Tjs recovery ride 5. The low countries and France

lets be honest, butter iscnt great fuel for long distances

Well if he’s doing 50 miles a day at a pottering speed of let’s say 14mph average that’s 3-4hrs of rising every day, at maybe 500 calories per hour. That’s 2,000 calories on top of your normal dietary needs so 4,000 a day. Nearly every day that’s a lot of extra calories and it can’t all come from carbs. If you tried it’d be 2.5 whole baguettes on top of your normal say half a baguette for lunch. Three baguettes a day on your own? And breakfast and dinner as well?

This is why long term tourers or expedition doers eat plenty of fat – it’s just not possible to get enough calories otherwise.

9mph average

Fats are 9 calories per gramme. Carbs 4. Transpolar walkers etc eat butter by the pound because its calorie dense

Im attempting to eat 4000 calories a day but failing. No appetite in the heat ive lost around 10 kilos

Usual day would be 3 pastries if croissants then with jam on. One baguette 200 g cheese 100g ham 4 pieces of fruit a pack of biscuits and a large pasta or rice based dinner with plenty of veg and a couple of hunded grammes of sweets and / or ceral bars

FWIW, bearings in the SP/Alpkit/Exposure dynos can be replaced but it’s not something you’d be wanting to do on a tour.

There’s also another design that runs off the rim and can be disengaged. I can’t recall the brand but I’ll try to find it.

Edit:

https://pedalcell.com/

How much butter is in a croissant anyway? 20gms \ish I reckon , so hardly polar explorer volumes
Plus they probably walk really slowly for 12hrs , as opposed to riding for 6hrs. So probaly 1800cal burnt plus say 1000cals sitting eating tarte au tan.

Sps dynamo needs to be retuned to factory for new bearings i was told when mine failed

Im attempting to eat 4000 calories a day but failing. No appetite in the heat ive lost around 10 kilos

That’s the same issue i’ve had on multiday tours and events. Usually trying to put away a fair chunk more than that though, after about a week it was pretty much forcing something like 4 bottles of energy drink down your neck (500 calories per bottle) and a HUGE plate of pasta, with creamy, cheesey sauce, maybe 2500 calories, then flapjacks and baguettes etc during the day, plus my normal drink intake.

Still hungry all the time, or massively over full immediately after eating and borderline dehydrated at the end of every day.
Also got to watch nutrient and protein intake etc or that’ll end up screwing you up long term.

Unfortunately, i usually started events/tours with pretty much zero weight to spare!

Aye im a bit concerned about trace elements. Protien im not. I eat far more than needed

I am.lighter than i have been fir 30 years

Are you taking vitamin pills?

Only vit d and only when i remember

Probably worth some more supplements.

Usual day would be 3 pastries if croissants then with jam on. One baguette 200 g cheese 100g ham 4 pieces of fruit a pack of biscuits and a large pasta or rice based dinner with plenty of veg and a couple of hunded grammes of sweets and / or ceral bars

Sounds like a typical day for me too. I sit at a desk all day :-(

Update time

I’ve decided to stay another night here and then as per Matts suggestion I have contacted Doug at Basque mtb and looks like I’ll stay a couple of days with them. He is a daya ride along the coast. Very helpful and kind chap from the email conversation.

That then gets me well rested before I tackle the mountains to meet my pals.

Gonna have a chilled day today

I have a family of blackbirds scrounging croissant crumbs around my tent this morning

Well i have ended up in Hondarribia staying in the guest house run by Doug from basque mtb. Lovely chap who bought me beer.

Long days ride today. The eurovelo goes over the place. Maybe 60 miles.

Im ganna stay here 3 nights probably. Do some exploring of thevarea and maybe even a little mtbing

Kindness of strangers once again

Some lovely towns and architecture today

Bloody nora

Looks perfect and I’m sure a proper bed will go down well for a few days

Anothe dud attempt ffs

Of course the place im staying was up a ruddy steep hill. But the view is splendid

Can Doug recommend a barber?

Aye it been a couple of weeks since i had a real bed maybe 3

Pffpts scotroutes

Can Doug recommend a barber?

Pmsl.

*Waves at Doug*
I was one of those annoying folk who tried to sneak in on some guided riding earlier this summer – we chatted on phone, and you pointed me at some trails further towards where we stayed near Ondarroa.
In addition we found ace trails at Berriatua.

Fabulous. just got back from that area and I loved it.  I’m sure Doug will sort you out with San Sebastian tapas recommendations , but we enjoyed Bar Sport, Paco Bueno & La Vina for cheesecake.

And when you get to Bilbao, make time for the tortilla at Cafe Bilba (here) as its sublime (and cheap).  2 mins off the euro velo route through bilbo, just before you cross the river on the white bridge.

I arrived in the mountains today after a month of flatlans. That hurt

Ooooohh a real bed. Mmmmmmmmm

I take no one wants pics?

scotroutes

Can Doug recommend a barber?

That was exactly my first thought!

Ahhhhh

A day when I dont have to pack up my kit and ride. Tomorrow is the same. Bliss.

Bike washed. Clothes washed. Me washed.

Its fiesta day here so this afternoon I will have a wander around the town and check it out. Already the cannons are going off and the marching bands started at 7am. Its all about celebrating giving the french a kicking some time way in the past.

Wait, you’re in Spain now? New thread!

Spain, bacon Tapas, food of the gods.

Ive been for a wander around the town. Lovely old town but boy are the gearing up for a huge party. It felt like the calm before the storm. Every bar was full of folk in variants of basque costume. White with a red scarf and a big floppy red beret. Even the cops had the berets on.

Wait, you just happened to arrive in town as a party is being set up and, QUITE BY COINCIDENCE, are staying for a couple of days?

Hmmmmmm.

“Resting”. Suuuuuuure.

😎

The parade was cracy. Hundreds of men marching with rifles( mainly toy ones)whistles and drums. All very happy atmosphere tho. I have never seen anything like it

. It felt like the calm before the storm……basque costume. White with a red scarf

For a minute I thought you were going to say you turned a corner and a he’d of bulls were charging, but Pamplona’s in the South!

gearing up for a huge party.

you should visit Valencia for Fallas (remember Ll pronounced like a J so it’s not a phallus festival). When my sis moved there in the late 80s & I visited I was not prepared for the fireworks. UK displays were like 1 pathetic rocket every 5 minutes. There it’s relentless cannon fire. And they practice every day in the week before the main display.