Day 42: Bordeaux to Marcheprime | 34km
13 July 2026
After three days off the bike, it was time to strap on the slowly deteriorating bib shorts again and get back on the saddle. I spent my days off attending the wedding of two close friends and reuniting with people I hadn’t seen since before this trip. It felt like a brief break in the journey. From pushing long days in scorching heat, sweating up steep hills, and battling nature, I suddenly found myself in clean clothes—thanks to Irene, who flew in with my more wedding-appropriate attire. I was surrounded by people I knew from the office, with food served on proper plates and prosecco in thin wine glasses.
I arrived at the pre-wedding reception exhausted, feeling like my body and mind had postponed the fatigue I was supposed to feel over the last week until they finally had time to recover. I sometimes wonder how much is reasonable to ask of my body as I keep pushing further. It’s not so much the distance that worries me, but external factors like insufficient nutrition, heat, and climate. After 4,500 km, I know my body can handle the daily distance, but under what conditions is it feasible to keep it up? So far, I think the ideal circumstances were in Denmark: relatively flat terrain, 25 degrees, and plenty of opportunities to refuel. That had not been the case in central France.
Some people at the wedding were curious to hear about my trip so far. As I recounted stories from the road, I found it difficult to convey the real experience beyond just listing the cities I’d passed through. I tried summarizing how I felt about the trip, and I gave an honest answer: even though I’ve willingly chosen to do this and it’s still something I want to see through, it’s also incredibly difficult. "Difficult" might be an understatement. Physically, it’s just about manageable to keep up the pace, but the mental aspect of constant movement has taken a toll. I definitely miss comforts from everyday life, but most of all, I think I miss companionship. Every moment of social connection on this trip has been a reminder that things are just better when shared.
I think this trip will hold more meaning for me once it’s complete, having shown myself what’s possible with enough determination. In the day-to-day of being in the experience, though, it feels more meaningful to do it with someone else. Before embarking on this cross-continental journey, I romanticized the idea of solo bikepacking for an extended period, but my perspective has changed. Now, when I see the couples and families I pass who are bikepacking, I think they’re the ones doing it right. The main reason I can think of to do these things alone is if you really want to push yourself to the absolute limits. More likely, it’s because you want to go on a big trip and no one else is as excited to disappear from life for a few months.
My bike had been parked at a friend’s place while I was at the wedding, so once I was back in Bordeaux, I immediately headed to pick it up. I pedaled a little over 30 km to get out of the metropolitan area. It usually takes a while to escape cities, and I was keen on waking up tomorrow and just hitting the road without worrying about maneuvering through traffic. Since France’s national day is tomorrow, it seems like all campgrounds are fully booked, so I got myself a cheap hotel next to the highway. I arrived late at the hotel anyway, so the view from the room didn’t matter much.