15 July 2012
La Grande Boucle des Pyrenees 2012
The Bike Dreams cycling tour came to an end in Barcelona just over a week ago; seems like almost another lifetime given the charming weather the UK is experiencing at the moment...bring back the heat wave of the Spanish Pyrenees aye!
One afternoon, about two days before we rolled into Barcelona, I was spending the day in the firetruck and hence had a few moments to spare. What better way than writing a few lines of poetry to thank everyone on the Bike Dreams tour and read aloud at our farewell dinner in Barcelona. Below is what I came up with - enjoy!*
All the way from Nice to Barcelona,
87.75 legs spun over and over.
Up, down, and through the Pyrenees,
We cycled lots of km's thanks to Bike Dreams.
The many adventures came both thick and fast,
Thankfully the headaches of Hotel Anis were soon in the past.
At half six or seven we had brekkie each day;
Many preferred the latter time slot way.
Muesli, nutella, bananas and bread;
Sometimes we were lucky and even had eggs!
An organised frenzy soon took place around the campsite,
Tents, mats, and bags packed away in the morning light.
Eager cyclists were soon riding away,
Ready to take on the challenges of another day.
Very lucky with the weather we were,
Only a few days of rain to make us feel 'brr'.
The record heat wave of the Spanish Pyrenees,
Saw us melt in the sun and bought us to our knees.
Definitely ready to call it quits and throw the towel in,
The cycling spirit ensured each stage was finished on more than a whim.
As we climbed, the siren of the fire truck would cheer -
It was definitely loud enough for all to hear...
A lot of teamwork and effort went into lunch,
As a result, the cyclists always had something to munch.
Richard, the ladies plus the Van of Bob,
Seemed to be able to handle the ravenous mob.
Cheeses, meats, and salads galore,
We also had an occasional nutella war.
Dinner was always a feast with seconds for all;
Kudos to the chefs and their selection calls.
We were then treated to dessert by Rossanna -
Add in lots of vino and we were soon singing 'hosanna'.
The time would then come for Captain Wilbert to chat to the group -
"Good evening peoples - the day of tomorrow we have mountains and a loop"
Enquiries regarding vital issues were usually made -
The marmot moment and were lunch was to be laid.
Starting on La Bella, an award each day was meant,
For either an honorable, funny, silly or memorable event.
For example, Nina rode an extra 32km before the lunch spot in the hills,
All due to blind faith in Richard and Tomas's interesting navigation skills.
We also had highway and tunnel removals by police;
A pity Gill couldn't bat his eyelids to bring about peace!
The marmot went from one riding buddy to another,
The strength of new friendships turning a stranger into a brother.
Drivers, cooks, and others took part,
To share around the important marmat.
As Barcelona drew nearer and nearer,
The swearing at the Garmin grew clearer and clearer...
A mini tour through the Andes will see an adjustment to the route,
In time for the next Le Grande Boucle des Pyrenees group.
So, it is with a heavy heart that we pack away our bikes,
And wave farewell to each other during the long Spanish nights.
A massive thank-you to all on the bike dreams tour,
It has been a blast and much better than any brochure, I can assure!
Aurevoir for now, adios amigos,
Until we meet again,
Take care, be safe, and ride happy
Hannah
* Disclaimer: I do not hold any type of qualifications in poetry and do not pretend to be a poet. The above are merely simple musings from a KISS girl. All characters and references are not fictitious and are based on real events. However, in some cases, artistic license has been used.
6 July 2012
Tete-a-Tete about the Pyrenees
Somehow I will attempt to capture the past 2.5 weeks in the current post, and possibly keep it reasonably short as well... Good luck there Han!
Just over 212km, 2.162m of climbing, two more nights spent in a tent, and approximately 5 banana, 3 coffee stops and 2 flats are separating the La Grande Boucle des Pryenees cycling team from Barcelona. Nearly there.
The past few weeks have been filled with both amazing triumphs as well as pushing the mind to the limits. Don't need to worry about the body as apparently according to my new friend Chris - others are jealous that I can come into camp each night and put on a different leg. I did offer to share my spare walking legs around but nobody was keen to take me up on the offer.
The Pryenees group of cyclists I am traveling with is a lot larger than La Bells Italia - 44 cyclists compared with 21. Excitingly there are a few girls around my own age so I no longer get laughed at by the blokes when another female asks me to go to the bathroom with her - strength in numbers right?! We have lots of Aussies on the trip (we know where the good times are to be had), a few from NZ, some from Holland, as well as Canada, Brazil, Germany and Czech Republic. All up, including the big dreams crew, we stand at a total of 53. Poor Annika, our amazing chef, having to cook dinne each night - she literally cleans out the supermarket each day.
