>>>>>>>>>Hey Mike
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>I just fitted one of those little trip computers on my daughters bike. I'm going to get one for myself. Speed and distance etc. I may be really sad and keep a log. :-)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Not as sad as me. I've got a Garmin 705. Not just the simple stuff like average speed. I get
>>>>>>>>Cadence, Gradient, Total Ascent, Total Descent, Calories burnt, ETA at destination, Elevation, Heart monitor and goodness knows what else. Usual SatNav stuff and it will later show the route on Google Earth.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Only used the heart monitor once to see if it worked......
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I keep a log..... 2185 miles on two wheels in the last 365 days.
>>>>>>>Pining after a Garmin 705 myself.
>>>>>>>Planning to ride a Century this weekend.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>On an annual basis I probably do about the same mileage but it all tends to be compressed into the 4-5 months of reasonable weather and usually 1000 miles of it in an intensive couple of weeks - hence the delay in this response: just had 12 days cycling in Spain :-}
>>>>>
>>>>>legs like a bag of walnuts ?
>>>>
>>>>Nah. Coconuts. (not)
>>>
>>>Where you cycling with all your kit on the bikes or was it being driven ahead for you as part of a package.
>>
>>I used to do that but for the last few years I've been cheating: I've got a motorhome and a friend who *doesn't* like (read hates) cycling so he comes along and acts as backup. Makes it much easier in that we can set off every morning with no fixed target and also not carrying too much gear. :-}
>>
>>>I'm mulling over attempting to cycle to family in the South of France next year and was wondering about camping/hostelling /budget hotelling on the way. So I'm thinking about weight and what it like cycling with that load.
>>
>>Which bit of the south? I've cycled from Calais (or Cherbourg) down to the Med a few times so might be able to suggest routes...
>>Nice thing about France is that there are muncipal campsites in almost a majority of villages - cheap, cheerful and well run.
>>As far as gear goes: pack the minimum - then throw half of it out. Otherwise I guarantee you'll end up carrying a lot of stuff you never actually use......
>
>
>another question.
>
>When you did it what did you think was a reasonable days cycling (I like looking at the view)

Some days in France the view doesn't change a lot - when you've seen 20 million sunflowers you've seen them all :-}
The last 'self contained' trip we did was around Ireland and I think we averaged about 80-90 miles a day - but I don't think I reccommend that sort of pace.
Best thing to do is to take a 2-3 day trial run here and see how you feel. You might feel knackered after that but, in practice, you should be able to average the same sort of distance over a longer period as you adapt.
Rule of thumb: Figure out how many hours per day you want to spend travelling; expect to average 10-12 mph in the saddle (more on the flat, less in the hills) and factor in a few breaks. Don't do it in high summer - late May/early June or early autumn is best.
If you need to end up anywhere east of (say) Avignon then you have to decide whether to dog-leg around the mountains or not. 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other - but baggage in mountains is NOT fun. As I recall the small roads through, for example, the Alpes Maritimes are *steep* and the larger roads tend to be busy.
HTH,
Viv