Advice for a non-cyclist thinking about cycling (+walking) the VF.

[Sheffield James]

I am in the early stages of researching the Via Francigena and I would like some advice that will help me decide if/how I should do it. I apologise in advance at the naivety of my thinking at this stage. I would like to start in Canterbury and journey through to Rome all in one go. Currently, I am toying with the idea of cycling the first part through England and France, and then walking through Switzerland and Italy to The Eternal City
My reasons for doing it this way include:
1) I think it will be too expensive to pay for accommodation every night for 3 months, so cycling the first bit in England and France has the advantage of cutting down the total number of overnight stops;
2) I have read that accommodation is nowhere as easy to find in France as it is on the caminos in Spain. The daily distances one might need to cover to reach available accommodation may be greater than I think I can manage physically, and at the pace I tend to walk when on my own;
3) I am type-2 diabetic and I may have difficulty persuading my doctor to give me a full three months medication; and
4) I have very limited experience of cycling and, while I think I might manage the relatively flat English and French landscapes with a bit of practice, I'm pretty sure I would find it easier/less scary to climb through the mountains of Switzerland on foot than I would to cycle up/down them. Also, my natural inclination would be to walk the last stage(s) into Rome on foot.

So, I would welcome advice along the lines of:
a) what kind of bicycle would be considered most suitable for the mostly road cycling I think I'd be doing? I would expect to give away the bike at some point en route, so I'd hope to avoid the expense of the top-of-the-range options.
b) what other 'standard' equipment would I need to carry with me, eg., panniers, spares, etc?
c)) what kind of daily distances would you estimate to be realistic for a novice cyclist? [I was thinking maybe 40kms a day, but I have no idea really]
d) is my thinking correct vis-a-vis cycling the first bit, and leaving the Swiss leg for more experienced cyclists to undertake?
e) is cycling generally considered to be kinder or harsher on the knees than walking the same distance? I have a knee that has suffered some damage as a result of completing the Camino Frances, so it would be good to know if cycling might be more or less helpful in minimising further injury.

Any thoughts on this and related matters would be appreciated. I know it will be difficult to give too much detail to what are quite general questions, so I hope you don't mind if I ask supplementaries at a later stage.
Thank-you!

 

[jirit]

I have not cycled the Via Francigena, only walked it from Switzerland to Rome.

However friends of mine have at least, just recently completely the italian section together. Ruth herself also cycled the England and French sections while Gord walked it.

I suggest you contact them directly via their blog to get some more information about cycling the route.

http://footstepsacrosseurope.blogspot.ca

You can tell them the author of An Italian Odyssey suggested you contact them.

Regards

 

[Sheffield James]

Thank you jirit. I will pursue those leads you've given me, including your publication.

 

[jirit]

Hi again

You should also join the via Francigena group on yahoo.

You will find plenty of others that have walked and cycled the route including Ruth and Gord on this forum

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/via-francigena/info

Regards

 

[hecate105]

I would recommend a hybrid cycle, this gives you a sturdy machine capable of carrying all your kit in panniers. Strong enough to travel offroad (take any trails/lanes/cycleways you can!)
But also good for on road. You can buy them fairly cheaply. I bought a mid-range one for £300 - so in a 'superstore' or online i'm sure you would get one much cheaper.
Having a 'carrying capacity' you could take a tent for the cycling section, therefore saving money (cheap campsites or wildcamp) Easy to do in Uk and France.
Generally cycling is easier on the body than walking. I cycled 3000 miles across Europe whilst suffering from fibromyalgia (now thought to be a form of TMS) with my husband who gets knee pain. We cycled from 20 - 40 miles a day, depending on terrain and my health, but we had a day 'off' every 3-5 days too.
So go for it!! I hope you have a wonderful pilgrimage.

