50th Homecoming on a Brompton

This summer, the road called for a very personal mission: a homecoming trip that celebrated fifty years - mine and the folding bike company where I worked for 5 years.

Before I move moved to Spain, I had the privilege of working as Brompton Bicycle’s Management Accountant. Over the past year when not busy organising cycling tours and hire bikes for our guests at Siempre Ciclismo, I have been testing Brompton’s new bikes prior to launch. And what better way to test a brand-new machine than on an epic journey cycling from my Spanish home in Llíber, in the province of Alicante, all the way back to the Brompton factory in Greenford, London?

This was more than just a ride; it was a blend of high-speed travel and continental cycling, exploring many new areas I hadn’t previously visited. Roughly following EuroVelo 8 “The Mediterranean Route”, through Spain and France, and then tackling the Avenue Verte from Paris, I clocked up 900 km on the bike.

The Ultimate Travel Companion: Electric P Line

To tackle this multi-faceted adventure, blending long riding distances with train hops, I needed a bike that could handle everything. Enter the new P Line Electric - a production model I was testing before its official launch.

Engineered and handbuilt by Brompton in London, my plan would be to ride this bike back to the factory.

The Electric P Line has a new motor that genuinely made light work of the hills. For a trip involving several train journeys the lightweight frame was crucial. Thanks to its titanium rear triangle and carbon fork, it was easy to carry.  I also noticed the stiffness from the new handlebar support which used a system similar to an A-headset.

While the G Line Brompton launched last autumn is more suited for serious gravel touring, I had zero problems whatsoever tackling the "champagne gravel" stretches along EuroVelo 8 and the portions of the Pirinexus route I incorporated. Although on some rougher sections of the route the ride would have been better on a G Line, I managed to ride it all on the P line and the reduced folded size and weight was a bonus.

The motor system - the all-new e-Motiq system, located in the rear hub, which is the big change for the 16 inch wheel electric Brompton (previously located in front hub) - was fantastic. With an extra battery mounted in a dry bag on the rear rack I managed just under 140km and 1,500m on the longest day of the tour, mostly on assistance level 2 out of 3.  Together with the handlebar controller with its smart range predictions, I could adjust my level of input and  the assist level to plan a perfect ride with something in reserve until I reached my destination each day.

Part 1 – The Spanish Mediterranean

The journey began in Llíber.  The village we moved to almost 10 years ago.  Based between the coastal towns of Calpe and Denia this area is now the most popular European training ground for professional cyclists and 40km south of Eurovelo 8. Setting off in late August, I would join EuroVelo 8, the Mediterranean Route.  The full route starts in Cadiz and stretches 6,000km along the Mediterranean coastline to Athens, but I would ride just a few sections of it until I reached Montpellier in France.

Day 1: Llíber to Lloret del Mar

My first day blended cycling with high-speed rail. I cycled north from Llíber to Valencia for my first section of Eurovelo 8. A route I have ridden many times as diversions of the route provide some great flat gravel riding in the Albufera Natural Park, an area famous for the bomba rice grown there used in the famous regional paellas.  Once in the city, the Brompton comes into its own, with its fast compact fold I was on the train in minutes and speeding towards Barcelona at up to 290km per hour.  In just over 3 hours I had reached Barcelona and caught another local train to Blanes at the end of the line for a night time ride to Lloret del Mar on the coast, where the real adventure would begin.

Day 2: Birthday Views in Cadaqués

Day 2 was special, my birthday ride and also the most km’s of any day of the trip. I rode from Lloret del Mar up the coast road, leaving Eurovelo 8 to enjoy the beautiful asphalt along the Costa Brava.  At the town of Sant Feliude Guixois I rejoined Eurovelo 8 and was treated to some super traffic free gravel of the Pirinexus route.  The P Line Brompton with its 32mm tyres had no problem with the smooth gravel on this section.  100km into the ride I decided I needed to book some accommodation for the night and found a super looking hotel, Les Arrells in the town of Cadaqués.  Timed perfectly after a long climb and descent, running out of battery at the hotel gate, this was a fantastic spot overlooking this beautiful white-washed fishing village made famous as the home of Salvador Dali.

