This is the story of how my friend Ross and I rode from Bilbao to Paris in the summer of 2023, generally following the route of the Tour de France but splitting off to see the best sights and climb the most famous mountains of Le Tour. We did almost the entirety of the journey bikepacking under our own power, but staying in hotels rather than camping. This is very roughly thrown together, first time filming anything like this. About 60% of this video is shot on my Google Pixel 6A, 30% on Ross’ iPhone 10, and about 10% on a handheld digital Panasonic camera. I hope you enjoy our journey!
Ross mate up took you long enough just met up with Ross in Bilbao and step one has been to find a bike shop and try  to get a seat post bolt for my tarmac and also buy some gloves cause it is going to be cold gonna get these ones lovely
Stage one we’re walking around Bilbao uh it seems like half of the Guardia Civil will  lay down their lives to prevent us from getting on the on the road um so we’re having a tricky  time riding the stage but having a blast how we doing good vibes good times its beautiful beautiful
You good? I mean pretty epic huh quite epic how we doing comment ca va bien doing well well dude my bottom bracket is fucked like it’s making some terrible sounds all right Finn how we doing mas mal muy mal no bueno we got some jet lag issues otherwise having a good time
All right Finn how we doing day day one i’m in a bad place mentally not  doing well legs not really responding but we’re surviving we will prevail how are we doin how you doing I’m fine how are you doing the camera should be pointed Â
In you you take the camera say that again how you doing not good uh we made it though San Sebastian man rough day on the bike but we made it I don’t know I was chillin
Start of day three hoping it goes better than the last one and we’re we’re opening up at a bike shop  trying to get Ross’s cranks fixed it’s not going well so far we’re at a second bike shop now and Â
Things are going much better at this one it’s getting work done right now I think we’re good you’re on media duty today how we doing Ross you’re on media duty  how we doing I’m all right somebody’s a little speedy little table turning things are going better today venga venga venga venga venga venga
Hey venga venga venga venga attaque de Ross Kelly there’ll be probably another place to get water on the way at the top of the  second climb second big climb of the day 40K of downhill to Pamplona doing good surviving what do you think hmm rolling out
How we doing Finn we’re doing all right feeling very meh I’m hoping  the legs come around once I digest breakfast in the middle of uh day three this is technically day three from bilbao day three of big rides and Â
We’re about 600 meters away from what our map says is 13% for 600 meters now Ross is in denial and  believes that it’s a misclick on our route and we’ll be saved we will be saved by a God that Â
Does not know or care for us salvation so we will find out in about 2 minutes if we will make it so we are here we’re about to go up and over that into France how are you doing
How’s it going we’re in the the picturesque little village of Ochagavia yeah uh it’s at  the base of the port de larrau which is a climb famous for it effectively  ending the career of Miguel Indurain by dropping him so hard he wanted to Â
Retire it’s beautiful but uh big climb to go six 6% for 10 km up there mhm let’s get it officially in France bienvenue a Francia ouais you gotta get a video of this dude what does it look like I’m doing pretty crisp Â
Tan lines got to shave those how we doing good uh putting on sunscreen  um yeah we’re we’re about to hit the col de marie blanque bonjour 1 k to the top of the col d’aubisque Ross  has dropped me but I’m doing good the cows are my friends allez monsieur
Woo un kilometer oui oui bonjour baaaa there’s a bike shop like on this road it closes at 7:00 it’s like 6:40 right now  I want to stop by and just like talk to them lets do it we are in the right place
Great shop W shop great shop they did exactly what we needed them to do shout out cyclin  pyrenees uh €20 for an emergency bearing replacement and we’re back on the road  ready to go and bonus we got Ross some gloves for the next time we’re freezing on a descent
All right Finn where are we so French police really do not want anyone getting  up uh Cauterets to see the finish they’ve closed the road they say you have to walk  so we walked and now we’re hiking a single track trail along with half Â
The population of france trying to get up this climb Ross you see this dog tornado-ing let’s go let’s go let’s go Egan allez allez allez allez julian allez julian allez allez le bidon that’s me and you better let it roll get the closeup get Â
