HARO BIKES

Bonjour mes amis ! Je suis revenu au pays du blog !

Whilst I've been away it seems that cyclelife has continued apace. I missed the excitement of the Cairngorm Race Weekend organised by Cairngorm Cycling Club - full report and results at

http://www.cairngorm.cc/pages/race-2009.html.

I missed the launch of Corratec's 2010 range in Nottingham where Mike and Jenny learned that the 2009 Dolomiti really is too good to be true - read the review at Bike Radar

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/dolomiti-105-09-34031 

and get into Mikes Bikes quickly if you want this full Shimano 105 groupset road bike before Corratec raise the SRP to a level where they make a profit. And, of course, I missed the opportunity to weigh into the various fat guys on bicycles that populate previous blogs.

But workers deserve their holidays - and I do too - and I have been away in Malaucene at the foot of Mt. Ventoux cycling on celestial Bianchis that matched the Provencal sky

Ventoux Bikes were able to supply us with Bianchi Nirone 7 C2C road bikes with triple chain set and the gear spread to carry us up Ventoux. Using a bike that is set up for flatter conditions is a common mistake made by many riders who have made the journey to tackle the classic Tour de France ascent. Patrick and his father were staying at Aux Tournesols with us and had travelled from Belgium to ride Ventoux together. Unfortunately their first attempt was only partially successful with Patrick's dad coming unstuck at the Simpson memorial, less than a mile from the summit, where he ran out of power to keep pushing the pedals and had to turn back. Thankfully they were able to replace the rear cassette to provide a gear ratio that meant their second attempt the next day was successful. Its a Mikes Bikes maxim - you have to have the right gear!

We flew by RyanAir Edinburgh - Marseille and it was remarkably cheap, however, they have to make money somewhere and if you are planning to cycle you should give serious consideration to hiring bikes at your destination rather than pay the surcharges for bike transportation and risk damage to your pride and joy

http://www.ventoux-bikes.fr/ventoux-bikes-location-velo-route-vtt.html

if you do decide to carry your bike you can minimise the risk of damage by using a padded soft case designed to protect against the hazards of travel. We have one left in stock at the moment, resplendent with the Saltire so that you can't disguise the fact that you come from the land of haggis suppers. Ask Jenny for a very special blog reader's bargain price!

We stayed at Aux Tournesols, a delightful Gites/Chambres d'hotes establishment run by the Babadjian-Licoppe family

www.auxtournesols.com

I booked it all on line in advance and felt a bit of a fraud when it became evident over aperitifs that my skills in written French were courtesy of the on line translation service offered free by

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/

rather than any linguistic ability of my own.

My final travel tip is avoid being ripped off for car hire by arranging it in advance via the RyanAir site - something a retail god I know has been caught out by before.

On the way home we stopped off at Avignon to do the tourist thing. I was standing "sur le pont" when my mobile phone rang displaying an Inverness number. It was JC complaining about a lack of blogging - it just goes to show, no matter where you go you can't get away from fat guys on bicycles! This one's for you!