endofhertether's Trips

• Malaga to Nottingham

24 September 2010

This trip is no more than an idea at the moment; my idea more than Ken's.  The plan, as it stands, is to travel from our current home in Malaga to our home town in the UK, Nottingham, starting around the middle of April next year.  We will take a direct route there through Spain and the west side of France but a more indirect route back to Malaga, ending the trip some time between the middle and the end of July.  Our total experience of cycle touring is a couple of cycling holidays with an organised tour company, one in Cuba and another in India, lasting a couple of weeks each.  Not much to go on really!

I'm in the 'planning' phase - Ken's in the 'worrying' phase.  Situation normal.

23 July 2011 Post-trip review

Facts and Figures:

Total distance     6684 km

Average daily distance covered (excluding short days due to ferry crossings and trips during rest days):     79km

Longest distance covered in one day:     138 km

Average time in the saddle per day:     5 hours 25 minutes

Longest time in the saddle in one day:     9 hours 53 minutes

Total hours in the saddle:     477 hours

Average speed:     13.9 km/hour

Best average speed in one day:     18.5 km/hour

Worst average speed in one day:     10 km/hour

Maximum speed:     57 km/hour

Average daily cost  (excluding 9 days in Nottingham when staying

with relatives, 2 x ferry fares and bike repairs):     88 euros

Average daily cost when staying in hotels (50 days):     104 euros

Average daily cost when camping (50 days):     72 euros

Bicycle maintenance:                                                                                            

Ken

Number of punctures:     3

Replaced, due to wear, back brake blocks, cassette and chain.  Re-greased seat post and bottom bracket.

Julie

Number of punctures:     0

Replaced, due to wear, back brake pads.  Re-greased seat post.

Trip highlights were:

Wild, remote areas deep in the interior of Spain, where you can cycle all day and see only a handful of people and cars

Equally wild and dramatic mountains around Jaen which provide fantastic climbs for bikes

The ferry crossing from Harwich to Hoek van Holland with Stenaline; very impressive first-class facilities

The cycling culture in Holland with their fantastic infrastructure for bikes

Pretty waterway landscapes in Holland

Picture perfect landscapes in Luxembourg

Crossing the Vallee de Joux in Switzerland down towards Lake Geneva; beautiful mountain meadow scenery

The mountains of the Massif de Chartreuse and the awesome Gorges de la Bourne

Mont Ventoux - a magnet for cyclists from all over the world

Pretty, rocky coastline along the north region of the Costa Brava, from the border with France to Cap de Creus

Spanish people - unfailingly helpful and always warm and welcoming

Tips and observations:

Do not cycle tour in France before the start of the summer season (1st June at the earliest) unless you are prepared to wild camp and be completely self-sufficient

National holidays in France, such as Easter, mean that everything closes.  You will not find a shop, bar, restaurant, petrol station or anywhere else to even buy a bottle of water

Do not try to cycle tour in southern Spain during a heat wave! 

Get off your bike and walk it through the bigger town centres.  Determine the direction of your exit road and go straight for it, ignoring any road signs as these are designed for cars and will send you along ring-roads, one-way systems and onto motorways. We found that pushing the bikes straight through the middle, along the pedestrianised bits and the wrong way along one-way streets, was much quicker and way-finding much easier

Always have a compass handy, although on sunny days you won't need it so much

If you have a noise on your bike, try greasing your seat post

Take some waterproof socks.  Even if it is not actually raining they are great if your shoes have got wet the day before for keeping your feet warm and dry

Do not use pedals with cleats on a fully loaded touring bike - your chances of falling off will be greatly increased if you do

Put Vaseline or lip salve on your lips several times each day.  Your lips will crack anyway but at least it will not be quite as painful.

If you suffer from sweat rash the best cure is to keep the area covered with talc.  You will look like you fell into a tub of flour but who cares!

Take a camping stove - the extra weight will be negligible compared to the benefit of greater flexibility to eat when you want as well as keeping the cost of the trip down.

Do not go anywhere near a main road on a bike in France unless you have suicidal tendencies

Equipment List

Bikes: Cube Delhi HS11 with front suspension, hydraulic caliper brakes and Shimano Deore XT 9 speed (11-32 cassette and 48 x 36 x 26 chain rings); Cube Delhi Disc with front suspension, hydraulic disc brakes and Shimano Deore XT 9 speed (11-32 cassette and 48 x 36 x 26 chain rings)

Bags: Carradice CarraDry front and rear panniers, Simond watertight holdalls, handlebar map holder, stuff bags (for clothes)

Tools: Allen keys (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 & 10mm), Star keys (10, 25 & 30), Phillips screwdrivers, cone spanners, chain whip, cassette locking tool & rachet, tyre levers, spanners (2 x 8mm, 2 x 10mm & 15mm), chain splitter, spoke wrench, Topeak Road Morph pump with gauge, chain wear measure, Mammut multitool, rubber mallet

Spares: Puncture repair kit, chain lubricant, grease, 2 x gear cables, 2 x brake pads, 4 x brake blocks, 2 x Fibre-fix spokes, chain, 2 x inner tubes, 2 x rim tapes, assorted nuts & bolts, zip-ties

Camping gear: Jack Wolfskin Bike n' Hike tent, 2 x 2 metre plastic sheet, Thermarest Ridgerest mats, Wynnster Superlite 1500 sleeping bags, head torches

Clothes (per person):  Waterproof jacket, waterproof socks, long-sleeved thick cycle top, thin long-sleeved cycle top, 2 x short-sleeved cycle tops, 2 x cycle shorts,  2 x base layer shorts, cycling tights, socks, cycling shoes, cycling gloves, bandana, trainers, flip-flops, underwear, swim suit, t-shirt, zip-off trousers, fleece, shorts, sunglasses and lenses, helmet, baseball cap

Personal: Toothbrush, floss & toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, deodorant, soap, after shave, talc, sun-cream, tissues, razors, small mirror, comb, manicure set, travel towels, lip salve, Vaseline, glasses & disposable contact lenses, First-aid kit

Technology: Camera & charger, 'phone & charger, Netbook & cable, SD cards, bike computer, shaver & plug, spare batteries

Security: Cable locks, D-locks, Pac-safe document/money bags, high visibilty vests

Other: Bike water bottles, Sporks & plastic bowls, small plastic chopping board, line & pegs, travel sink plug, ball of string, needle & thread, washing up liquid, clothes washing powder, microfibre cloth, French phrase book, novels, notebook & pen, diary, highlight pens, maps, compass, documents & money

• Northern Spain and Portugal

14 November 2011

I suspect the next really big tour will be to cycle across the USA, but we can't fit it in during 2012 (and I have to have sufficient time to bring Ken around to the idea).  So, that remains a forthcoming attraction!

For the meantime, the preferred option for 2012, given the time we have available and the fact that we loved cycle touring in Spain, is to cycle up to the north of Spain, possibly using the Via de la Plata (an ancient Roman route to Santiago de Compostela), to ride over to the west coast of Galicia and then back down through Portugal.  We're not sure at the moment of exactly how much time we're going to have and so we need to keep the schedule flexible.  We're getting a few rainy days now which trap us indoors and so my mind turns to researching and planning out a potential route .