Via Romea

On YOUR bike?

2010-10-04T05:49:00.000-07:00

We hope this blog has shown you what a fantastic experience cycle touring can be. We didn't have much (or any...) experience to go on when we first started planning our trip, and advice from various experienced friends and Internet sources was invaluable. We've put up some things ourselves for anyone who is interested in planning their first trip... Just go for it, you'll love it :-)

Packing list

2010-10-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

Toolkit and spares
-Pen knife
-Eurohike multi tool
-Adjustable spanner
-Allen keys
-Electrical tape
-Spare brake cable
-4 sets of M5 bolts, washers, and nuts.
-1 spare inner-tube (we took four, and never used one of them)
-Oil
-Tyre leavers
-Puncture repair kit
-Pump
-Screwdriver (if not attached to penknife or multitool)

Bikes and attachments
-Bikes- cycling similar models, and same diameter tyres, minimizes repairs equipment you need in the group.
-Drinks holders x2 per bike
-Rear rack. We were advised to minimize our packing to what can fit on a rear rack. This is great advice… Be brutal with restrictions, as extra weight is costly.
-Panniers (either connected with 3rd compartment, or separate)
-Map bag (that hangs off handle bars) [ours was made by mum, and was excellent for easy referencing]
-Compass- you’ll need it LOTS. Ours hung off the break cables for easy reference. -Suitable handlebars, well-taped for padding. You need at least three obvious different hand positions, or you’ll get tendonitis. Standard cross bars are no good! (Butterfly handlebars are a simple solution to fitting variable position handlebars onto your bike without replacing v-brakes. See Anna’s bike…)
-Lights

Camping
-Tent (Vango banshee 200/300)
-sleeping mat x3
-cups x3
-sporks x4
-Bowls x3
-Sleeping bags (£25 Quecha 680g) [great though could have done with a sleeping bag liner to use on hot nights.]

Cooking and toiletries
-Saucepan x1 with lid
-Salt
-Washing powder for clothes
-Shampoo
-Soap
-Toothbrush x3
-Toothpaste
-Razors
-Nail clippers
-Trek towels- we were going to go without towels, but small, quick-drying towels are a good solution. -Cigarette lighter
-Fold up stove frame. Twigs, and cardboard packaging boxes used for fuel.

Clothing
-Cycling gloves- essential.
-Light pyjamas
-Underwear x3
-Socks x3 pairs
-Cycling shorts x2 (divided opinion as to which is best, padded or unpadded. Fear not; after day 2, saddle pain really isn’t an issue!)
-Sunglasses (essential for blocking sun, wind, and flies, and for looking pro…)
-Yellow cycling jersey, and one other
-Jogging bottoms/leggings for evening
-Mary’s meals shirt- turned out to be too hot to cycle in, so became our Sunday mass gear!
-Old trainers for on bike. Hard soled, proper bike shoes would be good if you’ve got the budget.
-Flip flops for off bike

Miscellaneous
-Journal/notebook
-Camera and batteries
-Pens
-Paper copy of address list and useful telephone numbers
-Money
-Passports
-Pilgrim passports. Got these stamped in places along the way. Obtainable from www.pilgrimstorome.org.uk
-USB SD card reader-uploading photos to blog
-Phone per person. With charger
-Clothes pegs (pegging wet washing to bikes every day whilst on the road looked ridiculous, but dried everything.)
-Adaptor
-Phrase book. We definitely could have done with an Italian dictionary though
-Travel insurance details
-Flight home details
-Shorter morning and evening prayer book
-Rosary
-Cycling computer (Sigma) (for recording mileage etc)
-Plastic carrier bags/sandwich bags for putting sleeping bags, essential papers etc that need to stay dry

First aid and medical
-Antiseptic cream
-Antiseptic wipes
-Plasters
-Bandages x2
-Antihistamines- sedating and non-sedating. For hay fever and mosquito overload, and getting some sleep in dire campsites...
-Sports re-hydration tablets
-Paracetamol
-Cocodamol (for more heavy duty!)
-Penicillin, loperamide and doperidone- took these but didn’t need them.
-Insect repellent
-Sunscreen factor 30+ (sports sunscreen- creamy ones just melt off everywhere.)
-Lip sunscreen
-Sudocream

ESSENTIALS
Road cycling confidence- being tired blurs your judgement!
Good sense of humour
Enthusiasm
Will power- be prepared for the daily grind…

“Via Romea” project: All the roads still lead to Rome

2010-08-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

“Via Romea” project: All the roads still lead to Rome

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sveZFG7MZnM&feature=player_embedded#!

We've been away- had heard that Rome Reports had actually produced the news clip, but hadn't seen the final version. Enjoy! Nothing quite like watching your own stretched face in widescreen... We'll keep this for the grand kids.

