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ToursHere you will find a collection of what I refer to as "long tours", that is tours of at least a week. I have made many short tours as well, usually 4 cycling days, and if I can find the time I will present them too, some day. Also, not all long tours are available yet, but they will be in the near future. A brief description of the tours to be found here: 1990 : JuraMy first cycling holiday on my own and therefore only a two weeks tour. Starting in Dole at the foot of the french Jura the route goes to the southeast into Switzerland. Passing La-Chaux-de-Fonds it crosses the highest Jura range to Neuchâtel. Passing along the foot of the swiss Jura to the southeast the plan was to go to Lausanne, but mechanical failure struck my bike and I got stuck in the tiny town Orbe. After a mandatory stay of 5 days I continued my way, back in to the Jura mountains to the Lac de Joux and from there back to the starting point.1991 : SwitzerlandIn spite of my misfortune having mechanical failure the year before I decided to make a longer 4 weeks tour in the same region again. So the tour starts again in Dole in France, but this time goes straight south to Geneva. From there along the south shores of Lac Leman into the Rhône valley. I followed the river Rhône almost all the way until its glacier and then headed north over the Grimselpass (by bus, because of the snow) to Brienz and Interlaken. Two small side tours were made, firt to Lauterbrunnen and then to Kandersteg before continuing my way to Bern. Through rolling hills the route continues to Fribourg and to Orbe, the small town I was stuck the year before. From there more or less the shortest way back to the starting point is taken.1992 : Pyrenees IAnother 4 weeks tour with some serious climbing. It all starts in a tiny village just outside Carcassonne that happened to be the endpoint of the bike bus. In the first 5 days it goes straight west to the atlantic coast in Biarritz. Sometimes rather flat, most of the time hilly with some nasty bits around Auch. From the atlantic coast it goes into the pyrenees all the way until the mediterranean. First through Basque country with its grassy lower mountains, but with very steep cols to climb. Then into the high pyrenees with the famous passes from the Tour de France. Further east the passes ease again before reaching the Ariège valley. Following this valley all the way to the south the highest tarsealed pass of the pyrenees is crossed: Port d'Envalira into the mini-country Andorra. One day's ride through Spain brings us back in France again, on the Cerdagne plain. Here the nediterranean vegitation becomes visible and the mountains drop. Another 2 days easy cycling from the mediterranean coast remain to get back to Carcassonne.1993 : Provence and Alps IAnother 4 weeks mountainous tour. Starting in the Rhône valley where the river Ardèche runs into the Rhône the tour goes eastwards. It crosses the Vercors before plunging down into the Isère valley very close to Grenoble. From there it follows the main road to Briançon, a nice town from which many daytrips by bike can be made up to famous passes. From Briançon it's straight down, then taking a shortcut over Col de Vars to Barcelonnette, again a great starting point for many 2000+ meter cols. The highest one, Col de la Bonette is used to go to the mediterreanan coast at Cagnes-sûr-Mer, just west from Nice. It was not so much planned to go all the way to the busy coast, but the necessity for a bicycle shop forced me. From Cagnes the well-known "Route Napoleon" is taken to Grasse - the centre of perfume industry in France - and further into the quiet high Provence. Some tough climbing along the Gorges du Verdon is followed by gentle undulations through lavender fields near Valensole. It crosses the Durance river and heads for the infamous Mont Ventoux. From there it is just a matter of crossing the Rhône valley again to return to the starting point.1994 : Pyrenees IIAfter a failed attempt to set up a holiday in Croatia 1994 became a last-minute 5 weeks tour in the Pyrenees. Due to all the late arrangments I couldn't get any transport closer to the pyrenees than Monpazier in the Dordogne region, and so that is where this tour starts. The first days is just a matter of getting closer to the mountains, but then the fun starts. Some passes that were not visited in 1992 are now taken, leading to a brief visit of Spain by Col de Somport and back into France by Col de Pourtalet. On this latter col I unfortunately injured a tendon in my right knee and so from this moment on it becomes a tour avoiding passes instead of climbing them. The tour, for a change, doesn't end where it started. It ends at the mediterranean coast in Narbonne.1995 : Spring tour in SwedenStill suffering from my knee injury sustained in 1994 I decide to skip the real mountains for a year and go to Sweden. It's the year I finish my master thesis at university in April, and since I have to wait for my diploma until the end of June I decide to go for a 6 weeks tour in Sweden. There is the ambitious plan to go as far north as possible (north cape?) and then take some transport (train, plane) back to where I started from: Gothenburg. Practice is different however. The weather is very bad and cold, lots of hail storms and snow. So I work my way up north until roads are just not out of there winter closure yet. I turn the rudder to the southeast and decide to go to Stockholm instead. Passing beautiful Siljan lake at whitsun the weather is still dreadful. And so it is in Stockholm. AFter a fews days in Stockholm I go west for the final part back to Gothenburg in the continuous down poor of what's apparently called summer weather here. It is not until 2 days before I have the ferry back home that suddenly the weather changes and I can enjoy 25 degrees and sunshine...1996-1 : VosgesIn 1996 I changed jobs and so I made two shorter tours. The first one in between jobs, 10 days to the Vosges. The tour starts in Baden-Baden at the foot of the Black Forest in Germany. Simply because that is where the train stops. I find my way to Strasbourg and continue through the Rhine valley south to Mulhouse. From there the tour heads north into the Vosges, but unfortunately the weather changes from nice sunny 20 degrees in to cold foggy around zero. It is this weather that makes me decide to return to Strasbourg in order to be at least out of the fog. This doesn't go without damage: my right knee starts to become a problem again, just like in 1994. After some sightseeing in Strasbourg I work my way back to Baden-Baden to catch the train back home.1996-2 : Provence and alps IIThe second tour of 1996 is a 2-weeks tour. Though I didn't have enough holidays yet in my new job I was allowed to take an advance on next year's holidays. I started in Grenoble with the ambition to go all the way to Briançon in one day. This was a bit too much for one day, but the next day I made it anyway. From Briançon it goes south, just like in 1993, but this time to Gap. I made some daytrips around Gap before going north to Bourg d'Oisans to attempt and conquer the famous Alpe d'Huez. I cheated the last kilometers by not returning to Grenoble but taking the bus one stop earlier, near Bourg d'Oisans.1997 : IrelandAnd now for something completely different, I though one morning when waking up. No mountains this year. I took the plane to Dublin and started a grand tour through Ireland. First south into the Wicklow mountains, then rather flat to Kilkenny and Cork. The camping there was a big disappointment and so I continued my way west to Beara peninsula. From there, the route follows the coast straight north, to Galway and Connemara, Achill Island until some tiny place called Bangor. Then I headed east again, basically to cross the country to the east coast before moving into Dublin again.1998 : New Zealand IStimulated by a study friend that lives near Wellington NZ I took the big leap and went to Christchurch. From there I cycled a southern loop where I was pestered by very bad weather: rain, storm and even snow, though it was early December. This lasted for a week and then the heat invaded the country. I went north to Queenstown and the barren landscape around Lake Tekapo to find myself close to Christchurch again. From here I followed the east coast of the Southern Island all the way to Picton. I took the ferry to the North Island on Christmas Day, enjoying Bing Crosby singing "Dreaming of a white christmas" while sitting on the panorama deck in shorts and t-shirt. I spend Christmas with my friends in Upper Hutt and New Years Eve with him at his parents in Napier. The 300 kms in between were conveniently covered by car. Still digesting the champagne I start cycling again on January 2, heading for Taupo and Rotorua. I enjoy the volcanic features but in Rotorua I had enough of it and I'm running out of time so I take the train to Auckland from where I fly back home...1999 : Provence IIIFor the first time in many years someone "volunteers" to join me on a tour through the Provence. And so Eduard and I take the train to Fréjus. We're going straight north, immediately climbing away from the coast, to the Gorges du Verdon where I'd been before in 1993, but Eduard hasn't. We pass lavender fields and go northwest to Vaison-la-Romaine for two purposes: Eduard wants to visit the roman ruins and I want to climb Mont-Ventoux. We both succeed in our goals and after a few days we head south to Avignon for some more sightseeing. We wind south by Pont du Gard to Arles, mostly known as residence of painter van Gogh. From here it's eastbound again, to Aix-en-Provence, to the coast at St.Tropez and then back to where we started.2000 : Pyrenees IIIThe third pyrenees tour starts at Hendaye, at the atlantic coast on the border of France and Spain. Again the route finds its way through Basque country and takes revenge on the Col de Marie-Blanque, a pass that I failed to climb in 1992 due to a sudden thunderstorm. The Col d'Aubisque is finally conquered as well. After the famous passes the route heads into Spain, passing the Port de Bonaigua that has occasionally occured in the Tour de France. Through Spain it goes with a side trip into Andorra, but then further to the Cerdagne plain where it goes back into France. In Prades at the foot of the the Canigou mountain I pause for a few days as my friend from New Zealand who is on tour in Europe visits me there. The route finally ends in Perpignan where I take the bus back home.2001-1 : IcelandOriginally a short trip to Lake Baikal in Russia was on the menu, but due to changed visa regulations there was too much uncertainty to pull it through. So, since a cold trip was planned, why not go to Iceland instead? By means of a domestic flight the route starts in the far east of Iceland, in Egilsstaðir - also known as the "capital of the east" with only 1500 inhabitants. The route heads north through the barren lava fields where camping in the wild is necessary as the next civilisation is just to far away to cover in one day. The routes passes the impressive lava fields at Krafla and the Mývatn lake (Mosquito lake), that did get its name for a reason. Following the ring road to Akureyri several beautiful viewpoints are passed. After Akureyri we leave the ring road in order to round a peninsula to the north. Almost forgotten small towns like Dalvík and Olafsfjörður are a welcome variety in the endless lava fields. Finally, at Varmahlíd the route joins the ring road again. A bit later it heads south onto the inland Kjölur route; 4 days of magnifient views, lava fields, barren rocky landscapes and huge glaciers over a bumpy gravel road until ending at the Gullfoss waterfall. Don't forget the