Microadventuring, mini tours etc

In the end I have picked up a friend who is riding 28s, panniers, etc. I suspect they will not be able to handle the majority of the off road bits, especially as it looks like it's going to rain all week, so I'm drawing up alternative routes just in case. Are the NCNs round suffolk coast OK or sort of naff? (I'm thinking of those long drags of pavement next to screaming trunk roads that I sometimes run into)

Was going to largely keep the structure intact with the same wild camping spot at minsmere and starting at woodbridge / ending at lowestoft

I'm thinking of those long drags of pavement next to screaming trunk roads that I sometimes run into

There's nothing like that. All the back roads around there are fairly quiet tbh

Escaped a family holiday for one night, rode from the South Devon coast into south Dartmoor on the Redlake Tramway . Got a pinch flat and was tired so didn't make it to the end of the tramway at Red Lake, but pushed the bike a few hundred metres to the summit of Three Barrows Hill and bivied there. Perfect conditions, could see jubilee beacons in the South Hams, the lights of Plymouth and the Eddystone Lighthouse shining clear on the southern horizon. A pony and a very small foal came to say hello.

Next morning pushed / dropped / wrangled the bike west down to the Erme valley then rode off the moor on the track there, breakfast in Ivybridge then back to the family in time to go for a massive pub lunch in Salcombe. 10/10 would microadventure again.

Had a couple of great little trips over the last 2 weekends.

The first was a loop of the Purbeck Bimble. It turned out to be a pretty tough first day due to the super muddy conditions. We covered 60km on the first day, finishing up at the YHA in Swanage. The second day was a 35km roll back to Wareham in time to watch Flanders.

I'd suggest splitting this route more directly in two when the summer comes, and wild camping between KM 40-50.

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The second was a ride from Dunkirk down to Roubaix to watch the women's race this weekend. Smooth fast rolling country lanes all the way there and back, lots of mind blowing beer and stodgy French food.

The return train to Dunkirk was £24 and the ferry return was £50, I can't even travel to Bristol for that price. I think going forward I'll spend many more weekends on short tours around the north of France.

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I think going forward I'll spend many more weekends on short tours around the north of France.

Yeah, I'm planning on doing this too. Went last year from Dover to Calais, cycled down the Calais-St Omer canal then pootled around some lovely French towns (Bergues, Cassel) and nipped into Belgium (Ypres) before heading back via Dunkirk. Easy, cheap, lots of good beer/stodgy food and barely any traffic.

french bit looks nice! not so sure about the uk leg..

Portsmouth to St Malo, then ride EV4 to Cherbourg or Caen is a lovely short tour. Very scenic and easy on the wheels.

So I still had this small write up to do after picking up @Tijmen s Kona Unit.

We met at Kolektif some weeks ago and he's a sweet guy, with funnily enough a couple of common denominators:
1) Dutchman in Germany
2) Lived and studied in Eindhoven in a gamma field on a beta university
3) bieks
4) glasses
5) around 5foot11

Besides that he has approximately 150% of my hairline, I have 150% of his body mass and I have 20% more years, and he 20% longer legs.

Anyway.

The deal was done, we talked and organised shizzle at Kolektif and I went to pick up the bike over Easter and cycled back from Leipzig to Berlin on the Berlin-Leipzig Radweg but in the other direction.
Now some picture posts, on mobile so image hosting is too much of a faff.

This is the route.
It's mostly European cycle routes, I'll get to that.
I flixbussed my way to Leipzig in the earlyish morning fully clad in spandex because bikepacking.
It turned out I had coveted the unit some years ago already when for sellz on here, so full circle.
Additionally, the deal that sealed the deal is thay it came with a full witslingers early prototype bikepacking kit.
I toured from Eindhoven to Beziers a decade ago, and did a small giro in Italia 5 years ago but this was both times on a road bike with rear panniers.
I wasn't ready for the pack light bikepacking experience, on a 29er. Less words, more pictures.

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We spent way too much time chatting Dutch, shit, bizniz, preparing the biek (swapped some parts) and luggage and enjoying the ottolenghi lunch and homemade sourdough bread (>>> golf club thread) so left around 1600 the two of us.
First part, le depart.
Tijmen joined me a bit to say goodbye to the Kona.
Here he is holding back his tears.
I stupidly fell in the first park that we encountered but "zonder erg".
I have never owned a 29er. Fat tyres are slow. Wide bars are wide.
Also, I had to send back approximately a third of what I brought.
Original plan was to camp, but it was around freezing and couldn't.
So I decided to creditcard bikepack (tm) and do a trial fully packed as can be but still be comfortable.
I hurt Tijmens sensibilities as a professional bag maker by stuffing all his bag to the brim.
I'll get better, I promise.
Anyway. Countrylanes that turned into forest roads as quickly when Tijmen turn around back to Leipzig

