themamil

[themamil]

Bosham is such a lovely 1/2 way destination point, with the harbour and the great cafe PopIn for great coffee and a slice. Todays 120k loop from Farnham was a joyful ride, and whilst it was a bit nippy, it was great to be out and riding with company. #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride #bosham #popinbosham (at Bosham) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpYh_NMM-4j/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

It was such a shame when 172 Coffee in Elstead closed its doors last year, so was delighted to see that it has reopened as @southdownscoffeeat172 with a warm welcome and lovely coffee, with a cafe full of cyclists. They even used my favourite brand@of oat milk (#oatlybarista) Mid-ride stops are definitely back on the agenda. #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride #southdownscoffeeco (at 172 Coffee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpFjk1VsRJL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

So this little beauty arrived today. Got a GREAT deal from @jurawatches. The Garmin Epix Gen 2 with its beautiful AMOLED screen and extensive battery life, packed with all the great Garmin sports features, sensors and support. I upgraded because my time with #whoop comes to an end when it goes out of contract in about 10 days and I’m not renewing. The Epix will effectively be combining my previous Fenix 5x plus and the Whoop into one device, on one wrist. 😎 #garminepix2 #whoop #fenix #epix #smartwatch #wearables #bodybattery #mamil https://www.instagram.com/p/CnkUn1QsBYO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

Thanks to @trutension_cycle for my tyre monkey. Never seen a one piece tyre tool that can do the job so looking forward to trying it out, but have to say the design looks great. I’ll post my thoughts in a review on the blog once I have. #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil https://www.instagram.com/p/CnfTljNMwIc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

It’s occurred to me that in the same way dogs can take on the characteristics of their owners, I’m beginning to wonder if the same can be said for bikes. In my case…. Silver fox ✅ Slightly heavier than I used to be ✅ Dependable ✅ Single minded ✅ Rode St Malo to Nice in 2022 ✅ Loves to ride ✅ Yep. I think that’s a pretty solid theory…. 😉 #reillyspectre #titanium #titaniumbike #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride #mamil https://www.instagram.com/p/CncWN8bMYHw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

Just (not so) casually riding along with @ghincapie and @bobby.julich in Croatia for a VO2 max workout. All without leaving my home. On my @nordictrack bike. At lunchtime. Nice. 😎🚴‍♂️ #ifit #indoorcycling #newyearnewyou #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride (at Farnham) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnEzfbRshm9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

Replica #mtventoux roadsign from @601_industries is the perfect complement to my framed @bike.alive #stmalotonice ride from @loopieroute As always, thanks to @fussypunter for the amazing and thoughtful Christmas gift. #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride (at Farnham) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm8_Az6sb_w/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

Post first outdoor ride of the year. I’d like to say I feel fresh and invigorated but I’d be lying. This feels like a reboot and it’s going to take some time to shift this extra weight and get back into some form, but you have to stay somewhere. #fitnessgoals2023 #cyclinglife #reboot #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride (at Farnham) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm6sgT_sNT2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

Another day. Another windmill. This was the only one I saw today with a fairly attritious 60k loop. It may be flat here in the Netherlands but the cycling isn’t necessarily a breeze. Today there was more heavy winds to content with and a fair amount of rain for good measure. Anyway, no more windmills (for the time being) as I won’t be cycling here again this week. #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride #amsterdam #dutchcycling #volendam (at Volendam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cipb5IbMMX7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

Lovely ride out from Amsterdam to the west coast via Braassemeeer (I’m sure the Dutch just put letters in for the sake of it) then up the coast line in a howling headwind for about 15k before heading back in land, passing Haarlem and back into Amsterdam. Just shy of 100k, and on paper looked like a mild ride (flat), that that wind!! No wonder they call it the Dutch Mountains. This was one of only 3 windmills I came across, this one being in Oude Wetering. Tomorrow I’m going to head north I think. #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride #amsterdam #haarlem #oudewetering #dutchwindmill (at Oude Wetering) https://www.instagram.com/p/CinGasNsK0v/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

Taken on Day 9 of St Malo to Nice, and a few hours after conquering #montventoux which you can see in the distance behind me. I remember feeling extremely good at this point, like I could climb anything. A few hours later I was truly grateful to arrive at Moustiers-Ste-Marie. An incredible day on the bike. #mtventoux #stmalotonice #stmalotonicecycle #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride (at Revest-du-Bion) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgMTF2ZsUXi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

My new Loopie to complement the one I got for LEJOG is now designed and ready for print. I like it a lot. 🥰

[themamil]

St Malo to Nice - Reflections on the ride

Having done LEJOG back in 2019, the chance to do the French equivalent not only seemed too good to pass up, but also presented pretty much a like for like comparison of doing end to end in the 2 countries.

