Would be like a blur to even do 5mph.

jameso wrote:Cock up, as in not actually signing up to start with? sorry... but I will look at how many reserves and whats fairest asap.

that's the one

Right I'm currently agonising over how long this is going to take me so I can arrange a return flight. Ideally I would like to do as much of the full route as possible. I'm no racing whippet and I don't want to spend the entire ride clock watching and will want to stop to admire the view, take photos and so on. I definitely don't want to be rushing around last minute trying to get the bike boxed up before the return flight!

My original thinking was 10 days but now I'm wondering if that is maybe too long. I always thought if I was ahead of schedule I could have a leisurely day mid ride or if I finished early I could have a couple of days chilling out at the end but now I've realised that will probably drain the bank balance rather rapidly!

So I'm wondering if 7 or 8 days would be a better option. I guess at the end of the day if I have to take one of the shortcuts then so be it.

Appreciate we all have different fitness levels, aims etc but... what's everyone else's plans?

jameso - earlier in the thread you mentioned there may be the possibility of a campsite towards the end. Are there still plans for that?

7 days for me... but I am kind of a whippet (usually).

I reckon 7/8 days should be fine for most folk and provide enough time for 'Marmot bothering'. I do recall that Chew and myself never stopped before 9.30 -10.00pm each day though ... but I did bother a lot of Marmots.

As Stu said 7/8 days on the road will give you a good mix.

Dont think about your daily distance, but the amount of climbing you can do in a day and work back from there.

Also I flew back from Nice Airport last night.

If anyone is planning on boxing a bike up take note of the below:

You need to go to Terminal 2 to get a bike box (its a 5 min cycle from terminal 1).
When you get there you need to go to Baggage Services, which is down stairs near to Arrivals. Its in the right hand corner of the building near the Police.
22 Euros for the box and extra for tape. The boxes are quite large and we had to make our own handles to help carry the boxes about and to help the baggage handlers. Beef these up as its a bit of a weak point.
If you have to get back to Terminal 1, its a 5 min carry to the free shuttlebus, 10 mins to the other terminal and another 5 min carry back into the terminal.

Cheers all looks like 7/8 days it is then.

Chew - thanks for the note about bike boxes at Nice. That's good info to know.

Useful info, thanks. I wonder if there's anywhere I can buy a big roll of bubble wrap, or some pipe lagging.

Appreciate we all have different fitness levels, aims etc but... what's everyone else's plans?

jameso - earlier in the thread you mentioned there may be the possibility of a campsite towards the end. Are there still plans for that?

7-8 days is good. Fast or longer days will cover it in 5 to 6. Climbing-challenged and/or overloaded ... maybe 9+

Campsite towards the end, maybe, but not yet finding anything suitable for the numbers.

On bike boxes, I'd be wary of relying on them for Sept - stocks vs number of riders? I think they can be booked / ordered but not sure.

Extra reason to go fast then? lol

That's a little concerning. I'd have assumed they'd have a ton of them.

It's France, they have a 100 of them one weekl, 3 the next, ask why ... c'est la vie ... : ) Worth looking into book / ordering ahead.

I just got some card boxes from a skip last year and taped it all together.

Email received. Tomato hostel already booked. The wife is driving me to Turin and back from Nice, as I conveniently booked her a week horse riding near Lake Garda.
I'm hoping to do 7 days but it will depend on my legs. If it takes longer, she will be allowed extra riding days.
Still not sure whether to go with tent or bivi/tarp. Tent is obviously more comfortable but not sure it will be so easy to find pitching spaces.

Gotta be a bivvy bag - I'm secretly hoping James will introduce a 'bivvy only' rule this year

Bear in mind that wild camping is technically illegal Sbcoombs ... subtle scores points whereas tents tend to be seen as 'proper' camping. In most areas it's only down to how easily you can become unseen, whereas in the southern border areas there are police/border patrols (immigration). I tend to work on the all or nothing bivi option, it's either lovely out and a tiny tarp or simple bivi is good, or I get a proper B+B, dinners and a few beers if the weather's not great. CBA with hauling a tent up 18,000m of hills in 700km either!

Stu, there is something along those lines in the next mail out. Along with the topic of les turdes sauvage. (the entry terms do talk about being fully out of sight and not on private land when it comes to wild camping, that's actually quite tricky to do in a tent along much of the route anyway, unless you're way up high where it gets suprisingly cold that time of year)

...typos galore today ...

Surprisingly cold ... you could have told me that before I settled down for the night at 2500m.

I think it's a ride that rewards the light packing, minimal planning opportunist who's willing to think on their feet

the light packing, minimal planning opportunist who's willing to think on their feet

AKA Mr Wing-it. Funny that... : )

Let's not forget, 'tis the path that leads to proper adventure

I'll be practising with my bivi in my garden...

...I'm not joking. If I don't learn how to sleep outdoors before I go then I'm in for a REALLY hard week.

I'm aiming for 6 days again...maybe 7 if I end up tagging along with folks. We'll see. As for tents, y'all just need one that doesn't weigh a ton.

I pitched on the side of trails up high, behind pillar boxes and in plain sight in a park (very late pitch/early rise). The last night was so warm I passed out without bothering with the tent, but instead enjoyed the ground behind a rock.

Greetz

S.

Aiming for 9 days as i am not the fastest climber and i want to be able to enjoy it and stop occasionally and take it in, really looking forward to it...

Think I've settled on flying back on Tuesday 11th. That gives me 8 days full riding and as it's a late flight back on the 11th I've got a bit of a contingency of an extra day if needed or a bit of sightseeing at the end. Plus the flight back is a bit cheaper on the Tuesday. Probably get that booked in the next day or two once I've procrastinated a bit more!!

As Scud says want to stop occasionally, take it all in and enjoy it

We might be on the same plane, where you flying back to / with?

Will be flying back to Stansted with Ryanair.

Flights booked from Bristol to Nice, out on 1st, back on 9th, so I have 6 days to get round. Wouldn’t mind taking a bit longer, but leave is tight. See you all at the tomato hostel!