Our First Real Chateau
I går, Frankrike ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
It would have been easy to stay in Briare for a longer time. It is easy to see why it is such a popular holiday location for the French. The combination of lovely waterways, colourful flowers everywhere and historic streets really does make it a treat for the eyes. Unfortunately we were only too aware that our schedule called for us to move on to the next stop - Sully Sur Loire, about 45 km further along the Loire a Velo bike path.
Before we left the town completely, we did have one very important task to do and that was visit the Boulangerie to buy some supplies for our picnic lunch along the way. Once we had our panniers loaded with baguettes, cakes and drinks, it was time to hit the road (or at least the bike path). The very best cycling conditions are in the early mornings, when the air is cool and clean. These benign conditions usually last until around 12 noon, when the sun seems to suddenly get much hotter and the cycling becomes more challenging.
While we were looking for a coffee stop, somewhere near Gien, we somehow managed to get caught up a local fun run. It was a little confusing and somehow, we found ourselves sharing the course with a large number of runners. I don't know how it happened, but I think I may have accidentally come in ninth in the over 70 category.
It was a very pleasant surprise when we stumbled upon a delightful shady picnic location at the Eglise San Gondon. In fact it would have been hard to imagine a more appropriate spot to stop and enjoy our lunches. Soon after we arrived, the nearby church bells peeled the Noon salute, which is such an integral part of European village life. After finishing my baguette, I felt so relaxed I just had to lie on the grass for a few minutes. Somewhat rude fellow riders later told me that I had been snoring, but that is something I could never believe. It could have been one of those famous European Barking Spiders lurking nearby in the bushes.
After our picnic, it was back on the bikes for the remaining modest ride into Sully Sur Loire. This turned into a big surprise as we arrived, right in the middle of some sort of village fair. Someone said it was like Antiques Roadshow only much bigger. Whatever it was, it was huge. Hundreds of cars had parked anywhere they could find a space, including right along the bike path ! In contrast to the succession of completely empty towns we had ridden through since this ride began, this one was busting at the seems. I was surprised that we had been able to get accommodation, as it must have been in short supply.
Our home for the evening was the comfortable Hotel Burgevin. I was pleased to hear that my room was on the ground floor, but this came with one serious problem. Whenever I opened the blind, I was greeted by people walking past in the street, just a metre or so from my bed. I guess you can't have everything. When I tried out the shower, I discovered to my delight that the towels were easily the best we have had so far. They were large and luxuriously fluffy. Bathing heaven.
Later in the afternoon I walked back to the impressive Chateau Sully Sur Loire and the nearby fair. My attention was drawn to the sound of French horns and I found that there was some sort of competition between the best and most brightly dressed horn players of the district. There were 18 contestants and they each took a turn to play the same piece of music. The thing that I found amusing was that, as each one played their piece, they turned their back to the audience. I guess this was because the sound came out at the back. Some combined their musical efforts with body movements that could have had me mistaken that they were playing the famous trouser trumpet, rather than the French Horn. It was another simple and unique insight into the French culture.
We had been told that our dinner would be at the nearby Entre Loire et Sologne restaurant. The only problem was that, when I checked their website, it clearly said that they were closed on a Sunday night. A check of my calendar confirmed that this was indeed a Sunday, Curiouser and curiouser.
I formed a walking peloton of our group, not knowing if the door would be locked or unlocked. It turned out that they had opened just for us. We had the large premises all to ourselves. It was a genuine Soiree Prive. The only staff was the chef (and prsumably the owner) and his attractive 17 year old waitress. Although we didn't get a choice of items, the food was well prepared and presented. It was a memorable end to a fun day.Läs mer
A Briare Bride and Groom
12 september, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
As I mentioned in the earlier footprint, toady we happened to stumble upon a very impressive wedding. These were no ordinary people, as can be seen by the standard of the clothes and uniforms that were being worn,
Dressed in my shorts, sandals and floppy hat, I was certainly the "one who was not like the others".Läs mer
Free Day in Briare
12 september, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
When designing this ride, I tried to make liberal concessions to the great age of most of our riders. Although I am personally in great shape and could almost certainly ride every day without growing weary, I know that some of our riders need their beauty sleep. That is why I factored in a "free day" for every two or three days of cycling.
