# Brittany rambling



## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

Well, it's been a long summer and I have been away alot -- but always with my bike and camera. Now that August is drawing to a close and I've got a slow lunch break -- I thought I'd start posting some reports from my travels/riding this summer. Back in July, I took off down south to the Pyrenees for a two week TDF/Etape du Tour/ride all the passes I could find extravaganza with fellow rbr's Teoteoteo and MarkS. I'll post that report last and in the general forum as it is much more than a simple ride report and covers all kinds of ground from Pro racing to the different type of lodging and travel options best suit broke cyclists in France. After two weeks of work, I took off again w/ the family down to the Aravis range in the Alps for a week of hiking and early AM rides -- soon to be seen in this forum -- and finally, I just took off a week and a half with family and friends in Brittany where I managed to squeeze in some short training rides on the cyclocross bike. 

I'll start with Britttany first.

The first set of pictures are from the town of Josselin in the Morbihan. My roots are in this region -- my grandparents met in the village just south of Josselin and my several dozens of cousins germains, great-aunts, etc.... all live between here and the Morbihan gulf some 50 kms to the south. The visit was a short one and I only went out on one early am ride -- the air was cool, the scent of moss and mushroom signaled the end of summer and the light was exceptional. The pics are of the castle of Josselin (founded in the 1100's) and its surroundings, including the first industrial encroachement in this region dating from the 1700's -- one of Brittany's first large-scale textile mills.


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## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

*Brittany rambling 2*

Next stop after the Morbihan -- the Crozon peninsula in the Finistere for a week of beach decadence. I woke early a few times and rode some of the coastline trails and here are a few pics of scenery. The third picture is from our house in full day-time, the beach was just a few metres from the back and, as the tides were exceptionally strong, the rocky outcroppings on either side of the beach made for some great tidal pool exploring with the kids. Don't let the clarity and crispness of the water fool you ... this is not the Caribean. The water is cooohoold -- but bearable once the numbness sets in!

I did not see the Fort de Latte in the last picture while out riding, but we stopped off here on the way home and the I found the site stunning enough to warrant inclusion in this ride report...


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## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

*Brittany Rambling 3*

On the way back to Paris, we stopped off near Dol de Bretagne in the Mont Saint Michel bay. In France, a Sunday w/out cycling is an affront to decades of tradition and so I rode around the bay and out to the Mont to meet my family for a visit of the "merveille". The small "cantonale" roads in the bay are linked in a fairly dense network of bikeways (see "share the road" signpost). One of the main hazards on these roads are the slippery road surfaces and occasional congestion one runs into (see picture). All in all a good morning to share the road with the dozens of fellow cyclists who crossed my path.

While some people might (erroneously) object that a ride to the Mont St. Michel may not have its place in a post about Brittany, as a breton, let me tell you they are wrong!! The Mont St. Michel is in Brittany -- always was and always will be!


In any case, it was a fitting end to a week galette-eating and cider-drinking to visit this breton jewel (built, ironically, to thank the Benedictine monks for helping the King of France in his fight against the Breton Duchy!). I only hope the little riding I did was enough to counteract all the "Kouing aman" and "far breton" I ate -- cyclocross season is just around the corner!


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## racerx (Jan 29, 2004)

*Wow...*

Wow, uh, Wow...

Incredible, thanks for the post.


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## deadlegs (Jan 28, 2004)

Yes, WOW about sums it up! Thanks, Philippec!


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Those are some great photographs.*

Now of course everyone on this board is going to want to visit France.

Me first!


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## Frith (Oct 3, 2002)

*Those are amazing photos*

You obviously have a good eye. One question though have you been resizing without keeping proportions locked? I get that impression from the jagged edges on some of the shots of buildings.


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## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

*quick and dirty resizing...*



Frith said:


> You obviously have a good eye. One question though have you been resizing without keeping proportions locked? I get that impression from the jagged edges on some of the shots of buildings.


Thanks.

At home I use corelphotopaint or adobe photoshop to resize the pictures -- but I posted these over lunchtime at work -- and all I have to resize here is microsoft photoeditor and its crappy resize pixelations... sigh...even w/ proportions locked.

Philippe


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## beantownbiker (May 30, 2002)

*whoa...*

words are moot, in this case, pics speak for themselves...


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## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

Simply stunning


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

*I always learn something from you . .*



philippec said:


> . My roots are in this region -- my grandparents met in the village just south of Josselin and my several dozens of cousins germains, great-aunts, etc.... all live between here and the Morbihan gulf some 50 kms to the south.


Philippe:

You surely have added to my knowledge of France over the years. The term "cousins germains" had me stumped. I'm pretty good at geneological terms (I actually can tell you what, say, a third cousin once removed is). But, I had not encountered "cousins germains." Thanks to a Google search I now know -- first cousins. 

One thing you mentioned in passing, Breton cider, is another thing about which I did not know until we had some this summer in St. Germain. Breton cider definitely is a worthy competitor to the other fermented products of French soil. My only complaint about your Brittany report is that there were no pics of the family orchard about which you have spoken.

Welcome back.

Mark


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## Bryan (Sep 19, 2004)

Absolutely beautiful!!! I am so going to Europe someday. Im going even if I have to be an illegal alien and make a living by doing work that Europeans won't do!


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## cadence90 (Sep 12, 2004)

*Superbe!*

I just read this post + "Alpestanding" + the Megeve cyclosportif...incredible!
Great photos, great scenery, great reports.
The photo here of the clean asphalt ribbon road descending toward the sea just really makes me wonder: what the he** am I still doing in Los Angeles and why am I not living back in Italia...cacchio!

Superbe, philippec!!!


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## Dale Brigham (Aug 23, 2002)

Holy-Moly!

Merci, Philippe, for the photo tour. This reminds me of one more reason why Paris-Brest-Paris is so beautiful -- it traverses Brittany.

How about it, mon ami? Have you ever considered riding the greatest cycling event on the planet (for duffers like me, anyway) that just happens to take place in your backyard? PBP 2007 is just around the corner (arrete?).

Again, thanks!

Dale


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## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

*Pbp*

Dale,

Have I ever considered riding PBP.... 

well ... yes I have, much as one may consider (in a brief lapse of lucidity) succombing to the call of the abyss when standing very near a very steep precipice or answering the self-posed questions "what might happen if I stick my tongue to this lampost?" -- in february or "how bad can a belly flop hurt?"

So yes, I have considered riding PBP, but while I have yet to answer the call of the abyss or stick my tongue on exposed metal in winter, I *have* done a belly flop just for the sake of it and that mother huurt! -- much as I suspect actually riding PBP would... in spades!

In any case, I've done some 8-9 hr rides (the Marmotte and Ardechoise cyclosportives come to mind) and I've done some long races but I'm just not to the point of needing *that* much pain and despair in my life!

Maybe someday!!

;-D

A+

Philippe


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## Gripped (Nov 27, 2002)

Everytime you do one of your drive by posts I want to chuck this colonial lifestyle and move to the continent. Your photos are great. I know it was a while back, but I liked your Paris commute photo essay quite a lot.


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## djg (Nov 27, 2001)

*Excellent.*

It's been a while since I've been over there--thanks for the terrific pics.


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