I promised myself that since I am not riding with the tour group I will regularly write a blog and take lots of photos. I have been trying to start this blog for weeks but have found lots of ways to procrastinate when writers block strikes. Attending TEDx Te Aro and hearing the amazing stories of the speakers has inspired me to make a start.
Planning for this trip started a year ago when our friends Mark & Hillary Robotham mentioned they are going on this tour. Very quickly after this casual conversation we found ourselves being "interviewed" by JP at Astoria cafe to make sure we would fit in with the group. Planning and training started almost immediately.
Neil's training came to a halt in February when his knee became inflamed and painful. After seeing every medical professional he could think of in desperation to be able train and in fear that he may not be able to ride on the tour, it was a combination of acupuncture and cortisone injection that put things right.
Also our tour leader Jonathan Paape (JP) has asked me to contribute to an article he is organising in New Zealand Road Cyclist magazine about my planning, fears and experiences on the tour.
Our tour takes us through four provinces of France over 15 days with lots of travelling in between:
- The Pyrenees
- Provence
- French Alps
- Paris
We head to the Pyrenees first for some training rides on the iconic "Cols" then pick up the TDF in Provence.
There are lots of details to take care of and decisions to make but the ones that have me thinking the most are:
- Temperatures will range from 4 to 32 degrees so packing is proving challenging...
- Will we use eftpos, credit cards, Air New Zealand One Smart card or a mixture of all of these
- Will we buy a local SIM card when we get there or buy data roaming packages before we leave
- Managing a huge bike bag and luggage
JP asked me to think about the things that I fear about the trip. Well the main fear is that someone has a serious crash but also on my mind is how my back and legs will cope with all of the walking. I am sure that all of these fears will fade into the background as soon as we get to the lovely villages we will be visiting.
