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Loose Spokes | Bike Travel Adventures | Retirement

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A bit about us. My husband and I met thru bikes (2014), dated on bikes, and did bike vacations while living in Germany. Jay commuted to work by bike, even in the worst snow storms. So a biking retirement is not such a stretch. One week after Jay retired in 2024, we flew to France for our first 10 week #biketour to Provence and the French Alps. 2025 we’re adding Switzerland See our blog for trio summaries, how we tour, and geeky bike stuff. (link at bio). Photos here are from 2024- road bikes. We switched to gravel bikes in ‘25. Highly recommend for comfort, gravel terrain, and for carrying touring bike bags.

Here’s our 2024 trip in Numbers:

10 weeks, 75 days

626 miles ridden

185 miles walked

31 cities/towns visited

23 days of cycling (fierce winds in April “Les Mistrals” made riding unsafe for 15 days)

42 miles- longest ride-Pont du Gard

2501 greatest elevation gain

3 lakes -ridden around

4 spa days

7 art museums/studios

18 train trips

2 bus trips (BLA BLA Car Bus to Chamonix/Mont Blanc, and Bus to Arles)

1 ferry

0 flats/mechanicals

Please let us know if you have any questions. We’ve learned so much from people in the Cycling community and are happy to share. Thanks for being here! @loose.spokes

#biketravel #cycletravel #retirementadventures #bikepacking #womenwhobike #veloadventure #bikinginfrance #provencecycling #fahrradtour🚲 #bicyclingadventure #annecylake #biketouring #retirementgoals by @loose.spokes

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a year ago

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15 hours ago

Do you know about the “bread law” in France? Thinking about this as Jay made French toast this morning (They just call it TOAST here…)

We’re at 86 days, and packing up for home. SO much we will miss!

#cycletravel #cyclinginfrance #frenchbread #retirementadventures #bagette taken in French Alps, France by @loose.spokes

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2 days ago

Video postcards from the Tour de France July 21 Time Trials in Thonon Les Bains!

1-Tadej Pogačar sprints to the last turn
2-Jay hard at work (Race Volunteer)
3- Hospital Visit- Alison gets bit by a Dog. (Yes I posted the ride on Strava)
4- How to Watch a Time Trial

An eventful, exciting day!

#cycletouringeurope #tourdefrance2026 #thononlesbains #retirementadventures #coupleswhobiketogether taken in Thonon Les Bains - Lac Léman by @loose.spokes

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3 days ago

Friends, tune in to the Tour de France on TV, tomorrow in Thonon Les Bains! 🇫🇷 Stage 16 on July 21 is a time trial starting in Evian Les Bains and ending in Thonon. It starts at 1pm Paris time/6am CST. Below is a map of the course in Thonon.

Jay is volunteering and will be wearing his teal ‘staff’ t-shirt and white ‘Gillian’ hat. He’ll be in the village. I’ll be watching at the turn at Avenue de Corzent— see red arrow on map.

Thonon is all dressed up for the TV coverage. Look for the TDF-decorated funicular and the TDF flower garden at Thermal Park in front of Lake Geneva.

Wishing all the TdF cyclists a great race. Tune-in!

#letourdefrance #cycletouring #watchthetourdefrance #tourdefrance🇫🇷 #retirementadventures taken in Thonon Les Bains - Lac Léman by @loose.spokes

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6 days ago

Stockholm. I was completely entranced and couldn’t look away… these silks dancing in the Baltic Sea wind…changing as the sky grew darker with the approaching storm. It was hypnotic, peaceful, and felt one with the shoreline, the surrounding ship masts and billowing sails.

Diana Orving is a Swedish artist who creates art installations and paintings using textiles.

I’ve been thinking about how to describe that feeling … when you’re cycling and get into that ‘zone’ —when you relax, you feel like you can finally breathe again. Your chest opens. That calm.

I don’t have to describe it. Diana Orving created it.

Enjoy this video. Thank you @dianaorving, what a lovely surprise to come upon today while visiting Stockholm.

Kudos to the city of Stockholm for their commitment to public art. (One percent of all public commercial project budgets go to art.)

#cyclinglove #stockholm_art #stockholmarchipelago #cyclingadventure #sculptureinstallation taken in Stockholm, Sweden by @loose.spokes

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7 days ago

Island-hopping by bike and ferry around Stockholm’s Archipelago. The city is on 14 islands and is surrounded by a huge archipelago that stretches to the Baltic Sea. It’s easy to get around, thanks to its great bike and mass transit infrastructure. Loving the Cykel-ing in Sweden!

#stockholm #sweden #cycleadventure #retirementadventures #cykel by @loose.spokes

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8 days ago

In love with the colors of Stockholm… The buildings are painted in warm, earthy colors to harmonize with nature- terracotta, saffron, deep amber, and earth greens. A feast for the eyes at every turn.

We’re loving Stockholm’s bike infrastructure, mass transit, and ferry system which connects this city of 14 islands. We’re exploring archipelagos, beaches along the Baltic Sea, and some amazing restaurants.

But as an artist, I am taken by the color palette and aesthetics of this beautiful city. What a gorgeous place to explore, by bike.

Vaxholm, Saltsjöbaden, Gamla Stan….More to come.

#stockholm #sweden #stockholmcykelklubb #cycletouringlife #retirementadventures taken in Stockholm, Sweden by @loose.spokes

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8 days ago

Jay applied to volunteer for the TOUR DE FRANCE in Thonon and was selected! He went to his first “STAFF” meeting and we made a funny video :)

Look for Jay on July 21, the Stage 16 Individual Time Trials that start in Évian Les Bains and finish in Thonon Les Bains.

It’s an honor to be an ambassador for this great town that we call home for our cycling summers, and for the sport of cycling! 🚴‍♂️❤️🇫🇷

@letourdefrance @villedethonon @thonontourisme @thononlesbains

#cycletravel #cycletouringlife #retirementadventures #cyclinginfrance #letourdefrance taken in Thonon Les Bains - Lac Léman by @loose.spokes

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17 days ago

We’ve been following-a solo woman in her late 60’s on a bike journey to raise money for a medical charity. Claire is cycling from Portugal to the Arctic Circle in Norway. She has completed 4800 out of 6800 miles She is now in Norway, wild camping, navigating difficult terrain and weather, and sharing her remarkable journey.

It is inspiring, poetic, and a worthy cause. One woman. My age. We are stronger than we think 💪🚴‍♂️🩷

https://www.justgiving.com/page/claire-poulton-3

She is posting on Facebook as “One Woman, One Bike, One Wild Atlantic Coast.” https://www.facebook.com/share/1EDB2LibXy/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Will place her links in our stories and in our blog.

Thank you!

#bikepacking #solotraveller #cyclingadventures #norwaycycling #norway taken in Norway by @loose.spokes

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18 days ago

my feet have been training for this all summer.

(Keens!)

#cyclinggear #cyclingsandals #tourdefrance #retirementgoals #cyclingfun by @loose.spokes

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20 days ago