This week on the podcast we welcome Thomas English from Trek Travel to discuss the Provence to Girona gravel tour. Thomas shares his personal experience growing up in the Camargue National Park and how he discovered his love for cycling. He discusses the inspiration behind the Provence to Girona tour and the unique landscapes and cultural experiences that participants can expect. Thomas provides a detailed overview of the nine-day trip, highlighting the diverse terrain, cultural differences, and the sense of adventure that comes with gravel cycling. He emphasizes the importance of local expertise and the immersive experience that Trek Travel provides for its guests.
Trek Gravel Trips
Support the Podcast
Join The Ridership
About the Guest(s): Thomas English is a guide for Trek Travel, a company that specializes in guided cycling trips. Based in Lyon, France, Thomas grew up in the Camargue National Park and developed a love for cycling at a young age. He has a background in field medical engineering but decided to pursue his passion for cycling and guiding. Thomas has been working for Trek Travel since 2019 and has guided numerous trips, including the Provence to Girona gravel tour.
Episode Summary: In this episode, Craig Dalton interviews Thomas English from Trek Travel about the Provence to Girona gravel tour. Thomas shares his personal experience growing up in the Camargue National Park and how he discovered his love for cycling. He discusses the inspiration behind the Provence to Girona tour and the unique landscapes and cultural experiences that participants can expect. Thomas provides a detailed overview of the nine-day trip, highlighting the diverse terrain, cultural differences, and the sense of adventure that comes with gravel cycling. He emphasizes the importance of local expertise and the immersive experience that Trek Travel provides for its guests.
Key Takeaways: The Provence to Girona gravel tour is a nine-day point-to-point cycling adventure that takes participants from the south of France to Catalonia, Spain. The trip offers a diverse range of terrain, including salt flats, vineyards, pine forests, and limestone rock formations. Participants will experience the cultural differences between the French and Catalan regions, including language, cuisine, and architecture. The tour provides an immersive and authentic experience, with opportunities to interact with locals, visit historic sites, and enjoy the natural beauty of the landscapes. Trek Travel focuses on building relationships with local partners and creating a supportive and enjoyable experience for guests. Notable Quotes: “Gravel in many ways has an adventurous spirit. It takes you off the road and allows you to explore quieter and more remote areas.” – Thomas English “Cycling is a universal language, but the culture and use of bikes can vary between regions. Gravel cycling allows you to experience the local culture and landscapes in a unique way.” – Thomas English Automated Transcription:
[TRANSCRIPT] [00:00:00] – (): Craig Dalton: Hello, and welcome to the gravel ride podcast, where we go deep on the sport of gravel cycling through in-depth interviews with product designers, event organizers and athletes. Who are pioneering the sport **** – (): I’m your host, Craig Dalton, a lifelong cyclist who discovered gravel cycling back in 2016 and made all the mistakes you don’t need to make. I approach each episode as a beginner down, unlock all the knowledge you need to become a great gravel cyclist. **** – (): Yeah. This week on the podcast, we welcome Thomas English from Trek, travel to the show. To talk to us about a new gravel tour they’re doing from Two Jarana. The trip looks absolutely amazing. So super excited. To dig in with it and learn more about it and how it came to be. Truck travel since our last conversation with them on the podcast. Has really gone deep on gravel travel, building out several new trips this year, including one in the black Hills of South Dakota. An ACIAR ago to the Dolomites trip in Italy, as well as this To Jerome and a trip that we’re going to be digging into today. **** – (): I had a great experience. In 2022 on my truck travel trip to Jarana and was doing everything I could to join this trip in April. I don’t think this particular one’s going to happen. Because of some other commitments, **** – (): . But I’m pleased to have this conversation with Thomas. So you can learn more about it. **** – (): before we jump in, I do need to thank this week sponsor. **** – (): A G one. The last few weeks, I’ve been talking a little bit more about my sleep routine, but today I want to talk about age one and my morning routine. Taking care of your health, isn’t easy, but it should at least be simple. That’s why for the last 10 years I’ve been drinking AIG one every day. No exceptions. **** – (): It’s just one scoop mixed with water. My personal preference is through a few ice cubes in…
