It Doesn't Have Quite the Same Ring to it

We've been discussing plans for the Paris to Venice trip and the concensus seems to be that the trip will be far too easy unless we make a point of making it harder.

So we might now start on the coast at Le Havre, with the Seine giving us a natural route into and out of Paris. It would add about 150 miles (240 km) and probably a whole day to the trip.

By taking the overnight ferry we could start very early on day one and get most of the way to Paris.

From there we would head east into the Vosges and then south through Germany, Austria, maybe Switzerland and finally Italy.

So the total distance will probably be close to 1600 km, or around 1000 miles. It would be nice to crack the 1000 mile barrier and turning this trip into another coast to coast will be a lot more satisfying. The other three team members did the Pyrenees coast to coast in 2007 and we all did the English coast to coast last September. We might do that again in July or August as a final prep for the big one*

I actually managed some time on the bike today - lovely day if a bit chilly, and some flooded roads - and although seventy sluggish minutes is nowhere near what I'd like to be doing I'm confident I'll be up to the trip.

We've also confirmed our 'Etape de Dales' training weekend next month. That might be a bit soon for me but I'll certainly be stronger after it!

Roy

*Talking of big ones, Simon Hood is taking cycle touring to extremes. He's cycling to every York City football match this season. As I write this he's done about 5500 miles, with 3000 to go! Read his excellent and entertaining blog at http://www.bicyclekicks.co.uk/. Naturally, he's raising thousands of pounds for charity, including Altzheimer's research.