Relax, it's all downhill from here!

Friday evening and the first bike is boxed and ready to go.  You would think that after the tours we've done before, I would be so chilled getting the bikes ready for the flights, but no......Yesterday, I was super stressed, but today I've been pretty relaxed and everything ticked along smoothly.  One bike boxed and ready . Just need to figure out the air tag and we can box the other. That shouldn't take long. (Brody did it for us) Neither of us are looking forward to the 17 hour flight to Doha, or the 11 hour stopover.  However, we have our sleeping mats in our carry on luggage and we plan to find somewhere in Doha airport, where we can crash.  Spain and France are both experiencing heatwaves at present and while everyone likes some sunshine, 30 - 40 degrees is very warm when you're riding all day.  It was 30C in Paris today and 41 in Seville. Glad we're not going to Spain.  Didn't spend much time in the studio this week, but it was good to see that Brody ...

Good evening. 7.30pm on a Sunday night. This time next week Julia and I will be sitting in Auckland with Sue and Ned.  Sue has been a close friend to me forever and Ned is the lucky man who captured Sue's heart many years ago.  They are a great couple and it's always good to catch up with them.  Sue is kind enough to be picking us up from Auckland domestic terminal on Sunday, a week from today and the following morning will drop us at the International terminal for a 1.30pm flight to Doha (17 hours)  Flying was always exciting and enjoyable many years ago, but now I dread the long haul flights.  We both realise that we could take a stopover somewhere, but when you're lugging around two 23kg bike boxes, Ju and I just want to reach our destination and set off on our journey. The other downside for me is that I don't sleep well, definitely not on a plane, so my eyes are usually hanging out by the end of the journey.  This past week has seen the bikes put in fo...

It's hard to believe that we are nearly half way through 2025. It's scary to think that 40 years on from my first bike tour, I possibly only have half that amount of time left to be able to ride a bike, let alone tour on one. As a fitness trainer, my mortality was given a shake up at the end of last year, when two of my long term clients (and lovely people) died, out of the blue. They were 54 and 63 years of age. I t really opened my eyes and made me realise that the life that we have led will change, no matter how fit or adventurous we are, the clock is ticking. Forty years ago, life was endless, now we need to think carefully about what we take on and how we go about it.  So, with that in mind, this tour, all being well, will start in France and end in either Greece or Turkey. It will include the French Alps, Swiss Alps, Italian Alps and Dolomites, Austrian Alps, Julien Alps( Slovenia) and other beautiful scenery in between and beyond.  After a 1985 tour which took me t...