec un pĂŞcheur qui nous a suggĂ©rĂ© de dormir sur la plage. Ce que nous avons fait. On a installĂ© notre tente Ă cĂ´tĂ© d’un restaurant de plage vide et on a dormi jusqu’Ă ce que le soleil nous rĂ©veille au matin.
November 9th, 2008
by Lachman
 “Wasting Time” in Porto has been fantastic. We’re being hosted by Fernando, a sixty year old statistician. What seems to be the norm here, and Fernando has enjoyed displaying to us, is staying up until 3am drinking, then sleeping in until the afternoon. Yesterday we went to bed at 4am and this morning at 6am - we only beat Fernando by an hour!
 Here Sam and I were about to eat Francesinha, translated as “Little French Gril”. The creator of this dish was obviously an alcohol loving carnivor. The sauce is a concoction of beers, spirits, ports and wines. This is drizzled (poured) over a toasted sandwich containing sausages, bacon, steak, ham, pork, prawns, and egg. On top of this is melted cheese. It made me appreciate being at the top of the food chain.
Porto, the home of port wine, is Portugal’s second largest city. The beautiful old town overlooks a large river from where they used to ship the port. Where the river meets the Atlantic ocean there is a small beach with seriously decent waves. Sam and I were planning to brave the cold (about 14 degrees) and get in for a swim however we got up a little late and missed our opportunity.
We’re still praying for these bikes to be in Lisbon tomorrow.
Porto, la plage et le vin
Le “temps perdu” Ă Porto a Ă©tĂ© fantastique. On a Ă©tĂ© accueilli par Fernando, un statisticien de 60 ans. Ce qui semble ĂŞtre la norme ici, et Fernando a beaucoup aimĂ© nous le montrer, c’est de rester Ă©veillĂ© jusqu’Ă 3h du matin, puis dormir jusqu’au lendemain après-midi. Hier on est allĂ© se coucher Ă 4h et ce matin, Ă 6h - on a juste battu Fernando d’une heure!
Ici, Sam et moi avons goĂ»tĂ© de la Francesinha, comprenez “Petite Française”. Le crĂ©ateur de ce plat devait ĂŞtre un carnivore amoureux d’alcool. La sauce est un mĂ©lange de bière, de spiritueux, de porto et de vin. Cette sauce est versĂ©e sur un sandwich toastĂ© composĂ© de saucisses, bacon, steak, jambon, porc, crevettes et Ĺ“ufs. Et par dessus, il y a un peu de fromage fondu. (n.d.l.t.: nom de dieu! vous avez vraiment mangĂ© ça???) Tout ça m’a fait apprĂ©ciĂ© d’ĂŞtre au sommet de la chaĂ®ne alimentaire.
Porto, ville du vin du mĂŞme nom, est la deuxième plus grande ville du Portugal. La très belle vieille ville surplombe une large rivière par oĂą ils ont coutume de rejoindre le port. LĂ oĂą la rivière rejoint l’ocĂ©an Atlantique, il y a une petite plage avec des vagues sĂ©rieusement dĂ©centes. Sam et moi avions planifiĂ© de braver le froid (Ă peu près 14°C) et de se baigner mais nous avons eu un petit contre-temps et nous avons ratĂ© notre chance.
Nous prions toujours pour que ces vélos soit à Lisbonne demain.
November 6th, 2008
by Lachman
 Yesterday we visited a load of wonderful sights here. We took trams to each end of the city and walked through blooming gardens, decorated public squares, and beautiful old monuments. We took in a wonderful view of the city from Cristo Rei on the other side of Lisbon harbour. The monument is a smaller replica of the Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro. We took some, presumably blasphemous, photos as well as talked with fellow Polish travellers (taking similarly blasphemous photos).
Today we head to Porto to kill some time before the bikes arrive on Monday.
Hier, nous avons visitĂ© un tas de choses ici. On a pris des trams Ă chaque coins de la ville, et on a marchĂ© Ă travers des jardins en fleurs, des squares dĂ©corĂ©s, et des superbes monuments anciens. On a eu une vue magnifique de la ville depuis le Cristo Rei, de l’autre cĂ´tĂ© du port. Ce monument est une rĂ©plique plus petite de la statue du Christ de Rio de Janeiro. On a pris quelques photos, probablement blasphĂ©matoires, comme quelques voyageurs polonais avec qui l’on a parlĂ© (et qui prenaient les mĂŞmes photos).
Aujourd’hui, on monte Ă Porto pour tuer le temps avant que les vĂ©los arrivent, lundi.
November 5th, 2008
by Sam
 We were dropped off at the airport this morning with great anticipation, ready to assemble the bikes and get going. Disappointingly, they have not yet arrived and it looks like we will be delayed until Monday, a full week later than expected. The good news is we’re making the most of the extra time to head up and see Porto tomorrow. Last night we had some trouble finding the “kick” again, but had fun riding aimlessly around on trams. We stopped in at a house party, and had a drink with some great locals, friends of Rui. On the way home I almost got bitten whilst trying to pat a dog in a car, don’t ask.
Un bon coup dans les… dents.
