Cheadle Hulme to Vienna Millennium Classic

 

Footnotes

1) Maps

1:50,000 O.S. for home to Hull (posted back to home from Hull)

For the journey through France I tore the relevant pages from a £12 Michelin Road Atlas, scale 1;200,000, the same as the individual Michelin "Yellow" Series.

In Grenoble I bought four Kummerley & Frey 1:200,000 Touring Club Itliano maps to cover my tip across the North of Italy. Before leaving Grenoble and after roughly deciding on a route, I cut from the maps the strips required (discarding surplus weight!)

For Austria, my sister-in-law posted on to Grenoble for me, four 1:125,000 Rad Wege (cyclists road) maps published by Kompass. I found these to be the least useful of all my maps as the detail was partly obscured by the use of broad colouring along the routes they recommended for cyclists. Most of these were intended for the day or afternoon potterer rather than a long distance cyclist.

2) Luggage

I used only two small (and very old) cotton duck Carradice panniers and a small nylon one which fitted along my pannier carrier. I prefer my bars uncluttered so do not like bar bags.

3) Tyres

I started with Continental Sport 700 x 25 ( fairly light tyres) on both front and rear. During the first two weeks I suffered two rear punctures, both caused by impact, one a pot-hole and the other a stone. I fitted a 700 x 28 Hutchinson Globetrotter on the rear wheel whilst in Grenoble. This was not only a larger diameter, but was also more "meaty". From thereon I had no further problems.

4) Language

Although I know sufficient French to get by I only have a handful of words in both Italian and German. This did not bother me as I found it great fun trying to communicate in a mixture of languages and signs. The secret is to not take the matter too seriously, but to treat it all as a good laugh.

In some respects, not knowing the language can have benefits. I am sure that on several occasions I passed unintelligible signs warning me of dire consequences for riding a bike along a particular route. Ignorance can be bliss some times!

Chapter 5