Avoiding Europe update...

Percycp
Percycp Posts: 230
edited June 2007 in Tour & expedition
I said I'd post ocassionally to let the forum know how I'm doing/where I am etc. and I haven't yet, but here I am now! Better late than never?! Here goes...

Route so far - West coast France, North Coast Spain, Portuguese North border, Portuguese coast, Central Portuguese mountains back into Spain, across central Spain - current location - Toledo, just south of Madrid. Next stop - east and up a bit heading to Andorra, back into France and across to Italy.

Miles done - about 2000. Most in a day so far - 70.

Days on the road - 60. Exactly two months toady.

Highlights - Spain North coast for the food and the riding, Portuguese mountains for the riding, Extremadura for the wildlife, and the riding!

Lowlights - being chased by dogs in the Portuguese mountains, Portuguese roads/motorways.

Map here with route done and overall plan - http://www.avoidingeurope.com

Regular updates, musings and tales here - http://www.avoidingeurope.blogspot.com

Cheers

Percy

Comments

  • Hairy Jock
    Hairy Jock Posts: 558
    Good to hear from you again Percy.
    **************
    Best advice I ever got was "better get a bike then"
    Cycle commuting since 1994. Blog with cycle bits.
    Also with the old C+ crowd at Cycle Chat.
  • rgisme
    rgisme Posts: 1,598
    For someone who's "avoiding Europe", that sounds like a lot of cycling in Europe [:)]. Well done anyway, it certainly sounds like a lot of fun.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Impressed Percy! Keep going that man.

    http://s11.invisionfree.com/Tramp
  • gordycp
    gordycp Posts: 2,341
    Hi Percy.
    Glad to know that all is well.
    Take care.
  • cycleman
    cycleman Posts: 688
    enjoy and kept us posted
  • Gotte
    Gotte Posts: 494
    Well done. Keep it up.





    ________________________________________________________________________
    Clarkson, don't mess with cyclists, they can ride up and down a mountain
    and still kick your lardy arse.
  • Mosschops2
    Mosschops2 Posts: 1,774
    Sounds fantastic - you'll have to give us more regular updates!!
    Excellent blog and map too - amazing!!!

    <font size="1">For the first time.... my bike!!!</font id="size1">
    baby elephants? Any baby elephants here?? Helloo-ooo
  • Sandy Cheevie
    Sandy Cheevie Posts: 39
    Nice stuff Percy :) Keep up the good work.
  • alittlecrazy
    alittlecrazy Posts: 222
    Hi Percy, good luck and stop for a chat if we meet on the road. We may see you crossing the col with us into Italy!

    Round the world on our bicycles -- www.travellingtwo.com
    Round the world on our bicycles -- www.travellingtwo.com
  • daviddd
    daviddd Posts: 637
    Enjoy Percy - lucky boy!

    Alpine Tour July 2006:
    http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=l ... =1914&v=9d
    Forthcoming lap of Australia:http://www.davidddinoz.blogspot.com/
    Oct 2007 to Sep 2008 - anticlockwise lap of Australia... http://www.davidddinoz.blogspot.com/
    French Alps Tour 2006: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=r ... =1914&v=5R
    3 month tour of NZ 2015... http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/nz2014
  • Percycp
    Percycp Posts: 230
    Second crossing of Spain complete, through Andorra and back into France now - via the Pas de la Casa - 2408 metres. See:

    http://www.avoidingeurope.blogspot.com


    Percy
  • CyclepathToHell
    CyclepathToHell Posts: 133
    very nice trip. i loved northern spain and was distinctly unimpressed with the atlantic coast of france.
  • Percycp
    Percycp Posts: 230
    Yeah, Northern Spain was really good. West coast France was just dead whan I was there (in March). Nice quiet roads though! And the vineyards on the Gironde were quite something, I thought. Portugal's been my 'least liked' so far, for various reasons and slightly surprisingly.

    Anyway - West cost of Italy in the Summer next!
  • philip99a
    philip99a Posts: 2,272
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Percy</i>

    Yeah, Northern Spain was really good. West coast France was just dead whan I was there (in March). Nice quiet roads though! And the vineyards on the Gironde were quite something, I thought. Portugal's been my 'least liked' so far, for various reasons and slightly surprisingly.

    Anyway - West cost of Italy in the Summer next!
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

    I agree. Food on North coast of Spain fab. Food in Portugal, vile, about worst equal in the world with Korean. Oh this is a Cycling forum is it [:D]

    Italy lovely place BUT please promise you'll never ride on any of the busiest main roads. They really do drive like nutters. And these months take the sun very very seriously. I got bad heatstroke/dehydration there. I'd been warned. Some local cyclists we met in Veneto were much concerned we were riding with only water in out bottles. You need salts, minerals they kept telling us. We ignored them. I fell over

    Campag Super Nova; faster than a cannon ball
    Cycling - the most fun you can have sitting down.
  • Oldknees
    Oldknees Posts: 214
    OK why aren't we all there with Percy? Damm!!

    slow is good too
    slow is good too
  • Percycp
    Percycp Posts: 230
    Thanks for the warnings Philip. I guess we all think we know the score and are ok but it's useful to be reminded and warned. I've had to take rehydration sachets already on this trip in mid-Spain, when it was in the late thirties. I got the wobbly legs there, three quaters of the way up a 5 mile climb. Scary thoughts, espcially as I hadn't seen anyone else for about an hour!

    Still, no chance of this at the moment. It's cold and raining all the time!

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