France 2019—Lessons Learned

Every time I spend a summer in France, I learn new things (or re-learn old things).

• Do not ride tubeless tires on the road.  I invested in a pair of 28cm Continental GP5000 tubeless tires this spring. and put them on my road bike.  The idea was to get a nicer feel and fewer flat tires.  Then I had my first blowout while climbing the Col de Macuègne in the Drôme at the beginning of June.  It was a rear tire and I was going uphill, so there were no big consequences.  There was a 2–3 cm rip where the sidewall separated from the tire bead.  It was not rideable, so I called for a ride in.  I wasn't so lucky yesterday.  This time it was the front tire on a descent, and the blowout sent me to the pavement hard.  The next thing that I remember were the people standing over me telling me not to get up.  I got an ambulance ride to the emergency room in Lourdes where they examined me and took an EKG.  The finally released me and gave me the bill—50 euros or about $55.  I don't think that I was charged for the ambulance ride.  I think that this would have cost me $2000–3000 in the U.S.  Got to love the French medical system!  When I finally got the bike back, I looked at the tire and it was the same problem.  This is surprising because Continental generally. makes good tires.  Needless to say, I won't be riding tubeless tires on the road any time soon.

• Renting versus purchasing a house in France.  I seriously considered buying a house in France next summer (and still may do so) but decided to rent instead.  It's cheaper and you have more flexibility.

• What to bring and what to buy.  If you have favorite snacks or a drink mix for the bike, you might want to consider bringing these with you.  Chances are you will not be able to find the same thing here.  Bring chamois cream, sun screen, bike clothes for all weather,  extra tires and tubes.  Buy CO2 cartridges here, stuff to clean the bike, and an extra pair of bib shorts if you need them.

• Lose weight and ride lots if you plan to do the bigger climbs.  I only ridden about 3000 miles this year and 4000 miles last year.  Compare that to 9000 miles in 2012 and 8000 miles in 2013. I was lighter then too.

• I was stung by a wasp on the day of the Tour.  The bite was already starting to swell, so I decided to track down some ice.  Elma stopped me and told me to use a hot spoon to break down the toxins instead.  Heat a spoon under hot water and press directly on the sting.  Repeat.  It works!

• Horse flies can bite through kevlar.  And the bites hurt.  They were the worst I have ever seen in the Arège.  Try getting bug repellant with eucalyptus oil.

• Invest in a good VPN.  Express VPN works.  You can access Netflix and all of your accounts.  Also, everything is encrypted.

• Upgrade to premium economy.  You will have more leg room and a few other perks.  Generally, the people in premium economy are ob a better class.

• When you bonk in the heat, stop riding.  If you don't, you may end up with heat exhaustion or worse.  I had to dig really deep to finish last Thursday's ride.  I made it, but I should have hitchhiked.  It took me most of two days to recover.

• Open a French bank account.  I opened one at CIC Bank in Saint Girons, and I now have a French debit card (true chip-and-pin) and French checks.  You can use your U.S. address, but you will need a utility bill to prove you actually live where you say you live, a copy of your latest tax return, and a French address where they can send the PIN code for your card.  Claire, the woman at the bank who helped me, spoke some English and was wonderful.  I can now use Transferwise to transfer money into the account from the U.S.

• Two weeks of intensive French at the beginning of the trip is worthwhile.  I did a one-week course about 4 weeks into the trip.  It helped, but two weeks at the beginning will bring your French up to speed.

• AT&T is not your friend.  They double charged me for an international package, and I ended up paying an extra $300 on my July bill.