The Pyrenees has bought some beautiful climbing. I have climbed:
- Mt Ventoux (obviously more in Provence than the Pyrenees)
- Col de Portet
- Col de Mente
- Col de la Core
- Puerto de Cortefablo
- Puerto de Portalet
- Col d'Aubiqsue
- Col du Tourmalet
- Col d'Aspin
Then we have all the gorgeous gorges we climbed up and through. Some of the best kept secrets are the gorges through the Spanish Pyrenees such as the Cañón de Añisclo just outside of Puyarruego. We have ridden up mountains, next to rivers, past waterfalls, across a Spanish desert, whizzed down Tour de France descents, seen stunning vistas from what feels like the top of the world.
There have been close calls down the descents, especially coming around corners and nearly running over what I think was either a deer or a goat. Hence, I nearly ran over a dear goat. The next day it was nearly a dog to see the underside of some rubber tyre and another closes call with some interesting drivers going down Aubisique. Still, I am here writing this blog so I must be OK right?!
We had a rest day in Carcassonne, a little village that LTF goes through on their three peaks day. Surrounded on all sides by the Pyrenees, it was wonderful to spend a morning wandering through French markets, eating a choc custard crossaint, buying dried strawberries and sitting in a river with sparkling clear fresh water and watching the sunset. Very noice!!!
Yes, climbing up mountains for over two hours with gradients at a constent 8-9% for the last 7km can be tough, especially if a mountain has already been climbed that day but the rewards at the top, the sense of achievement and celebrating with others make it all worthwhile. I have found a beautiful sense of peace among the Pyrenees. Life isn't running at a million miles an hour, you aren't constantly hounded by emails and deadlines, and the fresh air definitely does wonders for the soul.
Apologies to all the food lovers who have been enjoying reading about the devine food I have been consuming recently. Our amazing cook Annika hasn't let us down - from Duck la'ronge to Paella, from curries to salads, fresh trout to tapas - all done on a camping stove. Amazing. However, bring on a good cup of Bushells tea and piece of piping hot toast with melted Western Star (salt free) butter and Vegemite.
Till Barcelona,
Ride safe, ride happy, ride in the moment
Han
Just over 212km, 2.162m of climbing, two more nights spent in a tent, and approximately 5 banana, 3 coffee stops and 2 flats are separating the La Grande Boucle des Pryenees cycling team from Barcelona. Nearly there.
The past few weeks have been filled with both amazing triumphs as well as pushing the mind to the limits. Don't need to worry about the body as apparently according to my new friend Chris - others are jealous that I can come into camp each night and put on a different leg. I did offer to share my spare walking legs around but nobody was keen to take me up on the offer.
The Pryenees group of cyclists I am traveling with is a lot larger than La Bells Italia - 44 cyclists compared with 21. Excitingly there are a few girls around my own age so I no longer get laughed at by the blokes when another female asks me to go to the bathroom with her - strength in numbers right?! We have lots of Aussies on the trip (we know where the good times are to be had), a few from NZ, some from Holland, as well as Canada, Brazil, Germany and Czech Republic. All up, including the big dreams crew, we stand at a total of 53. Poor Annika, our amazing chef, having to cook dinne each night - she literally cleans out the supermarket each day.
The Pyrenees has bought some beautiful climbing. I have climbed:
- Mt Ventoux (obviously more in Provence than the Pyrenees)
- Col de Portet
- Col de Mente
- Col de la Core
- Puerto de Cortefablo
- Puerto de Portalet
- Col d'Aubiqsue
- Col du Tourmalet
- Col d'Aspin
Then we have all the gorgeous gorges we climbed up and through. Some of the best kept secrets are the gorges through the Spanish Pyrenees such as the Cañón de Añisclo just outside of Puyarruego. We have ridden up mountains, next to rivers, past waterfalls, across a Spanish desert, whizzed down Tour de France descents, seen stunning vistas from what feels like the top of the world.
There have been close calls down the descents, especially coming around corners and nearly running over what I think was either a deer or a goat. Hence, I nearly ran over a dear goat. The next day it was nearly a dog to see the underside of some rubber tyre and another closes call with some interesting drivers going down Aubisique. Still, I am here writing this blog so I must be OK right?!
