Garry McGivern’s French bicycle-tour in the summer of 2022 was supposed to be more of a European ride. In August 2022, Garry left home with the intention of cycling to Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Belgium. Garry hasn’t spent much time in the three countries, with Liechtenstein being somewhere Garry had never been. And Garry’s always looking for new places to cycle.
After catching the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Saint-Malo, Garry started on his ride towards Liechtenstein. But it soon became apparent to Garry that he wouldn’t be able to make it as far as he’d hoped. He was diagnosed with anaemia a week before leaving home (the doctors think it’s related to his hip infection), which affected his ability to cycle much more than he’d expected.
Low Expectations
Garry had already expected not to cycle his usual daily distance of eighty miles. Garry always says that it doesn’t matter how many miles you cycle as long as your enjoying it. But some days, Garry struggled even to cycle forty miles, which was fine. But Garry only had a limited time as he had to return home for a hospital appointment. He had also come up in some rather alarming blisters, which the doctors think are also linked to his hip infection! (what isn’t related to his hip infection!?)
After reaching Troyes, Garry wasn’t feeling too good and decided he wouldn’t have enough time to get to Liechtenstein, let alone Luxembourg and Belgium, and decided to head home. As it was all a bit of a struggle for Garry, he wanted to find the easiest and flattest route home he could, which was to follow the meandering route of the river Seine. Although it may have been much further to cycle, it was much easier, with some excellent cycle routes following the Seine.
Garry was away from home for nineteen days and cycled 800 miles.
YouTube Videos
Photos
European Bicycle Tour Map
