Huddersfield to Istanbul Day 7.

Friday 25 May. Day 7.
Annacy to Modane 86 miles.

I'm up at 7am and down for breakfast, its no use rushing around as the bike shop does not open until 9am so another late starter for me. Damn spokes ! :-)

I'm sat eating my breakfast, and the guy behind the reception comes over to me to ask if I have the cellar key, I say I gave it back to reception last night !  but they cannot find the key and Its the only one apparently!  Thats not good, but I go back up to my room to have a check anyway,  but nothing there.  As I get back to the restaurant the guy comes along and says he found the key... Hurray :-) (my thoughts turned to breaking the door down if we can't find a key - I have to get to Istanbul haha).

Its around 8.30am and I start to push the bike down the road to the bike shop, it doesn't open on time in fact thEy opened at 9.15am, but at last I'm in and ask if they have a new wheel, they did... that's great,  I'm thinking - can you change it now ?  Their reply was come back tomorrow and it will be ready, What ? no I need it now my head was shouting..  I quickly get my phone out and go to translate (I need my bike asap as I'm doing a charity cycle ride solo to Istanbul so I am in a hurry - please) They checked the translation on my phone and were all chatting I think they were impressed, they replied No problem come back in 2 hrs we will have it done, will you have enough time to get to Istanbul in such a short time they asked me...  of course I can I'm MadHeadCyclist :-)

I went back to hotel to pack my bags and get everything together. At 11.30 am I'm on my way back hoping they have replaced wheel and its ready to go. It is,  and only cost about 50 euros all in !  I'm happy as larry.

After putting my panniers on and loading up the bike, I'm off on the road its 12pm and its already hotting up, I cycle my way through the town and end up near the water front where open markets and shops/cafes were. I'm thinking am I hungry now, so I stop at a cafe which does pizzas and coffee too, its nice just sat here in the sun watching the world go by. There are 2 older couples in the cafe too and I hear them talking in english, so I start to chat to them, they were from Lincolnshire and were on a coach holiday, once they asked what I was doing there and I told them - they were very impressed.

It must have been about 30 mins chatting to them all and my pizza had not come yet, I had finished my coffee, and thought sod this I don't want the pizza now I got fed up of waiting, so I paid the coffee bill and was off to stock up on supplies at a local store. I'm packed up now with food and water and thats it I'm now on my way and I'll keep going as long as I can to try and pick up some miles that I have missed due to waiting for bike.

I cycle past lake Annacy its beautiful scenery and the mountains in the distance are getting bigger, after some miles I end up on a cracking / smooth cycle path for ages Its Brilliant! and I'm whizzing by... these are easy miles - if this is what's its going to be like today it will do for me, I'm amazed It's not that hilly going through the alps - the cycle path goes as far as Albertville.   I think I spoke to soon as from here I seemed to slow right up, no more was the 20+mph I was cruising prior!  Now it feels all of a sudden that there's a headwind in my face or something (Its a weird feeling but there was not a headwind at all) I didn't realize at the time I was gradually climbing for the rest of the afternoon, it was mental how I slowed down, so I kept on stopping at the side of the road and had snacks/pringles and drinks (maybe it was energy I needed!) but I carried on regardless taking in all the scenery around me as I carry on forward heading towards Italy border, I pass by a big sign where it stated which cols were open or closed - My first look was at Galibier it stated Ferme!  I can remember tweeting what does Ferme mean ? I got some back saying Closed. Oh well that was the pass I was going to cycle over but now thats not going to happen, and I have to carry on the road that I was already on.

Again cycling onwards and upwards towards the Italy border, it must have been about 7.45pm and it was getting dark, at this time I had just cycled through a town called Modane my thought was where is the next town after here, I looked on my map and there was nothing for miles, so I turned around and headed back into the town. I found a hotel just on the edge of town before the main cafes/bars (there were only a couple of restaurants by the looks of it but it would do me for the night, I needed some wine :-)

It was an old couple who had the hotel I stayed in, it was in need of modernization but it would do me. The guy showed me to my room, it was up 2 floors and the lift was only big enough for 2 people and the light in the lift was going on and off. (Fawlty towers springs to mind! Manwell) After I'm sorted/showered and changed, I'm off out walking down into the centre of town where I go in a restaurant for something to eat and  drink. I'm surprised it's so busy in there, and the food was very good. I was sat there drinking my wine with my meal whilst reflecting on todays journey. After a bottle and half of red tonight I make/stagger my way back to the hotel, my thought was I hope they are still up at 11.30pm and that they have not locked the door. But when I got there and knocked they opened the door and asked if I had a good night, I said yes thank you,  and see you in the morning for breakfast.