We had a rest day in Carcassonne, a little village that LTF goes through on their three peaks day. Surrounded on all sides by the Pyrenees, it was wonderful to spend a morning wandering through French markets, eating a choc custard crossaint, buying dried strawberries and sitting in a river with sparkling clear fresh water and watching the sunset. Very noice!!!
Yes, climbing up mountains for over two hours with gradients at a constent 8-9% for the last 7km can be tough, especially if a mountain has already been climbed that day but the rewards at the top, the sense of achievement and celebrating with others make it all worthwhile. I have found a beautiful sense of peace among the Pyrenees. Life isn't running at a million miles an hour, you aren't constantly hounded by emails and deadlines, and the fresh air definitely does wonders for the soul.
Apologies to all the food lovers who have been enjoying reading about the devine food I have been consuming recently. Our amazing cook Annika hasn't let us down - from Duck la'ronge to Paella, from curries to salads, fresh trout to tapas - all done on a camping stove. Amazing. However, bring on a good cup of Bushells tea and piece of piping hot toast with melted Western Star (salt free) butter and Vegemite.
Till Barcelona,
Ride safe, ride happy, ride in the moment
Han
4 July 2012
A box of chocolates
Let me paint the picture for you - I am currently sitting in a French campsite (pure luxury with toilet seats, toilet paper and a hair dryer!), listening to Bob Marley as well as the ping pong ball bouncing across the table, and am surrounded by the beautiful mountains of the Pryenees. A dinner of succulent lamb with fresh veggies followed by super sweet raspberries with yoghurt has just been polished off. The sun is setting behind the pink clouds and I have a cup of tea in my hand and piece of dark chocolate in the other. The laughter and chatter of my fellow cyclists completes the scene. Tough life aye?!
Admittedly it has been a bit tough to find time to write about all the amazing experiences I have been privileged to have recently - I have been taking my own advice and living each moment! However, I would love to share some of the highlights with you all.
Let's take a few steps back to the end of the 1.75 leg adventure through Italia - most of these memories include food: we learnt how lemenoncello was made at a local family lemoncello grove in Sorrento. We then proceeded to taste the seven different types of liqueurs. These included different alcohol concentrations of lemoncello, and orange, mandarin, fennel, and liquorice liqueurs. We were told that people usually leave "very happy from this lemoncello grove". Definitely ticked that box.
Next up was a trip to a local gelateria in Sorrento where we learnt how Italian gelato is made. Naturally taste testing was included. My favorite was an organge, lemon and candied mandarin gelato. The gelateria, called Gelateria David, has been in the family for a few generations and has an owner who is currently married to a Sydney-sider. The good news is that he is not only marketing savy (pancakes are known as the PanDavid) but he has plans to open up shop in Australia - exciting times ahead!! And yes, I did go back in the morning for brekkie and consumed a Pan David with chocolate, fresh fruit and gelato. Damn marketing gimmicks! Nevertheless, it has been one of the best brekkies so far, excluding the pastries in Venice.
I can hear all of your thinking - "Are you now the side of a house Han?", "Your parents will be happy when you get home as it will be a celery diet for awhile..." Fortunately other activities have included a trek up Mt Vesuvius and a 6hr hike along "the walk of the gods" along the Amalfi coast finished off with a staircase of 1067 steps 🏀. So thankfully I still fit into my pants (let's just keep it on the hush that they are trackies). Back on track, I highly recommend taking the time to visit the ruins of Pompeii and have a guided tour to make sense out of all the rocks scattered around. Plus you get to go behind the scenes and take a trip to the Pompeii brothel where ceramics indicate the activities in each room - definitely stuff they didn't teach us in school.
However, at the top of the list is the climb up Mt Vesuvius. The pure, untamed strength of the mountain still permeates the atmosphere and the plumes of smoke hissing out the side of the mountain, plus strong winds literally blowing the clouds straight past you make for one awesome experience. I did feel a little like Bridget Jones afterwards though as I literally had an afro by the time we got off the mountain. We were also lucky as our guide, included in your ticket up the mountain, was explained to us as "the Casanova and ladies man of the tour guides available". It was a little contradictory given the wedding ring on his fourth finger. Nevertheless, Casanova didn't disappoint and delivered an interesting and fun tour. A pity about my hairstyle aye?!
On a side note, we ate at Il Principe in Pompeii - a Michelin star restaurant that emulates food eaten by Pompeiins (yes I may have just made that word up- it may catch on), over 2000 years ago. I had some beautiful seafood with orange and asparagus followed by an amazing warm chocolate fondante with fresh fruit. The evening was made special as the owner, his wife, and their son all took turns to come out, explain the different dishes, the philosophy of the restaurant and the special events that they put on. So if you are ever out in Pompeii, head to Il Principe!
