Cool Riding to Angers

Ever since this ride began in Joigny, over 4 weeks and 1000 km ago, we have been presented with an unbelievable succession of identical days. Without exception, every day begins with a cloudless sky and a cool morning. By noon the temperatures have risen to around 30C or so and by mid afternoon it is usually in the low 30s.
Although this has meant that all the wet weather clothing we carefully packed into our luggage has never even seen the light of day, it has been clearly evident just how desperate is the need for rain, and plenty of it. If rivers are the arteries that keep the land healthy, then France (and indeed most of Europe) is very ill indeed. The Loire is just a sad shadow of its normal self, and it seems like the further downstream we ride, the more dire the situation becomes.
When we awoke this morning, I noticed that something was different. The sky was covered with clouds. Now that was a phenomenon we have not seen for weeks. The local weather bureau had predicted a significant drop in temperature, and it looked like they were going to be right. On the other side of the planet, back in Melbourne, things were quite different. It was the day of the AFL Grand Final, with Brisbane and Freemantle battling it out for the 2026 Premiership Cup. I followed the first couple of quarters and was intrigued to see that it had been quite an arm-wrestle, with neither side getting a significant break. Apparently, it was also pouring rain. Now, that would have been a sight to see.
By the time we were ready to ride, the match had entered the final quarter and the scores were still too close to call the result. Thanks to David's Internet connected hearing aid, we were able to receive regular score updates, as they were delivered directly to his brain. When he reported that the Dockers were 17 points up with only a few minutes to go, it looked like the result was finally clear. As it turned out, it wasn't over after all. The Bears went on a last minute scoring spree to land the final 4 goals of the match and thus secure their third flag in a row. It was not the result that most were hoping for. At least it wasn't the poor old Demons who were at the receiving end this time.
In the cool conditions we made great progress. It was amazing to see how we are now able to happily cruise along at 25 kph, with even the less experienced riders quite unperturbed. The ride was mostly quite flat and the smooth surfaces made for effortless progress. After deviating away from the river for the first part of the ride, when we again resumed the passage along the Loire, we were staggered to see it had virtually disappeared. Where there should have been flowing water, there were just vast expanses of dirt and sand. It really was sad to see.
Since the start of this ride we have encountered many unique challenges, however I knew that there was still a surprise or two waiting for our team members. One of these took the form of crossing a murky waterway in a tiny, hand pulled boat (bac). Every time we have reached this point on previous rides, there has been so much laughter that it was hard to get across without depositing ourselves or the bikes (or both) in the fetid water. This time was no different, although the water was even more disgusting than I had ever seen it.
Today's ride was around 60 km, but we managed to easily roll into the outskirts of Angers around 2 pm. The final few km were quite a challenge, with numerous interconnected paths all combining to test our navigational skills. At one stage we found ourselves in the middle of a slate quarry, with massive piles of slate debris. This was a stark reminder of just how important slate is the building industry in France where just about every building is covered in slate tiles.
Riding into a city of some 150000 residents is never easy, and the final couple of kilometres to our hotel took a lot of time and care. It was a huge relief to finally reach the Hotel de France, although our relief was a little premature. We were informed that the hotel garage was quite a distance from the hotel itself. When we got there we found that no amount of brute force and determination could get the key to work. We had no alternative than to get all the bikes back to the hotel for the poor, hassled desk clerk to sort out.
The hotel is situated right opposite the imposing Gare d'Angers (the railway station) and the view from my window overlooks the station and the large central fountain. Well it should have been a fountain, however the lack of water now means that it looks like an empty swimming pool.Read more