After party

2010-08-06T23:28:00.000-07:00

We've been back just over a week now, although it does seem much longer. We're all enjoying the simple pleasures of life, like washing machines, good food, and that time in the morning when you open your drawers to a CHOICE of clothes you could wear...

Travelling non-stop for a month is a bit nomadic, and it's great to be back with family and friends we missed during the trip.

Here's some pictures of our journey home. People keep asking how we got the bikes back- the answer is, much quicker than we got them there, to the great confusion of the check in desk lady, who couldn't work out our one-way tickets at all.

We were met by our very own surprise Swiss guard... credit to Mum for an incredible last-minute dressing up cupboard raid. Hope you're just as impressed as we were.

Our lovely neighbour and fellow parishoner Julia Jones bought round some champagne to celebrate.

We're still receiving donations on our website, but hope we can round up all the final monies over the next week or so, so please click on the link if you haven't donated yet and would like to. We have been truly bowled over by the generosity we've received from family and friends, other friends we haven't been in touch with for years, and many other people we've never even met. Your support is very inspiring and humbling!

Journey home

2010-07-30T05:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some artistic interpretations of our flight home. We arrived in Heathrow at 11pm, and were home just before 1am.
We can thoroughly recommend BA. They let us check in bikes as standard baggage, the bikes survived in more or less the same state, and gave us second rounds of sandwiches on Greg's request. In fact, we approved so much we gave them a round of applause on touchdown. After a lukewarm start, the rest of the passengers agreed with us.

Via Romea Awards Ceremony

2010-07-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

Since arriving in Rome, we've split our time between being tourists and pilgrims. We've walked lots, cycled not much, and seen tons of churches, monuments, Roman stuff...
We also all now have a set of NORMAL CLOTHES each, and are avoiding lycra at all costs.
This morning, we had a TV interview and footage session... yeah, that's right :-) The Rome Report turned up with cameras, we donned our gear, and did some slow cycling for the cameras. Bit of an experience! We're not naturals, had a view interview disasters. We think/hope they edit nicely.

Last night, we closed our pilgrim part of the trip with our very own Via Romea Awards Ceremony. Here are the results:

Best bike: Joe says Joe's (Bertie), Greg says Greg's (Bettie), and Anna says Anna's (Brutus)... no joking she's not that deluded. Anna really says Bettie.

Worst bike: Brutus. Anna points out though that whilst everything else broke, the tyres were invincible.

Best bit of kit: Draw between the tent and our folding campfire.

Worst bit of kit: The empty 300 ml single cream pot we carried the entire way. Or the phrasebook.

Best country: Joe= France. Greg= Switzerland. Anna= Italy.

Favourite day of trip: Day 12, Bourg St Pierre to Quincinetto, over the Alps take two.

Toughest day's cycle: Aigle to Bourg St Pierre.

The Dire Straights Day Award: Day 7, from Froncles to the middle of nowhere, rough camping, with just the oreos and crisps.

Favourite church award, St Peter's and Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, excluded: Chiesa S. Maria del Carmine, Pavia.

Best city, Rome excluded: Pavia and Lucca, straight draw.

Best drink: shoot out between cold water, cold milk, and coke.

Best food: Pasta with any sauce, followed by peaches

Best swimming: Bolsena lake

Best view: draw between Montreux and the Swiss-Italian border mountainous region.

Best downhill: from top of Gd St Bernard Pass to Aosta, down the Alps

And the others....

Machine man of trip: Joe

Machine woman of trip: Anna by default.

Entertainment Jukebox of Trip Award: Greg... by default.

Best driver: Anna. Yep.

Worst driver; Joe. Unbelievably, his repeated minor collisions means he overtook Greg and the mash crash in a photo finish.

Yellow Jersey Award: Joe. He wore his for all but 2 hours of biking.

Mr Map award: Joe

Early Bird Award: joint between Anna and Joe... or, everyone but Greg.

Sleeping Beauty Award: Greg.

Pro Cyclist Nation Award: Italy. They had all the gear.

Most Frustrating Continental Habit: The Siesta. Please, it's lunchtime. Someone sell some food...

Epic Language Fail Award: When Anna stood on an Italian's foot and said 'Prego'.

Via Romea Gold Star Award: Electrical tape. You could build a bike from it we think... we nearly did.

That's all, folks. The award winners would like to thank their family, friends, sponsors, pets and paniers. They also want world peace.

Pictures from Rome

2010-07-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

View from the dome of St Peter's

Victor Emmanuelle monument... Greg and Joe are in there somewhere

Below- Gatorade. a funny European version of Lucozade. This picture is dedicated to for Dom Roche Saunders and Phil Wheelan :-)

We like Swiss Guards. Any excuse for a chat.

The polizia didn't like this.

