And so, another adventure begins! This time last year, I was around halfway through my solo ride, source to sea, along the Eurovelo 15, from Oberalppass to Hook of Holland. I fly out tonight from Brisbane, Australia, to cycle across France from Mulhouse near the Swiss border to the Atlantic Ocean at Saint-Nazaire.

The ride follows the Eurovelo 6, along the Doubs and Loire rivers, exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Loire Valley. The tourist brochures note that the Loire Valley is renowned for its numerous châteaux (castles), charming villages, vineyards, and the Loire River itself. Given that there are over 300 chateaus in the Loire Valley alone, I’m sure I’ll enjoy the first one … and then concentrate more on the many wineries enroute.

Similar in distance to my ride last year, the route will be around 1,250 kms (plus an additional couple of hundred exploring towns and villages ... and getting lost!) This year will be a bit different as I’ll be travelling with 4 friends who decided to join. I had hoped that I’d be a bit fitter than when I started the EV15 ride – as those who read my blog last year will know, I’m not a regular cyclist, not owning a shred of Lycra and having only done 3 warm-up rides of around 20 kms each last year before embarking on my adventure through 6 countries. This year I did semi-regular gym sessions on the exercise bike along with a few rides around the neighbourhood and in Brisbane. However, a bout of COVID, quickly followed by a melanoma removal from my leg and a subsequent skin graft, has meant that my well-intentioned training regime went out the window. I’m sure my traveling companions are joining to either laugh as I cough and splutter along the journey or bring my body home!

I’ll try to keep my blog up to date for anyone interested in following it. Last year I used the ride to raise awareness and funds for the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation. This year I haven’t been as organised, so I ask you to check out the Foundation's website to see for yourself the great work they do in Vietnam rescuing and supporting children and young people in crisis situations. If you can support them, please do.

While physical preparation was limited, I do feel more prepared having done my first multi-day, solo trip last year. Last year's nervous anticipation has been replaced by full on excitement.

I found this route after researching other EuroVelo rides - there are plenty of them! I was looking for something 'flat-ish', with plenty of towns and villages for accomodation, food, etc. Riding across France from east to west felt like a great challenge. The other guys agreed, so all set to ride.

My equipment breakdown is:

Bike

Last year I took my Merida Speeder 500 - a hybrid bike with a gear range not great for tour cycling but really comfortable. This year, due to having booked a river cruise with my wife following the ride, space was at a premium, so I decided to hire a bike. After research and great advice from Lyn at Free Wheeling France (www.freewheelingfrance.com) (www.facebook.com/groups/freewheelingfrance) - an Australian ex-pat living in France, I hired our bikes through Reve De Velo (www.revedevelo.com/en . The Scott bikes came with pannier racks and, while you could hire panniers, we took our own along with helmets, water bottles and, for me, my own seat!

Unlike last year, I’m not taking any camping gear this time around. We’ll be staying in hotels and other similar accommodation.

Clothing

• 1 x bike shorts
• 2 x bike shirts
• 2 x long casual pants
• 2 x t-shirts
• 2 x long sleeve shirts
• 1 x shoes
• 1 x light rain jacket
• 1 x lightweight pullover
• 1 x hat
• 1 x gloves
• 1 x helmet 
• 3 x socks and 3 x undies (in case you wanted to know)

Tech

• 1 x Samsung A8 tablet
• 1 x Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra phone
• 1 x Hammerhead Karoo GPS
• 1 x Kindle
• 1 x Cygnett 20,000 mAh Power Bank
• Assorted cables, adapters, chargers

Other stuff

• Small medical kit (nothing fancy) but plenty of Ibuprofen and Voltaren for aches and pains ...
• Basic bike tools
• Passport
• Credit and debit cards (with some Swiss Francs and Euros to tide me over for the first few days)
• Toiletries
• Foldaway backpack (for walks)
• Headlamp
• 2 x bungee cords 2 x foldaway 70ltr carry bags (to pack gear in for flights)