Hi, how’ve you been…and where did May go, while we’re at it?

Last month will be our busiest month of the year, I think, which is great for business but not really for Haute Route Pyrenees training. Being a cycling tour guide takes its toll physically; it’s only the cycling that saves me from having to enter rehab.

That’s from our first tour in May – 5 days of awesome riding and far too much drinking with a fun group from the Central Valley of California. Girona still ‘has it’ and the place kind of grows on you. Where else can you ride to the Med in the morning and enjoy a local craft beer at an anarchist, vegan beer bar?

Other May fun included our most loyal clients, Rich and Diane, who come over every year for a month in Malaucene – the ‘other’ village of Ventoux.

We also hosted a couple of groups for some ‘Ventoux Weekends’, including 4 guys from Birmingham who thought it a good idea to do a Triple….

…and our now-annual Freewheeling France Ventoux Social Weekend, which was another great success, with 12 riders from the US, England, Ireland, France and Scotland.

I was in Provence most of my time, but last month brought me to Spain and the Alps (Alpe d’Huez) as well. The mileage finally killed my dear old Ford Focus (pictured above) but I’ve found a newer version that will hopefully take me through the next few seasons.

As for training, I’m not sure really. This year is really make-shift compared to 2013 and 2015, but I’m getting some hours in. I’ve done 203 since the beginning of the year and have climbed over 60,000 meters, including a few Ventoux climbs, both full and not so full. Then there’s the weight…but I don’t want to bring any negativity into the blog. Will get back to you on that.

June is here and although it won’t be as busy 44|5 Cycling Tours wise, I’ve got some big cycling plans, including a long-awaited Ventoux-to-Alpe d’Huez day trip. More on that if I survive. It will look something like this, for those who need to know:

https://www.strava.com/routes/6262755