This is us just after arriving in St Peter's. If you haven's guessed, these pictures aren't in order at all- bit of an internet cafe disaster. Behind us are 2 people, Americans from Texas. There's five of them, a family with a friend, and we've managed to bump into them every day in Rome so far. Small place!

More arrival in Rome pictures

Rome

2010-07-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long silence, Rome has been chaotic but fantastic!

We arrived in St Peter's Square on Saturday evening, 6.45pm. The trip took 20 days in total, 19 if you take off our detour round Piacenza hospital!

Some trip stats:
Total distance- 1320.52 miles... about 2113 kilometers
Total time on bike- 106 hours 22 mins... that's 4 and a half days!
Average speed- 12.41 mph
Max speed: 43.35 mph
Punctures- 2 (and a half...) all Joe's bike!

Thanks for all the support, sponsorship and prayers. They really have kept us going. We're all really enjoying our time in Rome, and shall keep you all in our prayers here. We've done tons of sightseeing, Rome is so beautiful! We'll put the pictures up soon.

Love to everyone! 2 days till England... we hear it's raining! Can't wait :-)

Anna, Joe and Greg

The Home Strait

2010-07-24T01:24:00.000-07:00

Anna and Joeseph started the day in Bolsena and will be cylcling into Rome Termini were they will pick me up!

they say that the klast few days have been a push andit has been very hot and hilly. they met some lovely dutch people who were also cycling to Rome. if you are reading this Joesph and Anna say "dont take the train keep going"

Two nights ago they met some lovely people in Palia who allowed them to camp in their garden overnight due the lack of campsites in Italy.

My plans for the final strait are to get the train to Rome Termini and cycle the two - three miles tothe vactican which goes past the colliseum along past the big ruins of Rome across the tiber and up the road to Saint peters. Icouldnt ask for a grander entrance!

Gregory Treloar

Life at the Monastary!

2010-07-23T01:58:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days I have been adapting to monastary life (dont worry mum, you are going to see me again!) as the days have gone on I have been attending more prayer but for some reason I am usually late to either breakfast or lunch once a day, suprising that considering that I am normally the first one to a meal. I am also awake alot more than I was at the beggining of the week witch I think is due to my recovery, thank God!
Mass and Benediction are beautiful partly due to the discreete organ playing but also because of the beautiful surroundings!!
The Church is incredible with many side altars and side chapels there is also the tomb of Sandro Botticelli and the tomb of a person who I was told found america although I didnt find his name. the Church is huge and is decroated all over with paintings if not marble, and at the high altar the you will find that the crucifix is larger than life scale.
Other than that I find that religious life is very contemplative and thoughtful with many jokes at the dinner table thanks to Br G!

Gregory Treloar

2010-07-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Joe spoiling the scenery

That's Greg in hospital...

The wonderful parishoners of Pavia. Favourite church for sure.

That's a map... only one road down the Alps, though, we're just posing.

That's Italy.

Promotional shot

The top! It was freezing

Snow. Yes.

Um... joe did that.

Our tiny tent is in the corner. Beautiful campsite at top of Alps.

Anna's cooking something

Alps again

Lake in Switzerland

We lik-ke the Lucca

2010-07-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

This morning, we made it from Villafranca to Lucca. Beautiful city, in my opinion joint winner with Pavia for prettiest city on the trip so far. The tent is strangely empty, and the road is strangely quiet without Greg. We miss you, Greg! But if you look closely at the photos, Joe still looks exactly like Greg, so you probably won't notice.
We've on the home straight into Rome now- Lucca to Rome is 400km, the minimum distance a pilgrim can cycle to be recognised by an office in Rome somewhere as having travelled the Via Francigena. We're hoping to get halfway between Lucca and Siena tonight, and hopefully still make it in the 20 days, our hospital experience included. A night on the ward was definitely the best and cheapest accommodation so far, but I wouldn't recommend it as a solution to all your travelling needs.
Can't believe we haven't witnessed a major Italian road accident yet. Got weaved round twice and cut up on a single roundabout today, unbelievable. Mysetry hills we hadn't spotted on the map keep cropping up in the hottest part of the day, but the views make it worth it.

'Dove vai?' the Italians say, and we say 'Roma'. It's starting to sound a lot more convincing than when we said the same thing in Canterbury.

Word from the dynamic duo!

2010-07-21T01:57:00.000-07:00

Day 16

Last night they stayed in villafranca in Luigana and they said that the it is really hot! Now I think that it must be really hot because when I was with them we were cycling through 38°celcius and hardly noiticed the heat other than the rate at which we went through water.

They said "we had a nice ride although there were some big hills."

Suncream.

They have run out of sun cream and say "Today we literally turned purple!"

Although suncream is a big issue the biggest problem for them is mosquitos. Although even when I was with them mosquitoes never liked me I still think that an Italian monastary with netted windows is much better prepared for them than a tent. In the hospital Anna was joking about seeing a dermatologist about her mosquito bites (they were great in number) so I think that now she must be covered in them.

