Hi Steve
Indeed I do remember this.
All told, it was a bit of non-event as a trip, partly because of the weather; though not dreadful all the time, it was pretty dire for the time of year: I actually headed home 3 cycling days earlier with a sense of disappointment.
Partly I guess because all of my tours over recent years have been much more challenging (1.Andalucia 2. Cuba 3. Alscace - Jura - Massif Central Dordogne, 4 Rioja - Pyrenees - Dordogne. 5 Picos de Europa. 6 NW Scotland & Outer Hebrides) and the relative lack of excitement ref location failed to motivate me.
Britanny is pleasant enough cycling though, lots of rolling/hilly countryside inland, lots of charming medival towns but with an over-developed coast for my liking (though didn't go as far as the NW corner which I think is probably much wilder)!
I've always had incredible luck weather-wise and so have developed a bit of a fair-weather mentality and I basically just got fed up with getting rained on and with not being able to sit on cafe terraces soaking up the sun in the evenings by way of reward. Got battered by one heck of a coastal a storm between Carnac and Vannes, was quite shocked when I watched news footage confirming 3 deaths later that day.
Ref the RST, the bike itself performed impeccably, new Shimano pads and a not overly worn panracer rear tyre excepted. Pads continually grated in wet weather and the panracer wall started to split in several places. For the first couple of days I felt I was dancing on the pedals at the end of 60 mile rides and the RST definitely felt like a fast tourer: by the end of the 4th (storm) day the lack of proper pre-tour preparation kicked in, along with deteriorating weather so I rested in Vannes for a day.
Thereafter, rode back to St Malo in soggy fits and starts, pondering whether I could really be arsed to continue beyond. With yet another day of rain predicted after getting soaked yet again on the approach to St Malo, I decided to save my money and catch a ferry rather than continue through swiss normandy to the D-day beaches and then onto Cherbourg.
Cycling a 20 mile stretch of the Nantes Brest canal however, I'm more convinced than ever that the RST merits a 4-rating off-road in Stutho's comparison chart: the RST flew along the unpaved tracks, no sign of strain with the load either!
No good RST shots this time round but am off the Picos de Europa and the Rioja region next month so should be able to oblige then. I've finally just quit a 20 year 20 a day habit and the Britanny trip served as a timely reminder that I need to more training and drink less beer just having got to the wrong side of 40 and not vice versa! By way of training motivation this time around, I have a bit of unfinished business to complete on a particular mountain pass in the Picos, Puerto San Glorio, the only paved mountain pass that I've ever ended up pushing a loaded bike up!