Hello and welcome to the gravel ride podcast where we go deep on the sport of gravel cycling through in-depth interviews with product designers event organizers and athletes who are pioneering the sport I’m your host Craig Dalton a lifelong cyclist who discovered gravel cycling back in 2016 and made all
The mistakes you don’t need to make I approach each episode as a beginner to unlock all the knowledge you need to become a great gravel cyclist this week on the podcast we welcome Thomas English from TR travel to the show to talk to us about a new gravel
Tour they’re doing from pance to Jona the trip looks absolutely amazing so I was super excited to dig in with it and learn more about it and how it came to be TR travel since our last conversation with them on the podcast has really gone deep on gravel travel building out
Several new trips this year year including one in the Black Hills of South Dakota an Asiago to the dolomites trip in Italy as well as this provance to Jona trip that we’re going to be digging into today I had a great experience in 20122 on my track travel
Trip to jerona and was doing everything I could to join this trip in April I don’t think this particular one’s going to happen because of some other commitments but I’m pleased to have this conversation with Thomas so you can learn more about it before we jump in I
Do need to thank this week’s sponsor ag1 the last few weeks I’ve been talking a little bit more about my sleep routine but today I want to talk about ag1 and my morning routine taking care of your health isn’t easy but it should at least be simple that’s why for the last 10
Years I’ve been drinking ag1 every day no exceptions it’s just one scoop mixed with water my personal preference is throw a few ice cubes in there once a day every day and it makes me feel energized and ready to take on the day that’s because each serving of ag1
Delivers a daily dose of vitamins minerals pre and probiotics and more it’s a powerful healthy habit that’s also powerfully simple for me that Simplicity is really what came into play when I first started using ag1 I really wanted to make sure that my nutritional bases were covered by high quality
Nutrition in a way that was simple to integrate in my daily habits I could couldn’t bear the idea of taking a dozen pills and supplements to cover the same basic areas that ag1 covers in one scoop of powder if there’s one product that had to recommend to elevate your health
It’s ag1 that’s why I’ve partnered with them for so long as part of this podcast so if you want to take ownership of your health start with ag1 try ag1 and get a free one-year supply of vitamin D plus K2 and five free ag1 travel packs with your first purchase exclusively at drink
A1.com theeg gravel ride that’s drink a1.com theeg graval ride check it out today with that behind us let’s jump right into my conversation with Thomas Thomas welcome to the show hi Craig thank you for hosting me we’re dealing with the challenges of international video conversations today with you and France and me in
California absolutely long lenses um I’m excited to get into this conversation with you uh I’ve been a big fan of tre’s commitment and enthusiasm around gravel travel and when My Buddy Rich hit me up and told me about this provance to Jona trip I was like I gotta
Talk to someone about this this sounds awesome it it’s epic so the the idea of the trip came in about two years ago now uh I was involved in the design because my roommate is actually a a trip design coordinator if you want the truth so the
Two of us got this whole thing running and it’s going to be an Epic Journey I love it I can’t wait to talk more about it but to set the stage I just want to learn a little bit more about you we established that you’re currently living in France but where did
You grow up and how did you initially find the bike so long story short uh I’m actually based in Leon France right now so closer to the French Alps about 2 and 1 half hours away from the sea I actually grew up in the kog National Park which is
Where the the Rome River creates a Delta it’s famous for mosquitoes flamingos and uh Bulls if you want the whole truth and it’s very flat so cycling wise it it gets pretty boring pretty quickly uh but the scenery is worth it and if you’re beginning with gravel it’s definitely a
Good a good spot to start and you know obviously Gra gravel we can argue about how long gravel’s been around but did you initially start as a a road Rider or a mountain biker that’s a very tricky question because I think when when you start
Cycling for me it was it was you know the first key to Freedom my parents gave me I was fortunate enough as a kid to grow up on the boat so I think I I grew this lack of uh you know freedom for a little while being being like on a boat
With with parents it sounds very spoiled but we were adventuring in a different way more swimming and and canoeing out to places and so as soon as we got back to land the bike was this this real weapon of freedom and this tool to go adventure and come back in late and get
