Planning for our 2026 cycling holidays are now complete.

For years I have ridden wheels from various manufacturers. From Mavic. zipp and Spinergy to hand built rims on shimano hubs I have been served well.

Another new toy for me is my Bryton s810 GPS.

From Brehemont its a lovely ride through wooded lanes all the way to the village of Azay Le Rideau. Crossing small rivers and through villages it feels you are the only people around. Very few cars on these roads. The route on this ride I would consider ‘rolling’ as being away from the Loire there are quite a few lumps and bumps en route with nothing too stressful to climb. Leaving Azay after a coffee and ice cream you ride back towards the Loire at Savonnieres. passing fields of grape vines and apple orchards the road is very fast riding easily at a steady 30KPH. When you do meet a car they are courteous to cyclists and always leave plenty of space. 

This was a lovely countryside ride along a disused railway track on smooth asphalt. Only a short 22km each way ride passing open fields and scattered Chateau. Old railway stations along the route are set up with cycle repair facilities which are free to use as well as fresh water taps to fill up your bottles.

First impressions of the new groupset. Well, I’m certainly impressed with the operation. Slicker gear changes with a much lighter touch than with my Campagnolo set up. Also it looks so good. Build quality and feel is fantastic. Now with 32 tooth rear cassette climbing will certainly be easier that with my previous 28 cassette. It’s going to take a few rides to dial into using it. The lightness of touch on the levers is going to take some getting used too as I am shifting to far at present. Overall I couldn’t be happier with it.