Day 3: Heading North into France

The next leg took me from Cadaqués to Laucate de Franqui. I would leave Eurovelo 8 to trace the Mediterranean coast road, passing through small villages. I got the 1km to France sign photo in Spain before the border, just as well as the one on the border was missing.  The freedom of riding across an international border with no border control is something that I still find wonderful. Once in France I stopped in the first town across the border, Cerbère, I needed some coffee and a croissant and I needed to quickly remember my GCSE French and failed miserably, mixing up my Sí’s with Oui’s. Spotting a creperie in Banyuls-sur-Mur a little further up to coast,  I stopped again and had much more success, my French was coming back.  Further North, Eurovelo 8 tracks the coastline, so I was back on the route with more traffic free back roads and cycle paths, passing through a number of coastal towns with the Mediterranean over my right shoulder.  Still fuelled by the earlier crepe I had made it to the station at Laucate de Franqui – the Eurovelo 8 website recommends you take the train as the surface is more MTB for the next section, so that’s what I did, to the city of Narbonne, for a good night’s rest, after riding 125km on a croissant and a crepe.

Day 4 & 5: Leaving the Med for Paris

Day 4 was a shorter ride from Narbonne to Sète. With no trains to catch I decided on a lazy breakfast; coffee in a bar and pastries from the patisserie opposite, which seemed to be the way it worked in France. By coming to Narbonne I was off my planned route which would go directly to Béziers, so I followed my nose back to rejoin Eurovelo 8 near the village of Nissan-lez-Enserune. It worked despite some questionable off-road sections.  Reaching the village with a local market, sunshine with slightly lower temperatures than I’d been used to in Spain, I sat with a coffee and a croissant from the patisserie across the road feeling immersed in the journey soaking up the south of France. This was followed by more smooth gravel on the tow path along the Canal de Midi all the way to Béziers with its 9 locks finishing with a set of cobblestones to give the Brompton a good test.   Continuing along Eurovelo 8, there were some more challenging tracks with some muddy sections where I found the limit of grip on the P Line’s 32mm road tyres. Back on the coastal path I made it to Sète "Venice of the Languedoc" with its canals lined by colourful buildings.

Day 5 brought another crucial train link. I cycled from Sète to Montpellier, on a super flat route with the sea to the right and endless blue skies above. With one last stop at a beach side café, I said goodbye to the Mediterranean and headed along the canal path to Montpellier.  From there, I took the TGV, the high-speed link reaching speeds of up to 320km/h, straight up to Paris in 3½ hours. Again the quick and easy folding ability of the Electric P Line made the train transitions entirely seamless. From Gare de Lyon station in Paris, within seconds I was on the P Line on the cycle lane along the Seine passing Notre-Dame to the Eiffel Tower. The contrast between this city centre riding and the past few days couldn’t have been greater, but a buzz to suddenly be cycling in a busy and spectacular city.

Day 6 & 7: The Avenue Verte Experience

For the final cycling push through France I followed the Avenue Verte route which consists of quiet roads, tow paths, cycle paths and former railway lines. I started with a short detour of the route to visit Montmatre and Sacre Coeur with the magnificent views of the city and to test the P Line on the steep cobbled climbs that featured in this year’s final stage of the Tour de France.  The P Line made easy work of this and in no time I was taking photos at the Sacre Coeur before descending the cobbles to join the Avenue Verte. The route follows the Canal Saint-Denis and the Seine out of Paris then leaves the tow paths for the countryside north of Paris. This includes some rough off-road sections combined with lots of quiet country roads, cycle paths and chateaux views all the way to the midway point on this leg for my overnight stop in Gisors.  

Day 7, continued on the Avenue Verte to Dieppe with small country lanes following the Epte Valley. After breakfast in Gourney-en-Bray with coffee from the café and pan aux raisans from the pâtisserie opposite I continued on the route to Forges-les-Eaux, from here the route followed the old railway line through picture perfect Normandy with the old stations and more chateaux along the way.  Huge thanks to the guy in the camper van that gave my chain a clean and a re-lube.  The first maintenance required along the route.  Arriving in Dieppe I failed miserably on my mission to find a launderette, which was necessary now carrying a week’s worth of dirty washing.  They only seemed to take cash and I’d spent all on coffee and pastries.

