Day 5 - Le Mans to Tours, 55 miles

Part 1

Awoke to glorious sunshine and a lovely breakfast made by Sara the host at the small guesthouse I stayed in last night. Little did I know what the next 5 hours had in store. The perfect start of the trip came to an abrupt end with one of my hardest cycles. 55 miles, 2,000 ft of climbing, most of it on a busy B road, nothing interesting to see and all of it into an 18mph (with gusts) head/side wind. It was like cycling from Slough to Swindon with someone slapping you in the face the whole way. A ham and cheese baguette (HCB) break was the highlight of the ride!

This journey did have a purpose and I eventually rolled into Tours on the Loire River where things improved drastically. A beautiful city set by the river with a huge cathedral, small lanes, markets and a busy center.Read more