The closeup im ready for my closeup there it is yeah dude you’re between greatness how do you feel I mean I’m pretty stoked on this yeah  that’s a good one yeah cooking dinner here and we’ve got a Euro chip review this time
It’s brets saveur chevre piment d’espelet um really good surprisingly intricate flavor for  a potato chip and I don’t know if these are boujee chips or cheap chips there’s a little  bit of spice at the end super strong goats cheese very strong goat cheese flavor I mean Â
It looks they look pretty posh it does look boujee pretty good I’m I’m a fan and bonus points for the  Ruffles gets a C on the nutriscore I don’t know it’s got that it gets an A on the finny score we’ve got the first 10,000 foot day on the menu having breakfast Â
From a from a market so we’ve got um cheese sandwiches Ross’s has ham big  ass sandwich pain au chocolat candy and uh monster energy breakfast of Champions all right Finn how goes it 8K to the top steep hair pins coming up are we doing better how’s Â
The heat the heat has died off my allergies are really bad I’m not breathing great um my  excuses are never ending obviously uh no doubt but so is my resolve onwards how we doing good chilling yeah easy mode yeah I mean my knees are kind of feeling it seeing Â
As I can’t get into my easy gear which is what uh I can’t get into my 28t so I’m stuck on my so  you’re rolling a 25t 25 tooth leg we are almost 3/4 of the way up the tourmalet pretty much Â
Exactly at 5K to go right there doing good just got to make it up to there up to that white car legs are burning we’re about to cross uh 5,000 feet in altitude pressing on it’s kind of small but it’s calories I mean like not much sauce
Bob l’eponge we’re uh we’re 3 km 3 km to the top of the aspin I think Ross is losing it  how we doing buddy suffering dude 2.7 to the top 3600 feet total left it’s starting to rain Â
Which is a little concerning not for mr rain pants I do have rain pants it’s also beautiful survived can you hold for a second all right finny finny boy how we doing 1.3 k to the top of peyresourde if we can out Â
Run the storm behind us uh spirits are good legs are bad yeah we’re nearly there just crested the top of the peyresourde sight of  the historic chris froome downhill attack now it’s time for the the famous descent  into bagneres de luchon hell of a ride 10,500 ft now for the fun part
How we doing oh man nice so we’re trying to find water well I was trying to find Ross was trying to find water and we found a  friendly man who gave us water and ice cream he may have been Jesus just another day just Â
Another day he was kind of Jesus like yeah he was really happy to give us ice cream he  was like thrilled and he was like a cyclist too yeah he had like one of those rei like mountain Â
Bikes shirts on or something yeah he just got back from a tour of the pais vasco legend legend base of the portet d’aspet how we doing wait has the climb actually started yet or  what yeah we we’ve started already right yeah okay good yeah I mean we have water which is Â
Good yeah we were so close to not having water but luckily cooler heads prevailed how was that hard dude pretty fuckin hard back at it again on the lunch stop  this time we got some euro chips these are uh can you pronounce that not yeah Â
Just just this french word I I I don’t even want to try and pronounce it where are we that’s actually completely different from American  barbecue no bullshit this was a meme now this is a legitimate r-
You want some pizz so we’re at our last stop of the day the problem is that the market the  carrefour is about 6 k from our airbnb which is which is all uphill including a couple k at 10% so Â
We’re trying to figure out how to get like dinner breakfast and snacks for two very hungry boys to  the to the apartment and Ross had an unfortunate accident with a box of Cocoa puffs not the first Â
Time um that that has resulted in an unfortunate amount of cocoa pups on the ground we also have  a liter of fresh milk and I’ve got the very euro baguette in the jersey pocket we’re ready to go oh my god how we doing Finn living the dream 10 percent is nothing it’s fucking Â
Easy we’re almost to the top of the climb unfortunately Ross had another incident  with the cocoa puffs and they fell onto the ground so he had to stop on the hardest pitch  to pick up his cocoa puffs one by one the poor poor man he’s been through it today
We have just arrived in our Airbnb in foix and I’m sampling the lays fromage bugles  now I’m curious if bugles is a separate company here and they just partner with  lays or if lays just owns bugles or maybe bugles in the states is lays
