JaccoW

I should probably make a start of documenting my tour from Marseille to Barcelona here.

So at the end of August a good friend and I boarded a train from Rotterdam to Marseille to start our tour. Two days earlier we decided to completely toss out our original plan of cycling to Rome from there because of the forest fires along the mediterranean and made the decision to head into the opposite direction (and as we learned, right into the dominant headwind of summer) to Barcelona.
We made a rough plan and just decided to ride from hostel to hotel finetuning things as we went. Picking spots along the route to stay overnight and booking them 1-2 days beforehand. I used Komoot for planning and navigation.

So off we went!

Summary

• Total distance:750km (466 miles) and a total of 7220 meters (23688 ft.) of climbing in about 9 days
• Shortest day: 31 km (19 miles) but with close to 1400m (4593 ft.) of climbing
• Longest day: 140 km (87 miles) with 1171m (3841 ft.) of climbing on the final day
• Top speed: 65.2 kph (40.5 mph)
• Hungriest day: Day 9 with an estimated 4,621kJ of energy output. Even 4 bananas weren't enough in the final hour.
• Longest day: Day 2 with 11:51 hours of elapsed time
• Warmest day: 33°C (91.4°F)
• Bike weight: 15 kg (33 lbs.)
• Load weight: 18 kg (40 lbs.) a.k.a. way too much
• # flat tyres: 2

JaccoW

Day 1: Marseille to Port-de-Bouc (2021-Aug-22)

Strava - Day 1

So on our day of arrival we headed into Marseille to get some food, ship our train bags to our hostel at the end and drank too many great beers and cider.

The first day of actual riding we planned a relatively short day, which was a good thing since I hadn't managed to train at all in the weeks beforehand. The road out of Marseille to the West led us along a short stretch of uncomfortable highway riding at first but soon we were led into a beautiful national park and several steep climbs into some of the small villages along the coast. It was hot, we drank close to 3-4 liters each and ended our day in the small town of Port-de-Bouc only to be greeted with a small festival with various seafood! Well, after we had a big 'coupe de glace' (roughly translates to ice-cream sundae but it's much bigger than that) with lemon ice-cream and wodka.


My friend didn't understand the meaning of "just a small one"




Where we came from


Where we were going


Many speedboats zipping by


Getting close to the final town



It's late here so the update on day 2 will be tomorrow!

RiddleOfSteel

Beautiful scenery and views! I can only imagine how much better it is witnessing it with one's own eyes! (as is often the case)

JaccoW

Day 2 - Port-de-bouc to Montpellier (2021-Aug-23)

Strava

On day 2 we had some distance to catch up on so we drove 141 km from Port-de-Bouc to Montpellier. We got up at 7:30 and ended our arrival in Montpellier in the evening on a terrace. This day went mostly through the beautiful Parc naturel régional de Camargue with its salt flats, flamingos and just general nice views over the sea. It did lead us over lots of rougher gravel roads that ended with the both of us getting a flat tyre. Another day where I was happy to be able to carry a lot of water since there was only one small village halfway through where we could refill our water and we certainly had to. For those planning a similar route I would suggest taking it in the opposite direction as we had a strong headwind all day.


View at the hotel



Great roads for getting flats




Also great views

JaccoW

Day 3 - Montpellier to Béziers (2021-Aug-25)

Strava

People in Montpellier asked us why we even wanted to go there. The truth is, it's halfway to Carcassonne from there. We rode the 90km to Béziers along the gravelly coastal bicycle path again and at some points I would just fly! My friend with his road bike tyres wasn't as enthusiasting as I was but we made good time.
I had added some extra water carrying capacity to his bike on the rear stays with a set of Zefal Gizmo universal clamps and a cheap bottle cage. I liked it so much that we got some for my bike later that week.



Montpellier

JaccoW

One thing I have been thinking of lately is which frame to use for the framebuilder adjustments. While the WorldTraveller was the original idea (and the one I bought the frame blocks for) the Traveller/Graveller is in better condition and has proven itself to ride well. I would be kind of a shame to damage the paint on that one but there is much less rust on it.
With what I am planning with it though I would rather spend the money on a frame that I know is structurally sound over one that is probably okay. And the Graveller is a damn nice ride as it is.
But a new disc fork + frame changes + new wheels is a fairly radical change anyway.

No rush to decide just yet. I haven't spend a penny on new parts just yet.

RiddleOfSteel

Tough choice given original intent and discovered goodness. Given how good the Traveller/Graveller is, I'd be inclined to keep it as is and not modify it. Of course, my Trek 620 was perfectly fine, but I sought better braking through repositioned canti posts, etc, and I got better braking along with a big vibrating situation at speeds above 12-15kmh or so due to those magic, impact-absorbing, thin-walled fork blades and seat stays. It looks epic, so 2 out of 3 positives works more than well enough for me for now.

Part of me thinks that if that rust on the WorldTraveller is largely surface-based, then making frame changes to that, plus a new disc fork, make it the least likely to make you sad in changing something up.

Love the real life photos of your travels. Cloth seat Mercedes, ferries, single lane old city roads, architecture, and coastal roads at sea level.

Clyde1820

Great project, Jacco. Particularly liked the photo with the bike next to a stump ... which is about the only way I'd ever get up onto a 66cm bike.


Love the photos. It's got to be really satisfying taking the bike out for a long-distance "spin" when having resurrected it with much love and care.

Enjoy the trip.

alexnagui

Great job on documenting the trip! Great photography as well
​​​​Your Strava links don't work for me though, maybe it has to do with the privacy settings you have on Strava.PS. If I were you I would keep the Graveller as it is.

​​​​​

JaccoW

I am gearing up again for another couple of rides this summer.

1. First up is a short loaded tour to see what does and does not work from home in Rotterdam to Lille in France and back over Brussels.
2. At the end of August I will be attending the Graveller Veluwe ride for two days
3. Mid-September I will be riding from Rotterdam to Berlin to visit some friends. Route to be determined.

Since the rear tyre is on its way out I ordered a pair of Soma Shikoro 42-622 tyres which are very similar to the Soma Supple Vitesse EX that's on here now. Just with a polyamide breaker layer to prevent punctures.


#1


To be continued

JaccoW

Well, I'm off to Berlin. Going for a full camping outfit with some new bags.
Weather isn't great, quite some rain expected, but at least it's not going to be too cold.

I do want to quickly share my bags and what I am bringing on my 800+km (500 miles) ride this week.


Full setup


Front rando bag. Mostly clothes.


Carradice Super-C saddle bag. Tent, food and cooking gear.


Right fork bag. Down sleeping bag. Rated to just below freezing.


Left fork bag. The rest of the sleeping gear + toilet paper


Frame bag. Tent pole + assorted knick-knacks, electronics, toiletry kit and towel