Le Grand Tour - Part 1 - La Vélomaritime (EuroVelo 4) / L'Avenue Verte / La Véloscécenie

On July 3rd 2022 I set off from The Hook of Holland in The Netherlands, turned right and pedalled off in the direction of France. It was an anti-clockwise tour of the continent; the EuroVelo 12 along the Belgian coast, the EuroVelo 4 to Dieppe, L’Avenue Verte to Paris, La Véloscénie to Mont St Michel before rejoining the EuroVelo 4 to Morlaix, the EuroVelo 1 / Vélodyssée to Royan, the Canal de la Garonne to Toulouse, the Canal du Midi to Sète, the EuroVelo 17 beside the Rhône to Andermatt in Switzerland and finally the EuroVelo 15 / Rhine Cycle Route back to The Hook of Holland and the return ferry to Hull on September 3rd.
The film comes in four parts and this is part 1 of that film that tells the story of the cycle from The Hook of Holland to Morlaix in Brittany.
Filmed entirely on location in Yorkshire, England, The Netherlands, Belgium and France, the audio extracts are taken from episodes of The Cycling Europe Podcast and the music is written and performed by Rob Ainsley.
More details about the journey and the podcasts can be found at CyclingEurope.org/LeGrandTour

[@thatfenderbloke]

You earned a thumbs up for the BJ reference, great video friend

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks. Yes, it was a wonderfully poetic moment of serendipity... :-)

[@letsseeyoutravel8364]

Very well made... very inspirational...thanks for sharing your trip.

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks for the positive feedback. The book will be available on 1.5.24 :-)

[@rickd6880]

Excellent video. Thank you…

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks Rick. You’ve got three more to enjoy 😊

[@jeroenbos9292]

Beautyful video. Inspiring. 👍🚴‍♂️

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks for the positive feedback :-)

[@thomasfenton2279]

This was a great video to watch . I didn’t know about Avenue Vert, I have done the classic route from London to Paris 20 years ago. Love the scenery and the style of your video. I’m surprised you don’t have more views. Inspirational!

[@thomasfenton2279]

That’s 10 years ago sorry

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks for the positive comments Thomas - much appreciated. Yes, I think the 'classic' route is substantially different going via Calais, no? As for the number of views... I suppose comments such as those that you've written can only help. Thanks! :-) P.S. Hope you enjoy parts2, 3 and 4 of 'Le Grand Tour'. My favourite is part 3 but don't tell anyone...

[@thomasfenton2279]

@@CyclingEuropeKZbin I’ve just watched the whole tour back to back. Fantastic! The Upper Rhone was beautiful between Lyon and Switzerland. I’ve shared your vids with few friends .

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

@@thomasfenton2279 Thanks 🙂

[@steveminers5764]

Thoroughly enjoyable episode with a nice mixture of narration,caption and music. The drone shots certainly make a difference. Looking forward to the next episodes.

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks for the positive feedback Steve - much appreciated 🙂

[@FrancisMuir]

A wonderful video. Beautifully filmed. Longing for summer to arrive so that I can get to France.

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks Francis. Yes, roll on summer!!! :-)

[@mikeb1195]

I really enjoyed watching the start of your tour, it was good to see the places you’d talked about in your podcast come to life. The film was really well put together, and I’m looking forward to seeing the next one. Thank you.

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks for the positive feedback Mike - much appreciated :-)

[@angelaeinkaufen4566]

What a fantastic video, I can't wait for the next one! I have cycled most of these routes in recent years and did a similar "Tour de France" not long ago. It is wonderful to see many of these places again. The photography is so creative and the music is great. Thanks for posting this! It's making me really look forward to heading off on another tour in the spring.

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks for the very positive comments Angela. They are much appreciated. Makes all the hard work in making these videos worthwhile :-)

[@damianhill6704]

I've not toured in France since 2016.... I want to go back now. Great video

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks Damian. Hope you enjoy parts two, three and four :-)

[@damianhill6704]

@@CyclingEuropeKZbin yep have enjoyed part 3 the most. Big fan of the early starts in the Alps (to avoid the motorbikes.) And I'm enjoying your style of video compared to other you tube channels. Lastly. My cycle buddy has just got a rohloff/gates/tout terrain blue ridge gt. Do you carry a spare belt for your koga/gates/rohloff? And if yes. How do you transport it? Folded in that magic way into 3 loops or as one big "O" stuffed into the inner sleeve of your rear ortiebs. And protected with cardboard to stop twisting..... Everywhere I read seems to say they are very delicate and can't be launched on the bottom of the bag and left for years on end.

