TANDOIDS
Distance so far: 267 kilometres
Longest Day: 84 Kilometres
Punctures: None
Falls/minor accidents: None
  The past few days have seen us ride from Somerset, into Dorset to Poole where we crossed by ferry to St Malo in France. As we write this we are staying in a 3 Star camp ground in a small town (Pontorson) from which we travelled this morning to visit the famous pilgrimage site of Mont St Michel. |
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| According to one source, 3.5 million tourists visit the abbey of Mont St Michel each year – that’s getting on for the total population of New Zealand. The day we visited was cold, windy and damp –nothing like the postcard images we’ve seen, nor the way it appeared on TV when the Tour de France paid a fleeting visit. |
We are
pleased to be able to report that our relationship with the Beast is improving.
A combination of factors may be at play here: we’re getting used to him, we’ve
jettisoned a few more items to lighten the load and we’ve redistributed the
weight a bit – placing heavier items lower (including Two Ton Tess, our 2+ kilo
heavy duty D lock which we use to secure the bike). It’s still not good, but it’s better.
We’re also
adjusting to camping. After the comforts provided by friends and family over
the first couple of weeks, we were beginning to worry that the transition would
be too hard and we’d dash for the first hotel we saw. But we’ve resisted any
temptation here in France and are already feeling at home in our new life –
fresh air, lots of exercise, lots of
fresh food and the pleasure of snuggling up in our not-so-small tent.
Judy the
Stoker says …
The small
lanes and B roads from Yeovill to Poole were a delight on a beautiful day. The
piddles and puddles were particularly enchanting, eg Piddletrenthide,
Puddletown, Tolepuddle (of Tolepuddle Martyrs fame) and Affpuddle.
 |
| Crossing the ford to Turnerspuddle |
Lunching on another beautiful day – in France – at Cancale, we
were really taken with the fast moving tide sweeping over the mudflats and
refloating boats before our eyes.
.We arrived early to try to avoid the crowds surging up the tiny, single street to the abbey. We weren’t early enough, and neither of us could face the prospect of paying 9 Euros to join a vast queue shuffling through the abbey. And this is May – the season has barely started
Hi guys - wow - France!! So jealous. And the camping looks so awesome - I know where I would rather be right now!! Freezing here at the moment and lots of rain. Hope the bodies are coping well and I am sure the bike will get easier and easier. Lots and lots of love xxx Merran xxx
ReplyDeleteOutstanding work guys. And yes, so jealous as well. Keep up the blog and loads of photos, there's a devoted audience back here. We demand information on the relaxing glass of wine when it happens.
ReplyDeleteKyle.
Living the dream at last!!
ReplyDeleteWe are waiting for your blogs, don't let the reticence fool you! - details please! How are the language skills?! How are your muscles? Is the beast more amenable? (Wine, cheese and boulangeries still up to standard?)
Love and best wishes F & G
Loving your blogs and enjoying the ride from the comfort of my settee. Long may your joie de vivre continue. Hev x
ReplyDeleteHi guysWe see you are on the bike & in France. Judy appears to be a natural stoker, from what she had written. It takes most new stokers quite along time to get their head around looking to the side and not the front. Sue is always telling me to look at something.You both appear to have settled into the camping & touring routine like a couple of pros. After a short time any thoughts of hard roofed accommodation no longer exist & you'll prefer the tent to any other type. It's like having one constant in a world that is continuously changing as you move along.We are with our cycling tandem friends Jo & Dave at Yeadon, just out of Leeds. We are all alarmed, surprised & puzzled at the behaviour of the Beast. It is quite out of character for a Thorn tandem to have anything but impeccable manners.What's actually happening? Are you getting a shimmy in the front forks that then spreads to the whole bike? Does it occur at certain speeds. Have you tried it with no load on, with just the front panniers & then just the rear only on.Check all the rack mounting bolts, though they should be fine after just a few days on the road.Give us an exact description of what is happening and we'll try to get it sorted. The Beast is identical to Jo & Dave's Thorn except in colour & they have never had anything like what you describe. We had the next model down which isn't as stiff & never had any problems. We called her The Lady because of her impeccable manners.Get back to us ASP so we can try to get you sorted.Take care Brian
ReplyDeleteHi guysWe see you are on the bike & in France. Judy appears to be a natural stoker, from what she had written. It takes most new stokers quite along time to get their head around looking to the side and not the front. Sue is always telling me to look at something.You both appear to have settled into the camping & touring routine like a couple of pros. After a short time any thoughts of hard roofed accommodation no longer exist & you'll prefer the tent to any other type. It's like having one constant in a world that is continuously changing as you move along.We are with our cycling tandem friends Jo & Dave at Yeadon, just out of Leeds. We are all alarmed, surprised & puzzled at the behaviour of the Beast. It is quite out of character for a Thorn tandem to have anything but impeccable manners.What's actually happening? Are you getting a shimmy in the front forks that then spreads to the whole bike? Does it occur at certain speeds. Have you tried it with no load on, with just the front panniers & then just the rear only on.Check all the rack mounting bolts, though they should be fine after just a few days on the road.Give us an exact description of what is happening and we'll try to get it sorted. The Beast is identical to Jo & Dave's Thorn except in colour & they have never had anything like what you describe. We had the next model down which isn't as stiff & never had any problems. We called her The Lady because of her impeccable manners.Get back to us ASP so we can try to get you sorted.Take care Brian
ReplyDeleteHello Brian, sorry for the long delay in getting back to you - the days seem very full and wifi not very frequent in the campgrounds where we're staying.
