Cycling tips from the Bicycling Gourmet

WHAT preparations do you have to make, and what pitfalls do you need to look out for, if heading out on a cycling tour of France?

US-born video film maker Christopher Strong has picked up miles and miles of experience during his Bicycle Gourmet's Treasures of France tour, and here he offers some tips and advice on making sure your own adventures run smoothly.

1. It’s obvious, but needs to be said, buy the best bike you can afford. Best meaning light, strong, comfortable, low maintenance, parts available everywhere.

This is not a cost. This is an investment. This is your best travellin’ friend.

2. Get to know basic adjustments, like you know changing a tyre, adjusting the brakes before you set off.

3. I recommend four panniers, front and rear. Because you will need tons o’ space for all the goodies folks will insist you take away.

Also, obviously, better to have your weight equally distributed.

4. Two water bottles are better than one, but don’t waste cash on the insulated-keeps-yer-stuff-cold-for hours ones. They don’t.

It is much better, and cheaper, to wrap your bottles in aluminium foil, put them in plastic bags to stop the foil from unravelling and store them in the fridge overnight. In the morning you will have cool water for hours.

5. Another essential is an insulted handlebar bag. If your items are cool, then wrapped in plastic, and/or a tee-shirt, they’ll stay that way for a good long while.

6. Flat tyres, you will have them! No matter how much space-age-material you've used to try and protect your tubes.

So know and respect your a, b, c of flats:

a. You will have them.
b. They will occur at the most inconvenient times. Like when you are starving, freezing having a pee in a force ten gale.
c. Most of them will be in the rear, because that’s where the weight is.

7. Listening to music while you cycle is big no-no in my book. The idea, folks, is that nature provides the music.

The birds, the wind through the trees, rustling leaves and in the south of France the music of the insects. Although,admittedly, the 'song' of the cigales should be considered only as background ambience.

Be warned. Should you be foolish enough to shun the Bicycling Gourmet's advice, and descend a steep, unknown route at supersonic speed with your Walkman cranked to 10 it will slightly lessen your chances of hearing the Kenworth diesel that is approaching (at supersonic speed also) the blind corner at the bottom?

Does the phrase "hamburger helper" conjure up an image or two for you here?

8. Caution! And in my definition it is a non-locational habit. It gives you two important things: peace of mind and a bicycle.

So, two locks everywhere all the time. One through the front frame/wheel the other through the back. Locked to something. Excessive? Subjective, dear reader. Subject to how many bicycles you've had stolen by NOT being cautious.

Other articles by Christopher:
Tales from the bicycling gourmet's table
Cycling around the treasures of France
Baby steps towards a French baptism
Taking a tour of Chateau la Verrerie
The Pope of biodynamic wine

US-born video film maker Christopher Strong produced the Bicycle Gourmet's Treasures of France tour, which fulfilled his dream of cycling around the country visiting interesting places and meeting entertaining characters.

Comments

[Marcus]

Here's mine - carry a couple of spare inner tubes as well as a puncture repair kit. They don't cost much or weigh much and changing an inner tube takes less than 60 seconds but finding and mending a puncture in the wind and rain takes forever. And check your tyre for sharp objects extremely carefully before putting the new tube in or you will have a second puncture about 10 seconds later.

[Craig McGinty]

Thanks for those tips Marcus, I know you write after many kilometres of experience ;-)
Craig

[Harry]

I was disappointed by the blog, not because it is not useful, but because what I want to know is how easy it is to find accommodation in France. I would like to ride, say, from Saint Malo to Marseilles, averaging about 40km per day 80km one day, zero the next). I don't want to plan my ride so I know where I'll be every evening ... I want to be able to arrive somewhere at 3pm and find a cheap bed. If I look at the net, I seem to find minimum 50Euro which doesn't seem that cheap to me, despite the excellent exchange rates we Aussies now enjoy. Any suggestions other than dipping deeper into my retirement fund? When travelling by car, I have been able to sleep in the car at a pinch, but sleeping on a bike is a different alternative.