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

@@damianhill6704 Hi Damian. Again, thanks for the positive feedback about the videos. I suppose it helps having the audio available from the podcasts to use as the commentary. As for the belt drive... as I've only cycled in Europe with the bike, I've not felt the need to carry a replacement and I don't have one. If I were to travel to somewhere a little more remote then yes, I would consider it. I'm afraid I'm not able to comment there. Perhaps Alee Denham on the Cycling About channel can advise better on this. He's a brand ambassador for Koga and travels in more remote places that me: www.youtube.com/@Cyclingabout @CyclingAbout

[@roelkomduur8073]

I myself, a Rolhloff bike as my daily for at least 12 years.. would advice you Not to bother with Gates belt drive.These things are expensive and more fragile then advertised. When not perfectly aligned these things are a nightmare.( with you must do every time you remove your wheel..) Thing is a belt can't stand stand torsion forces. A regular chain is far more forgiving, cheaper and readily available( Gates last seldom more than 20.000 km) . I use a chain with a Hebie Chainglider and that works perfect But hey, what do i know... I'am only a ignorant Dutch guy that rides 1200 km a month every month. @@damianhill6704

[@clivespicer7763]

Excellent, thank you.

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks Clive 🙂

[@patpalloon]

Very nice and enjoyed the beautiful guitar music.

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks. I'll pass your comments to Rob Ainsley who created and played the music 🙂

[@MatHall]

Hi Andrew, planning on catching up on these first two this week and hope to make premier for #3 in few days time. Very much looking forward to this :) Hope youre well and have a great xmas Mat Harriet and Flic

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks Matt. Hope you enjoy the films when you see them. The quality of the films is not great on the premieres; certainly not 4K so you've made a good decision to delay watching the films. You'll obviously find the final film the most interesting. Hope you and the family have a great Christmas! Best wishes, Andrew

[@MatHall]

Watching now, in very very high quality! Out of interest what are using these days, a new gopro for that smooth footage plus another camera (and drone of course)?

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

@@MatHall It’s a festival of 4K! iPhone 13 Pro Max, GoPro Hero 10 and DJI Mini 2 drone. (All of which have now been superseded by new versions!!!) Graphics created in Apple Keynote and edited in Final Cut Pro X.

[@MatHall]

@The Cycling Europe KZbin Channel all looks super slic, really impressed! Will get to number 2 soon and look forward to 4 especially yes!

[@swissride4k]

What a beautiful tour friend! I had never seen this type of tour before 😇 I'm also searching this type of area in Schwyz, Switzerland 😀

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks. I arrive in Switzerland in episodes 3 & 4 which are coming up later in the month :-)

[@patrickdeschuymer9519]

What an amazing video this is. I've seen a lot video's this week, but I never have seen this kind of quality level, both in picture as in the shots taken. I wonder how and with which gear you took the shots and also being able to have very stable shots during biking. This is to me outstanding and a pleasure to look at! I enjoy every minute of it. Thanks for making this public. I hope to ride in France to within a couple of years. With seeing this movie I can hardly wait to start.

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks for the positive feedback Patrick. I’m delighted you enjoyed the films. They were made using the iPhone 13 which is great for stable videos supplemented by a GoPro and a DJI Mini drone. Good luck on your own ride :-)

[@davidharris4062]

Lovely scenery, love your distain for e-cyclists

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Yes, it was. I don't really have distain for eBike tourers, just when they pass me when going up a hill. If they keep people active and on a bicycle, so be it :-) Have a read of this: cyclingeurope.org/2023/03/05/john-vincent-on-an-ebike-around-europe/

[@mbrylewski]

Great editing on the video

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks! :-)

[@chuckcuthbert6942]

Oh bother. I thought it was Thursday for a moment and we'd be able to watch part 2. I'll have to come back for the premier tomorrow and remember to set a diary reminder for the rest!

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Sorry Chuck… but it’s worth the wait. The ‘joys’ of the Canal du Midi!!

[@junematte3441]

I love your bike, can you tell me about how you like it? Did you buy direct from Koga ?

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Hi. I love the bike and yes, I bought it direct from Koga, albeit via a UK bike shop, Cyclesense in Tadcaster (who advised me on all the choices available). You can read more about the bike by visiting this page of my website: cyclingeurope.org/wanda/ Recommended!

