Peloton ? What peloton ?

Our time spent in Nantes really had been amazing, but of course all gopod things must come to an end. It was time to resume our ride towards the mouth of the Loire. You didn't have to be an Einstein to realise that we were going to be in for another perfect day. There was not a cloud in the sky, only the characteristic airplane vapour trails that are such a feature of the European skies.
Since we had the longest stage of the entire ride ahead of us, I had asked the team to be ready on time for an early start. At the appointed hour of departure, a quick head count indicated that the p[eloton was all present and accounted for. I was just about to lead the group out of the hotel car park, when Paul announced that he had lost his watch. Well you might ask how this could actually happen, but the truth of the matter is that Paul has previous form for losing important items all along the route.
He lifted up his arm to display the patch of bare flesh where his watch should been and then headed back into the hotel to begin the search, So much for our early start. A few minutes later Paul emerged with a somewhat guilty look on his face. he had faced his watch after ll. It turned out that he had already been wearing, although it had somehow relocated to his armpit, rather than his wrist. It is not easy taking geriatric riders on a ride across a continent.
With his watch relocated back to his wrist we were finally underway, but immediately found ourselves in the middle of never ending road works. In several places our route was blocked by security fencing and barriers. Getting out of an unfamiliar big city is never easy, but this really was on another level.
Eventually we finally navigated our way through the island, past Les Machines and onto the bike path. Although we were out of the city, the navigation did not get any easier. There were a never ending series of intersections and turns. It would be so easy to lose one of our riders. And that is what we did. When we finally reached something that resembled a town, the women demanded that we find a toilet. Just as we stopped to look around, I received a phone call from David. He was lost. At the start of the ride David had been delegated the job of being the tail end rider, but now he was telling me that he had lost sight of the peloton, although he insisted that he was still following the designated route. Since we had only been riding slowly, we couldn't understand how he could have got so far behind. It was only after we utilised our combined technological resources that we determined that he was in front of the group. Somehow he had managed to pass out without realising it, and thus turned the peloton upside down and inside out.
While we were trying to reconnect with David, the ladies went in search of a toilet. Apparently they found a lovely one and Libby ventured in first. The only problem was that, when she emerged, she somehow managed to lock the door and prevent the others being able to access it. They then had to ride back and forth around the town looking for an elusive back up toilet.
Finally David reconnected with the group and the ladies somehow found relief. We were on our way again. At around the 40 km mark, the route began to straighten out and we were able to get a good speed up. We joined a series of irrigation canals that I remembered well from my previous rides. At this point I knew we would soon be seeing the huge Estuary of the Loire that would indicate that the Loire a Velo was nearing its end.
Our final stop for the day was at a lovely Boulangerie at the 55 km mark. Their baguettes were some of the best we had eaten for the entire time we had been in France. I really will miss these daily indulgences when I get back home to Melbourne. It was about this time that we also got out first view of the massive bridge that spans the mouth of the Loire and connect St Brevin with Saint Nazaire. For the next 30 minutes we saw the bridge get closer and closer, till we eventually rode right under it. A short distance further on we reached the giant rainbow serpent art installation that officialydesignates the end of the Loire a Velo. It was time for a few group photos and a paddle in the water of the Loire.
Our ride wasn't quite finished yet as we still had to ride another 5 km or so to reach our hotel. The JOA Spa Hotel is a fancy 4 star hotel, situated right on the Atlantic Coast. The rooms were large and luxurious and we were thrilled to discover that we all had rooms with ocean views. It was a delightful reward for riding 70 km from Nantes.
Tomorrow we leave the Loire behind to complete the final stage to Le Croisic, where we will climb off the bikes for the final time.Read more