 

[William Marques]

Currently, I am toying with the idea of cycling the first part through England and France, and then walking through Switzerland and Italy to The Eternal City
My reasons for doing it this way include:
1) I think it will be too expensive to pay for accommodation every night for 3 months, so cycling the first bit in England and France has the advantage of cutting down the total number of overnight stops;
It is a good way to save costs, as a rough guide you can do 3-4 times the distance on a bike compared to walking.
2) I have read that accommodation is nowhere as easy to find in France as it is on the Caminos in Spain. The daily distances one might need to cover to reach available accommodation may be greater than I think I can manage physically, and at the pace I tend to walk when on my own;
You are right and the stages are long and remote on the section until Besancon.
3) I am type-2 diabetic and I may have difficulty persuading my doctor to give me a full three months medication; and
By bike you can go from town to town and be sure of accommodation and medication if necessary.
4) I have very limited experience of cycling and, while I think I might manage the relatively flat English and French landscapes with a bit of practice, I'm pretty sure I would find it easier/less scary to climb through the mountains of Switzerland on foot than I would to cycle up/down them. Also, my natural inclination would be to walk the last stage(s) into Rome on foot.
France is lumpier than you would expect especially the first day but after that it is reasonably devoid of large hills until Besancon

So, I would welcome advice along the lines of:
a) what kind of bicycle would be considered most suitable for the mostly road cycling I think I'd be doing? I would expect to give away the bike at some point en route, so I'd hope to avoid the expense of the top-of-the-range options.
As has been suggested a simple hybrid bike from a large chain store will be adequate if slow. I did this on the CF and as long as speed is not a factor it is fine.
b) what other 'standard' equipment would I need to carry with me, eg., panniers, spares, etc?
I would get a rack and try strapping your pack to it. I have done this on the VdlP when we converted from walking to cycling and it worked. I also found cycling with a pack was not a problem though other find it problematic. Take spare inner tubes and a small multi-tool to enable you to tighten things up as you cycle and a pump of course.
c)) what kind of daily distances would you estimate to be realistic for a novice cyclist? [I was thinking maybe 40kms a day, but I have no idea really]
Start with 40 and pretty soon you will be doing 60 and on flat dull days even longer.
d) is my thinking correct vis-a-vis cycling the first bit, and leaving the Swiss leg for more experienced cyclists to undertake?
Actually the roads in the Alps all have easy gradients it is just that they go on for ever. On the other hand walking over the St Bernard Pass would be nicer. I would suggest cycling to Martigny if you want to save a bit more time. The main Swiss part is flat and you just have to cross the Jura which is not to difficult.
e) is cycling generally considered to be kinder or harsher on the knees than walking the same distance? I have a knee that has suffered some damage as a result of completing the Camino Frances, so it would be good to know if cycling might be more or less helpful in minimising further injury.
Cycling is much kinder to the knees especially if you keep a high cadence - a lower gear with more RPM rather than the other way round

Cycling up the valley of the Loue.

 

[newfydog]

If you want to follow the trail you will want a mountain bike. Here's some pictures from England and northern France.

 

[Sheffield James]

@jirit @hecate105 @WilliamM and @newfydog - thank-you so much for your replies, which I am finding invaluable as a source of both practical information and encouragement. As I mentioned in my original post, I may well get back to you with a few additional questions after I've thought-through what you've told me.

 

[newfydog]

One more note---I would rather do the hiking portion with a backpack and boots, socks and rainwear and from a chain superstore than ride a bike from one of those places.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Could I suggest that you get out on a bike well before attempting to ride this route? I had plans of cycling round the world....they came to an abrupt end after 10km. This is the distance I can go before a knee injury flares up. Even with anti-flam tablets I cannot go any further without pain and do not want to do any more damage. On the other hand, I can walk all day. All the cycling members of my family told me it was in my head - that cycling is easier than walking - but my doctor confirms that the issue I have is related to bending the knee joint and so cycling kills it quicker than walking. He also added that I should expect to start experiencing pain on downhill sections of hikes in the future - he's not wrong - I already do! My condition is most common amongst fit young marathon runners, so I'm in good company;-)

 

[Sheffield James]

I am most grateful for all this great advice I'm receiving. To hear it from so many luminaries of this forum (I jest not!) makes it that bit extra special.