On a dĂ©barquĂ© ce matin Ă l’aĂ©roport avec une super anticipation, prĂŞts Ă monter les vĂ©los et Ă dĂ©marrer. Malheureusement, ils n’Ă©taient pas encore arrivĂ©s et on dirait qu’on va devoir retarder le dĂ©part Ă lundi, soit une semaine complète après ce qui Ă©tait prĂ©vu. La bonne nouvelle, c’est que ça nous laisse du temps libre pour aller voir Porto demain. Hier soir, nous avons eu quelques problèmes pour retrouver le fameux “kick”, mais on s’est pas mal amusĂ© Ă voyager en tram sans but. On s’est arrĂŞtĂ© dans une fĂŞte et on a bu un verre avec des gens cool, amis de Rui. Sur le chemin du retour, je me suis presque fait mordre en essayant de caresser un chien dans une voiture; ne posez pas de question.
November 5th, 2008
by Lachman
 Sam and I have taken a bit of time out today to watch the election coverage with our host. Rui, previously the youngest member of parliament in Portugal’s national parliament, is a keen socialist party member and was very excited to see Obama win the election. Both Sam and I enjoyed watching the CNN broadcast with him, his knowledge and insights were very interesting.
 Daniel, a Swiss traveller, asked, to general laughter, “who won?” each time he entered the room, like a person asking “who’s winning?” at lunch on the first day of a cricket test match. We finally finished up drinking and chatting at 5:30am, after Obama gave his victory speech. To be found, when we wake up, is an empty carton of Portuguese beer sitting on the kitchen floor.
This afternoon the bikes should arrive at the Lisbon airport. If this is the case we may have enough time tomorrow to take the train to the northern city of Porto to do a pre-euride08 test ride. Here’s hoping the bikes arrive in one piece!
Elections américaines avec Rui
Sam et moi avons pris un peu de temps pour regarder les élections avec notre hôte. Rui, qui était auparavant le plus jeune membre du Parlement Portugais, est un membre assidu du Parti Socialiste et était très excité de voir Obama gagner les éléctions. Nous, nous étions tous les deux contents de regarder la CNN avec lui, son savoir et sa perspicacité étaient très intéressants.
Daniel, un voyageur suisse, demandait, devant les rires de l’assemblĂ©e, “qui a gagnĂ©?” chaque fois qu’il entrait dans la pièce, comme une personne qui demande “qui gagne?” le midi du premier jour des matchs de cricket. Finalement, on a terminĂ© Ă 5h30 Ă boire et Ă discuter, après qu’Obama ait prononcĂ© son discours. Quand on s’est rĂ©veillĂ©, on a trouvĂ© un carton vide de bières portugaises sur le sol de la cuisine.
Cet après-midi, les vĂ©los devraient arriver Ă l’aĂ©roport de Lisbonne. Si c’est le cas, on devrait avoir assez de temps demain pour prendre le train vers le nord et aller visiter Porto pour faire un test prĂ©-euride08. EspĂ©rons que les vĂ©los arrivent en un seul morceau!
November 3rd, 2008
by Sam
 Lach and I found each other at the airport in Lisbon as planned, which was lucky as we otherwise had no means of contacting each other! I signed up to couch surfing last week, and so far it has been a very pleasant experience. Rui works as a professor, has lived in Lisbon for almost twenty years, speaks five or six languages fluently! He agreed to host us while we wait for the bikes to arrive and has already been an amazing help. Lach and I tested out the GPS on the bus from the airport and after avoiding getting mugged with all our gear we found the meeting place Rui had given us.
 He treated us to some traditional Portuguese dishes, a coffee with a wonderful night view of the city, and finally the (in)famous “kick in the …”, a local drink found in the all tribes district. Today he has set us up with the bees knees of local knowledge for tourists, and we look forward to following the election amongst a few drinks tonight. Between Rui and Lach, I think I’ll be in for some very sound political commentary!
Lisbonne, l’ArrivĂ©e
Lach et moi nous sommes retrouvĂ©s Ă l’aĂ©roport de Lisbonne comme c’Ă©tait prĂ©vu, ce qui Ă©tait plutĂ´t un coup de chance vu que nous n’avions sinon aucun moyen de nous contacter! Je me suis inscrit sur couchsurfing la semaine dernière, et jusqu’ici ça a Ă©tĂ© une expĂ©rience agrĂ©able. Rui travaille en tant que professeur, vit Ă Lisbonne depuis presque 20 ans et parle 5 ou 6 langues couramment! Il a acceptĂ© de nous accueillir pendant que nous attendons l’arrivĂ©e de nos vĂ©lo et a dĂ©jĂ Ă©tĂ© d’une grande aide. Lach et moi avons testĂ© le GPS dans le bus de l’aĂ©roport et après avoir Ă©vitĂ© de nous faire agresser par tout notre matĂ©riel, on a trouvĂ© le point de rendez-vous que Rui nous avait donnĂ©.