[@mikascamp]

absolutely beautiful I'd love to take the same route and visiting monte saint michel has been a bucket list goal that I would like to tick off, I ferry from the same port so would there be any chance of linking the gpx please would be most appreciated creating routs takes me longer than it should as theirs too many options. thanks

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Hi. Thanks for the positive comments. I did record the route using Cyclemeter but haven't yet got around to putting the links on my website. That said, I did follow signposted routes so if you go to the relevant website of the cycle route then you will probably find the GPS tracks there as well. Hope this helps. :-)

[@mikascamp]

@@CyclingEuropeKZbin many thanks, after watching I also listened to your podcast, taking note of "concrete slab" section of the Rhine, I would possibly like to avoid this altogether as quite understandably you didn't enthuse about and honestly it doesn't sound fun either part of my local promenade cycle rout is the same concrete slab although not to the bumpy extent you describe, do you have any suggestions or routs in hindsight you would of rather taken over this section?

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

@@mikascamp Hi Dan (I think). I'm just finishing off the book about the trip and this is what I have written about the concrete slabs: "The final 40km of the day [to Gernsheim] were comparatively straightforward but not devoid of challenge. The wind continued to be a force to be reckoned with, especially when the cycle path adopted a position on the elevated flood bank of the river. At least it was chronic. The slabs of concrete that formed much of the surface were somewhat more testing. The cycling equivalent of Chinese water torture. Unlike continuous tarmac or gravel, the slabs of concrete had been laid in sections of around 5 metres. The gaps between the slabs resulted in a short, sharp jolt of the bike. It was indeed tortuous and if they are looking to update their methods, the Chinese really should pay a visit to the Rhine." And then the following about the morning after: "I paused briefly for breakfast at a bakery in Stockstadt am Rhein, a small town which was no longer on the Rhine thanks to canalisation work. I was delighted to discover that the cycle route now seemed to be devoid of the horrible concrete slabs that had blighted much of the previous afternoon. As the path followed the course of the severely emaciated meander of the old Rhine, it did so along wooded paths, quiet roads and at one point over some comically bone-shaking cobbles… but no slabs of concrete. I was not quite ready for that torture again. " So they were only for a few hours one afternoon. It was sometimes possible to ride along the top of the dyke and that meant avoiding the concrete but otherwise, without a largish detour away from the river, I think you might have to be prepared to have your bones shaken. The book should be out in April. :-)

[@mikascamp]

@@CyclingEuropeKZbin hopefully the suspension seatpost will take the sting out of the worst of it🤞, great excerpt from the book, your writing is very much Bill Bryson-esque fantastic, I will definitely have to take a look. thanks again.

[@wkwynn]

I wonder if the beach you mentioned where aviators were evacuated from, was that where they were trying to get the British airmen to in Allo Allo

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

😂😂😂

[@marciocarrilho]

Great video! Which model is your Koga bike?

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks for the positive feedback :-) The Koga is a WorldTraveller Signature. I made a video about it a couple of years ago and you can watch it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/an_OZaGJpZdlpKssi=5mSWBM_lzls5N5pQ

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

There's also a detailed review here: cyclingeurope.org/wanda/

[@mbrylewski]

Hi, I salute you for undertaking your trip. Which bike did you use for the trip?

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks again! :-) It was a Koga WorldTraveller bike. I’d certainly recommend it. You’ll find more details on my website: cyclingeurope.org/wanda/

[@mbrylewski]

@@CyclingEuropeKZbin thank you for the information

[@mbrylewski]

@@CyclingEuropeKZbin you have tons of information on the website👍

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

@@mbrylewski It should keep you busy :-)

[@Martin-on2pp]

Yes, Vlissingen is more modern than Middelburg. That is the heritage of WW2. Vlissingen was heavily bombarded during the battle of the Schelde (transport too Antwerpen) and Middelburg was not. 👍🚴‍♀️🇳🇱

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Thanks for the clarification 🙂

[@davidseaford797]

I really was enjoying podcast a little bit of escapism , the guitar reminded of tales of the river bank , unfortunately like a lot of people nowadays you have made it a point to vent political tribalism once you hear your views on Boris or brexit (not that I supported either ) it sort of ruins it , I hope you keep it out the classroom,

[@CyclingEuropeYouTube]

Mmm... You might want to stay clear of the upcoming book. It's very much written for ardent remainers :-)