From strangers to easy riders

By Diane Daniel, Globe Correspondent, Globe Staff, 08/1102

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When Gary Smiley decided to go on a two-week bike trip in France and Italy, he advertised for riding partners through his local cycling club, the Charles River Wheelmen.

Janet Cochrane Miller was enticed, but a bit dubious. "I had no idea who Gary was, and figured he was probably 31 years old and wouldn't want me along," she said.

As it turned out, they were the perfect touring companions. Miller, 57, a medical science writer who lives in Charlestown, and Smiley, 54, a computer programmer who lives in Cambridge, are close in age, both avid cyclists, and both would be embarking on their first long trip by bicycle. Miller said she had the benefit, too, of Smiley's abilities as a "great mechanic."

The first thing Miller did was invite Smiley and his wife, Carol, over for dinner "so that I could make quite sure that it really was OK with Carol for Gary and me to travel together." Carol gave her blessing, and the trip was on.

Smiley researched touring options mostly on the Internet and recommends the Phred list (visit www.phred.org/mailman/listinfo/touring).

"There's two kinds of 'loaded touring,' " Smiley said, "the kind where you're going camping, and the kind we did." Either way, cyclists carry all their gear, which can easily add 35 to 50 pounds.

They went in early June to avoid the tourist season. "We bought some maps, and decided how far we could go, and then broke up the days," Smiley said.

Miller, who switched from backpacking to cycling when she developed knee problems (the repetitive motion of pedaling has been found to be kinder on the knees), was familiar with packing light. "I never weighed everything, but I did carefully consider every single item."

By the end of the trip, they'd ridden 460 miles in 14 days on hybrid bicycles, traveling through Provence, the French Riviera, and Tuscany. Smiley, who is the Webmaster for the Charles River Wheelmen's site, posted a trip report, along with photos, at http://biketour.garysmiley.com.

Only one night's lodging was arranged in France, when they first flew into Marseille and took a bus to Aix-en-Provence, then unboxed and assembled their bikes, and took a ride around the city. That evening they ate crepes, strolled, and listened to jazz on the street.

As they headed south on their bikes the next day toward Le Tholonet, they could catch glimpses of Mount St. Victoire through gaps in the trees. Soon enough, the mountain, which inspired many Cezanne paintings, loomed ahead.

"Though we assumed the route was a coastal road, it was definitely not flat. The maritime Alps come right down to the Mediterranean."

"There was no day without a significant climb," Miller said. "Though you kind of knew what was coming, you had to experience it. The hills were pretty well-graded, but they were long."

The next day they rode to the village of Meounes, where they dined on fresh porcini mushrooms and wild boar meat.

They had about seven days of bad weather, though "we did ride in the rain," Miller said. "But sometimes we took a train to avoid cities that would be hard to ride through."

The trip ended in Pisa, where Smiley has an American cousin married to an Italian woman. "We were wined and dined, and she showed us all the sights," he said. It was a relaxing ending to two weeks on two wheels.

Send suggestions to ddaniel@globe.com.