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 […]
Why You Should Eat Well on the Plane Knowing what to eat on long haul flights means you’ll land feeling fresh, bubbly and ready to jump on the bike. Long haul plane trips are not a healthy experience. Your immune system will be compromised, you don’t sleep well, don’t eat well and are exposed to […]
Why Good Brakes and Cables are Important Similarly to cars, your brake (including brake cables) and tyre (and suspension) performance are probably the most critical and fundamental safety aspect of a safe bike. There are other things that are important for safety of course, but being unable to stop at 80km/h down a big mountain […]
Cost of hiring a campervan versus Car+Hotel for France Do you need a real Car Vs Campervan Cost Comparison for Cycling Trip to France (or anywhere actually)? Is hiring a car and staying in hotels or accommodation cheaper than hiring a campervan for my France Cycling Holiday? This is a question I get a lot […]
The 2012 Tour de France ® and Etape du Tour ® have been announced, and it is looking a cracker of a Tour and just as importantly Etapes du Tour 2012. I’ll have a range of posts coming up in the next couple of months that’ll help you plan, however, it’s important you start thinking […]
Thanks to our friends at Campervans.com, we’ve been worded up that campervans in France are now very thin on the ground for 2012. Hi Tim, there is now limited availability to hire a van for the Tour de France….see the request we did yesterday: Pick Up Date/Time: 12 July 2012, 14:00 PM Drop Off Date/Time: […]
Well, well! The 2012 Etapes du Tour have been announced, and what a doozy each one will be. Many of you will have many questions, such as: “Who can do Etape 2012?” When is Etape du Tour 2012 Where is Etape du Tour 2012 How to enter Etape du Tour 2012 How to train for […]
We’re getting close to the Tour de France and Etape announcement dates and there are some interesting Etape 2012 rumours starting to circulate in line with the TDF itinerary. I originally heard from a well-placed source that one of the Etapes would be in the north of France on the cobblestones. However, the latest rumours […]
This Mobi Passport Review looks at the best overseas prepaid mobile internet solution I’ve found. Since writing this post in 2011, we’ve started selling prepaid SIM cards for France directly from VeloNomad, which are available on our store. This review remains here for posterity. Regular readers of this site will know how much I love […]
Site News This is the final instalment in the 2011 reader trip reports from France. I got some great feedback and reports as well as some good content ideas (David J, Sean M, Mario, John C) I’ll have something in place soon to make it easy for you to submit your own trip reports. Thanks […]
If you’re heading to Spain on a cycling trip, and need internet on your iPhone or smart phone, check out my latest PrePaid Mobile 3G On The Road page – Getting Prepaid 3G in Spain. For 39 Euros, you can get 1GB (valid for 3 months) in a USB dongle. Simply remove the SIM and […]
That’s right, this one is from Eugene, AKA HugeMutha HugeMutha dropped me his trip report from Etape Issoire, aka Etape II. Upon reading, I am sure glad I did Etape in the Alpes (circa 30 degrees and sunny). Hi Tim I awoke to grey skies and rain on the morning of the 17th July somewhat […]
Whilst many of you probably already have your favoured gels, many of you won’t, so here is what I use. Before we dive into the SIS Gel Review, let’s talk about how to use SIS Gels. I primarily use SIS Gels on longer rides, or really intense rides, for example, a race. Typically I will […]
Sean from Australia sent me this great report and some cracking photos. And the best part? He’s only just started and is going back next year. Awesome! Hey Tim, here a few pics from the Etape. I was stuck in the back, pen 11. Pretty cold by the time we moved after 8. Stuck mostly […]
Steve M, UK Steve M was one of the hardy individuals who did both Etapes. Pretty good effort considering the weather in Etape 2. Check out his Etape stories here and here. John Hodgart John sent me an awesome email. I love getting emails like this. A new-found love of cycling, raising money and back […]
Damien is a guy from NZ who emailed me pretty bummed at how far back the Etape had put him at the start. He sent me through his Etape report which is pretty hilarious reading. Thanks Damien! By Damien Kearney – NZ Here’s the email from Damien that accompanied his report. Didn’t end up doing […]
2011 trip wrap up I always like to do a wrap up after each trip to describe the lessons I learnt and pitfalls from each trip. So, here are the things I learnt from my 2011 trip. Note, many of the campervan-related tips I will cover in the next VeloNomad ebook, Campervanning through France. Make […]
In this post you’ll learn how to do Les Cingles de Mont Ventoux. I’ll show you exactly how to prepare for an attempt at smashing Ventoux 3 times in one day. Whilst this post focusses on Ventoux, the training and technical information lend themselves to any climb which means you can apply the practical advice […]
Day 28 – Bedoin After yesterday’s epic Ventoux 3-peat, today was an absolutely nothing-day in Bedoin. Slept, recovered from the Ventoux 3-Peat, ate pizza and salad. Day 29 – La Barroux We unfortunately had to start heading north for home, and had been told by VeloNomad Steve to check out La Barroux which has an […]
Les Cingles – a Ventoux Three-Peat – descent into madness Read how to do Les Cingles in my special article. Ever since my 2009 trip, I’d planned on doing Ventoux 3 times in one day. Ventoux is one of the toughest climbs I’ve done (but I love it) and the three peat is officially called […]
Day 24 – Cadques to Argeles-sur-Mer After leaving delightful Cadaques, we headed north. The area between Cadaques in Catalunya and Argeles sur Mer is just epic riding. If I had to pick a spot, I’d base in Cadques or Banyules sur Mer then just do endless riding, swimming, relaxing and exploring. None of the riding […]
After leaving L’Escala, we headed via some flat roads – full of cyclists – and checked out a place called St Pere Pescador. Unfortunately the camping grounds were waaaay too touristy and miles from town. I did have a decent coffee and croissant though! The road rose up a small mountain and at the top […]
Day 14 – Into Spain, Boltana We headed off early and continued to be interested by Andorra; it’s certainly an interesting (and wealthy) place. We had had a crap sleep as there seemed to be some sort of dance party all night in town. I think it stopped at 6AM, and was characterised by bloody […]