Stage 0, Holland to Bourg St Maurice

I didn’t sleep well last night, too excited I guess. The alarm got me up at 6 and it only took a few minutes to pack. It was just getting light outside but just before we were ready to leave, the rain started. It lightened up and we headed out, loaded but wearing non-bike clothes. It was 11 km to Utrecht Central, smooth and quiet early on a Saturday morning.

We slipped off our wheels (me front only), removed our bags and put on the covers Wytze had. We took the earlier train at 7:30 and soon were at Rotterdam Central with 50 minutes for breakfast.

We found the Eurostar platform and the train arrived on time. It was pretty crowded but Wytze engineered space for two bikes in the luggage rack. Mine rode in the bar with two from a French couple.

We arrived a bit late in Paris but the transfer train from Gare du Nord to Gare du Lyon only took 10 minutes so we made it easily. After a little lunch we boarded the famous TGV, the French fast train. We took it almost three hours and it was stuffy and hot and the fastest I saw it go was 303 kph, not impressive.

At Chambéry-Challes-les-Eaux we had over an hour until our 5th and final train of the day. Across the street was a convenient bar with cold beer, that was relaxing.

Our final train was almost two hours, climbing up to 800m. At the station we reassembled our bikes and hung out with Daniel, our group of four now complete.

He showed us the hotel and after showers we went to a Senegalese restaurant he had booked for 7:30. It was very fitting since the last place I saw Daniel was in Senegal last fall. Dinner was slow and relaxed, very tasty with local IPA. Then it was time for bed after a long day.