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Part 3: Across the Channel and Home (UK)

After seven incredible days of cycling across two countries, it was time for the final push back to the UK. 

Day 8: Crossing the channel

With a midday ferry booked I made the quick trip to Decathlon Dieppe to buy some warm clothes as I knew after 10 years of Spanish acclimitisation I was going to be in for a shock on reaching the UK.  Boarding the ferry with a folding bike meant I was a foot passenger and had to hop on a bus for the 100 metre journey across the car park.  Luggage larger than a small bag was classed as oversized and was going to go on the luggage hold, so for the first time in over a week I was parted from the Brompton.  After arriving at the port in Newhaven it was a nervous wait, however the Brompton finally arrived and I was on my way to stay with my friend Karla and her wife Holly in Hove.  This was navigation by Google Maps and hearing Karla shout my name from the front door I’d made it.  It was great to catch up, have a super dinner cooked for me.  Karla even did my washing which I felt pretty guilty about, but I tried in Dieppe, honest.

After a great night’s sleep, I made my way to one of the three cafés owned by Holly, Fika Avenue, for fantastic coffee and pastry with Karla and a catch up before heading off on my final leg to the Brompton Factory.  My plan was to follow the London-Brighton route in reverse for the first part of the day, so this meant heading back into Brighton then over Ditchling Beacon.  Bringing back memories of many coastal rides that I did when I lived in the UK, the surroundings felt familiar and a little nostalgic. The difference being the P Line electric making the climb a piece of cake.  Descending towards Ditchling the rain started and I knew that I was in for some typical British weather. Riding through the country lanes I was getting wetter and colder sheltering under a tree in the heaviest of the rain, somewhere I’d probably done a Surrey League road race many years ago. The rain wasn’t stopping. I made it to the café at East Grinstead Sport Club, got a warm drink, checked train times and figured if I made it the local train station and the train was there I’d be on it. The timing worked out perfectly and I was onboard, wet kit hanging up, then some dry layers on, finally thawing out.  Getting off the train at Croydon and navigating through some busy traffic, the sun came out in Carshalton, so I took the opportunity for some lunch in a great café, Spilt Milk.  Back on my planned route with the sun shining I was all set for the last 40km of this epic journey. Trying to keep off the busy roads, I headed though the gravel of Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park then along the Thames tow path to Kew Bridge, where the Brompton factory was located when I worked there.   From here a quick trip to Ealing Broadway Decathlon to buy some more warm clothes and a pair of trainers as my flip flops I’d been using as my off the bike footwear were not going to cut it in this climate. From here it was only a short ride but a very wet one.  I’d made it through the factory doors, taking the P Line back to where it was made.

After a quick factory tour and catch up with a few old workmates, I took the train to Paddington with for some celebratory drinks with some more ex colleagues.  This whirlwind of a day wasn’t over yet, after a far too brief catch up, I was on the Elizabeth line to Romford to start my next trip the following morning; cycling to Amsterdam over 3 days for Just Pedal supporting the Grocery Aid trip.

Looking back on this trip, I have to say it has been one of the best tours I’ve done.  The ability of the Electric P Line to handle 900 km of varied terrain, from the coastal roads of Catalunya and the smooth gravel sections of the Pirinexus to the greenways of the Avenue Verte, confirmed its capability. I would probably tweak the route to include less gravel on the 16 inch wheel version and more gravel if riding the 20 inch wheel G line, but there is a lot of crossover, I’m probably being fussy though. There are some annoying restrictions taking bikes on these high speed trains in France and Spain, but these were not issues with a Brompton, in all instances there were no restrictions with the Brompton and the speed of the fold/unfold and compactness of the folded bike made it so easy. 

To travel with by bike with electric assistance when you want it, seamless and hassle free train hoping on comfortable and super-fast trains is definitely something I want to repeat. Let’s start planning.