Classic classic bugles very good I’d say better than the the american nacho cheese  bugles I’m a bugle fan probably an 8.5 out of 10 right there my hands are shaky because  I’m on the verge of completely bonking so I apologize for that these are delicious
How we doing good good having a good time kind an easy spin day 60 miles  that’s that’s 100 k we’re chilling having a good time had a lot had  significant amounts of pastries lot of pastries good coffee no milk no sugar Â
It’s not that hot either unexpected it’s like 84 yeah not too bad great temperature we have arrived in carcassonne it is hot it is fucking hot you’re a pirate you’re a pirate one could say I don’t believe it smooth
We are on the road to montpellier from carcassonne we got quite an early start  cuz it’s going to get up to 100° today uh and yeah it’s it’s hot is it hot it’s hot it’s not  even what time is it it’s like it’s fucking 10:00 a.m. it’s 10:15 10:15 feels fuckin hot Â
And it’s almost like 90 here it feels fuckin hot yeah uh Ross has gone through four bottles  already one two three four coke and an iced tea leg and a coffee crankin watts two hours  two hours in oh and it’s 100 miles it’s 160 fuckin kilometers yeah we got survival mode
152k down 2 km to go garmin is reading 103.5 degrees fahrenheit uh we’re both pretty much  out of water we just got to make it this last 2k but it’s brutal right now it’s fucking brutal in desperate need of a morale boost we turn to Â
The closest thing americans have to home in france macas we are about 3k into mont ventoux starting this  legendary climb not too hot about 19 km to go you can see where we’re going 5K in Ross has dropped me but that’s okay I’ll get him later we are 7K in 14k to go Â
About exactly one third done um I’m sticking to my pacing strategy it’s going well essentially a  lot of these sections are four watts per kilo to keep moving so I’m a little over  my pacing strategy so far and Ross is way up the road so I’m a little worried what Â
He’ll look like at the the top but maybe he’s just on a super day we shall see allez Finn keep going keep going get the strava segment no bruh how we doing mission failed we’ll get him next time hardest climb of the trip I mean I went Â
The hardest on it so by that measure yeah I would say the tourmalet was worse though I had a worse  time well you know the riders make the course hard not the route like the tourmalet was harder but I Â
Definitely went harder on this climb like I did more watts by a long way you must have went deep we were up there like 3 hours ago and now only  been hasn’t even been 3 hours yet now we’re back down here
Rolling out for stage 12 mont ventoux to gap 90 miles on the  menu today starting with the descent of ventoux 90k into bedoin to gap it’s been a beautiful day very much uh transitional stage vibes well 50k to Â
Go uh couple steep but short climbs like 2k at 8 or 9% two of those three of those uh and then  we’re descending into gap but going well final drink stop right now and then we’re on the way
It reminds me of lord of the rings I think it’s either the fellowship or I think it’s  the fellowship where Sam and Frodo are like like oh my god we we made it away and then they look Â
At like the distance they’ve got to go that is what this reminds me of there’s gap that’s  uh that’s where we’re headed oh there’s a big spire in the middle of it wonder what that is how we doing solid uh 10 mile descent more or less 10 miles flat or descent Â
Descending head in the gap watch the tour it’s a good day live the dream got the tour got the pizza official prediction who’s going to win pinot how’s he going to win  breaks up on the climb either he’s alone or a small group think he wins the sprint I’m going to Â
Say basically the same thing but for alaphilippe breaks up on the climb alaphilippe and a couple  others bring back whoever ended up up the road small group sprint julian the glory we shall see he put so much effort into the start of this stage and that was the kind Â
Of thing that he used to be able to get away with when he was on tiptop we got our lion cereal and our senseo coffee I’m doing good day is off to a great start 10:16 a.m. we are rolling out today we got 106 km on the menu Â
11,000 ft of climbing finishing up alpe d’huez bring on the day one climb down how we doing yeah I mean that was kind of a you know sudden start to the  day yeah 2,000 ft right out the gate pretty busy road too very busy busiest road probably Â
