Do you know what the best thing to do Have you Been Training Your Butt off for Etape du Tour? Great, you are doing all the things right that will help you turn up and smash Etape to pieces and really enjoy yourself. However, as well as training, there’s a crucial element to being in […]
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Do You Know What to Expect On Etape du Tour? For those who have not done an Etape du Tour before and who are a bit nervous, I thought I’d provide a last-minute post with some handy information. This information comes from the Tackling L’Etape guide and is of course abridged to keep the post […]
So, now is pretty late to be learning La langue française, mais, aujourd’hui, je suis ici pour vous aider (but, today, I am here to help). So, as a shortcut to learning, read on to learn How to Translate into French on Your iPhone. If you have not been doing any practise with Coffee Break […]
Are you a terrible over packer? Do you pack for every “what if”? I am a TERRIBLE over packer, and I know I am not the only one. In this day and age of reduced baggage allowance (I still remember coming home from LA with 72kg, no excess!), we need to be prudent with out […]
There’s absolutely no excuse these days for not knowing how to save money on mobile roaming. In just two short years, the range of prepaid SIM cards available to travellers has exploded, dramatically lowering the risk of a shocking data roaming bill. In this past, even the most-prepared amongst us have been stung by the […]
Need to know how to recover from Etape du Tour? Reader Steve dropped me an email with some great questions the other day, 2 of which are below. Do you have a source of info about diet pre-Etape – in the 2 weeks leading up to the events?Also, as we are doing both…any sources to […]
For all the Etappers our there, I’ve got a last minute reminder list for you (thanks to Martin for pointing out a broken link). NOTE! My bib number is 1060! Come say hi – look for a polka dot helmet, Black Look586, and Ex Machina Racing on my bum (black knicks). Top will be black […]
As of 2013, Orange’s Mobicarte Internet Max is discontinued in the guise originally discussed, and this article has been updated. Prepaid Mobile Internet in France Have you been looking for ways to get mobile internet in France? Forget about data roaming, it’s a chump solution (I’ve made the same mistake before!). Want to know the […]
Plenty of TDF Tips readers are heading over to France for one, or both, of the Etapes du Tour 2011. I know many of you view this as something that is a “bucket list” item – a dream ride, and something that you just have to do. For many of you, finishing will be a […]
If you haven’t descended down big mountains before you might not have experienced high speed wobbles. They’re a frightening thing and knowing how to correct high speed wobbles is a key tool to descending properly and with confidence. This will be especially important for those of your tackling the big climbs, especially at a fast […]
This time, my lovely girlfriend (hi Kate!) is coming to France and Spain (yay!), and she has a pretty specific diet – no dairy, no wheat, no gluten, no yeast. So, no delicious Alhambra 1925 beer, no French or Spanish cheese, no croissants. Quelle horreure! Anyway, she’s not the only one who has some special […]
Think you need to spend $4000 on a set of Lightweights to be a better climber? Nope. There’s a cheaper way. As cyclists we are obsessed by saving weight (and thus time) on our bikes, with many of us thinking nothing of spending a few thousand bucks on wheels. If you are like lots of […]
Need to know How to Plan a Trip to Etape and TDF? Well look no further with this case study from my 2011 trip. How I Plan – General Insights I discuss my planning methodology in more detail the Cycling in France guide, so if this interests you, check it out here. My planning for […]
Need Campervanning France Information for your Campervan Cycling Holiday but Don’t Know Where to Start? Though this article focuses on France, the insights are applicable to any destination. Booking a campervan for France can be a daunting and very expensive experience. If you don’t leverage all the contacts and information at your disposal, you could […]
Despite the fact I’ve written and published a Very Comprehensive and Totally Kick Butt Guide to Cycling Through France, I thought I’d write a series of posts around the topic as well. I covered the methodology in a 7 part series, as outlined below. Use the links below to jump to each post, and if […]
I love receiving emails from readers with photos and stories of their travels through France, particularly when they tell me how useful the Guide to Cycling through France was. The below email is from Chris H, of Sydney, Australia. Bonjour Tim, Cycling in South of France during this years 97th Tour of France has ruined […]
This 7 part series is a shortened series of content from the Cycling Through France ebook . In Part 1, we cover the creation of an itinerary (initial planning) involving Tour stages, climbs to do, as well as what airlines you might look at. In Part 2, I discuss Accommodation and Car Hire choices. […]
In a previous post, I showed how to save your travel documents to your iPhone. It was a painful process, but thanks to reader Vadim for sending in this tip. Dropbox allows you to store files remotely and access them anywhere in the world. To get them to your phone, all you need to do […]
This post might be a bit tongue-in-cheek. What to do when the Gendarme says: “Non!” If you travel to France for Le Tour, chances are you will encounter a gendarme on the road preventing you from getting to your vantage point to watch the Tour. I’ve been in the situation a few times now where […]
The L’Etape registration is a very fun part of doing L’Etape. Apart from the necessary registration, the L’Etape registration is a fun few hours hanging out at a mini bike show. Loads of manufacturers like Time, Ridley, Look, Specialized, Trek, SRAM are at the registration with loads of things for sale. You’ll be able to […]
2010 was a doozy of a trip for VeloNomad. Again, there are some valuable lessons from the 2010 TDF and L’Etape trip. I, and my equally loony travel partner, the inimitable Michael J Brown, took off around the world to tackle L’Etape, eat croissants, drink (usually bad) coffee, drink some sneaky Heinekens, ride in the […]
Name of Place: Buffet de la Gare Type of Tip: Cafe Street Address: Avenue Jean Biray Suburb/Town: Pau State/Provence: Aquitania Country: France Zip/Postal: 64000 If you score a fresh croissant here you’ll die. They’re ridiculously good. The coffee here is perfectly acceptable. Without driving around the very large Pau, head here. pau1.jpg (104 KB) pau2.jpg […]
There’s absolutely no excuse these days for not knowing how to avoid a data roaming bill. In just two short years, the range of prepaid SIM cards available to travellers has exploded, dramatically lowering the risk of a shocking data roaming bill. In this past, even the most-prepared amongst us have been stung by the […]
Sadly our last day was upon us on our Cycling France 2010 trip. I’d not had anywhere near enough riding so was glad to be heading out for a final long hit out in delightful warm France. I keenly felt the approaching return home as I’d been told it was miserable, cold and wet in […]
Name of Place: La Toscane Pizza Type of Tip: Food Place Street Address: 14 Rue Carrerot Suburb/Town: Oloron-Sainte-Marie Major City: e.g. London, Paris etc State/Provence: Aquitania Country: France Zip/Postal: 64400 This place is hidden away behind some arches so look hard. It’s on the left heading down the hill. The crusts are thin and crispy […]