The heat of Portugal has been replaced with a definite rainy chill the last few days not only here in southwestern France, but back in Portugal, too. Places I rode in 95 degree conditions back in mid-June, such as Braga, are now in the low 60s. I’ll always wonder what Braga is like when it’s… Read More Tour, Days 16-18: Blazing (Sorta) Across a Chilly France

Drenched and flustered I arrived, dry and serene I left the Château de Crécy in remote Romagne. The importance of the Rest Day in bicycle touring cannot be overemphasized. They don’t have them at the Tour de France for nothing, and even us lowly tourers averaging only 10 mph need a chance to rest the… Read More Tour Rest Day in Romagne

I write, comfy and dry, this morning from the rustic Château de Crécy in the heart of Bordeaux wine country. Birds chirp in the cool stillness of the morn. It’s so relaxing one finds themselves irrationally trying to uncover things worth worrying about. Yesterday there was no need to try. Plenty of bike touring worries were… Read More Tour, Days 13-15: Flooded in Bordeaux

How can anyone, even Lance at his druggiest, ride a bicycle from Vila Praia de Ancora, Portugal to Linxe, France in four days? Here’s how: Above is a touring bike in what might be the single worst job of “protective wrapping” in the history of transportation. I’m almost proud of how badly I “wrapped” this… Read More Tour, Days 10-12: Three Countries, Three Beaches

Having had flighty wi-fi and/or nonexistent chair and desk (we slightly aging folks do so prefer typing in comfort) the past few days, I’ll intro some more photos here in Ponte de Lima, after having traveled to and through several towns with really long names. The country has been in the world news the past… Read More Tour Days 7, 8 & 9: A Triple-Header in Northern Portugal

I still have a few days left in Portugal before crossing into Spain, but I have an observation rolling around, waiting for further confirmation. Portugal seems, up to now, to be the following: Portugal is the California we wish still existed. A few similarities: Weather Ocean Surfing Lemon, orange and other fruit trees not found… Read More Tour Interlude: Weekend in Braga