Joigny to Auxerre

The first day of riding is always much anticipated and, after 4 days in Paris and another 4 days in Joigny, we were all well and truly eager to finally start pedaling. I spent an hour or so rummaging through the disaster zone that I called my room at the hotel, making sure that I had not left anything behind, then bundled my gear down to the foyer, ready for the luggage transfer.
Then it was on to the bikes and out of the little town we had really come to feel at home in. Nicholas, the bike man had decided to accompany us for the first few km, not because we needed help, but just because he says that he loves cycling. The early morning weather was fine and still, with partial cloud cover. However it did not seem to be able to make up its mind and we found ourselves riding in every type of condition, from warm sunshine to cool and overcast. At one point we even had some fine drizzle, but it was enough to make us wet, just enough for us to reach for our jackets.
Passing the first lock was an obvious photo stop, although by the time this ride is over we will have ridden past something like 140 of them, so the novelty factor will wane. About 10 km along the trail, the team were already asking for a coffee stop. We made a short detour into Migennes and found a nice coffee shop in the town square that gave us the required caffeine fix, then it was a lunch stop at Monéteau, at the Cafe de la Poste for lunch. A delicious hamburger, fries and salad cost the grand total of 7.5 Euro.
It is worth noting that all our riders were wearing their Ghostrider jerseys and we have already had several French locals ask about Australia. One even said that he plans to migrate to Australia ! I am just glad that we are not mistaken for Americans.
Then it was back on the bikes for the short ride into Auxerre. Our home for tonight is the Hotel Normandie. Our evening dinner was at the Restaurant Le Quai, about a 10 minute walk from the hotel on the bank of the River Yonne.Read more