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Kisses and goodbyes-Bad Schmiedeberg
Saxony has a bad rep in Germany. I now understand why. It's afd (ukip for the Brits, maga for the yanks) country.
Was late as per previous post so wolfed down a döner at 2000 in Bad Düren. Decided for a hotel in Bad Schmiedeberg 1,25hours way according to Google.
It didn't turn out like this. I chose the route through the "heide" which was more of a forest because "I now own an ATB.".
Mistake. It got dark. Very dark. Made a picture that my phone couldn't process because of the darkness. Almost there, road closed. Military area. Detour, road closed, military area. Again. Road closed with felled trees. Even darker. Battery of navigation's running low. Start talking to myself that I will not die of hypothermia in here. I think. I hope.
Took a break for enlightenment. Decide to ride to nearest sign of a human settlement on the map. Artificial light again. Signposts.
Arrived at the hotel 22:15. Reception not manned. Call number on door. No record of my reservation. Just gave away the last room but come down to the kurhotel (rehabilitation facility). Night staff was sweet but slightly panicked. After some first unanswered calls, I got Patientenzimmer 356 at around 2315..
Breakfast at 7 till 8 was told. Shit, let's sleep. Touring is fun! Right.. right?!

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Day 2: Bad Schmiedeberg - Jüterbog part one
It was Spartan and felt very east German.
I was the only non "patient". The median age was 75. Got lucky with my spot on the breakfast room. Spoke to a very nice elderly gentleman who complained that he couldn't really have conversations with these old people. He was 92.
The place was stuck back in time. The "literature" still has prices in dmark...
Bad Schmiedeberg is beautiful though. Breakfast was good too. Had an Easter egg and a big pot of coffee.

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Day 2: Bad Schmiedeberg - Jüterbog part two
Easily the most beautiful part of the route. Even got a real forest trail to do.
Passed by Lutherstadt Wittenberg which is so called because of Martin Luther. Pretty though. Good Italian too.
Jüterbog has to work on chiseling off the swastikas.
Actually booked the hotel in Jüterbog at breakfast in the morning because of the harrowing experience the night prior.
Got to listen to Mathieu van der Poel win Paris-Roubaix on Dutch national radio while cycling.
Goosebumps. Arrived around 1800. Got lazy, ordered pizza and beers and colas for the next day.

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Day 3 - Berlin
Easily the most boring part of the route. Pretty, but 95% European bike routes.
I took some detours thought the forest because boring.
Was quick though. Arrived in Berlin at 1400. Took an easy ride in, did a lap of tempelhof to cool down.
I should tour more...

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Conclusions:
off-road is fun
on road with an ATB less so
Bikepacking is the future. Looks much cooler too. The orange fits my wapha.

Improvements:

• less words
  
• hand positions.
  Coming from drops I put my hands ON the brake levers all the time because they "felt" like the hood position. Two blisters besides padded gloves. I have my eye on some stumpies
  
• tyre width
  I want to try less off road tyres but more mixed.
  
• gearing
  Felt undergeared as in, could use some more teeth up front.
  
• waving
  Roadies don't wave to mountainbikes. Even rad bike packing ones.
  
• bike packing
  pack more aesthetically to make Tijmen proud.
  Do an overnighted wild camping soon
  
• hope seat clamp
  I have a sneaky suspicion the hope seat clamp can't cope with my above mentioned 150% weight because I kept slippin', slippin', slippin'..
  -cranks
  Emergency rival road cranks gotta go.
  
  

Nighty night, that was exhausting!

I enjoyed that, nice read. Also, this:

I should tour more...

Coming from drops I put my hands ON the brake levers all the time because they "felt" like the hood position

SQ Labs inner bar ends are what you need

Thanks! Now working on getting my Swiss partner who has never slept in a tent to do a wee bike tour over the holidays in may sometime. She's unconvinced about the camping.

And thanks again. @Sig_Arlecchino already put me on to them in the meantime. He runs old skool bar ends in the described position and it works aesthetically on his 90s marin but I like the idea of the more modern SQ labs on this wee more modern bike. Some are making their way to me as we "speak".

Can highly recommend the ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo then ride across the Cherbourg peninsula along the Normandy beaches then return via Le Havre to Portsmouth or ride further along the coast to Dieppe to return to Newhaven.
Also the trip out of Calais or Dunkirk down to Cassel then onto the Roubaix cobbles around Lille, make a stop at the velodrome then up to Ypres before back to Dunkirk or Calais is fantastic, full of French food and Belgium beer.
Both trips are 4 to 5 days to see stuff (the war memorials mainly). Camping is real easy all over this two areas.

return via Le Havre to Portsmouth

Not sure why, but the Le Harve ferry is cars only. Tried to book a return trip on it this week, having to tootle along to Caen instead.

