France 2013

The weather looked fine when we started climbing up the ridge from our perfect campsite just outside Grimaud. But as we crested the col at about 400m the moisture in the air appeared to be a bit wetter than the cloud that we thought we were in. As we descended the other side the rain started coming down properly and would do so on and off for the rest of the day.

Bob was kind enough to lend me his Lone Peak panniers for this off the cuff trip. And while they are a good size they definitely aren’t waterproof. After a navigational error in the pouring rain that saw us do a hilly loop of about 15km unnecessarily, we settled on a suboptimal campsite just off the road as we needed to get warm and fed quickly. Unfortunately the rain had seeped through the panniers into my sleeping bag and pillow, making for a damp and cold evening in my cramped Decathlon tent. I was so knackered that after stuffing food in my face I crashed out at about 8 o’clock.

A leisurely start to the day with the McDonalds breakfast of champions before we headed down along the Mediterranean. A reasonably busy road most of the day with people out enjoying the weather and blue ocean views along the coast. It must get pretty frustrating though when you can’t get your Aston Martin convertible over 50kmh. Loads of Lycra clad guys on racing bikes out riding as well, some of them quite advanced in years.

We were aiming for Grimaud, resting place of Henri Desgrange, founder of the Tour de France. By the time we reached the cemetery we were both pretty tired, though I did score a handful of rosemary that was growing wild in the cemetery grounds. That went well with the lamb chops I had for dinner.

I bid farewell to Bob in Bangkok as he prepares to ride in the south. Next stop for me is France to hook up with George again. He’s just finishing off his 12 day movie marathon in Cannes and ready to do some riding. I hopped on a Thai airways flight to Paris and managed to get three seats all to myself. I slept all the way to Paris…

During a few hours layover before a flight down to Nice I dashed into Paris to grab a SIM card and some camping gear. Decathlon had everything I needed.

One night in a ripoff hotel in Nice (be careful when you book online and are too lazy to check the details), then a nice ride down the coast to Cannes, where the film festival is in its final day. Lots of poseurs and hot women walking around. I counted three Lambos, two Ferraris and lots of Porsches idling along the seafront at 20kmh.

Tomorrow we head north west.