Last night they stayed at a cool campsite but say that they are missing the hospital Bed and Breakfast service. Concerning food they are now bored of bread and have moved onto pasta (when we rearanged the baggaage I handed over the kilogram bag of pasta that I had been carrying for two days!)

Anna and Joseph say "Thankyou for the support, there are Via Fracigena sign posts everywhere and we have seen a few walkers"

lots of love and prayers
Anna, Joe and Greg!

CRASH, BANG, WOLLOP, ooops a lamp post

2010-07-20T00:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate convent in Firenze S. M. Nouvella (Florence).
It is withgreat sadness and pain that i tell you i cannot cycle for 7-10 days you may have guessed the reason why from the title but to make it crystal clear on day 14, I Gregory colided with a lamp post 30 miles from Pavia and 20 miles from Piacenza. Now i was quite clever and managed hit a lamp post very nearby an amazingly hospitable family who insantly drove around the corner when they heard a big "kerlangalang" (as the Italian lady put it!) they called the ambulance and the ambulance came very quickly and started to examine me. I being in alot of pain started to make various jokes and making Anna laugh. The ambulance men took me out to a strecher and got me into the ambulance put a drip in and took some blood.

Joseph said "be nice to the nurses"
to whitch I replied "hello darling"

Very soon I was on my way to hospital with Anna in the ambulace and an ambulance man asking what hurt!
When i got to the hospital there where lots of doctors waiting for me including a surgeon!! and lukily a English speaking Doctor. They ultrasounded my stomache and my lower regions but found that it was mostly ok soon I was sent for x-rays and had 2 on my shoulder and one on my jaw (none of which are broken). after waiting around in corridors i finally got moved to another hospital where i had to stay over night and also see a urologist? again very luckily the on call urologist spoke good English.
finally after the whole noghts proceedings me and anna were to stay at hospital and joe did not have a place to stay for the night we asked nurse where the nearest hotel was and in the end she pulled out a camp bed and we all slept in the hospital!

Next morning we were all given breakfast and then I had to go of to be ultra sounded again this time it took ages but when it was over I was taken back to the room we were in and waited for the results. a nurse came and told me that I was not alowed to cyle for 7-10 days and that I would have to get the train to Rome afterwards I Anna went to the pharmacy and got the medicines I needed while Joe rang the Italian family who had agreed to pick us up.

When we got back to their house Iwe cahnged all our baggage around and all took our nessesary belongings then we were give a lift to the train station (Italian style) and quite soon was on various trains to florence on the way i managed to miss a train and see a man get aressted (beaten through a glass door by Italien police which ended up completly smashed) it was quite a scary experience.

When I got to the station i was met by one of the Brothers, which mum had already organised with Fr Agnellus, we walked to the convent where I was fed and given a room where i slept soundly.

Anna and Joe have carried on the cycle to Rome whilst i have had to stop at 890 miles 1425 kilometers due to injury.

What I found hardest was not only the lamp post, but notbeing able to speak Italian at all!

lots of love
Gregory Treloar

Good Luck Anna and Joseph
xxx

Bella Italia

2010-07-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

So, after days of fruitless searching for internet, we finally stumbled across it at our campsite in Quincinetto. Quick update of the journey:

Day 9: Big day- we got to Yverdon, total distance 85 miles. Can't really recomend Portalier as a holiday destination, but the cycle over the Alps was beautiful. Not as bad as we thought it would be, but we were mentally prepared for cliff faces and crampons...

Day 10: Took half a day off! We went swimming in the enormous lake next to our campsite in Yverdon. Have a look at a map, it was huge. Cycled over to Lausanne, where we stopped at a bike shop to fix Anna's bike. Problem with the rachets in the back block, so the pedals didn't work properly. The man's face and the words 'Well, ha, it's.... how we say? Caput!' say it all, really. After cycling it over some Alps, Anna didn't see the funny side. We then cycled on around a lake that dwarfed our morning campsite lake. It was honestly one of the most beautiful settings we'd ever seen, a massive expanse of clear water ringed by mountains. Montreux, on the edge of the lake, has to be one of the most fantastic looking cities we've gone through. Go if you ever get the chance, it's a stunning area of Europe. Finished our day's cycle in the town of Aigle, a few miles south.

Day 11: Quick, flat morning ride from Aigle to Martigny, stopping for maps and food shopping. We thought we'd done the worst of the Alps, but found ourselves climbing again, up the St Bernard Pass, which was decidedly more difficult than we expected. It's a very international road, so many different number plates. Finished up in Bourg St Pierre. The air at the top of the mountains is so clean and fresh, you really can almost taste it. Camped next to a field full of cows with cowbells, which is the closest I ever want to get to tinnitus.

