"La voie du cidre", Brittany-Normandy by bike

It's May 2020, and I'm just out of confinement, which I spent at my parents' vacation home in Larmor-plage, Morbihan. I'm on the move. My girlfriend at the time was keen to join her family in Normandy to see her loved ones again. As this strange period triggered a strong ecological awareness in me, I'm craving adventure and nature, but I'm also looking for something responsible. All of a sudden, the idea of joining her by bike emerged. Let's go for 5 magical days!

🛣 On the road

DAY 1 🚲 from Larmor-Plage to Canal de Nantes, to Brest 🚲

100 km

It's May 20, 2020. I pull out of the garage my superb raspberry-colored Bianchi from the 80s, brought back from Caliornia. It's beautiful, but not in very good condition. I go to a cooperative bicycle association, l'Abri Syklett. With the help of volunteers, I completely rebuild my bike with second-hand parts, except for the panniers, which I buy new from Décathlon.

I take with me a cycling suit, a hammock (I don't have a tent), a comforter and off I go!

I set off from Larmor along the river Blavet. It's a beautiful day, I'm wearing my Pinarello jersey, I'm doing my first stories in front of the camera, even though I don't know anything about it, I'm absolutely not an influencer. At the time, I had 200 friends following me on Instagram 😅. I made my way quietly along a fairly peaceful route, and reached my destination: the Canal de Nantes, in Brest.

On the first evening, I find a small kayak vacation village, where I hang my hammock between a building and a tree. I feel reassured, because it's not in the middle of the "bush". I even allow myself a shower with my little 0-waste soap in the nearby river 🚿.

DAY 2 🚲 Canal de Brest - Mont Saint-Michel 🚲

100 km

I didn't sleep much because my comforter isn't very thick and the hammock lets the cold in. I had to put on my coat to keep warm last night 🥶 But it doesn't matter, I get on my bike for a hundred kilometers or so to cross the center of Brittany to Mont Saint-Michel.

It's magnificent. I pass some cows and have fun talking to them. The road is almost deserted. As part of my 0 déchet project, I visit bakeries to buy food, but refuse to use packaging.

I also don't want to buy bottled water, so I ask people I meet on my way if I can collect water from their homes. They're often elderly, and it's still the middle of Covid, so I wear a mask and take care not to touch them, but even so, it makes for some nice encounters. I arrive near a canal, no far from Mont Saint-Michel, to spend the night. I pitch my tent and fall asleep like a baby.

DAY 3 🚲 Mont Saint-Michel - Caen 🚲

100 km

I listened to the advice of an Internet user who recommended, for sleeping in a hammock bivouac, to better insulate yourself from the cold by the bottom. So I slipped a poncho between the hammock and myself and slept better, despite the deafening noise of frogs croaking all night 🐸 ! I set off for Mont Saint-michel. That's it, I'm attacking the Normandy part of the trip. I stop a little before Caen, in the surrounding countryside. I'm having trouble finding a place to sleep. After a bit of searching, I finally pitch my tent in an undergrowth area.

DAY 4 🚲 Caen - Merville Franceville 🚲

100 km

Tonight, it was very windy and a little rainy, and unfortunately I hadn't packed any protection. I was very cold... But the scenery was quite fantastic. I was surrounded by hills, themselves topped by little castles.

I set off again for Rouen. Once in the capital of Normandy, I skirted the banks of the Seine to reach Merville-Franceville, a magnificent kitesurfing spot where I'd already had the chance to sail. On this very windy day, the place is full of kitesurfers with whom I take the time to chat.

Thanks to my zero-waste project, I also have some**unusual encounters** along the way, like when I chat with an absolutely fascinating antique dealer in Franceville.

I'm looking for a place to sleep in the countryside along the Seine. Here again, I'm struggling to decide where to pitch my tent. So, like yesterday, I end up pitching it in some undergrowth. I'm a bit afraid people will see me, as I'm sleeping on private farmland. When night comes, wild boars are raiding like crazy! The noise is impressive, but fortunately they don't come near me...

DAY 5 🚲 Merville Franceville - Dieppe 🚲

100 km

I'm tackling my last day of this Breton-Normandy tour. After a few kilometers, I have a puncture... Fortunately, it's fairly easy to repair. I cross the Seine on the pont de Brotonne, which links Rouen to Le Havre. Along the ** côte d'Albâtre**, I discover the Château d'Arques-la-Bataille. A majestic sight. I stop off at Clères, where my then-girlfriend's father lives.

After a short break, I continue on to Dieppe, a picturesque gateway town, with its pretty pebble beach, its immense promenade and its ever-full terraces. That's it, I've completed my first Expedition Zero! I'm off to Quiberville-sur-Mer to get some rest from this incredible adventure 😴.

Final lap

This was a magical stay. Firstly, because it was my first. Secondly and most importantly, because I'm proud that it was totally sustainable. I bought second-hand equipment, I avoided food waste and I got around thanks to the energy of my legs! It was also an opportunity for me, as a Breton, to rediscover Brittany from the inside, which was truly enchanting. In the end, the few little "galères" taught me a lot about traveling by bike. I'm thinking in particular of the hammock, which is obviously a very nice accessory but ... not so easy to hang up! 😅