Busiest road we have been on busiest road we’ve been on for sure might have been like the worst  col we’ve done so far I would say so and then the end was just like steep for no reason so Â
That was fucking annoying uh but one climb down out of four three to go three to go yeah 40k in 65k to go basically just uh two big climbs and then a big  climb called alpe d’huez uh got some cokes got some ben & Jjerry’s got some Â
Pain au chocolat pretty little town on a lake pretty nice anything to add I’m honestly tempted tell us tell us what we got here pizza vending machine what what is  there to say in 3 minutes 3 minutes I I’m tempted but unfortunately if we had seen Â
This before we got the croissants I still would have wanted mine it would  have been on like donkey kong my friend I think you would have gone for it alas how was your uh how was your 25 tooth up that I was grinding rise and grind Â
Grind set I was grinding big time you got butterflies on you where on your helmet  its taking a ride look at that little guy he’s making a cameo what a beaut third climb done of four we may have uh used our biscuits a little too early as Sean Kelly Â
Would say went pretty hard on that one but time to descend into alpe d’huez you are a salty salty boy I don’t feel so good I don’t feel too good mom come  pick me up let’s get the fuck out I want that as a reminder to never come Â
Here again anywhere else the fuck out of here but not here let’s get the fuck out our airbnb today is just someone’s apartment so uh headed up there quick rinse off now we’re headed to intermarche to go get some dinner success yeah it was in the Â
Door I left the key in the door we’re a little bit cracked as the kids say we’re out here on our rest day uh I visited here when I was 2 years  old and my family had some pictures so we’re out here trying to recreate the Â
Exact picture of my 2-year-old self and my 5-year-old sister at the time uh at  the at lac noir just behind alpe d’huez so we hike-a-biked it pretty uh pretty good rest day morning of uh huez to albertville kind of last day big day on tap Â
Last big day for me um and the weather is looking interesting brr brr brr third of the way up thoughts ouais base of the col de madeleine now 20k 8% 5,000 ft we’re tt’ing it my last col of  the trip 3K left in the madeleine holy shit hot steep unrelenting but Â
Beautiful got blown by by someone from UAE a couple minutes ago that was fun hard day getting ready for our final day spin to annecy this is easily  the best view that I’ve ever seen out of a bathroom window top notch
Emma’s getting on a train in a couple minutes so we have set off for annecy one final spin  and uh yeah we’re racing the train a little bit going to see if we can beat emma there I think that was both of our best effort of the trip definitely for Â
The year and and like the for the year I’m not kidding I think me too I think  that was my 20-minute power for the year right there so that’s pretty fuckin maybe  for maybe for a couple years even we’re stoked I’m very stoked we’re amped bonjour
Strava just routed us down a staircase come on strava you got to fix this this  is ridiculous stravaa app routing is terrible be better terrible be better there’s a lot of people too many people alright man safe travels see you in paris
Just got into paris um our first train was late so we missed our connecting  train after getting a new connecting train we got into paris walked about  a mile to the other train station which was the only train that had a train that Â
Took bikes on it and then that train uh wasn’t running so now I am biking across paris trying  to get to where we need to go and Emma’s taking the metro inshallah we both make it riding the champs right now they’re already getting everything set up for the tour in two days
You made it buddy oh I was terrified I thought you were like I thought you somehow ended up like on  the highway going that way have a pizza google thought you were like way I was like oh fuck our Â
Epic hero has survived how we doing I’m ready I’m done done he’s had enough I’ve had enough  the the run in to paris on like the whatever that is was enough that was enough I’m done cheers mate cheers salud cheers fucking over its done oh my god dude congratulations buddy
Surely jasper jasper looks like jasper he doesn’t look happy  mads versus jasper meuss jordi meuss johan museeuw just won on the champs yeah its over meuss meuss somebody named meuss jasper not happy he will leave now bora happy holy shit
How are the legs they really hurt every time I bend them like oh my god the quads
1 Comment
Came for the riding, stayed for the potato chips reviews. Awesome video dude! Looks like an AMAZING trip