HOMETOWN GRAVIER
home town/ˈhəʊm taʊn/ noun: the town of one's birth or early life or of one's present fixed residence.
Despite the adventure stories and other twists and turns on the other side of the French borders, PCR Gravier was indeed born in Paris, on the asphalt and without the shadow of a mountain on the horizon.
So how can you escape on fat tyres and experience adventure when you live in the capital of the road bike aka the home of the Tour de France?
We click West !
Local exploration.
With the arrival of summer, a ride close to home sounds like the ideal opportunity to fine-tune the organization of our next trip to Slovenia in August. The only problem is that our « happiness on the bike factor » is inversely proportional to the number of cars and industrial areas we encounter on our way. To remedy this, we choose the to go West.
We often think that the western part of Paris is preserved from industry by its proximity to Versailles or the beautiful houses that run through the area.
Actually, it's because of the wind. In Paris, the breeze blows mainly from the West to the East. As a result, the west, over the years, has become the least exposed spot from industrial fumes and other cloud factories, making it the default leisure destination for our local escapades.
'Getting out of Paris yes, but not just anyhow! '
Rendez-vous on rue Crozatier at 9am for a crossing of Paris via rue de Rivoli and the 'So French' Arc de Triomphe. After a brief passage through the longchamps racecourse aka 'the hamster club' where the locals look at us like aliens on big tires, we cross the Seine by the beautifull Passerelle de l'Avre before heading towards Versailles, Tout shuss !
Here, we are finally leaving civilization behind us. Between the gravel tracks and the small forest roads, the kilometres are leading us to l’Aqueduc de Buc, famous for being the gateway to the Chevreuse Valley.
These are the bikes that we will take to Slovenia but for now, everyone is amazed how fast they feel without 10kg luggage strapped to the frame. In Bièvres, caffeinated ravito is a must before leaving to the dust of the Saclay plains and the Verrière forest, the last green spot before our way back to Paris.
The Eiffel Tower serves as a navigational marker before ending up in the sun, cold beer in hand on the Quai de Seine, after 100 kilometers of fun on the bike practice.
Don't worry, the organization of our Slovenia trip hasn't advanced a bit, but once again, our photo/kilometre ratio is close to all-time records. It's all right, Summer is coming.
