Today I awoke to the exciting news that there is now a Qantas Emirates alliance. I’ll not be offended, or surprised, if you are circumspect/nonplussed/ambivalent about this, so allow me to explain. In addition to being very exciting for Aussies and Kiwis heading to Europe, this announcement is important for those from EU and UK […]
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When you plan tour trip overseas, chances are you don’t think about the dangers of cycling overseas. Nope, chances are, all you can think about is the glamour of the Tour de France, the challenge of Etape du Tour, or climbing the epic mountains of France. Oh, and croissants (don’t pretend you hadn’t). It’s pretty […]
Learn what to look out for on French peages, with a real-life “what not to do” example, and travel the tollways stress and hassle free. I just don’t know what it is about the peages (payment points) on French tollways. Despite my own extensive travel experience, they still make me nervous! I’ll ask Kate to […]
Want to know the 7 Habits of Highly Successful Fitness Programs, and why losing weight and getting fit is so hard? If you’re planning an overseas cycling holiday, doing Etape (or some other gruelling sportif), you want to be in absolutely the best shape possible. Because being unfit, especially on your dream cycling holiday, is […]
Supplements for cycling seem a no-brainer right? “Buy this and you’ll be faster.” I’m here to tell you why most supplements are a waste of money. They distract your money, time and effort from activities that provide measurable improved fitness and performance. So this isn’t a case of are you wasting money on supplements? but […]
Learning how to become a better climber is simple enough. But actually becoming a better climber, well that’s a different story. Read on to learn how to become a better climber in 2 simple steps and start demolishing those mountains! Climbing doesn’t come easy Whilst the pros (and some of our friends) make climbing look […]
The Etape du Tour is a massive undertaking. The two crucial elements to enjoying the day are training for etape and knowing how to fuel for Etape. Do you know how to fuel for Etape? Knowing How to fuel for Etape is a crucial part of making sure you really conquer Etape. I did a […]
These Free cycling holiday downloads and resources are totally free for you to download and use. They are licensed under a creative commons (see license at bottom). Please consider signing up to the VN mailing list – lots more freebies get sent to the mailing list. Cycling Holiday Itinerary templates You can download all my […]
The best bike bag? Choosing a bike bag is not necessarily a case of asking how to choose a bike bag, but how do I choose the best bike bag for me?. You might want the absolutely best bicycle travel bag, but the fact is, there probably isn’t one objective “best bike travel bag”. In […]
The market for prepaid mobile internet in France has improved considerably in recent times. This is good news because if you’re cycling through France, at some point you’re likely going to find yourself needing to make a phone call or wanting to use the Internet. Don’t think for a second that if you have the […]
Whilst doing some research for the VeloNomad Overseas Prepaid Mobile Internet information page, I asked VeloNomad reader and lucky-SOB-living-in-France Gerry P if he could duck down to his local SFR (Vodafone France) shop to find out How to Get SFR Vodafone Prepaid Mobile Internet in France. Basically I wanted to know whether he could post […]
How to set up Orange MobiCarte Prepaid Internet I’m betting you want to make sure your prepaid SIM is properly set up for your trip, right? Follow these simple steps on How to Set up Orange Mobicarte Prepaid Internet and Email, make sure your Orange Mobicarte prepaid SIM is set up properly and you’ll have […]
Remember… Remember the joy you got when your Mum or Dad took their hands off the back of your bike seat, and you sailed forward on your bike without training wheels for the first time? I still remember my Dad taking his hands off the seat (one of those long old school 50s ones!) and […]
There are my must-read Cycling Holiday Tips. Perfect for those heading overseas to ride their bicycles, or watch some bicycle racing. VeloNomad Resource Page The VeloNomad resource page is your one stop shop for the things you’ll need to know for a cycling trip. It’s not perfect yet by any stretch, but will continue to […]
Insurance Options Sigh. Travel insurance. A necessary evil that many of us – me included – have gotten at the last minute and overpaid for. You just can’t go without it though, especially if travelling with an expensive bike. It’s best to know and plan How to Insure your bike before you go. Most of […]
2013 – The Tour heads to Corsica for the first time I remember the sense of absolute adventure I felt when I headed off on my first trip to France for Le Tour and Etape du Tour. It’s something all of us dream about but not all of us are fortunate to be able to […]
Kapai Puku Ingredients and how to make it In this post, I’m going to list the Kapai Puku ingredients and show you how to make your own version of Kapai Puku. Kapai Puku is a seed based cereal and arguably the best “cereal” on the market. My Kapai Puku recipe has the exact same ingredients, […]
Plan a Campervanning Trip to France Enjoy a hassle-free campervan trip, saving hundreds of dollars along the way with this must-read guide. Campervanning around France is an absolutely awesome experience! However, there are lots of tips and insider tricks that will help make it even better AND save you money. I won’t lie to you. […]
The Spring Classics Challenge Well friends, it is on like Donkey Kong! If you ever needed some incentive to fire up your training for Etape du Tour (Etape 2012 information page) or your cycling trip to Europe this summer, this is it. Specialized has joined forces with Strava to create the Spring Classics Climbing Challenge. […]
A few people have emailed me and asked me what type of bike they will need for an Etape. I’ve seen people do Etape on mountain bikes, tandems and roadbikes ranging from bikes that could only be described as WWII era messenger bikes to high end road race weapons. What Type of Bike Should I […]
July 20 L’Etape, plus transit to Bourg St Maurice So, the course for L’Etape was as the pros did it. Epic. Ok, so the logistics around this L’Etape were an ABSOLUTE nightmare. Montelimar is about 100km (the short way) from Ventoux and we had to have our van on the hill the day before, with […]
July 22 2009, Stage 17 Tour de France – Bourg St Maurice > Le Grand Bornand Woke after a big sleep still very, very fatigued. The 3 Ventoux climbs, L’Etape, Col du Petite St Bernard climb the day before and poor dietary profile (no protein) had created a serious kilojoule deficit and leg muscles was […]
July 21 2009, Stage 16 Tour de France: Martigny > Bourg St Maurice Today I woke VERY sore after L’Etape 2009. We had (what I thought was) a piffling little 12k climb (oops – 32km) up to the final Col of Stage 16 – the Cat 1 Col du Petite St Bernard. I decided to […]
July 17 Stage 13 of the Tour de France We awoke to very humid and pre-storm conditions after heavy rain (subsequently cleared) that night. Heading out of town on the tour route, we found a coffee bar, having now find out that they don’t do lattes (particularly soy lattes) in France. We worked out that […]
Kasper S and many other readers have written in with the following question about Who Can Do Etape Du Tour. Tim, Would it at all be possible to complete Etape du Tour for a beginning cyclist with the right preparation?In 2011 I started cycling and had a week in the Alpes where I did climbs […]