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    South of France

    I Stumbled Upon This Castle While Bikepacking In France



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    After a couple of rough days battling the heat and the traffic in Paris I’m finally at the highlight of the whole trip, The Loire Valley. The Loire By Bike trail offers some spectacular and easily ridden stretches along the Loire river. And this day promises to offer some fantastic sights in the form of a castle taken right out of a Disney movie, an impressive cathedral and of course you’ll get to see me almost hitting the wall in the afternoon due to the heat. All in all a fantastic day here in France.

    Bike:
    Kona Sutra

    Bike Bags:
    Ortlieb Handlebar Pack 15L
    Ortlieb Frame Pack 6L
    Ortlieb Seat Pack 16,5L

    Clothes:
    Adidas Adilette Flip Flops – https://amzn.to/40eKFyQ
    Craft Core Enduro Jacket
    2 Forclaz Merino Wool T-Shirt
    Nike Mens Dri-FIT Short Sleeve Polo Shirt – https://amzn.to/3j2aq1w
    Padded MTB Shorts
    Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pants – https://amzn.to/3jalGfE
    2 Pair of Socks https://amzn.to/40dU4H6
    Merino Underwear – https://amzn.to/3XRU9hZ
    Merino Wool Buff – https://amzn.to/409sYkd
    Giro Fixture Mips Helmet – https://amzn.to/3XKHsoZ
    Science In Sport Water Bottle – https://amzn.to/3WLLsV9
    Northwave Cycling Shoes
    Sunglasses

    Cooking Gear:
    Sea To Summit X Mug – https://amzn.to/3Hg7GJ1
    Light My Fire Spork – https://amzn.to/3Dncn2J
    Wine Bottle Opener 😉

    Tools:
    Lezyne HV Bicycle Hand Pump – https://amzn.to/3lHxnJc
    Park Tool VP-1Vulcanizing Patch Kit – https://amzn.to/409NhOC
    Crankbrothers M19 Multi-Tool – https://amzn.to/3j0A86D
    Squirt Long Lasting Dry Lube – https://amzn.to/3iWqYIf
    CTC Plastic Bag + packaging
    Inner Tube – https://amzn.to/3Dq1oFP
    Bike Lock – https://amzn.to/3HHcWqs

    Toiletries:
    Toothbrush
    Toothpaste
    Shaving Gel
    Mach 3 Razor – https://amzn.to/3j2bYsm
    Contact Lens Case
    Travel Schampoo bottle

    Camping Equipment:
    Naturehike Cloud Up 2 Tent – https://amzn.to/3aA1MTp
    Sea To Summit Collapsible Backpack – https://amzn.to/3RvanLP
    Aegismax UL Down Sleeping Bag – https://amzn.to/3BVCStv
    Aegismax Nano 2 Ultralight Sleeping Bag – https://amzn.to/3RcZcqR
    Sea To Summit Reactor Insulated Sleeping Bag Liner – https://amzn.to/409RLVs
    Nemo Tensor Insulated Sleeping Pad – https://amzn.to/3Y98qGC
    Nabaji Microfibre Towel L – https://amzn.to/3Y3KDbh

    Electronics
    Samsung S20 – https://amzn.to/3Y544jR
    Dji Mavic Pro Drone – https://amzn.to/3FKsVBk
    GoPro Hero7 Black – https://amzn.to/3JoetTC
    Canon G7X Mark II – https://amzn.to/3XO7lnY
    Zoom H1N Recorder – https://amzn.to/409ewZA
    Rode Smartlav+ Lavalier – https://amzn.to/3RcZcqR
    2 Anker PowerCore 20000 mAh – https://amzn.to/3JpPxvg
    Bag Of Cables and Extra Batteries

    DISCLAIMER: This description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for your support!

    View 20 Comments

    20 Comments

    4. Chris Lonsberry on

      I’m enjoying this trip! The castle was amazing! I’m with you on the heat! I suffer terribly when it gets too hot! Hang in there and go at your own pace. I hope it cools down for you!

    5. Luigi Riccardo on

      I am enjoying your bike adventures Mike, you are persevering with the heat for sure, I know how it feels I have experienced where I live. Thank you for the videos and looking ahead for more. Ciao.

    6. Andy Smallwood on

      Hej Mike. You just single-handedly sold the Loire to a few thousand cyclists. Great video. Do you share your routes anywhere like Komoot, for example? I sent you an email a couple of weeks ago as you had asked for destination suggestions. I live in Portugal which is a little unkown as a cycle touring destination, but I can tell you it has everything for a cycling trip.
      Looking forward to the next video already. Andy

    7. Rab H on

      Another beautiful ride Mike, the castle was certainly worth the detour👌France has some incredible architecture👌I had a pretty epic ride myself yesterday, just over 100 miles with 7000ft of climbing in the Scottish hills! No danger of over overheating here😂 it was 5C when I left and 10C later in the day so just nice for me👍

    9. Cycliste Froissé on

      Salut Mike,

      So that you know (or anybody else interested) for next time, in summer, in France, your clock-time is two hour ahead of the solar time.

      If you stop for lunch at Midday, in reality it’s only 10 solar time, by doing so you « waste » two hours during which the sun isn’t right over head and temperatures haven’t reached their peak, yet.

      The guys you have met previously, who said «Hello! » when they rode by you, kept riding whilst you had stopped for lunch already.

      Water is really a no brainer in France, just bang randomly on anybody’s door and providing they’re home, they’ll fill your bottles, no question asked.

      No command of French needed, keep your helmet on, so that people can immediately identify you as a cyclist, sun glasses off, shake your empty bottle upside down, job done.
      People will understand.

    10. Sean Darragh on

      Great work Mike! That route looks perfect for a navigationally challenged idiot like myself, ha ha.
      I like how you chuckle every time you mention bad news like being too hot or missing a turn. Cracks me up.
      Cheers!

    13. Helen Dale on

      You can't see any nuclear reactors from the route… those were cooling towers at St Laurent des Eaux. There are 2 reactors that are being decommissioned and others that are still in service.

    15. Jack Farris on

      What an amazing journey. The heat looks killer but it makes for an epic story in the years ahead as you sit through those cold, dark winters in Sweden.

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