Told of by by mom um but I think yeah it was one bike do at all and I think I I mainly did mountain biking as a teenager because it was a thing you know it was the era of downhill and Free Ride as they used to call it it’s taken a whole
New shape uh nowadays and gravel came naturally because we we can do it in many ways and especially as a company I think it it’s it’s a trend and it’s very much growing at the moment and it’s the perfect you know way to explore a new
Region and mainly you can just get off the road and go to you know access choir to places and places you you’d wish to go on foot but you can actually do it with a bike and it hasn’t got to be too much of a Distance on the
Road yeah 100% it sounds like you grew up with quite an adventurous Spirit how did you find your way into guiding for TR I started working for Tre for in in 2019 so this is my sixth season with TR travel and it’s an it’s an amazing place
To to work uh good people you know the the support and Logistics from A to Z uh whatever you get on the guest experience when you call up the office or the guest services uh we feel on on in the field and feeling that support from from you
Know a guide in the field you don’t really find that anywhere else so that’s one one thing to mention uh but I I I kind of fell into it because I have a friend that was a guide a year before me that was the one of the first reasons um
But mainly because I was working as a fied medical engineer uh in the previous life and there is a moment where you want to follow your dream and I was out there adventuring in the mountains every weekend so I realized I could do it for a living and take people with me which
Is what I care for amazing I feel like it might be interesting to hear what is the life of a guide like do you do you ride all year round and guide all over the place or are you located in France and you only ride trips in France so that’s a fascinating question
That we often get from people on the trips from people outside the trips from friends and family or from the first newcomer that you you you meet in a in a party in an evening for instance I I think the life of a guide
Is is very much full on it’s a season is is very long in cycling and it’s getting longer uh it’s some people would rather do it as a very seasonal thing like riding through the nice period in the when it’s warm and you can ride in shorts and then there’ll be a ski
Instructor in the winter so each guide kind of have their their own algorithm to to go about it uh for me it’s it’s a full-time commitment and then I get a bit of time off uh in the winter months to go travel and discover new places and it kind of
Sticks to my my character and my way of doing things I like to go work hard play hard in many ways even though that sounds uh very very general it’s full season and then a bit of time off to to go and relax and recover and Adventure
Some more but it it is it is a lifestyle more than a career yeah what does that look like for you Thomas are you gu riding road trips in Spain one week and then gravel trips in in France how does how does the year end up playing out so
At the end of a year when you’ve already guided a little bit with trick travel you submit a survey uh to the favorite regions or your favorite regions your top five I think it is um of places you’d rather you’d like to go guide and
If you’re lucky you’re going to get a a few of those picks um but for the for the main part you’re you’re assigned to a region for a duration of time it can go from a couple of trips to a whole bunch of different of trips in that
Region we have regions that also cover multiple trips if I take provance for instance we’re actually running uh three trips out of there and nearly a fourth with the gravel which will be leaving provance and going all the way to uh Spain in or sorry Catalonia and Jona and
So that’s that’s more or less how it operates your assigns and then you you’ll guide multiple week weeks in a row we try and we try and do maybe three weeks in one week off as a rhythm got it yeah my my experience with the team in
Jona was that that between the two guides they would switch off between time in the van and time riding it wasn’t lost on me that you’ve got to as a guide you’ve got to be motivated and enthusiastic every day you’re out there on the bike with guests as a guest if
We’re tired if we’re grumpy we can suffer and let you know it but I imagine as a guide you’re really there to elevate the spirit and never share if you’re down are there days on the bike when you’re guiding that you’re just tired oh yes absolutely and but you
Don’t show it I think it comes from from an inner part of you it’s that’s what I said by it’s a lifestyle more than a career it’s um we always swap with uh our co- guides uh so one of us is going to be in the support van one of us is
Going to be on the bike it’s takes different shifts uh depending on the trips and the parameters uh but yes you you’re always on we’re always on top of things and you know a lot of people on the outside of the job think that we are the fittest cyclist out there and you’ve