Day 12: Final climb over the Alps from Bourg St Pierre to the top of the St Bernard Pass, 2473 metres at its highest point. The pass is one of the lowest points in the surrounding mountains, and we've really very grateful to whatever glacier is responsible. Up near the top, we were surrounded by some snow, ice and low clouds. A man who was quite clearly a bit of a fitnes machine saw us at the top munching through Swiss chocolate bars, disapproved, and gave us fancy energy bars. Must have worked, because we carried that evening on through Italy into Quincinetto, just south of Pont St Martin. The ride down the Alps both times was absolutely incredible- like a massive, scenic assault course. The paniers may be a hinderance on the way up, but they really speed up the descent. Italian drivers, we must report, are a little unpredictable- lunatics, says Greg. They also love our yellow tops.

We've just started day 13, taken advantage of the dead early morning campsite to use the internet! We have custard croissants, muesli and tons of biscotti things for breakfast.

Ciao! Lots of love,

Anna, Joe and Greg

Bonjour de Pontarlier

2010-07-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Quick post! Rained off last night, there was a massive thunderstorm. We stayed just outside of Besancon in Cussey-sur-Ognon.
Today, we arrived in Pontarlier about 4pm, took a massive climb up to the first bit of the Alps to get here. 54 miles of big hills, pretty exhausting, had to buy out the whole supermarket for lunch. Beautiful scenery, though. Going to cycle the last part of France now, over the Alps to Yverdon in Switzerland. We'll miss Bastille day in France, sad stuff. 1789, yeah, we were listening in year 8 history lessons...
Hopefully make it to Yverdon tonight and put some more stuff on the blog, if we're not exhausted.

For a special someone...

2010-07-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Whilst we're off in France, we're missing Celeste, our youngest sister's, 12th birthday. Happy birthday Celeste!

We've gone past firelds and fields of sunflowers, so thought we'd send you some! Lots of love from us all, see you soon x x x x

More pictures

2010-07-12T05:40:00.001-07:00

Rough camping. Lovely... Mum, don't panic.

Joe, Anna and G the Gangstaa

French Olympic swimming pool?

Great campsite in Froncles

Aquaduct- for Dad!

Swimming in Lac Du Der, before the jetskis

Reims cathedral

Top of Laon, in the medieval village

Bottom of Laon, French national monument, pretty huge we thought.

Greg looking pro

Yeah, grimy. That's Joe and Greg, by the way :-)

Hello from Dampierre-sur-Salon

2010-07-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long silence- we've been travelling through seemingly the middle of nowhere for days, getting blank expressions whenever we mention the Internet. But here we are in Dampierre-sur-Salon (yes, we'd never heard of it either) where we have a feeling they've just built an internet cafe in the top floor of an office espicially for us.

Update:
Day 6
We went on to Froncles, another big distance day of 81 miles, but large parts of that were along a beautiful flat canal. Had lunch at Lac du Der, a lake bigger than Reims! Went for a quick swim, got chucked ot in favour of a load of jet skis.
We pretty much fell off the road at Froncles, straight onto the campsite. It was beside a river, so more swimming, and really nice showers, then bed...
Day highlights:
Greg speaking French all by himself to the lady in la Poste
The greengrocer with the super air conditioned shop and an exceptional pride in his fruit and veg in Joinville.
The hill down into Joinville- worth every bit of the hill up!

Day 7
Sunday. Left early to try and find a church. Thought we'd head for the nearest big city, Chaumont. It had a basilica and 2 churches, can't go wrong we thought... but no, no Mass all Sunday, so we cycled over to the next village to a new age shed church for Mass. The basilica round the corner was much better designed for the French summer... meltdown.
Another thing about France on Sundays- no one moves. Empty streets, dead shut shops. We cycled up and down a hill twice to find a truckers self service cafe for lunch, and almost cried when the skinny woman next to us left a whole plate of chips untouched. Then we just carried on south east, nothing else we could do really. Overall, we did 64 miles, and ended the day in the middle of nowhere (more precisely just south of a small town, Les Loges, SE of Chalindrey) camping in a field next to a puddle river, with some crisps, rock hard bread and Oreos from a petrol station for dinner. And breakfast. Quote of the day from Joseph, washing in the mud pool river- 'I feel like Pocahontas.' Sunday was definitely the lowpoint of the trip so far. Started to feel like a bit of a pilgrimage... Total distance in first week overall 476.74 miles.

Today
Cycled, after a nourishing breakfast of 2 oreos and a slice of stale bread to Champlitte, where we overpowered the Boulangerie by our enthusiasm for their bread and pain aux raisins. Champlitte is a very pretty town, again, never heard of the internet. Carried on round a load of silly hills (Alps training, apparently) to Dampierre-sur-Salon. Tonight, we are rejoining civilization and the land of running water and camping in Besancon. Tomorrow, we're starting to hit the Alps. If you were waiting to donate, now would be a great time!

