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• #202
Should we all meet up soon and have a chat about future plans? And any other pre France rides? Mersea island is always good.
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• #203
FWIW, we're doing this again next year. Week beginning 11th July.
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• #204
Possibly!
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• #205
Could be keen for this it I’m free
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• #206
keen also!
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• #207
Keen!
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• #208
I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.
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• #209
^ strong line-up! Better get into shape then! ;)
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• #210
It’s not going to be a race. Anyone who comes along and tries to turn it into a race will be seriously unpopular. It will be an easy-paced social ride with full camping gear. I have done some proper head-banging rides in France in the past and have zero interest in replicating that.
If you want a race style experience in the Alps, I recommend doing the Marmotte sportive.
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• #211
Someone's gotta carry the watermelon right? And the sweets... ;)
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• #212
i thought the first rule is everyone has to half-wheel Bill
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• #213
As long as he doesn't bring that bloody trailer thing again.
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• #214
Trick your rivals into being under-prepared. Gotcha.
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• #215
Can't get it on the train. And we will have to bag the bikes, it seems. Our jump off point is Lyon, and Lyon is served only by double-deck TGVs, which don't space for un-bagged or un-boxed bikes.
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• #216
I've read somewhere that some of the newer ones do have space now. I haven't checked.
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• #217
I have checked. There will be some changes from winter to summer schedules, but all the info have been able to find, SNCF, CUK (french equiv) is pretty clear: bags or boxed or not at all. You can take bikes on most TER trains but they are seriously slow 5 1/2 hours as compared to 2 hours for TGV from Paris > Lyon.
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• #218
Lyon not updated yet? Did Rouen - Paris on double decker TGV earlier this year and can confirm there's ample bike space.
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• #219
Another data point is that once I took a double-decker to Aix and I boxed the bike.... barely (meaning the box was way over the size limit, barely holding itself together, in front of the toilets' door, and to top it all I had a wheel in hand) and I just got an puzzled look from the train manager. Obviously not the same story if there are many bikes.
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• #220
The chefs de bord can be a mixed bunch - I have never been refused in more than 25 trips on both Eurostar & SNCF, but then I always made sure that my bagged bike could fit in the big luggage racks. Obvs if you are travelling south on a Saturday in July, then the racks get pretty full pretty quickly. Plus we’ll have camping gear as well.
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• #221
Bagged or fully assembled?
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• #222
Fully assembled, 10 of us in 2 carriages. I'll check with the Lyon players and report back.
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• #223
You're right, front wheel off and the bike in a bag.
World Champ Quentin Buchard might be joining us too! ;)
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• #224
Are you sure TGVs run on that line? Can’t see any running - only Intercité and TER on which there are proper bike racks - some of them are double-deckers.
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• #225
You got a touring bike, Ben?
Anyone needs Campag triple crankset, FD and RD: https://www.lfgss.com/thread106356.html#post3586420