Got to be an absolute athlete you you get the training for sure and and some guides are more into cycling than others uh but the the real the reality behind it is we take care of people no matter what yeah yeah yeah I imagine that’s you
Know I see this all over the place right you have people who are innately just skilled at being good-spirited being uplifting and having had that experience with truck travel and that Jona gravel tour definitely saw that like it was more about the experience none of the Riders were trying to show how strong
They were as athletes although clearly they were they were really there to just make sure we were having a great time and that’s what I think is so great about traveling on bike as a guest and gravel travel in particular you just have a team around you whose sole job it is to
Not only find the best rides and routes for you find the best cafes create the best overall experience and it is you know it’s obviously an investment taking one of these trips but there is a pretty massive return when all you need to do
As a guest is ride your bike all day yes and I’ll double up I’ll double up on that in a way that I think you come on holiday to be on a holiday and there is nothing more relaxing entertaining uh for filling is when you sign up and you just let go of
Everything and you just have to enjoy it that’s that’s the main part is we take care of all the rest the you know the logistics it’s not that you’re not necessarily capable of of it you know I’ve I’ve caught myself going on multiple guided trips whether it’s
Hiking or other activities um other than cycling and you you you appreciate having the the local expertise you know it it it might not be something that’s that’s in the itinerary you know but but your guides might know so much about the geology the plants or even just the best
Cafe because that’s where they cycle pass every morning and that’s their local their local terrain or their backyard and that’s where it makes the whole the whole world of difference you the impact of of that vacation or of that experience on your life is so different when you actually witness it
With someone local and you share it with friends yeah 100% I want to jump into the provance to Jona gravel Bike Tour this is very much a a tour because it’s pointto point the experience I had with Tre out of Jona we stayed in a single hotel and we explored
Routs in every single Direction which was fantastic but as I’ve said before on this podcast there’s something about point-to-point travel or touring or what have you that is incredibly special so how did the idea for the provance to Jona gravel route come up and then we can dig into some of the
Details okay so that also refers to a question you previously asked on what does the life of a guide look like well to be quite Frank if I’m not guiding a trip uh with people on board I’m usually bike packing and I’ve got the packs all
Set up on the gravel bike and I’m sleeping outside with which sounds ridiculous to a lot of people in on this planet but it’s actually one of the the most freeing experiences you you can get out there for yourself it doesn’t have to be far it’s sometimes just right out
Right out your front door and you just roll to a place you haven’t checked out or you haven’t seen and it is the most it is the most freeing thing uh and you’re also you feel very self-sufficient it teaches you a lot of different things and skills where you
Have to approach people and places uh but the main idea behind this trip from provance to Jona and we named it that way because there there are two places that actually ring or resonate to cyclists uh whether they’re Ries or already very much accomplished gravel Riders uh it was the first point to
Point that we we were thinking of putting in the book it’s based on a rased called a rased route called La Loco that came together I think in 2019 and it’s varied tracks uh since then but that’s what really inspired me initially and I had written portions of it in a in
A few bits and pieces and on different holiday times and this was the perfect op this was a perfect opportunity to actually start from one point go all the way and see if we can actually make it work with hotels and accommodations and places to check out sounds super special
What is I imagine over the course of that provance to Jona the terrain is going to vary quite wildly can you talk through a little bit and if it’s helps to talk through the the various nine days just what is gravel like in provance and how does it change over the
Course of those nine days so I can give you a global overview of of the trip if you want not to go into too much detail because nine days is is quite epic and and you do see a lot but I I do want to say that I grew
Up in in the area where we begin the trip in so you know I remember I remember being in in my you in my young age and teenager and adventuring here and there at the weekends and putting all these things together in the culture of the sou CU it’s it’s a very strong