@newfydog - I understand your point fully; quality/fitness for purpose will score more highly than cost when it comes to making a purchasing decision.
@Kiwi-family - sorry to hear about your knee troubles, and thwarted ambition. Yes, I appreciate my question was posed in general terms and that I will need to assess my physical ability to ride a bicycle over varying distances and terrains. As it happens, I live in a city built on seven hills - just like Rome, though that's where the similarity ends, I'm afraid - and very close to the Peak District national park, with its combination of long flats and high-ish peaks. Together they should provide a very good environment for testing my knee's function before I make any final decisions, one way or the other. It will also help me to assess my tolerance for saddle-soreness, which was something I found quite uncomfortable during a single day of cycling in and around Copenhagen in August.

 

[William Marques]

You may not want to wear lycra and if you do not padded underwear for cycling is a very good idea, almost vital. Take a saddle in the journey that you know will not cause you undue pain, I use a Terry one with an open section in the middle, others swear by a properly worn in Brooks. I have a Brooks at home but as the one I am used to touring with works I have never taken the Brooks on a long tour.

 

[hecate105]

You all travel so lightly compared to my hubby, dog and me!!!

 

[hecate105]

and here's the pic I meant to add...!

 

[William Marques]

I recognise the unequal allocation of load between partners from our own touring but nothing like as extreme.

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

Wow, where to start? I began as a backpacker and have years of experience in both the front country and the back country. The transition to cycle touring was pretty straight forward. I think it is very helpful to know how to be fully self sufficient for up to 3 days just in case. That means carry enough food to get you through, does not have to be much and find a way to purify water. You can buy an expensive filter but I wouldn't bother, they're heavy and well... expensive. I travel with a few ounces of household bleach that I can use in a pinch. You can find appropriate formulas on line. If it's not bug season, you can make due with a very light weight tarp, closed cell foam pad and sleeping bag. I use a down bag, it's lighter and compresses but you better know how to keep it dry. You can find inexpensive ones. So basically the gear for self supported cycling and walking is about the same. I've discovered that the basics don't change. It's how you carry them. I do NOT recommend buying cheap packs, boots or a cheap bicycle. A cheap pack can hurt your back if it does not fit well. Does not have to be super high end it just needs to fit well. The Brits design some very good gear. Same for the boots. You need a fairly sturdy sole. You could even go with a low top. 300.00 pounds will not buy much of a bike. I have lived in the UK and I have cycle toured there. You are better off in something a little higher in quality and selling it when you are done with it.
A few words about weight: Less is more. One set of clothes in layers with spare t-shirts, underwear and socks. Don't skimp on the rain gear especially for cycling. Twice the speed is twice as wet in half the time.
Keep us posted
R

 

[Sheffield James]

I may have gone a bit quiet recently but I am checking the thread regularly and soaking up the new advice and information.

@newfydog - the photos you included make the terrain appear relatively benign, which is good to see. In contrast @William M's picture cycling up from the Loue valley is a bit more worrying, unless the bike's gear system will take most of the strain. This photo also makes me wonder if the passage into and thru' Switzerland could be problemmatic for vertigo sufferers. I've been a passenger in a car on some of those Swiss mountain passes and I have to admit I found it quite scary.

Both sets of pictures give the impression that not much weight is being carried in the panniers of the bikes. Is some of it 'out of shot'.

@hecate105, am I correct in thinking that the trailer in your photo is just for the comfort of your dog? Otherwise, I agree that your load seems that much greater than the others'. By the way, where was the photo taken and - forgive my ignorance - what is the flag?

Thank-you to @obinjatoo for your advice. I hope that cycling between accommodation stops in rural France will negate the need for some of the 'survival' equipment you describe, but the need to avoid buying cheap goods is well made. My local cycle store leads me to believe I will need to pay roughly £500-600/800-1,000USD for a decent bike, plus another £400/650USD minimum for all the other equipment I will require for the trip. At the moment I have nothing at all, so this figure includes items such as the bike racks, panniers, repair kits, cycling shoes, helmet, clothing, etc.