It is very very very warm, we seem to have acclimatized. The other morning, we were talking about it being almost chilly, turns out it was 26 degrees.
The bikes are all lovely, apart from Brutus, who appeared to be dying, until Joe did some fancy gear spanner work. Didn't fix the cranky pedals, though...
Hand washing the clothes appears to be becoming futile. They don't get much cleaner, and we set off every morning with washing strapped onto the bikes to dry. We don't look all that pro with underwear flapping around.
And if you are French, or driving in France today or tommorow, please refrain from beeping and making Tour de France/yellow jersey jokes. We've heard them all. We are NOT the Tour de France, we're carrying a tent.

Lots of love

Spanner, Go and Greedy.

Chalons en Champagne

2010-07-09T08:45:00.001-07:00

Hi there, quick update...
Day 3: after Arras, we went on to Peronne, in the Somme region. Beautiful weather, mostly flat riding with some slow hills. Finally found a proper campsite! Lots of washing...

Day 4: From Peronne to Prouilly. We had intended to reach Reims, but only nearby campsite was in Prouilly, so we went for that. Turned out to be nearly i,possible to find. Eventually got there, and a lovely man sorted everything out- gave us a camping spot next to a beautiful lake, and gave us the night's stay for free. Then he turned up 10 mins later with a bottle of cold coke... Amazing!
The day was very warm- 36 degrees in the shade. Had longest day's ride yet- 86 miles, with some big hills. Greg ran over a frog, Joe had a brush with a parked car... interesting day!

Day 5- Today. We cycled into Reims in the morning, beautiful Cathedral. Went on to Chalons en Champagne, and hope to manage another 30k to the only campsite around this eve.

So far, we've done 330 miles, so still on target. A few flatter days coming up too.

General reflections- France is very beautiful, so much countryside, some areas look like they haven't changed for a century or so. Most people have been really helpful, despite our limitations on the language front! We still love l'office de tourisme.

Also, met a woman today doing a walking pilgrimage across France with a cat. And we thought we were mad...

PS...

2010-07-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

Anna passed her exams, so no turning back at Dover to resit! slowly revising anatomy through pain- ulnar nerve, sciatic nerve, load of back muscles, thigh muscles, and the old favourite, the gluteus maximus...

2010-07-07T05:28:00.000-07:00

here are a few pictures of the trip so far, from the starting stone in canterbury, to the hills of france. as you can see we are loving it, though it can be tiring :)

love to all. Joe

Quotes from Arras

2010-07-07T05:06:00.000-07:00

'We didn't need to buy cheese. We've got Joe's bag.'

'yeah greg, and my bag contains your clothes.'

'Toutes directions.' On every signpost. What? these signs are most misleading and should not be blindly followed.

The French seem trigger happy with their car horns. we are not sure if this is all friendly. we rest happy in the knowledge that we have only annoyed each motorist once.

'This hill has so many contour lines, it's red.'

'Why Rome?' Greg said in his sleep...

Love you all lots! We are getting killer tans here.

Anna, Joseph and Gregory

Hello from Arras!

2010-07-07T04:44:00.000-07:00

This is going to take a while, keyboards aren`t international apparently...
We`ve just arrived in Arras. First day was Blackfen to Dover, 75 miles, great cycling! Mum drove Celeste and Bethany down to Dover to meet us there. No where to stay, so a few negotiations later, we camped in the local vicar`s garden. Got the 7am ferry to Boulogne, where we got a bit overwhelmed by the big big roads with our tiny tiny scale map, and in short got horrendously lost, almost cycling in a very hilly circle. Rest of the day was pretty hilly, 65 miles in all, and we ended up in the moderately sized town of Pernes... no room at the inn again, so we did some horrendously illegal camping in a farmer`s field. Hid our tent behind a tree and some fences and spent the evening whispering and belly diving whenever a car drove past. Almost went mental. greg`s given up on this blogging session and is napping AGAIN, 5th time today, we`re getting worried...
We left in the morning after cooking porridge- quite a feat given the circumstances we thought. we`re turning into proper explorers. Cycle to Arras was lovely but melting now...
Tonight we`re cycling towards Vendeuil. we like le office de tourisme and they have found campsites for us nearby- this could be necessary, we aint washed, since sunday eve... (anna points out she washed monday morning) but anyway, desperate times...

best things
hills- downwards.
nap time (greg)
religion- we`d be mega lost without church landmarks.
sleeping in in the field, next to mantres, felt so bad...

worst things
hills- upwards.
3 yellow t-shirts means fly party time- they REALLY attract flies.
no one letting us use their loo in arras, probably because we`re like street urchins.
annas map reading out of bologne
joe`s spelling
putting give way signs in the middle of huge hills. decision time- do i dice with death, or pedal the metal from stationary?

