Postcards from Provence and beyond

It feels as if today marks the start of, what is due to be, a very busy summer of adventures. Over the next few months, it almost feels as if we have so much in the pipeline that at times, we will meet ourselves coming in the opposite direction.

In fact, it’s so busy, with so much to be planned that I have had to set up a spreadsheet for everything that’s been booked, and still needs to be booked, just to keep on top of it all. I admit that I do like a ‘to-do’  list, but for someone who lives in a constant state of mild (verging on total) disorganisation, this feels like quite an un-nerving step!

The problem is that we really enjoy our little adventures, and whilst we live in a truly beautiful part of the world that really does feel like home, we still enjoy exploring further afield. We also hate being inactive, so will always choose to do things that push us, leave us a bit tired, and take us to different places in a way that we enjoy.

If we’re honest, we’ve always enjoyed the process of getting somewhere more than the actual being somewhere, and the older we get, the more time we have to be able to take the slow route, to get to where we want to end up, so we have decided to make the most of it. At the end of the day, a cat on a table will always need to be stroked, and we’re happy to do its bidding.

At the risk of sounding a bit morbid though, (apologies) we are keenly aware of just how quickly time flies by and that each year brings us closer to the time when our adventures will have to change, but we’re happy to say that we’re not at that point yet.

We have to adapt a little, but Andy often talks about Clint Eastwood saying that it’s important to ‘not let the old man in’ (or in my case ‘the old woman’), and the older we get, the more that simple concept resonates with us. So, this year, will be packed with things that should keep the old man & woman at arm’s length for a little longer.

At the start of May, we will be cycling across the south of France for a trip to the superb ‘deballage’ Brocante in Pezenas.

We have cycled there before, for the October event, Read about our last experience here , but this time will pedal from home, through Beaucaire to Sommières and Saint Jean-de Fos. We’ll return via Capestang and catch the train back from Beziers, to make sure we’re back in time to watch the last home match of the season at Provence Rugby … We cycled to the first, (home and away) during our long ride home from the UK last summer, so it would be rude not to go to the final home match too. Read about our cycle back from Aix after the rugby here

Then in June (after the rugby season is over) we’ll set off to pedal our way through France, back to England for my summer of events, before turning round and pedalling home again. An ‘Aller-Retour’ that I never imagined I would even consider doing, but it’s a really exciting one to look forward to. It already feels strange that we aren’t going to set the routes for these trips in stone, and will ‘make it up, as we go along’ , which will add even more adventure to the experience.

In so many ways, it’s hard to believe that the first long-distance ride we did together was only 3 years ago. I had so many worries that I wouldn’t be able to even get to the ferry-port at Plymouth, let alone turn the pedals for over 1500km, all the way back to Provence. But it was an amazing experience and simply whetted my appetite for more.

Since then we’ve ridden across the south of France, pedalled our way across Spain, heading home from Madrid, and done another UK to Provence ride too. Now, I can’t imagine a year without a long ride, and after last year’s first experience of carrying a tent too, we’ll be aiming to spend a lot more nights under canvas, so let’s keep everything crossed for good weather.

Then in October, once summer is over, to give ourselves a break from the bikes, we’ll see how we get on, carrying our life in a rucksack, whilst we walk the Fisherman’s Trail, along the coast in Portugal.

By the time all that is done, I’m sure we’ll be ready for a cosy winter, at home, in front of the fire. But for the time-being, it’s time to fasten our seatbelts and hold on tight, as we start the rollercoaster ride ahead.

As I start writing this, I’m sitting in a café at the TGV station in Avignon, with a coffee and a huge cookie, waiting for the TGV that will take me to Lyon airport.

If all goes to plan, I’ll be in Devon tonight, and in a little under 2 weeks time, I’ll be arriving in Lille to meet Andy.

Let’s hope that this romantic meeting at Lille train station runs a little more smoothly than the last one in Paris. That time, I arrived on one platform, with Andy waiting patiently at another, in a different part of the station. The romantic notions I had of the arrival and our loving embrace after a time apart  turned into a scene more akin to a traditional British Farce, with us desperately trying to find each other amongst the madness.

All being well, this time it will go without a hitch, as once we’re back together again, we will spend a long weekend enjoying the Paris-Roubaix cycle race and exploring the area around the Belgian border. We can’t wait for our first experience of being ‘cobble-side’ for the race.

We love watching races in person. There is something quite unique about the atmosphere that comes with being at the side of the road. The build-up of excitement, waiting for the riders to appear, only for them to be gone in a flash, leaving memories behind in the dust. There really is nothing quite like it, although I do understand why some friends raise their eyebrows whenever we try to explain why.

Last summer, we joined the throngs of cyclists riding up Mont Ventoux to watch the summit finish. We went prepared for a full day on the mountain and had the best of days, especially enjoying the impromptu rendition of La Marseillaise that broke out around us, when news filtered down that the French rider Valentin Paret-Peintre had won the stage. He was the first French winner there in 23 years, so that definitely deserved the wave of joy that swept down the mountain, within seconds of him crossing the line.

A couple of weeks ago, we managed to cycle out to watch the Paris-Nice race twice, as it passed through our local villages, on the way to the Stage finish in Apt.

It was a great afternoon, starting with us sitting on a sunny verge above Bonnieux, watching the elegance of the peloton sweep out of the village and past us, on its way to the Combe de Lourmarin.

Before we pedalled over to Saignon, finding a spot on the last bend of the final climb, where we had an inkling that any crucial attacks could take place.

In fact, a couple of days before the race, we had driven up in Fifi, spending time on different parts of the climb to decide where would be best to stand. You can watch Fifi take on the Cat2 climb here

In the end, we chose the perfect spot, meeting friends there

And following the excitement on the TV coverage, watching the breakaway being hunted down by a chasing group. Then seeing Vingegaard and Martinez attack on the inside of the sharp hair-pin bend, directly in front of us. It left us breathless, and thrilled to have been able to watch it, so close at hand.

Which brings us to the Paris-Roubaix. We normally watch from start to finish on TV, and this will be our first trip to watch the race from the roadside. I have no doubt that we will enjoy every moment of it, especially as we seem (simply by chance), to have booked a house, just a stones-throw from the iconic ‘pavé’ of Mons-en-Pévèle.

With both the women’s and men’s races on the same day, it should be a fantastic experience, and having looked at the maps, we hope to be able to walk out from the house, to find a place to watch the day’s excitement unfold.

I’m sure a few will ask why we haven’t taken the bikes,  and even considered riding a cobbled sector, whilst we’re there, just to be able to say we’ve done it, and to understand exactly what it feels like. But this time, it was just too difficult to organise getting both bikes there, when I am coming back from the UK and Andy is travelling up by train. Perhaps, we will have to save that thought for another time. Although after watching the race in person, it may be that we are simply happy to leave it for another lifetime!

It’s a part of France that we haven’t  visited before, so as well as watching the race, we will aim to have a look around the area too.

As I hurtle my way now on the TGV towards Lyon Airport, it’s hard to believe that we’ll be there in just under 2 weeks time.

I have a strange feeling that I’ll be on the Eurostar, heading to that ‘romantic encounter’ at Lille before I can even  think about it. So I’d better get myself into gear and hit the ground running, as soon as I get back to Devon, just to make sure that I tick everything off the list that needs to be done, before I head back.

I think that will set the mould for the rest of the year!