Community Spotlight: Louise's First Solo Cycling Adventure

Mechanicals – I worked on bike maintenance skills, and a friend agreed to be at the end of the phone for anything I couldn’t handle. That was a comfort.

Loneliness – In preparation, I did a few day-long rides alone. I learned that, though my mind would be skittish for the first couple of hours dwelling obsessively on the risks, it would eventually settle into a happy, meditative state.

Danger –Research told me French roads are engineering masterpieces, not the pot-holed chaos of my local roads and French drivers are respectful of cyclists. Life experience told me people are essentially kind and that help springs from unexpected and life-affirming quarters.

Dining alone – To avoid feeling self-conscious in restaurants, I would eat out earlier – a 6.30 pit stop is more transactional than a 7.30 dinner. Takeaways and supermarkets were also options.

Fear – I joined an online women’s bikepacking community. Their stories, questions and dreams helped inspire me and normalised the idea of women travelling solo.

Being alone gave me the chance to carve my own path and to live the experience without distraction. Stopping for coffee, lingering over a view, choosing a route – all these things would be decided by me and for me. I could choose to plan my day or live by impulse, change my mind and be answerable to no one. An opportunity for self-indulgence; what a treat!

Waving goodbye at the airport, I felt small beside my enormous bike box. It was heavy and unwieldy. I wasn’t even sure how to wrestle it to check in. But one thing I have learnt about travelling is if you can move forward one step, you can move forward two. The trick is simply to focus on the next step and not to think too far ahead. 12 hours later, with the impromptu help of numerous strangers, I arrived and, in the fading light, rebuilt my bike. What a sense of achievement. Hear me roar!