The day comes. Not a moment too soon and yet it seems to have arrived all of a sudden. Preceded by weeks of preparations I feel greatly unprepared. We have spent most of our time and energies getting the house into order and keeping up with friends rather than anything explicitly trip related. We still have time for all that as the first few weeks are soft-start family holiday before the real touring begins. We call this Just-in-Time preparation but really it is just laziness.

Of course Samuel is immediately heading the wrong way.

First day’s route: down to the ecusson. Enjoy a gelato at Padova, our favourite gelateria in Montpellier. Across to the train station and, after a bit of bike juggling in the elevators, TGV to Valence and TER to Annecy. Cycle from Annecy to Sevrier where we are welcomed at our holiday house by my brothers and their families. Plunge in the lake!

• Cycled: 10km
• Icecreams: 5