Having had time to reflect on my experiences, I thought I'd share come of the comparative differences with the experiences.

Before I go on though, irrespective of your conclusion of this particular reflection, I would say that both rides are definitely worth doing. They both offer a unique perspective on the country your riding in and are one hell of an experience.

The Tour Organisers

I rode LEJOG with the Deloitte Ride Across Britain event which is effectively owned and managed by Threshold Sports. I rode St Malo to Nice with Bike Alive.

You cannot get 2 more contrasting experiences in that regards. LEJOG was 800-1000 people. A small army if you like. ST Malo to Nice was 6 riders supported by 1 man and a Van with a trailer.

As you'd expect with the scale oif a ride like LEJOG it's like shifting a small army from basecamp to basecamp. The organisaion has to be tight and regimented and that's exactly what it felt like. You enter the bubble, get swept along within it for 9 days, and then get spat out at the end. It's all encompassing and single-minded in its endeavour.

The route on LEJOG was signposted all the way and the stops were set at roughtly 40-50k intervals. each day, with lunch being the mid-point stop.

St Malo to Nice was alltogether more relaxed. Derek put us at the centerpoint of decision making and gave us the autonomy to decide when to set off and when to stop. He'd set us off, then overtake us and wait up ahead. If we wanted to stop we could or otherwise we'd carry on. He carried all the necessary sustenance (water, bananas, bars, gels, electolytes etc). For lunch he offered to do a picnic from the van, although some of us elected to sort our own lunch from a local boulanger on route. But again, the choice was ours. As you;d expect, the route wasn't signposted but we instead had maps, but also crucially, followed GPX routes on our Garmins which were perfect 99.9% of the time and for even the .1% of confusion it was pretty obvious which way we were going.

I think both events organise themselves optimally for the scale of the operation and both work perfectly well.

Overnight

On LEJOG we stayed in tents, ready-erected for us, (although a hotel option was there if you wanted it, whereas on StMalotoNice we stayed in 3* hotels.

On LEJOG you got used to the tents and actually came to love them by the end, although the air conditioned rooms of a hotel were wonderful.

On LEJOG you would have to queue for a shower (unless you were one of the faster riders) which always created a bottleneck (understandable when you have that many people) whereas we had ensuite shower (and sometimes a bath) with the French trip.

Sleepwise I'd say I got roughly the same amount of sleep in both tours. This is more down to over-exertion and twitch, sore legs, than anything else.

The Route

Both routes compare in terms of stats.

Roughly 1600 kms and roughly 60,000ft of climing - they are broadly equivalent. LEJOG is done over 9 days whereas St Malo to Nice is done over 10, so what you lose in terms of daily mileage on St Malo to Nice, you make up for with slighly more climbing.

Both routes I would suggest show you some of the best scenes of the country. Unfortunately for LEJOG it also means you get some of the worst. Certainly I felt LEJOG was effectively days 1 and 2 and then days 6 to 9, with the other days being fairly transitional with the odd exception on the other days.

St Malo to Nice was just stunning the majority of the time. In hindsight, days 1-3 were probably the weakest (although I did enjoy riding along the sea on day 1), but that's probably because we got spolt on days 4 onwards. So they weren't bad, they just got blown away by the later stages.

In terms of climbs, France wins it hands-down. You simply don't get the same scale, challenge and end result of the climbs in France on LEJOG.

And for every climb there's a descent and again, France wins this hands down. This is probably contributed by the road surface, but the descents are phenomenal in every way. Long, manageable and fun with terrific views and sweeping landscapes. they were superb.

Other factors

In terms of road surface, no aurprise here, but France wins it hands down as well. The only time we really had a poor road surface was when we came across roadworks re-laying the road surface. The UK could learn so much in this regard.

In terms of driver etiquetts, again the French win hands-down. I think I had 2, what I would class, close passes in France where I get about 5 on a short loop here in the UK. The French just seem more patient, considerate and supportive of cyclists (we got a number of hoots and waves on route) which you simply do not get in the UK. In the UK it's the exception, in France it's the norm.

