You may wonder why I’m writing about this Camino bike trip now: planning, preparing etc, when the start date is still over a month away. The reason is that the solo ride along the Camino is just the final stage in what I can confidently describe as the most complicated vacation (and leave) that I’ve ever been part of organizing. We’re really planning three trips in one:

1. a week-long biking trip in the Berry region of central France (also known as the departments of Cher and Indre, and one-time home of French writer George Sand). This part of the trip is just J & I, to mark our tenth year of married life together. We drove through this area on our honeymoon ten years ago, and I remember thinking: “Hmmm… this could be a nice part of France to cycle in…” It’s taken us ten years to arrange, but it is finally about to happen. We’ll be Bed & Breakfasting (or gite-ing) it, and plan to average around 50km a day (more or less). For this section we need the bikes (of course), and cycling clothes. Suitcases would be a pain rather than a convenience, and camping equipment (particularly when the camping equipment includes a tent that just sleeps one) is just added weight.
2. a 2 1/2 week “family” vacation with two of J’s sisters (one with her partner). The five of us have jointly rented a place not far from Perpignan (in the foothills of the Pyrenees near the Spanish border) and a car to help us get around. J’s two sisters live in Ontario, so coordinating this section of the trip has required much back-and-forth of email messages. On this section of the trip, suitcases would be useful; by contrast bicycles (and all bicycle paraphenalia) is more of a hindrance than anything. In fact a key concern for many weeks was “Where in Paris will we store the bicycles while we’re down south?”. And the tent and sleeping bag are just things you curse at when packing the tiny trunk of a rental car.
3. the solo ride along the Camino which this weblog is intended to describe. For this section of the trip: bike=good, suitcases=bad, camping equipment=good.

Our departure date (J & I) is a mere week away. Which is why we’re madly packing even now, making lists, and lists of lists, and (slowly) checking things off those lists until the long-anticipated moment when we finally head out the door…