Cycling Across Borders into France

Welcome to the Bike Bulletin. It’s a smoother read than freshly laid asphalt.

—Sam Westby @samcwestby

Here’s what we have today.

• 🌍 RIDE: Week 2 of our European adventure

• 💡 TIP: Don’t overpack

• 🎥 WATCH: Small Airport Stealth Camping

• 🚲 ARCHIVES: TdF 1934

• 📰 NEWS: Banned bikes, new funds, and mor

RIDE REPORT

Week 2 of our European Adventure

Last week I wrote about getting to Barcelona and Girona, Spain. Since then, my dad and I have cycled 300 miles (482 km) and climbed 28600 feet (8700 meters) over 5 days. Nearly the golden ratio of 100 feet per mile!

Through Spain to Andorra. Then to the north into France. We’re west of Toulouse right now.

I’m loving the Pyrenees mountains. We go up for hours then down for minutes. The road conditions have been sublime and drivers have been patient.

French drivers are less patient than Spanish drivers, but both are leagues better than US drivers. Yes, most are also patient in the US, but we have a lot more bad apples.

It’s still shocking how much medieval architecture stuck around. We toured a castle yesterday in Carcassonne, France called Le Citè. It had mostly been converted into a tourist city with shops and cafes. Still cool nevertheless.

Here’s our plan for the next week:

• Meander our way north

• Stop at interesting places

• Eat more food

• Take big climbs when we can get them (this next section will be flatter).

BIKE TRIP TIP

Not Overpacking

What’s harder than hills? Hills, with bikepacking gear.

What’s harder than hills with bikepacking gear? Hills, when you’ve overpacked.

Everyone is going to do it starting out. You have to, so you can learn what you can live without. You don’t need 2 sets of camp clothes. You don’t need 4 clean bibs for 4 days of riding. And you don’t need 5 full bottles of water (some exceptions to this one).

To pack less, you need to get better at living without. Why bring a windbreaker and a rain jacket, when a rain jacket blocks the rain and wind?

Take this as far as you can. I went a little too far on the Tour Divide and didn’t bring a camp stove. I know it was too far because I all I wanted was hot camp meals by end of the trip. I can only eat so many thawed frozen burritos.

WHAT I’M WATCHING

This is not a cycling / bike touring video, but Steve is the stealth camping king. As any good bike tourist should know, stealth camping is an A-list skill that makes the hobby cheaper and more convenient.

I’m such a fan of stealth camping and love watching Steve’s channel.

Watch on YouTube.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Tour de France, 1934

Frederico Ezquerra during the Granges du Gibraltar. That gravel looks rough. Read more on his Wikipedia page.

• 1st place. Paris overtook Amsterdam as the safest place for children to ride a bike. (The Guardian)

• 600. The number of pedestrians and cyclists hit by Cleveland, Ohio drivers in 2024. (Spectrum News)

• $3 million. A new state grant awarded the Evanston, Illinois to extend bike lanes. (Evanston Now)

• Banned. E-bikes, bicycles, and scooters from the sand at Newport Beach. Probably a good thing in such a high pedestrian area. (LA Times)

• Expansion. The city of Hoboken, New Jersey announced a plan for more Citi Bike docking capacity this week. (Hoboken)

A Note From Sam

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