Headwinds, Lac d’Orient, and fancy desserts!

Day 47: Troyes to Bar-sur-Aube (50 miles / 1365 ft.)

We were on the road a little after 9:00, beginning with a short roll through Troyes before following the canal out of the city. The morning was chilly, with an 11 mph headwind from the north. Occasionally the sun broke through the gray fall clouds and gave us a little warmth.

We made a brief stop at a Saturday market and grabbed a fresh apple before continuing toward Lac d’Orient. The lake is part of the Grands Lacs de Champagne, a system of large artificial reservoirs created to regulate the Seine and Aube rivers and reduce flooding downstream toward Paris. The water appeared very low, possibly because the reservoirs are gradually lowered during the year to make room for winter rain.

The headwind eventually climbed to nearly 18 mph, but luckily our winding route through the Forêt d’Orient would not leave us riding directly into it all day. Later turns brought some relief and even the feeling of a tailwind.

It was simply a nice day of autumn riding. We enjoyed the changing leaves and talked about how much the countryside smelled like Iowa. There was freshly turned soil in the fields and wood smoke in the air, probably from people heating their homes for the first time this fall.

We stopped for lunch beside Lac Amance at Dienville. When planning the route months ago, I had marked the beach with the hopeful note “swim?” Standing there bundled in our cold-weather clothing, with the wind blowing across the low water, that suggestion seemed pretty funny.

From Dienville, we followed the Aube River valley toward Bar-sur-Aube. I designed one of my usual little tours through town, following the water, looking at the half-timbered houses, and conveniently guiding us past Carrefour Express for pasta supplies.

After settling into our room and cleaning up, I waxed the bicycle chains while Lisa prepared dinner. We headed out to follow the small bronze triangles embedded in the streets. After enjoying the Templar route in Troyes, we couldn’t resist following Bar-sur-Aube’s three-kilometer heritage walk at sunset. The markers led us past old houses, churches, waterways, and reminders of the town’s medieval past. Bar-sur-Aube was once an important stop during the famous Champagne trade fairs, although today it feels much quieter, with quite a few empty storefronts.

Of course, the route also took us past a beautiful boulangerie-pâtisserie. We were unable to resist, so we bought one sweet for dessert tonight and another for tomorrow. We were very proud of our restraint.

Tomorrow should be a shorter day of about 45 miles, but the forecast calls for temperatures in the low 40s, another headwind, and rain later in the day. Hopefully, we can beat the rain!Read more