Bicycle Touring and Bikepacking

Title picture taken on the way from Buis-les-Barronies towards Montbrun-les-Bains. Mont Ventoux seems to be everywhere, then again i cycled around it quite a lot ;)

Originally i wanted to do two weeks in Cyprus, but when i was checking in my bike at the airport, they did not allow me to bring it just bubble wrapped. That was such a bummer, i had done this a few times before without problem. It sucked and i could not reschedule the flight for it to make sense because the flights to Cyprus were so few.

So i sat at home depressed for a couple days, then drove my car to Valence, France and rode from there to the Luberon and back. The Drôme provençale and the Mont Ventoux Area are really gorgeus. Luberon i did not enjoy as much, still very nice, i rode the ridge road of the petit Luberon and thought i may have panoramas to both sides, but it was mostly forest, but a cedar forest, not something i have seen before i think.

On the descend from Col de la Chaudière towards Bourdeaux

First time touring without a kickstand, it was less anoying than i thought it would be, i think i'll continue doing that too. Also brought my camera again this time, that's what i had the feedbag for, fits pretty good. But i think i'll skip that again and bring just the phone, although i much prefer taking photos through a viewfinder. In this post i am using only photos taken with my phone, haha.

Gorges de la Nesque - had ridden those five years ago already but it's not like it was boring to do again :)

I also got some wider tires, 47mm so my fenders fit no more. Great upgrade in comfort though coming from40 mm. I guess i'll keep fenders off for touring, love the tires (Continental Contact Urban 47-622), and although they are basically slick, it did not feel any less grippy on gravel, did a couple good gravel climbs and downhills. No long time test yet, i got only about 600 km on them.

Testing my new tires on gravel at Col des Arles

Klick for route