Summary

As I said in my opening paragraph, both rides are awesome experiences. I really like the idea of riding from one end of a country to the other, and both these rides offer that an do an excellent job at supporting you to achieve your goal.

In hindsight I'm glad I did LEJOG before St malo to Nice because I can't help feeling that LEJOG might have felt underwhelming if I did it the other way around.

Both rides to have transition phases, and any ride like this is going to have those, but France offered up many more breathtaking and uterly awe-inspiring moments than LEJOG. Ultimately though, you are challenging yourself to ride from one end to another, so it is what it is. You have to take the good, the bad with the ugly and that's part of the beauty of a trip like this.

I still love the fact that I've done LEJOG, but I'm equally delighted to have done St Malo to Nice. The real question is, what comes next....

[themamil]

Last week I popped my first ‘proper’ alpine climb cherry when I rode up Mont Ventoux. I must admit that I’d let it get into my head somewhat before the ride, but for once I’m glad it did. It made me pace myself for what was, by far, the longest climb I’ve ever done. Ventoux is relentless, and it plays with your mind all the way. The lower slopes, on paper, are the hardest part with gradients of 8-12% for well over 10km. And there’s never any respite. No freewheeling sections to catch your breath. It just climbs and climbs. When you reach Chalet Reynard you have in theory done the hardest part, but even on a crisp beautiful morning like we had, the wind plays it’s part in contributing to the challenging final 6km. And just because the gradient eases a fraction, it doesn’t mean it’s any less relentless. On top of that, as you turn the first corner after Chalet Reynard and see the tower, you think the end is in sight, but you still have a leg sapping 6km to go, and the wind starts to play it’s part, swirling around you and hitting you head on at the most inopportune moments. And as if that isn’t enough, things ramp up for the last 2km just to make sure you’re leaving everything on the mountain. Ventoux is a barren and bleak landscape which only contributes to the magic of the climb. I’m not sure there are many other mountains I’d prefer to have popped my cherry on. It was wild. It’s was relentless. It was unforgiving. It was exhausting. It was magical. It was utterly enthralling. I loved it. I’d set a target of 2 hours as a reasonable objective and came it at around 1 hour 50mins and I’ll take that. It’s given me a taste for the big alpine climbs and it’s left an indelible memory. Thanks again to Derek and Donna at @bike.alive for making this dream a reality, and for the whole St Malo to Nice experience. 🙏 #stmalotonice #stmalotonicecycle #mtventoux #ventoux #montventoux #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride (at Mont-Ventoux) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfyE1nWsQaa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

On day 10 and the climb up Aiguines to the Col D’illoire. 2.4k at 7.4% average with this nice hairpin. St Malo to Nice introduced climbs that you simply don’t experience in the UK. Long, steep at times, relentless and persistent. Surrounded by stunning landscapes and vistas. Certainly the climbing was one of the very big highlights on the @bike.alive tour and perversely I began to look forward to them every day. Certainly I was presented with some climbs during the tour that really put me at my limit, probably exacerbated by the heat. #stmalotonice #stmalotonicecycle #alpsfit #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride (at Col D'illoire) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfvkfo1su99/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

Another from Day 8 of St Malo to Nice. The body still isn’t quite sure why I’m not on my bike pedalling at 8am every morning, and the legs are not sore than when I was. Same as after LEJOG it’s not so easy to “reintegrate” but a positive and enjoyable work environment @wetransfer helps an enormous amount. I came away from France without any thoughts for a future challenge but already the seeds of thought are there. I guess it’s an urge I can’t truly fight, especially as the clock ticks inexorably onwards and knowing that one day I won’t be able to do this kind of thing. #stmalotonice #stmalotonicecycle #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride (at Les Eyzies, Aquitaine, France) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfs7xfEMROi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[themamil]

Back in Blighty now and missing being on the bike day in and day out, cycling through France and having just the best time putting my body to work and my mind to rest. To steal a phrase from @priceorelli , cycling is my moving meditation, and I really cannot imagine functioning without it. #stmalotonice #stmalotonicecycle #cyclinglife #cycling #cycliste #cyclinglove #cyclingpics #ilovemybike #lovecycling #instacycling #instacycle #instabicycle #bikestagram #bikelife #bikelove #bike #bikes #mamil #themamil #rideordie #bicycleride (at Ongles-by-Florence) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfo_i-sMXc0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=