Pain and Fromage

Over halfway through the trip and the climbing starts in earnest, with an ascent of the 1998m Col de la Madeleine Expect lots of pain and a very good fromage right at the end!

Rich is solo for today’s ride, which starts off gently but soon turns into a long tough climb up two cols. First is the scenic Col de l’Albanne, then after Valloire it’s the big one - Galibier. A proper day in the mountains.

Today’s ride starts to take Rich and Graeme into the foothills of the Alps. It’s a grumpy start to the day and there’s a long day ahead if we’re to make Annecy before sunset.

Today there is a bit of everything: a long ride, good climbs, thunderstorms in the forecast and of course a mandatory stop for a cheese that Rich has been particularly looking forward to.

It’s a long ride today - 190 km. Undeterred, we head out after a big breakfast of scrambled eggs and head out on the road in search of cheese and wine. We find it both in lovely Sancerre, and with the main issue of the day ticked there’s just a hell of a lot of riding to be done.

A long day today, punctuated by punctures and a derailleur issue that almost derails the trip. But in the end we successfully make it to Briare on the river Loire, and find some reasonably good cheese.

Rich and Graeme’s epic journey from Paris to Nice is under way! Today’s highlights include a whistle stop tour of the French capital and then an easy roll along the Seine for the first camp. Or so we thought…

Rich and the family are in the beautiful Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) taking the long hike up to Waun Fach in the Black Mountains. After an early start, it’s breakfast on the hill and a good walk through one of Wales’s most beautiful landscapes. To read the blog that accompanies this podcast and for a link to our route, please see the associated blog at https://blaggers.blog/2026/05/29/waun-fach-and-the-dragons-back/

I've wanted to catch up with Jon for a while. His workshop is in the same building as my social enterprise is based, and I often stop for a look at the bikes he has been donated and projects being worked on. So I was delighted to get the chance to speak to Jon at Cycle Torbay on Monday and share the love of cycling with a fellow bike enthusiast.

Rich is on his last training ride before heading to Paris! Today he is heading from Dawlish up the river Exe to Bampton, across the southern edge of Exmoor to Wellington and back south via Cullompton and Broadclyst. It's a glorious day with a bit of a headwind and there's a Chinese waiting for him at home. With all his camping gear on the back of the bike and 150km to travel, will he make it in time? Podcast produced by Freddie Blagden on behalf of the FBC (c).

This is the first episode in a series following the boys as they head south on their epic ride from Paris to Nice. With 30 days to go to the grand départ, we met for a chat about the inspiration for the idea, route planning, the essential discussion about bike tour gear and fromage du jour. It's a good one to listen to whether you're planning a trip of your own or just wondering how the hell we come up with these ideas. We plan to update both the podcast and the blog en route to Nice and if we're smooth enough it will be a daily update. Please like and subscribe to both the pod and the blog so you don't miss an episode. Royalty-free theme music kindly provided by Abydos Musique | Musique libre de droit de: https://www.abydos-musique.fr

This episode was recorded on day one of a cycling trip in Brittany, starting in great weather but rapidly turning quite grim. It was recorded partly on the road, partly in the hotel after the event (narrated sections) and partly as a summary the following day. I quite like the bit about the stonechats. Hope you enjoy it! The original blog was published here if you'd rather read than listen: https://blaggers.blog/2025/06/06/tour-of-brittany-2025-day-one-roscoff-to-brest/ Royalty-free theme music kindly provided by Abydos Musique | Musique libre de droit de: https://www.abydos-musique.fr