Departure

2010-07-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

We are leaving tomorrow morning from Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Blackfen, at 7am.

From 6.30am, we'll be saying morning prayer and the prayer for travellers with our family and some parishoners. Everyone is welcome, if you can manage the early start!

Directions to the church can be found on the parish website, http://www.rosary.freeuk.com/gettobf.html.

Brutus the Bicycle

2010-07-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Introducing the next member of the fleet, Brutus.

Name: My name is Brutus Derelictus Bicyclitius, commander of the roads of North Yorkshire, General of the Treloar Legions, loyal servant to the true rider, Anna Marielius.

Age: Unknown.

Brutus came to us in the summer of 2009, a savage, untamed beast with a history of hard combat in the London commuting rush. Brutus spent a rehabilitation year on the somewhat quieter streets of York, adapting to a quieter, more genteel pace of life, and developing a lasting, if not unlikely, relationship with a pink bicycle helmet.

Refreshed and renewed, Brutus now feels ready to tackle the challenging journey ahead. Brutus has undergone many changes in preparation for the trip, as his rider explains:

"Really, Brutus has changed so much, almost beyond recognition. So many new parts have been added- Brutus is a rough, tempestuous character, and I have had my worries about how he will interact with the new additions. I've chosen some sunny yellow handlebar tape for Brutus, just to encourage a happy, upbeat mindset, to help him through this difficult time of transition and re-evaluation of self-image. But Brutus is a soldier through and through, and will hold fast when the going gets tough."

Brutus said, "Grhmphrgh."

http://viaromea.blogspot.com/2010/06/bettie-bicycle.html

Fundraising target

2010-07-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

We've had some publicity from both local press and national Catholic newspapers, thanks to the hard work of Richard Marsden, a journalist and friend, who volunteered to prepare a press release for us.
As a result of this, we have decided to put the fundraising target up to an ambitious £3000, which we hope we can raise with your help. Many thanks to all who have donated so far.

To donate online, please visit www.charitygiving.co.uk/treloarfamily.

The bike yard!

2010-07-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

Throughout the morning we have been meticulously making adjustments and replacing parts of the bicycles so that they is as comfortable and easy to ride as possible. As a result Anna has fitted new pedals for cycling shoes and has been trying (and failing) to get to grips with staying on the bike! Although I find being able to get your hands realy dirty and slowly adjusting bikes really relaxing we have almost finished and soon our bikes will be completely ready to leave.

sorry about any grammar errors Anna didnt check it!!

Gregory Treloar

Equipment

2010-06-30T10:21:00.001-07:00

Today was our big shopping day- a trip to Decathlon, one of those huge, general sports stores that feels a lot like a warehouse. Whilst being no substitute for a proper specialist shop, Decathlon is good for cheap essentials, like the bright yellow cycling jerseys, £7.99, which Mum picked out for 'visibility'. 3 of us, matching yellow jerseys... We'll be visible for miles around. Quelle horreur.
We didn't buy that much, really, as we've got bits of our own kit already, from years of casual and commuter cycling, and many friends have been very generous in lending things out to us. We've steered clear of going above the necessary basics, to minimize weight and avoid the 'all gear, no idea' look. Most exciting buy of the day was a pair of proper cycling shoes, reduced from £35 to £1.19. Only smaller sizes left, so Anna is now going to have to counter having the best gear by carrying the heaviest panniers. Until now, we've not gone anywhere near clipless pedals, but decided to go for it, and get the bargain pair of shoes and the pedals to match. Bit of a risky last minute transition, but we'll keep you posted...

Bettie the bicycle

2010-06-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

So far, the real workhorses of the trip have gone unmentioned. Here, we present you with the first of our bike profiles.

Name: Bettie
Age: Bettie is a refined lady, whose age is thus undisclosed. However, she is known to have spent the last two years under Treloar care.

Bettie is by far the most sophisticated member of the cohort. Her reliable, sturdy British character is coupled with a smooth, chic, navy finish, accessorized by a yellow logo design and this season’s must-have, red electrical tape, to add that extra special something, and hold on the break cable...

Bettie has been looking forward to the trip for many months, though confesses a fear of heights- “I’m a road bike really; all this mountaineering isn’t my natural environment. However, I’m going to put my best wheel forward, and am sure that in the capable hands of Gregory, there’s a climber in this old woman yet!”

Words from the rider: “Bettie is a beautiful machine, and deserves to see a world outside of the dusty streets of Sidcup, and a destination more profound than Blackfen. Every rider takes something from their bike; usually, it’s just chain oil, but I’d like to learn from Bettie the art of coping under pressure... 60 PSI, to be precise.”

http://viaromea.blogspot.com/2010/07/brutus-bicycle.html

Ss Peter and Paul

2010-06-29T15:16:00.001-07:00

Today, Catholics celebrate the feast of St Peter and St Paul. We reckon they would be good patron saints for our journey- St Peter, the first Pope, is buried at the Vatican, our destination, and St Paul spent many years on the road, travelling between the early Christian communities.