DeleteGlad to be able to report we have curbed the worst of the Beast's mannerisms. There is nothing wrong with the bike. I have come to the conclusion that a)I simply wasn't used to a tandem b)the bike was badly loaded c) we were carrying too much.
We've managed to get round these - offloading a bit of gear, repacking the rest in such a way as to get the heavy items down lower and simply by getting a few kilometres behind us. Things are a lot beter, though we still wander arond a fair bit when going up a steep climb, slowly in a low gear. Have to say France has been the perfect place to start because the drivers are so considerate.
Thanks for your concern, but all well. We have lost track of where you are. We are currently June 5th) at Meung-sur-Loire, about 40 kilometres west of Orleans. Regards, Mike and Judy
Hi guysWe see you are on the bike & in France. Judy appears to be a natural stoker, from what she had written. It takes most new stokers quite along time to get their head around looking to the side and not the front. Sue is always telling me to look at something.You both appear to have settled into the camping & touring routine like a couple of pros. After a short time any thoughts of hard roofed accommodation no longer exist & you'll prefer the tent to any other type. It's like having one constant in a world that is continuously changing as you move along.We are with our cycling tandem friends Jo & Dave at Yeadon, just out of Leeds. We are all alarmed, surprised & puzzled at the behaviour of the Beast. It is quite out of character for a Thorn tandem to have anything but impeccable manners.What's actually happening? Are you getting a shimmy in the front forks that then spreads to the whole bike? Does it occur at certain speeds. Have you tried it with no load on, with just the front panniers & then just the rear only on.Check all the rack mounting bolts, though they should be fine after just a few days on the road.Give us an exact description of what is happening and we'll try to get it sorted. The Beast is identical to Jo & Dave's Thorn except in colour & they have never had anything like what you describe. We had the next model down which isn't as stiff & never had any problems. We called her The Lady because of her impeccable manners.Get back to us ASP so we can try to get you sorted.Take care Brian
ReplyDeletexxx
ReplyDeleteThat was me trying to figure out how to leave a comment as my last one got lost in the ether. I was saying I'm avidly following you in bike-intolerant Hong Kong. We've just had our annual bike demo ride to remind people that the roads ought to be for bikers too. A university made it into the paper for putting in a bike stand - can you imagine? My trusty steed went into storage in my most recent move a month ago while I figure out whether there's any point having it to hand/foot. Will look forward to my vicarious peddling (piddling and puddling) kicks from you! Melanie x
ReplyDeleteHi Mike and Judy.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Omaha Beach! (Not the one in Normandy) Judy and I really enjoy your entertaining blog posts. We get a special thrill when we recognise places where we have been. Your courage and tenacity are amazing, but then a couple who can cruise to Great Barrier Island in an open dory can do anything.
Bon Voyage et Bon Chance.
Denis and Judy O'Callahan
Has anyone mentioned you rock the matching blue jackets? Loving the progress reports and being able to follow your encounters with the endearing French.
ReplyDeleteYou'll be pleased to know, TV3 is still on air.
Will you be going into Spain?
Marilyn xxx