@LisaT, you've pitched your practical advice at just the right level for this prospective novice cyclist. I was a bit concerned, however, that you had two punctures in three days - is this really bad luck or is it something that can happen quite frequently on a trail?

 

[newfydog]

Both sets of pictures give the impression that not much weight is being carried in the panniers of the bikes. Is some of it 'out of shot'.
?

No, we carry almost nothing. If you need more than a set of rear panniers you have too much.

Don't confuse hard hills and easy mountains. The eroded alluvial fan of the Pyrenees is much harder biking than actually crossing the range.

 

[William Marques]

I agree with newfydog - it is just like walking minimise what you take and life will be easier for you. I have now taken to carrying 4 front panniers (2 front and back) which are smaller than rear panniers and my wife carries 2 front panniers on her rear rack.

I cannot answer your vertigo question but the grades are not steep in the Alps, Apennines or the Jura and are probably the worst going up into the many hilltop towns and villages you will pass through.

 

[hecate105]

Sheffield James, Yes the trailer is for the (5 stone lurcher x collie ) dog! But we can fit all the camping gear in too. Also it acts as a land anchor - otherwise my husband, who is a super-fit gardener, would be in the next county and I would still be plodding along. When we go without the dog we take a small single-wheel trailer. I know everyone harps on about weight and taking the least you can manage with. BUT, I don't want to manage - I want to enjoy my journeys! I have travelled light and found it was slightly easier cycling, but then at night, when you stop to camp and cook a meal - I would rather have the extras - a pan big enough to cook a proper meal for 2 ravenous cyclists, a bottle of wine, some chocolate, a set of dice to play Yahtzee, a book to read. In the morning I like to be able to brew up a proper espresso coffee (altho' I am lusting after a new Handpresso gadgets!), my dog wants meat and biscuit, my husband wants feeding every hour, on the hour. It all takes a lot of space. But we can be stymied by unexpected shop closures or breakdown or illness and still have enough food/gas/gear to stay fed, watered, warm and happy. But I am happy to share these extras with the cyclists I meet shivering at the roadside looking famished outside the shut shops!!!
Our flag is the Devonshire flag - a county of the UK, down in the warm, wet south west. I don't like to fly the Union Jack as our governments politricks have not always been as fair as they could be, but my county flag has been well received - especially by the Basques!
The photo is just by the crossing onto the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, UK. We have cycled the south and east coasts of the UK, but had missed that corner, so we circumnavigated Kent which was a very pleasant journey (except lugging all our 'outfit' over the hundreds of gates they put along the cycle routes to put off anyone thinking of cycling with dogs/children/luggage..)
Tyres - Can I recommend Schwalbe Marathon + - to all and sundry? I have cycled 3000 miles on a set, over mountains, along beaches, the odd motorway (it wasn't my choice!) and across the glass-strewn cycleways of Paris, and not one puncture! My husband the same. We had countless punctures in the dog's trailer - until we stumped up the cash for some Schwalbes for that too, nary a puncture since! I love em!
Good advice from Obinjatoo & Lise T. Riding position is THE most important thing, be comfortable and in control. I like the 'add on' handlebars so that I can change position regularly. Good wet weather gear is worth its weight in gold. Microfleece travel towels are excellent too.
Top tip - take a hip flask with your favourite tipple in it - a swig of Lagavulin can get you over a mountain when nothing else can!!

 

[newfydog]

Well, there are many ways to go.....I assure you though, that we have enjoyed everyone of the 30+ bike tours we have done, and we do not starve, shiver, or suffer breakdowns of gear, or any need to ask for handouts. If one store is closed our light loads allow us to zip off to the next one. We manage just fine, and while it may not be the rolling house you enjoy, our style works very well for us. I'm glad your system works well for you. Ours lets us go tough places with big smiles, and works well for us.

 

[Sheffield James]

It's been a while since I last posted on this subject, which is largely due to a) the prolonged, awful wintry weather here in the UK, that has severly dented my motivation to master the art of bicycling, in the nearby Derbyshire Peak District, and b) my inability to make decisions relating to a number of practical issues outlined in my original post.