Photo shoot

2010-06-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

This time next week, we'll be gone. We had a little photo session today, wearing our lovely matching t-shirts Mary's Meals sent us, and thought you'd all love to see them...

Above (left to right) is Joseph, Anna and Gregory. And yes, Joseph and Gregory look very similar.

The outtakes...

Publicity

2010-06-27T14:49:00.001-07:00

We're currently trying to spread the word about the trip as far and wide as possible, in order to promote the work of the charities we're fundraising for, and hopefully push up the total we raise. If you're reading this, and have access to any means of publicity, please get in touch.

Helping hands

2010-06-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

We've now got 8 days left before departure. We have been very fortunate to receive generous offers of help from many quarters- a journalist writing a press release, a sport scientist preparing a training and physio programme, and various people sharing their bike expertise.

Then there's the indomitable Blackfen parish UCM (Union of Catholic Mothers), who are raising money to pay for our tent through strawberries and cream teas.

Then there's Mum and Dad, whose anxieties mount the closer we get to departure, and who will doubtless be on duty till we return, picking up the pieces... Wouldn't get far without them.

Hymn for the bicycle

2010-06-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

This is hysterical. It's going to be our motivational mission-to-the-finish song.

My favourite line is, "Bless them with lots of hills." The singer's either sadistic, or not a cyclist.

http://www.arcata.com/greenbikes/prayerforbicycle.MP3

All roads lead to Rome...

2010-06-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

...but some take longer than others, so we're taking maps.

Our 1:100,000 scale maps of France arrived today. We'll be posting the maps we finish with back home as we go along, and buying the maps for the next leg of the journey through Switzerland and Italy as we move south.

Who's head map-reader? Bit of a point of contention, that one.

What is the Via Romea?

2010-06-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Via Romea is an ancient pilgrimage route from Canterbury to Rome. It is more commonly referred to as the Via Francigena, which technically describes the reverse of the route we are taking, passing from Rome to Canterbury.
The route was most popular as a pilgrimage path in medieval times, but is undergoing something of a modern-day revival. It's very different to the Camino de Santiago, the popular pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, Spain; the Camino is well-marked, busy, and with an developed infrastructure around the pilgrimage route. The Via Romea/Francegina is much less developed, and fairly unmarked outside of Italy. Overall, it's a much quieter route... perfect for Gregory, we thought.
The medieval pilgrim would travel across Europe as a penitential pilgrimage, seeking three holy places- Rome, Santiago de Compostela (the tomb of St James), and Jerusalem. The pilgrim carried three objects: keys for St Peter's in Rome, a shell, for Santiago, and a cross for Jerusalem.
We decided to just stick to Rome this time round :-) No keys, either, except for bike locks.

Our charities

2010-06-22T04:18:00.001-07:00

We're using the trip to raise money for two charities very close to our hearts; Mary's Meals and the Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative.
Mary’s Meals provides a staple, daily meal in schools for children in some of the poorest countries in the world, fighting poverty through tackling malnutrition and encouraging education.
The Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative provides non-judgemental practical, spiritual and emotional support for mothers in the UK, struggling with crisis pregnancy and the prospect of bringing up a child alone. There's links to the charities' pages at the bottom of the blog.

We've set ourselves a fundraising target of £1200, which conveniently works out to £1 per mile! Any amount you could spare, however small, would be gratefully received and put to good use by the two charities, both of which operate on minimal overheads, maximising the help that reaches the people who need it most. Just to clarify, the trip is totally self-funded; all money raised goes to the charities.

Welcome...

2010-06-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, thanks for visiting the blog.

As you've probably already found out, we're spending July cycling from our home in Sidcup (near London) to Rome. The route is a total distance of 1300 miles, passing through France, Switzerland, and Italy before we finally arrive in Rome. The trip is a holiday and a pilgrimage, but we're also taking the opportunity to raise money for two fantastic charities; see more at www.charitygiving.co.uk/treloarfamily.

We're using this blog to keep an account of our journey as we go and to keep in touch with people back home.

We've wanted to make the journey for over a year and a half, and are finally just biting the bullet and going for it. It's definitely an ambitious undertaking; none of us have ever done bike touring for more than two days in a row. Between us, we have about enough French to forge conversation, enough Italian to say hello, and no idea what they speak in Switzerland.
But, what can I say? We have a thirst for adventure, and enthusiasm for the unknown, and an unquenchable desire to be in St Peter's Square, intact, in a month's time.

...and we've all done Duke of Edinburgh. No worries then.