France coast to coast - Debrief

I have been thinking about a solo cycling adventure for quite a long time but I suppose never quite had enough courage to actually do one until recently. I think the timing was just down to the state of my 10 year relationship with Jessica and the uneasy sense that it was coming to an end. Although the thing that has always appealed to me about the idea of solo distance cycling has been exploration and meeting different people every day. Beyond that I think the idea of life on the road just seems less scary than the prospect of living out the rest of my life in front of a TV or computer.


I wanted this trip to teach me something about myself - to maybe show me how I might be able to take on the rest of my life - to see how much independence I could really deal with, but mainly I wanted to come back with a different perspective and be more prepared to adventure in future. Maybe that's quite a lot to expect from a 2 week 700 mile solo bike tour, but I'm not completely disappointed.

The most important parts of the trip, were the small challenges I faced along the way - these were the things that were going to help me get what I wanted. If I had carefully planned every aspect of this short tour, how you do when you go on holiday, it would have been a lot easier - I wouldn't then have a had to wrestle with the basics every day ( food, water,where to sleep), I wouldn't have got lost and I could have allowed myself a couple more days so I didn't  have to ride every day. So I left some things to chance and denied myself a few little home comforts.

I did not use gps to navigate - map and compass only.
I did not talk to anyone on the phone.
I did not plan where I would sleep each night - subsequently many camp-sites I arrived at were closed.
I did not allow myself any days off to rest and wash clothes.

This is about as difficult as I could make what in essence was a sunny stroll through France on 2 wheels - but its a start.

As it turned out, those 'basic' challenges were not the things that I found hard. Energy and hydration did require more daily effort than I'm used to, but loneliness is a problem that worries me for future solo tours.

This is what Al Humphreys (solo round the word cyclist) says about loneliness on the road:

"But also riding alone was ideal- it is much harder: you stand or fall by your own decisions, qualities and shortcomings, and people are much more receptive and welcoming to a lone traveller. It was very hard being alone- the hardest part of the journey - but very rewarding in the end."

So maybe I will find the courage to do some more challenging tours, perhaps longer, further afield solo trips so that I can learn to cope better. TV is a great for making you feel like you're not alone but TV's are usually heavy and need a lot of electricity - speaking of which reminds me that I must find a larger solar panel re-charger for my next journey - the powermonkey was great but needs at least 2 full days of continental sun to be able to fully charge an iphone - luckily I had lots of sun.

I met some really nice people on the trip and made new friends - this is probably the main benefit of cycling solo. I spoke lots of French, some Italian and got a lot fitter. I do feel mentally stronger somehow, perhaps more optimistic about my future and what I am capable of. But most importantly I think, this trip reminded me how important friends and family are - how important other people are - especially the ones we take for granted. I'll try and make more time for them in future. Jessica did announce the end of our relationship  a day or so after I got back, it wasn't a surprise, but somehow the trip has helped me deal with it and I'm ok.

I'll post some video of the trip shortly and more photos, maybe an itinerary too - just in case you are inspired to have a go yourself!