Il nous a emmenĂ© mangĂ© quelques plats portugais traditionnels, boire un cafĂ© avec une vue superbe sur la ville et finalement gouter le (in)connu “kick in the …”, une boisson locale dans le quartier populaire. Aujourd’hui, il nous a appris ce qu’il y avait Ă savoir de la rĂ©gion en tant que touristes, et nous attendons ce soir de suivre les Ă©lections avec quelques verres. Entre Rui et Lach, je pense que je suis bon pour des commentaires politiques enflammĂ©s!
November 2nd, 2008
by Lachman
 I don’t know how many times I mentally packed my bags, but the process was eventually pretty smooth. Thinking about the items I might need for 3 months is a little difficult when you have only a vague understanding of the actual route. Here is a basic list of clothes packed for one person.
Clothing
2 Thermal tops
2 Thermal bottoms
5 Pairs of Underwear
Warm vest
Gortex Jacket
3 Under-layer socks
2 Wool socks
Quick dry pants
Cycling shoes
3 Knicks (Cell Bikes)
2 Jerseys (Cell Bikes)
3 Light weight cotton shirts
Balaclava
Very Warm Gloves
To fit this all in I used a Dry Pack which I compressed as much as possible to maximise space.
 My checked luggage end up being only 10.9 Kilos! I ensured I declared my brand new fuel canister when checking in. Because the item may have shown up when they scanned the luggage, the attendant looked over the item and took my luggage with me to the over-sized baggage counter. Here they screened my luggage in front of me which means it shouldn’t be held up by a later x-ray check.
Des vĂŞtements pour 3 mois
Je ne sais pas combien de fois j’ai fais mes valises mentalement, mais le processus Ă©tait plutĂ´t simple. Pensez aux choses nĂ©cessaires pour 3 mois est un peu difficile quand on a seulement une vague idĂ©e de ce que sera la route. Voici une liste basique des vĂŞtements pour une personnes:
2 hauts thermolactyl
2 pantalons thermolactyl
5 paires de sous-vĂŞtement
Maillot chaud
Veste en Gortex
3 paires de chaussettes fines
2 paires de chaussettes en laine
Pantalons Ă©tanches
Chaussures de cyclisme
3 shorts (Cell Bikes)
2 pulls (Cell Bikes)
3 tee-shirts en coton léger
Passe-montagne
Gants très chauds
Pour transporter tout ça, j’ai utilisĂ© un Dry Pack que j’ai compressĂ© le plus possible pour maximiser l’espace.
Mon bagage Ă l’enregistrement pesait seulement 10,9 kg! Je me suis assurĂ© que j’avais dĂ©clarĂ© mon tout nouveau rĂ©chaud Ă fuel Ă l’aĂ©roport. Parce qu’il a du le voir en scannant mon bagage, le steward nous a emmenĂ©, mon sac et moi au comptoir des bagages trop lourds. LĂ , ils ont contrĂ´lĂ© mon sac en face de moi ce qui signifie qu’il n’aura pas a passer aux rayons-X plus tard.
November 1st, 2008
by smar
 Lachlan and I went on our last training ride together this morning, we had an early start with an easy ride out to Samford Valley. Along the way we spoke to a few groups of cyclists heading up Mt Nebo and Glorious, a popular ride for weekend groups. We stopped in at “Brisbane’s biggest Garage sale” at Samford valley for a coffee and hoping to talk on air with the ABC radio that were having an outside broadcast, but an equipment failure meant that the interview would have to be postponed. We are going to try to get an interview maybe next week, and a live hook up with the boys who will be riding through Portugal, somewhere, I’ll keep people posted on that front.
We’ve spoken to a lot of people over the past few months. Many people ask where we are riding, but most of all why? I’m more than happy to speak with people about our tour. So please, keep the emails coming we’d love to hear from you –
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Lachlan is flying out tonight to meet Sam in Lisbon where the Adventure begins!
Good luck guys!
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La Dernière Ballade
Lachlan et moi avons fait notre dernier entraĂ®nement ce matin. nous avons eu un dĂ©part matinal avec un trajet facile pour quitte la Samford Valley. Au long du chemin, nous avons parlĂ© Ă quelques groupes de cyclistes qui grimpaient le Mont Nebo and Glorious, une ballade de week-end populaire. On s’est arrĂŞtĂ© au plus gros vide-grenier de Brisbane, Ă Samford Valley pour boire un cafĂ© et en espĂ©rant parler Ă la station de radio ABC qui faisait un enregistrement en plein air, mais un problème technique Ă diffĂ©rĂ© l’interview. On va essayer de faire l’interview, peut-ĂŞtre la semaine prochaine, en duplex avec les garçons qui seront en train de rouler quelque part au Portugal, je vous tiendrai au courant.
On a parlĂ© Ă beaucoup de monde durant les mois derniers. Beaucoup nous ont demandĂ© oĂą est-ce qu’on allait rouler, mais la plupart nous ont demandĂ© pourquoi? Je suis plus que ravi de parler de notre tour avec les gens. Alors, s’il vous plait, n’hĂ©sitez pas Ă nous Ă©crire, nous aimerions avoir de vos nouvelles,
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Lachlan s’envole ce soir pour retrouver Sam Ă Lisbonne, lĂ oĂą l’aventure commence!
Bonne chance les gars!
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