Culture in the south of France and this the the landscape had me stop and take many pictures of a place that I’ve you know I’ve grow I’ve I grew up in you you get accustomed to seeing these things on a regular basis and com in back to it a
Few years later it stops you you’re you’re Blown Away by the beauty of some and when I said that is on the first day for instance we will start the trip and we’ll greet everybody uh right by the of us it’s it’s a swamplands where it’s famous for orology for bird watching uh
Just south of Monier so imagine a huge City all buzzling and whistling and noisy and you know just the heart of a big city and you just Escape we greet you in this you know you just come off the train or come out of the airport and
We greet you in this really quiet bird sanctuary with a nice French Buffet you know proper provance there might be some Rosé involved for those who who want to start with that um giving you a few a few a few bits and kns about the culture and
The area you’re in and throughout those first 60 Cas which is quite quite a bit for a first day you get to see everything so much variety from from the sea the sea the Salt Flats to the hills a bit of Vineyards here and there and
The and the Pines Forest I mean you you I can’t wait to see the smiles on people’s faces when we reach the hotel after the first day sounds like an amazing start it is it is so as I was saying we we did the re we did the
Research with my roommate who’s a who’s a trip design coordinator and she’s not from the region but both of us were like kids and you know it’s it’s the the joy and the accomplishments of bring something together that actually works out and to see the the the versatille
The how versatile the the the bike actually is on different terrains you you ride a bit of you know open Forest Road to single track um and all this on the under the blue provance skies because you know there it is subject to a bit of wind from the north um lont or
The mistal for the east as you go it’s it’s it’s just superb it’s just an area of France that is very underestimated because it’s it’s usually some some somewhere between a place you just drive through to get to Spain or you just go to m or like a few places on the coast
But people don’t really stop on these on in these areas so we’ve got these beautiful Barren landscapes in in some of part of the trips that are just untouched not no cyclists you just it’s just epic adventure yeah I think that’s what’s mind-boggling to me when I think
About this trip is just the the versatility of the gravel bike you know it’s easy maybe to conceive of a point-to-point ride on a road bike and you’re sort of following a map but traveling onto these single track trails and just kind of getting off the beaten
Path just adds this additional layer of intrigue and joy I think on each day’s ride and and I think we we call you know the the inner child in our in ourselves um I think a lot of cyclists will refer to that but I think gravel in many ways
Has a bit of an adventurous spirit and and you might agree with me on that one but you know it kind of takes you out there you’re not on a on a on a road you might be leaving civilization for a little bit uh We’ve designed this trip so we can always
Access the the route in in many points but for the most part you know the the whole stress of having traffic and cars around you that you you might have on on on on the road or on certain of our our road trips even though we do take very
Quiet roads there it’s it’s inexistence you won’t have you know any vehicles on most of our itineraries because we’re we’re mainly on on gravel and yes like from from one place to the next you’ll you’ll see us a part of the landscape that not many people get to witness or
Get to see because it is completely different experience from sitting in a car or riding on the road than being on those single tracks in the forest yeah absolutely what are the next handful of days have in store for Riders so yes I I touched base on the on
The first one sorry I was I was kind of selling that first day because it blew our minds so I think I like I said I can’t wait to see people Smiles as we roll into the first hotel um it is a point to point so we are going to be
Changing Hotel uh every day apart from our fifth day where we’ll have a a proper rest day um but the first day we we leave molier where where it’s it will be more of a a greeting Point beautiful scenery on those first 60 K through like what I’ve said before the different uh
See Salt Flats single track into the forest up in the hills back into into Vineyards and we we have a a hotel a little bit on the outskirts of the city um where the French rugby team has actually been hosted for the trainings if if you want the little the little
Hint there uh but so no rugby match on that first evening the next day we kind of sneak out through a secret passage that follows a river out of the city and we’re heading to one of my favorite places in France which is called L salagu uh the the salagu lake famous