Huddersfield to Istanbul. Day 6.

Thursday 24 May. Day 6.
Levier to Annacy  118 miles.

After a poor nights sleep with minimal food/drink and nothing to charge up phones/garmin oh and a damp night with no mat to sleep on, and to add to all that I have 2 broken spokes on the back wheel. I had a few aches, but I had set my alarm early to get to a nearby town to see if there was a cycle shop there.

I was headed for a town called Pontarlier it was about 12 miles away, so I was packed up for 6am and pushed my bike along not wanting to do anymore damage to the wheel. The sun was rising and the mist was burning off as the sun was rising. It was a long slog to this town unable to ride along, although on the downhill bits I let the bike go with me on it so it got me to a shop a little quicker. I arrived at Pontarlier about 9.30am and started to look out for bike shops, I see one so its straight in and ask them if they can fix it ? Yes they say come back at 11am and it will be done.. Result!  they also said leave the panniers here they will be safe.

I did, then walked off at leisure for a couple of hours. I stopped at a little supermarket as I was very hungry and thirsty, I managed to fill up my water bottles as i left the campsite toilets. I sat down in the sun with my goodies from the store - the usual Sandwiches, chocolate, biscuits etc. I have a stroll around the town until its time to go pick my bike up. I get back to shop and Its ready, the guy who fixed the wheel said The wheel is kapput !!  It will need changing soon..  I took that on board and thought It may do me today, so I paid up and off i went, they also put a brand new tyre on too. They said the old one was knackered!  I agreed so now I have a new tyre on back wheel, the front one has done fantastic up to now with no bother apart from 1 puncture.

I was headed to Lausanne, the hills were getting bigger and the sun was getting hotter, but as long as I was cycling away it created a nice breeze all the way to Lausanne via Vallorbe. I was looking forward to seeing Lake Geneva as I had see it on another guys video on youtube, it looked fantastic.

I was getting a little frustrated because of the repairs to the wheel, it was putting me behind schedule but  had to keep pushing on..  It was not long before the lake came into view Awesome !  with the mountain alps behind in the distance. I cycled to the shoreline and stopped for a coffee at a cafe near a harbor, very good just to chill along the way. I finished my drink and headed along the coast of the lake stopping for an ice cream along the way. Eventually I arrived in Geneva, that cycle to here was Brilliant! a tail wind all the way along the lake.

After a ponder around Geneva I was heading towards Annacy, thats where I thought that would be a good distance for the time I had available for today. I arrived in Annacy around 9.30pm it was dark. I managed o find a hotel and went in there was a steep staircase up to reception which meant I had to carry the bike up this narrow staircase..  I got to the reception and the guy looked in amazement at the fact I had just carried my bike up :-)  I booked in and asked if there were any bike shops open tomorrow, he gave me a map of where there was a good one, I thanked him and then had to carry my bike back down the staircase because he wanted to put my bike overnight in the cellar..  oh well I'm carrying it down to the cellar its safe there for sure because he locks the door.

So its now a frantic part to get my tent unraveled to dry it out from the night before, put my stuff on charge and then shower and change.. now its time to find some food, as this hotel does not do food especially at this time - about 10.30pm. So I walk off around the town and see a little kebab shop, I see some students are sitting outside eating what looks to be very nice. I asked for a curry tandoori as that was on the menu, he passed me a small cup with small pieces of tandoori chicken in it! The look on my face must have said it all ! I said could I have same again, then he asked if I want meal,  said yes :-)

He mentioned something big and I just nodded as I was extremely hungry tonight, he asked if I was sitting outside on a table, I agreed and on way out I asked for a small bottle of wine Red Wine with my meal :-)

The food came over with the wine "Fantastic" a big plate of food..  nice I tucked in it was Fab, after eating this I asked how much was it for the meal and the wine, he said 15 euros, so I asked for same again, he offered up another dish so I agreed with him, if it was as good as the last one that will do for me, oh and can I have another bottle of red wine too ? :-)

There is a daily phone call back home when I finish my cycle for the day, my daughter each day asks Are you in Istanbul yet dads ?  so I run through the countries that I still have to cycle through to get to my destination, so by now the call is shorter the closer I am getting :-))

After my 2 meals and 2 wines I make my way back to hotel, my belly is full and I'm happy again. I get back to room, and my tent etc is dry now so I pack them up back into my bags so it saves time in the morning. What a day, and tomorrow I have decided I need a new wheel, so when the shops open thats my first job.