hot springs at Hveravellir halfway the Kjölur route. From Gullfoss it goes to Geysir, the geyser that gave its name to all geysers in the world. Now the route goes through farming country, passes historical Þingvellir where one of the first democracies was born. Another few quiet days are left to return to either Reykjavík or directly to the airport.2001-2 : New Zealand IIThe first NZ trip just gave me a taste of the country, so now I decided to go for a serious tour on the North Island. Starting from Auckland it goes north along the coast to Whangarei and almost all the way up to Cape Reinga. Almost, because the last part was covered by bus. Back down the Northland, but now along the west coast, passing Rawene and Dargaville to return to Auckland. One can cross the city by bike, or just take the suburban train that will you bring you for a few dollars on the other side, 70 kms in 2 hours. From the south side of the city in Papakura cycling continues down the west coast to Raglan and New Plymouth. Sometimes over tarsealed roads, sometimes over gravel road, but in all times avoiding the state highways. From New Plymouth the route rounds Mount Taranaki and heads east for Palmerston North. Cross the central hill range over the Pahiatua track to, guess what, Pahiatua. This is about the southern most point and the route heads north again to Napier and Wairoa. From there cross the east cape peninsula through the magnificient but tough road along Lake Waikaremoana after which i followed the eastern coastline to Tauranga. A North Island tour wouldn't be complete without looping over Coromandel peninsula before returning to Auckland.2002 : Andalucia (Spain)After seeing a documentary on the television about southern Spain I picked up the idea for a cycle tour there, and so I bought a cheap plane ticket to Málaga. The route heads northwest into the inland mountainous area, to Ronda and then into the sherry region around Jerez de la Frontera. Over a short distance it goes north along the coast until the estuary of the river Guadalquivir. Follow the river upstream to Sevilla and then continue going eastwards over flat to undularing roads all the way to Córdoba. From here it heads south again, into the endless olive tree covered hills to Granada. After Granada a tough round is made passing the natural park Hüetor before crossing the Sierra Nevada over an almost 2000m high pass. On the south side of the Sierra Nevada it remains hilly until the route passes over the infamous gravel Collada de Pico Veleta, the official highest tarsealed road in Europe.....from the other side. The descent back into Granada is great though. From Granada the route heads for the coast and the last bit follows the beaches of the Costa del Sol back to Málaga.2003 : Pyrenees IVI just love the pyrenees...and so I returned once more. This time I dropped the car at a camping site near Narbonne at the mediterranean coast and headed west just north from the mountains. Not far before reaching the atlantic coast the route goes into spain and turns west again. For quite a few days it passes over quiet roads through sparsely inhabited parts of the pyrenees before returning into France over the tough gravel 4-wheel drive road to Pla de Beret. From there it goes further west just north from the french-spanish border back to Narbonne.2004 : Rotterdam - BarcelonaWithin my group of acquaintances there is one person who always goes cycling somewhere, starting at home. So I thought, why not? I left my home in Spijkenisse one morning, quite late, after a huge thunderstorm and started cycling south. The route goes straight south, passing Antwerp along the east side and Brussels along the west side. It stays way clear from Paris and rolls through the undiscovered parts of northern France. It crosses the Morvan region what gives some nasty climbing, but the landscape is worth the effort. Then south passing Clermont-Ferrand just on the west side, a side trip to the Puy-de-Dôme is a logical choice. Straight through the Auvergen south into the Languedoc to Carcassonne. The pyrenees are crossed over a quiet mountain pass on the east side of the Cadí range, but then in Spain there is no choice but to ride some main roads. Barcelona is approached from the north, but the tour ends a bit outside the city at Mataró. This has two reasons: it's better to go into the city by train then by bike, and most important: I have friends living in Mataró.2005 : New Zealand IIIThere are still things on my list in NZ that I want to go to, and the West Coast of the South island was one of them. So that became the main goal of this trip, together with the Catlins. The route starts in Dunedin and goes south along the coast, directly into the Catlins, all the way to Invercargill. In between make a detour to the famous lighthouse of Nugget Point, pass through tropical forest and spot penguins at Curio Bay. I you like, visit the South islands most southern tip: Slope Point. The last 40 kms to Invercargill are suddenly flat and boring, and so are the first 40 kms west out of Invercargill. Getting close to the mountains of Fjordland it goes north to Manapouri and over a 90 km long gravel road along Mavora Lakes and a boat trip to Queenstown. From there it goes over the highest highway of NZ (Crown Saddle) to Wanaka and the West Coast. Unfortunately the weather changed as soon as I came in Haast and I've seen nothing of it at all. I managed to get to Fox Glacier in storm an pouring rain, but after being stuck there I decided to take the bus to Hokitika. From there I cycled one beautiful day to Greymouth before next day, Christmas Day, rain struck again. I took the train to Christchurch and stayed there for a week with my girlfriend who came over for 8 days. The last part to Dunedin was characterised by strong winds and even storms. Completely battered I arrived in Dunedin for my flight(s) back. |