The Tour - Part 1: A simple Matter of Space

Our first big challenge was, of course, to get there. We got off to an interesting start......

In preparation for our early start on the road we picked up our hire car the evening before. CH and I were travelling with another couple and naturally, the two cyclists wanted to take their bikes, which was fine as we all know how a cyclist gets if they don’t ride for five days, however as we picked up the car, us non-cyclists couldn't help but notice there were no roof racks, and a quick calculation told us that we were not going to fit two bikes, four people and luggage into this car. CH & his co-cyclist begged to differ, and assured us that it would be fine. The case was dropped until the morning of departure, when the packing began.

It was like watching a tetris game happen as things were so carefully and specifically placed. After much trial and error we discovered that the bikes will fit………..so long as parts could spill over and encroach on the already limited space in the back seat. So, you can guess who ended up nursing two wheels for the entire trip – not exactly what you want to be doing for a ten hour drive, but, of course there was no negotiating the presence of the bikes. And so as we drove through the most spectacular country side, the lucky ones in the back seat managed to catch glimpses as we peeked out  between the spokes. 

Everywhere you turned there seemed to be a bike, or part of, staring back at you.

After ten hours, we finally pulled up at our humble abode for the evening and whilst the non cyclists couldn't wait to escape the bikes that had invaded our back seat all day, the cyclists couldn't wait to get on their bikes. So at the end of day one our parties divided as the smart ones unwound with cheese and wine admiring the view of the mountains from the balcony, and the others admired the views from their saddles, with a hurt face on.