The Loire Valley: Three Years Late, Right on Time!

Day 40: Angers to Chinon (65 miles / 2,235 feet)

What a magnificent day in the Loire Valley!

After a wonderful night with Benoît and Angelica, we began the next morning with yogurt, bread, a delicious green rhubarb spread, and freshly ground Ethiopian coffee. We chatted about puzzles and looked at a retro stand up video arcade game Benoît had built himself. Once again, we found it difficult to stop talking and leave, but around 10:00 we finally rolled into the cool, sunny morning.

Our tired legs had us considering two possibilities: a shorter 45-mile route or the full 65-mile version. We wouldn’t need to decide until Saumur, so we started riding and waited to see what the day brought.

Apparently, a great night with Warmshowers hosts was exactly what we needed. We were cruising along at nearly 15 miles per hour, following the Loire through changing leaves, quiet villages, harvested vineyards, and long stretches of riverside trail with another self propelled boat crossing. We hoped to reach the Saturday market in Saumur, but a nice conversation with an English couple delayed us. By the time we arrived, the market was winding down, but the conversation had been worth it. We have seen plenty of markets, but we don’t always get to meet interesting people along the trail.

We found a narrow savory pastry that was something like pizza and shared a piece of pudding-like cake. We have no idea what either one was called, but they filled us up! Then we climbed to the Château de Saumur, the former palace of the Dukes of Anjou, for beautiful panoramic views over the city and the broad Loire River.

By then, the riding had been so enjoyable that the decision was easy: we were taking the longer route.

That carried us inland to the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud. We didn’t have the best view without stopping for a full visit, but it was still impressive knowing that this enormous abbey was founded in 1101 and became the burial place of Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Richard the Lionheart.

After Fontevraud, we descended toward the river valley again through one of the most unusual landscapes we have ridden. The hillsides were filled with entrances to caves and old underground galleries carved into the region’s soft, pale tuffeau limestone. Over the centuries, these spaces have become homes, workshops, mushroom farms, and naturally cool wine cellars. We even rode through a few of the passages ourselves.

Sometimes we feel a little guilty that we don’t stop and explore every château, church, cave, and historic town. Are we missing something? Maybe, but then we remind ourselves that riding is not simply how we travel between the attractions. For us, the riding is the attraction. We experience a place through its roads, rivers, hills, weather, conversations, smells, and constantly changing scenery. That is what we love.

We followed the Vienne River toward Chinon, stopping for groceries before squeezing ourselves and all our gear up a very steep staircase to our tiny efficiency apartment. In France, the ground floor is zero, but after 65 miles, the first floor can still feel like the fifth!

Dinner was simple and perfect: lasagna, bread, olives, three different cheeses, and, naturally, a bottle of Chinon red wine. We caught up on FindPenguins and Warmshowers reviews, then decided our legs had earned an evening without another walk. We will hopefully explore Chinon by bicycle tomorrow morning, when the streets are quiet.

This ride felt especially meaningful because we were supposed to be here in 2023. Less than 24 hours before that trip, Lisa crashed and fractured her pelvis, and everything had to be canceled. Now, three years later, we are finally riding this route together.

The grapes have been harvested, the leaves are changing, the air is cooler, and most of the tourists have gone home. We may have arrived three years late, but somehow it feels like we are exactly on time.Read more