My latest latest idea is to try to cycle in Italy as well as France (previously, I thought I might cycle in France, and then ditch the bike at Besancon). I am thinking this might be possible if I make the trip using a folding bike, which I could carry (or wheel) on the mountainous Swiss stage of the route. I appreciate there will be more weight to carry, but I don't mind going that bit more slowly to preserve energy, and I'll make up the time in Italy if I cycle rather than walk the third and final stage.

I've begun to explore using a UK-designed Brompton bike on the grounds that it is a brand leader, is one of the lightest designs (=approx 11kg), has the type of upright riding posture I think I prefer, can carry a reasonable amount of stuff and, importantly, holds its value well (which should help me recoup much of my initial outlay should I not fall in love with it while I'm away). I am including a couple of youtube videos (there are lots) to show you what the bike is like, and also to illustrate ways in which it can be made more portable when not actually being ridden.

My reading around the subject indicates it is as much a touring bike as it is a city commuting bike, though I appreciate I will have to ride on roads and smooth gravel paths, and avoid the typical mountain- and hybrid-bike terrains.

I would welcome any thoughts on my latest plan and choice of mode of transport.

 

[newfydog]

I think you are still hung up on hills vs mountains. There are lots of hard hills which are harder to bike than easy mountains. Much of the route in Italy is tougher than the road to St Bernard pass.

I have seen those folding bikes in action.....not impressed. The trend in mountain bikes is to bigger wheels, and those are really small. They really give a rough ride off pavement.

I would either do it all on a decent mountain bike or walk it all, in stages if needed.

here's some of the trail just outside of Rome:

 

[William Marques]

My advice would be to get the cheapest second hand bike you can find that has plenty of gears and to ride it until Besancon and walk from there. I also have a Brompton and would not want to carry it in addition to my other stuff.

The Po valley is a drag for walkers but the rest of the route South of Besancon is best walked if you have the time.

 

[Sheffield James]

@newfydog and @WM - thank you very much. They weren't the responses I wanted to hear, but I fully appreciate they're the ones I probably needed to hear. Bye, bye Brompton.

I have a barely used and recently rebuilt Carrera Krakatoa mountain bike circa 1990s that I will now test to its limits. If it looks as if can get me any distance through France, then I will probably go with this option. All it needs to do is save me the equivalent of three night's B&B accommodation to pay for itself, and so it won't be a disaster if it doesn't last me all the way to Besancon.

My attention will now turn to the topic of clothing and packs that will be suitable for both cycling and walking.

 

[William Marques]

Unlike others I have never had a problem cycling with a lightweight backpack and this will be your simplest solution. Try it.

As long as the wheel bearings on the Carrera are OK it should last you well and as you say it only needs to save a few nights B&B to pay for itself. I reckon that a bike covers about 3 times that of a walker on any given day so if a walker does 25 km the cyclist can do 75 km you will see that it could have more than paid for itself by Arras! If you can get some smooth tyres for it that will help assuming you will be on the road most of the time.

 

[Sheffield James]

I'd like to send a really big thank-you to everyone who has posted information and advice in response to my OP. After serious consideration of your encouraging yet often cautionary inputs, I've decided to give up my notion to travel by bike on the French leg of the VF. I now plan to set off on foot at the end of the month and see how far I can get before my health, money or any other external factor(s) cause me to bring a temporary halt to my pilgrim journey. Wherever I stop will be the point where I start again at some point in the not too distant future.

Thanks again,
James

ps- anyone interested in a second hand mountain bike in great condition, you know how to reach me.

 

[Sheffield James]

Just a brief note to let you know I completed my via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome on 19th August. It took 80 days in total - 75 walking days and 5 rest days. I completed the journey on foot, which turned out to be the best mode of transport for me. I have said it before, but it bears repeating, how grateful I am for all the advice given to me when I was exploring the part walking, part-cycling option. Thank-you so much!
Sheffield James