La Vélodyssée Pt. 1

Since La Rochelle, I've always been asked the same question: Do you ride the Vélodysée?
This is a famous long-distance cycle route in France. It starts in England, then goes through Brittany via Brest, Nantes and along the French Atlantic coast to the Basque coast.
I want to cycle along the Atlantic anyway, so I set off on the cycle highway. After just a few kilometres, the first cyclist is standing at the side of the road. He looks in need of help and we start talking. 30 minutes later, we have exchanged tips and tricks and our experiences so far, and we continue cycling together. His name is Nikolas and he has now cycled 9000 km, has also changed bikes in between and now only rides with a duffel bag and trailer. For comparison: I have one such bag and four other bags plus a handlebar bag plus a food basket. 😅 -> I henceforth wear the name 'tank'.
After another hour, we start talking to two Frenchmen who are taking a break. We take them straight into the pack and continue on our way. Oncoming passers-by give us astonished looks because of the size of our group and the completely different bike setups.
Nikolas rides with minimal equipment and a trailer, I ride with full equipment, leather seat and all the trimmings,
Anthony and Alicia with moderate luggage.
This is where different cycling strategies really come together and for the next few days I think frantically about what else I could throw overboard in order to become lighter.
Of course, I will ride a much longer distance but as my buddy Jeffrey* would say: 'You ride your bike x hours a day, it should be fun and not a torture, otherwise you won't last long!' . Right he is. 🐸

We also pass a well-worn bridge on our way. More precisely, the Rochefort floating ferry. It towers high above the river and carries a gondola across the river. Unfortunately, it is out of service today, otherwise I would have ridden it directly. It's still missing from my collection of lift rides and extravagant rides. 😄

Nikolas' comment on the last picture:
'Look, a book exploded!' 😀

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