Spot for K Surfers and for geologists because the the soil is a bit of an okra red it it very much has the color of grapes so not to bring it too too close to Wine but that’s my French side um you cross the hills and you you arrive on
This beautiful blue Emerald Lake with this this red kind of you know tar looking gravel it makes a mess of the bikes and it makes them look very adventurous all of a sudden because they get covered in this little red red dust uh but it’s an epic scene to arrive and
We’re staying in the village that’s a little bit on the outskirt of it in a national park called MZ and it’s very famous for its um Doom dolomitic uh rock formations where erosion is just left these huge Limestone columns uh beautiful Maze of that was just shaped
By Nature uh and our hotel is is nestled into that into that rock face and there’ll be a nice little pool to to relax after after a big day on the bike so like the Gwen MZ uh we go a little bit further up north after the first day
Where we were actually stationed by the Sea on on the third day we leave that that beautiful area in the quiet morning and we hit the hills there’ll be a bit of climbing in in the morning and for those who have got an idea of what provance looks like or The Whispers
You’ve heard of The Adventures down there we’re going to be going through a few Stone Villages very very French you might come across a you know a d like these iconic French cars or a market or we can stop and have CA a coffee and a
Cafe uh to cross the plains from these hilly Villages or hilly hilly based Villages all the way to a bigger town again called Biz which is famous for multiple reasons but we we’ll have a nice sit down lunch in a very retro French CA Cafe where people are playing
Ponk just outside uh in front of a lock you know we sat there and all the locals were coming around to chat us up so you know it might take a bit longer than than scheduled don’t be in a rush there it is a big day uh but that’s that’s
Kind of the idea um is to actually enjoy the Ambiance and the culture as you’re you’re Crossing these Landscapes not just wizzing past you yeah taking an opportunity to enjoy the riding as well as the culture seems like the reason you’d be there for sure 100% And so that brings me on to
The fourth day soit bizer is a bit a bigger a bigger town we we have lunch on the outskirts of it by that lock as I as I presented and there there are famous pieces of architecture if if this is what you enjoy in in the FR history we
Are going to go past some very impressive monuments that I can State later um and we follow what we call L Canal dumi which is a a French icon a lot of PE a lot of French people would actually go down there on holiday either rent a boat
Or kayak up and down this canal um it is it is a beautiful piece of French architecture and the waterways in France are famous in the history of of the country for transporting goods you know the different Wars and battles why was it separated here or there uh their
Historical borders as well but this this third day finishes back back on the coast again after following this famous canal and we’ll be heading we’ll be heading the next day and getting closer to the to the panes to go to a place called bista after crossing a few
National parks and famous bird washing areas again um we’ll we’ll be climbing a little bit more than the previous days the third day and the fourth day are quite quite big days on the bike so it’s not for the Fain Ed but we’ll support everybody you know cant takes you a long
Way as they say and there’s one thing in France for sure is you can’t you can’t go hungry because once you’ve done this little you know section of gravel you come across this little village and there will be a bakery and and for sure you know the smell of it everything just
Kind of entices you to to get down there and and grab something to go so we’ll make sure you try the good ones and there are some Specialties of the sou that are proper to the self um that you can only find in the pakes down there
And we’ll make sure you try them um and you know that fuels the climb up to this little village of bista which used to be one of the main points of interest in in this area for uh white wine growing um they they still do it used to
Be a massive cooperative and we are staying in a in a hotel called lak it is it is something out of this world we were astonished by what they’ve done with this e Lodge you might be sleeping in a wine tank yes I we are sleeping in a wine tank um
There are spa and you know different treatments you can do all around the grape over there it is one of a kind it is a place that was designed by two amazing Architects the owners are is an amazing couple that we got to meet and
Had the pleasure to have a a nice glass and a sit down conversation with and they really have you know an Ambiance about this this whole environment that they created the team that they put together they still have a part of um the seller that is functional that
