on yer bike....

Why is it so hard to title a blog entry without giving in to cliches?

2009 everywhere (ok all over France at least) is looking brilliant...this isn't really an entry about wine......

At C&B we have a lot of cyclists but which I mean people who have road bikes and cycle to work and back and like the idea of doing a bit more. I'm not quite sure why we have so many, something to do with exercise justifying the increased alcohol intake or the crap London traffic, but any way we do. So this got a few of us talking and now an idea has been born, amazingly without any alcohol in the system at the time.

The idea: Cycle from Champagne to Chateauneuf (let's say 450miles) in a four, possibly five, days. Stopping at (and staying with) producers who we represent. Haven't asked any of them yet but I don't want details getting in the way just now.

Who: Me, Fraser (Senior sales, Suffolk living Rhone freak, father of three with a blemished travel record at best), James (On trade manager, cyclist, windsurfer and our only technical bod).

Logistics: Hoping to delegate this one! actually my father in law and his Land Rover are a distinct possibility. Logistics being important when you can't carry much on a bike (especially when doing 100 miles a day!) and you're staying somewhere different each night. Will need to get help from our friends in the buying team to makes sure we can stay with the producers we'd like to but I'm sure we can charm our way round that one!

Potential problems: Navigation, injury, logistics, fitness (lack of), drinking too much(wine)/not enough (water), arguing, weather, blogging, twittering etc as we go.....going to stop now as don't want to focus on this area

When: May or June 2010 - only problem being that this is when the Bordeaux 2009 (very good..see top of page) is released and being sales people we don't like to miss out.....

I think it's all quite exciting but I don't underestimate the miles involved. I've done 100m+ three times but never day after day!

It'll (before, during and after) be reported here and on twitter!!

Bon weekend all, time to cycle home......