I will be leaving on 28th May by train (I know - what a wimp) to Frome in Somerset where I have a couple of friends who will put up with me for the night. With a moderate hangover and full of pasta I will ride to Portsmouth the next day
http://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTg1NDM=
and take the overnight ferry to Le Havre. From Le Havre I will ride diagonally across France passing South of Paris to Brig in Switzerland rising up steadily and with a few climbs towards the end
http://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTQ2NTI=
From Brig I will NOT be riding over the Alps. I will leave that to Bradley and the boys. No, I will sensibly take the train (not again?) under the Alps to Domodossola in Northern Italy and, hopefully, freewheel for a couple of days down the other side.
http://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTQ2NTM=
I will bomb along the pan flat Po valley and then follow the Adriatic coast down to Ancona where I take the ferry to Igoumenitsa on the Greek mainland. From there I will follow the coast around to Athens.
http://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTUzNzI=
That will be the end of the bike ride but from Athens I will be taking the ferry to Rhodes which is only an hour or so from my adopted home in glorious Fethiye where I will rest for a week or so before flying home early July to enjoy the remains of the English Summer hahahahahaha (cue hysterical laughter).
Here is the planned route
Stage | Day | Date | From | To | Dist | Total (km) | Gain (m) |
1 | T | 28/05/2013 | Wigan | Frome (train) | |||
2 | W | 29/05/2013 | Frome | Portsmouth | 120.0 | 120.0 | |
3 | Th | 30/05/2013 | Le Havre | Evreux | 117.0 | 237.0 | 439.0 |
4 | F | 31/05/2013 | Evreux | Etampes | 118.0 | 355.0 | 513.0 |
5 | Sa | 01/06/2013 | Etampes | Sens | 99.0 | 454.0 | 426.0 |
6 | Su | 02/06/2013 | Sens | Chatillon | 120.0 | 574.0 | 675.0 |
7 | M | 03/06/2013 | Chatillon | Gray | 113.0 | 687.0 | 723.0 |
8 | T | 04/06/2013 | Gray | Pontarlier | 111.0 | 798.0 | 1206.0 |
9 | W | 05/06/2013 | Pontarlier | Montreux | 101.0 | 899.0 | 718.0 |
10 | Th | 06/06/2013 | Montreux | Sion | 71.0 | 970.0 | 300.0 |
11 | F | 07/06/2013 | Sion | Brig (rest) | 54.0 | 1024.0 | 280.0 |
12 | Sa | 08/06/2013 | Brig (rest) | Domodossola | train | ||
13 | Su | 09/06/2013 | Domodossola | Legnano | 100.0 | 1124.0 | 254.0 |
14 | M | 10/06/2013 | Legnano | Cremona | 113.0 | 1237.0 | 44.0 |
15 | T | 11/06/2013 | Cremona | Mirandola | 105.0 | 1342.0 | 66.0 |
16 | W | 12/06/2013 | Mirandola | Alfonsine | 108.0 | 1450.0 | 75.0 |
17 | Th | 13/06/2013 | Alfonsine | Pesaro | 105.0 | 1555.0 | 192.0 |
18 | F | 14/06/2013 | Pesaro | Ancona | 63.0 | 1618.0 | 59.0 |
19 | Sa | 15/06/2013 | Ancona dep 1500 | Igoumenitsa arr 0930 nx | |||
20 | Su | 16/06/2013 | Igoumenitsa | Preveza | 91.0 | 1709.0 | 997.0 |
21 | M | 17/06/2013 | Preveza | Agrinio | 97.0 | 1806.0 | 632.0 |
22 | T | 18/06/2013 | Agrinio | Aigio | 105.0 | 1911.0 | 818.0 |
23 | W | 19/06/2013 | Aigio | Korinthos | 96.0 | 2007.0 | 354.0 |
24 | Th | 20/06/2013 | Korinthos | Athens | 85.0 | 2092.0 | 482.0 |
25 | F | 21/06/2013 | Athens dep 1800 | Rhodes arr 1000 nx | boat | ||
26 | Sa | 22/06/2013 | Rhodes | Fethiye | boat |