A Beer in the Sun: Rodez to Carcasonne 2007

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Rodez to Carcasonne 2007

Paul & I, 8th to 19th September 2007, 282 miles, mostly cold and wet!

Resting at the top of the first big climb.

No gas and the only restaurant closed, but the bar was open and they let us use the kitchen.

On top of the world

A night in the Hotel du Nord after 2 days of solid rain.

Time for a cake.

The sun finally comes out in Carcasonne.

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Born again cyclist

When Jenna (youngest) was 4 (and I was 38) we were chosing her a bike for Christmas and thought I ought to have a bike as well so we could all go cycling.

I managed to purchase a half decent mountain bike from a wholesaler and built it myself, but was determined not to ride it until Jenna had hers.

For the last few years I had been running (road, fell) and even managed a half marathon, but suddenly I was transformed and I would struggle up and career down mountains whenever I had the chance.

I hadn't ridden for 20 years, but at last I had a bike that could do what I wanted it to when I was a kid!

When we moved to Bucks I was disapointed that the off road was not as good as I expected (either too rutted when it was dry or too deep in mud when wet) and decided that a road bike would be more appropriate. I decided on a touring bike and came across a Ridgeback tourer (Romany - proper touring bike - drop handle bars and everything). It was already discounted from £550.00 to £350.00 and because the shop belonged to the company I then worked for I got another 30% off that! And before the company sold off the shop I quickly purchaesed a set of panniers in the hope that one day I would go touring.

In 1995 I organised a bike ride from Brierely Hill to Aylesbury to raise money in memory of a work colleague who died of Lukemia (and worked between the two locations).

The following May we (the familly) were going to Cornwall but Sarah (eldest) was not back from a school trip until the Sunday afternoon, so I set off on Friday night, met up with them at Taunton for Sunday night and carried on to Padstow on the Sunday.

By this time Paul, Tony and myself had been cycling 3 or 4 times a week for some time, had had had a few weekends away, and in the September we undertook our first cycle tour in Ireland.

Ireland was rather wet, and as Paul had originally suggested the White villages of Andalucia for the first trip we decided that this would be the choice for our second. We flew to Malaga and back from Gibralter and cycled in land through some of the most beutiful scenery I had ever seen, the weather was gorgeous and the was nothing better than a beer in the sun after a long day in the saddle.

Since then we have enjoyed a european cycle trip most years, and many beers in the sun. Chris and I went back to Andalucia 5 years later as I had the idea to purchase a property. Although I had promised my wife that we would just look, I had done some considerable research on the internet and it took us 3 days to find the house that we purchaesed a few months later. Over the following year we turned the little terrace (for the washing line) into another bedroom and en-suite and made the rest of the roof a terrace, with a fabulous view of the valley and over the village, and sun until it set over the mountains.

I now have 5 bikes, including the original mountain bike, which is now in the house in Spain, but is now a bit like Triggers Broom as only the frame and forks are original, most components having been broken and replaced many times over the years.

A Beer in the Sun

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Rodez to Carcasonne 2007

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Born again cyclist

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