the Fridays Tour 2014

[rb58]

Red stars might make a difference. And I'm pretty sure people wear black in the Basque country without problems. Blue was the Falange colour of choice, anyway......

I have a Euskaltel Euskadi shirt. Can I come?

 

[ianrauk]

I have a Euskaltel Euskadi shirt. Can I come?

That will go well with your proposed new pink cranked bike...

 

[dellzeqq]

If the Spanish side is half a striking as the section between Collioure and the border it's going to be doing very well indeed. There's quite a lot of traffic on that coast road but it's mostly harmless - because it's used to a lot of riders. The real danger is that the wind might get up, which on a tandem is Not Fun.

North of Collioure you track slightly inland and there are very quiet roads all the way to Perpignan - because everyone's hugging the coast.

we found the roads inland absolutely rammed. If there'd been a train station handy our trip would have been over there and then. Both times I've been across northern Spain the wind has been coming from the west - and in a big way.


just to be clear - we're talking about a tad over 400 miles in six days - that's a bit under seventy miles a day. Now, as ever, the recce will tell all, but we'd be on roads that, aside from the first day, have very few junctions, and that makes for steady progress. If you work out how long it takes to get out of London to (say) Strood, and then work out how long it takes to get from Strood to Whitstable you've got to reckon about two minutes a junction. If there are only six junctions in a day, as opposed to thirty, that's quite a saving

 

[ianmac62]

If there are only six junctions in a day, as opposed to thirty, that's quite a saving

Particularly if, like me, you take a photograph at each junction.

 

[StuartG]

North of Collioure you track slightly inland and there are very quiet roads all the way to Perpignan - because everyone's hugging the coast.

Yes that was my experience too and albeit only the last mile or so would be on the coast. And the roads along the mountains were quite quiet too when I did it by car. Though DZ has a point in there are far more minor roads, ie junctions on the French side. The French side is spectacular - but IME a bit lusher lacking the bare beauty of the Spanish side.

The choice is essentially a technical one and a vital one with a potential 40 riders. And DZ is best placed to evaluate that ...

A Spanish ride would be different. The real 'ard folks might wish to consider riding back to Hendaye t'other way and enjoy the best of both for a second week ....

 

[mistral]

In my youth I did the Pyrenees, from Atlantic to Med and the Spanish side is spectacular. And the prospect of doing this with the Fridays is v appealing. I'd love to do this ride, but it may clash with A levels, so will have to look at dates etc.

 

[rb58]

That will go well with your proposed new pink cranked bike...

They're not pink, they're purple. @User has the monopoly on pink.

 

[rb58]

In my youth I did the Pyrenees, from Atlantic to Med and the Spanish side is spectacular. And the prospect of doing this with the Fridays is v appealing. I'd love to do this ride, but it may clash with A levels, so will have to look at dates etc.

You don't look old enough to be doing A levels.....

 

[rb58]

For what it's worth, I favour the tour option, and the Pyrenees have been on my list for quite a while, so something that allows those that want to the opportunity to head into the 'hills' is the most interesting for me.

 

[martint235]

Mick has a pink cap.

Yes but you did lend it to him....

 

[mistral]

Mick has a pink cap.

It's the new black

 

[StuartG]

The real 'ard folks might wish to consider riding back to Hendaye t'other way and enjoy the best of both for a second week ....

You might get a lift on this - though I'm not sure of Le Petit Train Jaune's cycle policy:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=petit train jaune&client=ubuntu&hs=CBs&channel=cs&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=DWfNUdRExu3SBbzSgUg&ved=0CEkQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=983

 

[dellzeqq]

I've had a chat with the estimable Mr. Boulton (once again, thanks, Ian). He likes the cut of our jib. He won't be able to get back to us with a price for a couple of weeks, but, given that we'll not be able to do the recce before late September, that's fine. He was especially keen on the late Friday night start and our luggage weight limit.

Going up to see SNCF re group travel next week - so I would have thought that by the Felpham ride I should have a bit of a cost plan.

In the mean time I'll spend some energy looking at the west coast of France down to Rochefort and Hendaye, bearing in mind that the cost of the London to Hendaye will be about the cost of Hendaye to London. There's a ferry called the Bac Royan-Ponte de Grave that looks pretty cool

 

[dellzeqq]

oh, and apropos of nothing at all, the Rose Restaurant in Southend has re-opened.

 

[srw]

The Medoc is heavenly for a tandem - flat roads, great tarmac (resurfaced for the TdF in 2010).

If we'd known about the Bac Royan we'd have planned our route to include it. As it was we took the ferry slightly further down. It's lovely, but has idiosyncratic hours (long luunch break, different times on different days).