Gathers most of uh the wine makers of the area as a cooperative and the wi the wine is delicious down there the the riding up will maybe annoy a few maybe you know make others enjoy the adventure twice as much um you know we all come at
A different at a different place when it comes to climbing on a bike but that’s a good place to finish day four solid day a rest day and we are we are entering what we call Pat which was the the scene of multiple combats between uh what used
To be the Spanish Empire and France at the time and you know these perch castles up on the Hills this Limestone rock face and this little Tower up top with a with a with a Catalan flag and and the Border changed so many times in the past you know hundreds of years or
Decade that it’s it’s just very interesting to see the cultural changes throughout the trip because you go from a very provance French uh south south of France part with all its influences and its culture and this the food evolves as you go down the coast getting closer to
Spanish influence and you know the way people talk and behave and oh it’s just it’s just superb you get to see that even with a foreign eye I think yeah it’s so interesting to see and hear that not not only will the terrain change but you’ll get these subtle changes in
Culture across the nine days uh changing from the south of France culture to the Catalan culture at the end absolutely and and if you’ve been to Jona as I’ve heard you you’ve experienced that that part of the culture and and you know cycl cycling is international it’s it is a universal
Language um there is a bike in every country you go to and that’s that’s not a lie that’s the truth but the the culture that accomp you know comes with it maybe the French and the Spanish or the French and the Catalan don’t necessarily see the bike in the same way
You know maybe the French will use it as a commuter to go get their fresh baguette from The Bakers in the morning whereas Catalan people will use it to go from you know place to place or for there’s there’s always a a different use for it um but this this this area we’re
Going to is not famous for you know holiday and it’s it’s not overcrowded we’re we’re really taking you on on the unpaved uh this is a proper Adventure um we’re taken all these these detours to get to bista um which is definitely definitely one of my one of my crushes
For for this trip because we’ll have a rest day in that little village we’ll probably have awesome activities to go enjoy the bike uh for those who want to You’ll also have the opportunity to you know relax because we do come we do cover between 350 km and 400 km over the
First four days it it is a pretty high level trip we we classify as Avid so not to be intimidated by it it does require quite a bit of you know physical preparation and and a good level of of riding uh but the but the the technicity of the gravel stays stays very
Accessible in in many ways and it’s all about how if you’re okay with adventuring the whole day on the bike you’ll you’ll enjoy the trip very much the same as we did my my roommates um actually used deanii plus which is the E assist version of our gravel bike and
She absolutely loved it and you know we have very different levels of cycling the two of us but we kept it together and you know it’s it’s just very complimentary you get to enjoy the adventure together so a big rest day on day five uh to recover from you know
Four days of adventuring already uh there’s a pool at the hotel it’s an eco lodge so they have all these amazing green certifications we we do a great job at track travel at building relationships with the people we work with because I don’t see us as a big tour operator
Where we just walk in you know give our standards and and then you know move on to the next season or go somewhere else the next season we we do build these relationships and I think uh you feel it on trip with us if you’ve traveled with
Us before you you get to appreciate all the little details that we look into we always try and better um The Experience you know when you when you’ll arrive in beta I can tell you already Rael who’s actually from R originally who’s just fallen in love with that region yeah
That’s so special as you were mentioning before I mean one of the really exciting parts of getting a guided tour is having these locals who can show you the ins and outs of the local area and the hot spots and the great riding phenomenal so it sounds like at this point you’re up
For a rest day 100% yes it’s it’s just it’s it’s going to be it’s going to be a you know not a resurrection but it will be it will be one of those that you actually need to push on for sure and and we’ll see if people are up for
Activities but I’m I’m already guaranteeing a lot of people will stay back and say we need a day to just relax and recover and prepare for the the next four but but we on the fifth day we we start tackling the Pyrenees we’ll be going through what we call the this this