The Intrepid tour soon drew to an end and it was tough to say goodbye to the new friends that had been made during the two short weeks we had been together, or even only one week in some cases. A few train rides later, I had made my way from Amalfi in Sourthern Italy to Nice, which is on the south coast of France. It was here that I rejoined the Bike Dreams Team to begin Le Boucheles Pyrenees. I arrived at Hotel Anis, aka Fawtly Towers, walked into the garage where all the cyclists we cleaning their bikes as was greeted with a very Australian "Oh bugger, you're back again!". It felt like I had come home.
Till next time,
Ride safe, ride happy, ride in the moment
Han
Admittedly it has been a bit tough to find time to write about all the amazing experiences I have been privileged to have recently - I have been taking my own advice and living each moment! However, I would love to share some of the highlights with you all.
Let's take a few steps back to the end of the 1.75 leg adventure through Italia - most of these memories include food: we learnt how lemenoncello was made at a local family lemoncello grove in Sorrento. We then proceeded to taste the seven different types of liqueurs. These included different alcohol concentrations of lemoncello, and orange, mandarin, fennel, and liquorice liqueurs. We were told that people usually leave "very happy from this lemoncello grove". Definitely ticked that box.
Next up was a trip to a local gelateria in Sorrento where we learnt how Italian gelato is made. Naturally taste testing was included. My favorite was an organge, lemon and candied mandarin gelato. The gelateria, called Gelateria David, has been in the family for a few generations and has an owner who is currently married to a Sydney-sider. The good news is that he is not only marketing savy (pancakes are known as the PanDavid) but he has plans to open up shop in Australia - exciting times ahead!! And yes, I did go back in the morning for brekkie and consumed a Pan David with chocolate, fresh fruit and gelato. Damn marketing gimmicks! Nevertheless, it has been one of the best brekkies so far, excluding the pastries in Venice.
I can hear all of your thinking - "Are you now the side of a house Han?", "Your parents will be happy when you get home as it will be a celery diet for awhile..." Fortunately other activities have included a trek up Mt Vesuvius and a 6hr hike along "the walk of the gods" along the Amalfi coast finished off with a staircase of 1067 steps 🏀. So thankfully I still fit into my pants (let's just keep it on the hush that they are trackies). Back on track, I highly recommend taking the time to visit the ruins of Pompeii and have a guided tour to make sense out of all the rocks scattered around. Plus you get to go behind the scenes and take a trip to the Pompeii brothel where ceramics indicate the activities in each room - definitely stuff they didn't teach us in school.
However, at the top of the list is the climb up Mt Vesuvius. The pure, untamed strength of the mountain still permeates the atmosphere and the plumes of smoke hissing out the side of the mountain, plus strong winds literally blowing the clouds straight past you make for one awesome experience. I did feel a little like Bridget Jones afterwards though as I literally had an afro by the time we got off the mountain. We were also lucky as our guide, included in your ticket up the mountain, was explained to us as "the Casanova and ladies man of the tour guides available". It was a little contradictory given the wedding ring on his fourth finger. Nevertheless, Casanova didn't disappoint and delivered an interesting and fun tour. A pity about my hairstyle aye?!
On a side note, we ate at Il Principe in Pompeii - a Michelin star restaurant that emulates food eaten by Pompeiins (yes I may have just made that word up- it may catch on), over 2000 years ago. I had some beautiful seafood with orange and asparagus followed by an amazing warm chocolate fondante with fresh fruit. The evening was made special as the owner, his wife, and their son all took turns to come out, explain the different dishes, the philosophy of the restaurant and the special events that they put on. So if you are ever out in Pompeii, head to Il Principe!
The Intrepid tour soon drew to an end and it was tough to say goodbye to the new friends that had been made during the two short weeks we had been together, or even only one week in some cases. A few train rides later, I had made my way from Amalfi in Sourthern Italy to Nice, which is on the south coast of France. It was here that I rejoined the Bike Dreams Team to begin Le Boucheles Pyrenees. I arrived at Hotel Anis, aka Fawtly Towers, walked into the garage where all the cyclists we cleaning their bikes as was greeted with a very Australian "Oh bugger, you're back again!". It felt like I had come home.
Till next time,
Ride safe, ride happy, ride in the moment
Han
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)