Life Behind Bars - Craig & Shirley's Bikepacking Adventure

A few months ago, Craig and Shirley wandered into Bike House, curious to see what all the fuss was about. Somewhere between endless flat whites and long conversations about bikepacking, curiosity turned into commitment and before long, they were learning how to box up their bikes in pursuit of the perfect French baguette.

Inspired by his daughter’s fearless curiosity and her firm belief that the best way to see the world is from the saddle. They swapped suitcases for panniers and rigid itineraries for the winding roads of the French countryside. What began as a child’s hobby grew into something far richer: a journey through vineyards, villages, and wild coastlines, proving that sometimes it’s the smallest wheels that carry us the furthest.

Craig and Shirley recently shared an update as they begin their six-month journey experiencing life behind bars.

Words from Craig Paddon

Life Behind Bars - Chapter 1:

A chilled but productive day today. Unloaded the bikes from their boxes and put them back together while Shirley uploaded gpx files for the first part of our ride into Kamoot which is our route planning and navigation app.
Then it was time to get out and join the many locals out and about for another beautiful Spring day before finally wrapping it all up with pizza and beer for dinner.

"When older people hear that we are cycling for 6 months they say we are "Courageous" and one young person just said "Respect" so were feeling very intrepid!" - Shirley  

Life Behind Bars - Chapter 2:

Bonjour from France the spiritual heart of the sport of cycling, Charlotte would have been in her element here!

We finally set off on our bikes from Lyon last Thursday and one week and 300kms later we are having our first rest weekend here in Avignon.

We are currently riding on the Via Rhona a dedicated cycle trail that follows the Rhone River through South Eastern France all the way down to the Mediterranean Coast. The Via Rhona is part of the Euro Velo 17 one of many numbered cycling routes throughout Europe. Leaving Lyon involved our first experience of catching a regional train down to our start point, the beautiful little town of Vienne. A wee bit of stress to begin with when we failed to realise that both busses and trains featured on the Departure Board and the train that we thought we had missed was in fact a bus! Once we navigated our way to the correct platform the train duly arrived on time and it was simply a matter of rolling our loaded bikes on board and off we went. We were soon rolling along through vineyard, orchard, and farmland landscapes on a mix of dedicated bike paths and quiet country roads in very pleasant Spring sunshine with temperatures in the mid 20s. The locals were warning us that this weather was unusual for this time of year and that a cold change was on its way and so it proved to be. On the day that thunderstorms and a cold, wet change were forecast to arrive we came across our first major "deviation" as the French call a detour and it was significant!

The deviation took us on a long unmarked route which included some rough riding over what appeared to be an abandoned bridge project and towards the end we had to maneuver our bikes around and over construction/security fencing.

In the end it was a 2 hour detour which put us well behind schedule. With the weather and darkness rapidly closing in and some 20kms still to go to get to the camp we had booked into an Ibis Hotel complete with a "Budget" wing came into view so we decided to cancel our camp and wheeled in to the Ibis for the night for a very welcome hot shower, a cold beer and a feed!

Life Behind Bars - Chapter 3:

We awoke from our unexpected stop over at the Ibis Hotel to a very wet, cold and windy morning, quite the change that the locals had been warning us about. We had planned for the wind. Known as the "Mistral" it can be as strong as the good old Canterbury "Nor Wester" but extremely cold unlike the "Nor Wester." The "Mistral" blows from North to South, originating in the Swiss Alps and funnelling down the Rhone River Valley all the way to the Mediterranean and was the main reason that we chose our North to South direction ensuring that we had the wind at our backs and at worst occasionally from the side!

Wrapped up in our wet weather gear and with a stiff tailwind we sailed along to our next Campground where we decided to take advantage of one of their bivouacs purpose built for bike packers with a sturdy tent upstairs, a sheltered seat and table below and a little covered bike garage to the side. It proved to be a great choice with heavy rain throughout the night.

Morning dawned wet but the forecast was for improving weather throughout the day and so it proved to be. With no Campground available at out next planned stop Shirley searched on AI, (Chat GPT), and found a Chateau with a room available for bike packers so we thought why not live the Chateau lifestyle for at least one night!! Next stop Avignon for a couple of R&R Day's!

We will check back in with these two as they continue to clock in the miles! In the meantime, we wish them both an amazing journey over the next few months through France! We hope your days are filled with beautiful countryside, quiet roads, and plenty of stops for good food and coffee. May the climbs feel tough but worth it, the descents be fun, and each day brings something new to enjoy together. Ride safe, take it all in, and make lots of special memories along the way. We can not wait to hear about it all! 

Happy Riding. Charlotte will be smiling ear to ear right now! Xo