The circus it’s um it’s this beautiful uh okre lime um form rock formation facing kigu which is one of the highest peaks uh in this part of the parin so you can you can see this this dark mountain in the background uh slowly getting closer and you got all these
Different rock formations that we’re snaking through to and getting closer and closer to the mountain we’ll be staying in in an old um spa and treatment um uh facility area on on the night of day six uh to tackle kares on day seven so if you if you if you if
You’ve had too much gravel over the the first six days don’t don’t worry we’ve got you covered with a bit of pavement just to just to rest uh a little bit from gravel on on day seven because CIS is is definitely a stinger as we call it
In in in the area um it is a bit of a steep one for 1 13 kilm and we do have a section of gravel for those who who want to keep the trend going uh it is the base of it is this beautiful medieval
Town where we’ll offer a bit of a treat and you know a bit of a quick snack if people want to start tackling the climb on a on a a bit of a light bite and once you reach the top it can be it can be
Two two rooms two Ambiance as we say in French um it can either be beautiful and sunny or uh as it was when we were up there uh last fall quite miserable and windy uh but the views on the Paran that you get from up there no matter what are
Just absolutely stunning and you descend all the way to this Catalan Village after Crossing the the Border um called compon famous for its beautiful Stone Arch bridge and from there we are in catalunia and the the following day day eight takes us along the vs veres uh
Which is an old rail to Trail uh all reconverted um it is part of the P Nexis if you’ve heard and followed some of the racing across the panes so we are going to be like using some of these tracks and it’s beautiful what we call Cadillac
Gravel it’s very nice you know small compact Limestone it takes you all the way back into the mecca of cycling today Jona and you will definitely feel the Catalan country side if you’ve been on the Jona gravel trip you know what I’m referring to but you will you will smell
You will we say you will taste because usually you have a bit of stuff on your water bottle and we have the tips for you there um but it’s it’s you you you get a second country on on this trip and it hits you like like a like a day ride
I don’t know how to how to say in any other way you cross this border and you’re you’re you’re in Catalonia and on these gravel paths just um you know flying along along the Via Verde you you enter Jona from from the back the back
Door and we are we will be saying at hotel Nord which I think you say that on our on our trip there um which is the perfect you know little nest in into the City and yeah I think it’s a good it’s a good way to
To go from from the south of France provance specific architectural types all the way into a completely different culture completely different you know language accents influence um but you you’ll you’ll get to you’ll get to feel the connection between the two countries between that border that’s been distorted over the years and the
Centuries um you’ll def you’ll definitely get that cultural aspect of the trip because we we felt it as we were as we were prepping it and we have have a a nice last day ride uh just to to spin the legs more more or less um
Before we say farewell and that’s a a good way to a good way to then spend a bit of time in Jona if you want to stay in Jona or head towards Barcelona which is another great City to explore after molier in France um this yeah this trip
Kind of starts and finishes in in two really cool points of interest as well which is another good reason to to come and join this adventure amazing anything else you’d like to add about the trip before we go you know you create some pretty special bonds Over N days uh
Sometimes it is over the rest day sometimes it’s straight off the first day um we are going to be riding these amazing checkpoints sr7 a top top end uh gravel bike on 45 seat tires which is very comfortable but after after 8 days of proper riding you’ll probably be in
Need of a good rest and maybe sometime off the bike what an amazing journey and Adventure thanks so much for coming on and telling us about this trip it sounds fantastic I have a love for these point-to-point adventures and everything you’ve described from the terrain to the cultural changes that you’re going to
Experience over the nine days makes this track travel trip sound amazing thank you for spending some time with us this evening and I look forward to seeing you in France at some point thanks at all that’s going to do it for this week’s edition of the gravel ride podcast I
Hope you enjoyed learning more about that pance to Jona Adventure that Trek travel has in store for us they’ve got some slots this year I think starting at the end of April so head on over to Tre travel.com and check out some of the photos to go with Thomas’s great
Narration of the trip I hope everyone’s 20124 is filled with many a gravel Adventure until next time here’s to finding some dirt under your Wheels