Also the trip out of Calais or Dunkirk down to Cassel then onto the Roubaix cobbles around Lille, make a stop at the velodrome then up to Ypres before back to Dunkirk or Calais is fantastic, full of French food and Belgium beer.

Did this in July last year (though didn't get to Roubaix) and loved it. Barely any traffic either.

Planning on the badger divide next week, mainly wild camping with a stop in a bothy. Going to spend a couple of days in Glasgow when I get there and just sent a parcel of clothes to myself to pick up at an evri corner shop which feels like poste restante in a one stop.

Back from a thoroughly enjoyable microadventure/mini tour to France with a difference, in that I based myself in one place and pootled around that area.

Day one: all about getting there and included a ride to East Croydon, train to Three Bridges and a ride to Lewes for dinner at my sister's before heading down the C7 to Newhaven for the ferry. It was just outside of Three Bridges at the first real climb that I realised I'd packed too much. Fortunately, most of the journey was downhill and it wasn't that far, so no real issues. Fair few riders waiting at the port, where they kindly loaded us on first.

Managed to grab a bit of fitful sleep on the overnight crossing and got out the other side fairly quickly. Pleased I'd packed arm/leg warmers and a down jacket because it was fucking freezing along the Avenue Verte. Didn't warm up properly until the first big climb - and I say 'big', it wasn't all that. Felt horrendous with a fully-loaded bike, though. Hadn't bargained for nothing being open for refuelling or for how long it would take, so didn't get time to fully appreciate the lovely rolling countryside, meandering rivers and traffic-free (bumpy, shit-surfaced) roads or take any pictures as I had a train to catch from Rouen. Not helped by having to get off and push for 100 yards on one hill. I've never had to do this, so that didn't half dampen the spirits. Made the train with five minutes to spare, so all good.

Train to Paris fine - bike space and seat next to it available. Even managed to doze off. Ride across Paris also pretty good as it involved getting to the Seine and riding along the bike/jogger/rollerskating path that skirts the river. Had enough time to grab a sandwich at Austerlitz before catching the train to Blois. Bike space available on the SNCF-Remi train that runs to the Loire region, but a bit crap as it's in the vestibule and you can't really sit next to it, so an element of trust is required. The ride from Blois to Amboise, where I was based, was the highlight of a long 24 hours - 30kph tail wind and smooth, isolated roads.

Day two and three: zero riding. Watched the Giro, kicked back, drank beers, ate food, felt mildly guilty but not overly so. It's a holiday after all.

Day four: ride of the three rivers (Loire, Cher, Indre) that was definitely a case of BROSH (big ring out; small home) took in Chenonceaux castle (where they wouldn't let me in the grounds with my bike, so I had to leave), a closed brewery near Cormery and a portion of the Loire à Vélo cycle track back to Amboise. Glorious weather, plenty of free water fountains in villages and a tail wind on the way out that weakened as a headwind on the way back. Bliss. There aren't really many hills in the area, but it's nicely undulating and the rivers and winding roads keep things interesting. Again, barely any traffic.

Day five: nothing short of a 100km ascent, or rather, riding into a block headwind for five hours. I knew there would be payback after the ride on the way in and I wasn't wrong. It was horrendous. I was nearly in tears at one point. The wind was bad enough, but the gusts were stupid, scrubbing off a good 4-5kph off my 'speed' within moments. The only thing that made up for it was the scenery. A largely flat course alongside the mighty Loire that was easy to follow and mainly nice tarmac, though there were long stretches of tightly packed gravel. Only gripe apart from the wind was the lack of water fountains along the route. Would have thought they'd be easy enough to install every 20km or so, but I found one on the route in a tiny village and one a little bit off the route about 8km from Orléans (my final destination). Nearly ran out a couple of times as a result.

Day six: mooching about Orléans with the bike safely ensconced in the hotel's bike shed.

Day seven: train to Paris with decent bike space, white-knuckle ride across Paris that involved a lot of riding the wrong way down one-way streets in the 'Sauf vélos' lanes and avoiding headphone-wearing goons who were justifiably only looking one way before crossing the road. Covering the brakes essential. Bike space back to Rouen all good, then decided to get the train back to Dieppe as there was no way I'd have been able to make it to the ferry in time. Wondered whether I'd even manage to get out of Rouen given the hills I came down on the way in.

Day eight: after a night in Lewes, a train journey back to East Croydon and a ride back from there.

What I learned:
Packed way too much; could probably have done the lot with a big saddlebag and a handlebar bag and saved a good 5-6kg.
Never ride upriver on the Loire because the prevailing wind is in your face the whole time and it's awful, especially with panniers.
Take a café lock. Not having any way of securing the bike meant a bit too much trusting of Joe le Public, which was fine, but not ideal.
Having days when you don't have to ride is great.
I need a new saddle; when your perineum hurts way more than your legs, it's probably worth shelling out for a proper arse-fitting and new seat.

A few pix:

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