On these free days, each person can choose to spend the time doing anything they want. It already seems to have been a popular choice.
I did not have grandiose plans for the day. I am happy just wander and see where I end up. So that is what I did. After walking back towards the dock, a turned left and strolled along one of the canals for a couple of kilometres. In the still, shady conditions it was about as peaceful a walk as you could imagine. The town of Briare would be easy to fall in love with. Not only is it quintessentially French, but the townspeople have made a huge effort to dress every part of the town in colourful floral displays. Although the hot summer had obviously proven difficult for some of the flowers, it was still quite a beautiful sight, or as the French would say "C'est tres jolie et tres propre".
When I realised that I was starting to leave the town behind, I turned around and made my way back to the centre of the city, then joined the banks of the Loire and followed it to the famous aqueduct bridge that we had seen yesterday, It certainly must have been quite an engineering feat when it was built, back in the late 19th Century.
Since I had brought my kindle with me, I sat at the same cafe we had enjoyed those lovely cakes yesterday and decided that it would be an ideal place for lunch.
Bay the time I was back the hotel, my legs were feeling weary, or as the French would say "J'ai la flemme". It really is a useful saying that can sum up a wide variety of situations. A nap was in order.
When I awoke I made my way back to the city centre where the church bells were chiming furiously. This went on for over 30 minutes! I could only imagine how exhausted the poor bell ringer must have been at the end of that chiming marathon. So what was the cause of the cacophony? A wedding, but not just any wedding, it was obviously a wedding of the offspring of some very rich and influential people in the society. The money spent on outfits, hairdos and makeup would have been equivalent to the GDP of some countries. The women had spent even more. It really was quite a sight, although I felt a little underdressed in my shorts, sandals and floppy sun hat, even though I did my best to mingle with the crowd. I even managed to elicit a smile from an older gentleman who was dressed up in a Charles de Gaulle uniform. I don't know what came over me at that moment, and I still don't know if a salute was the correct greeting, but it seemed appropriate somehow.
When the young bride and groom emerged from the church, they were greeted by a cloud of tobacco smoke from their waiting family and friends. It must have been a uniquely French custom. I thought the groom looked like a younger version of Prince William as he stepped into the drivers seat of the waiting sports car. I suspect that car was a wedding present from the parents as it was obviously the first time he had driven it, and I was more than a little concerned that he might have accidentally sent it careering into the milling crowd. Somehow he managed to find the correct foot pedal and the happy couple disappeared with a mighty roar of exhaust.
I have included some images of this spectacle in the next footprint.Läs mer
The Big Dry
11 september, Frankrike ⋅ 🌙 16 °C
Today's ride had just about everything (and even two of some things). The day began with yet another glorious morning, without a cloud in the sky. Since we arrived in France three weeks ago, this is the weather pattern that we have been greeted with every morning, and the forecast says that it will continue like this for at least the next week.
Since Sancerre is situated right on the top of a mountain, our ride began with an exhilarating descent back down to the riverside. The main highlight of this section was crossing the elevated Viaduc de Saint-Satur. This imposing viaduct was built back in 1893 and now forms part of a dedicated bike path. We spent some time admiring the nearby small village, listening to the church bells and taking pictures, before getting on the bikes to resume the ride.
We had not gone far before the track deteriorated into a rough and loose surface, which demanded full concentration and a white knuckled grip on the handlebars. Just to up the ante even more we came across a steep and potentially dangerous descent that had quite a few of our team walking their bikes.
By the time we finally reached the relative safety of the canalside bike path, we realised that the canal was no longer there. It had dried up almost completely. The prolonged hot and dry weather has taken a terrible toll on Europe's rivers and canals and now we could see the stark evidence for ourselves. On the ride out of Nevers we had ridden alongside the Lateral Canal de la Loire for most of the day and wondered why we had not seen any boats. We were later informed that the canal is currently unnavigable, due to lack of water depth. The mighty Loire is also currently just a shadow of its normal majesty. What a contrast this is to what happened on our last European ride in 2024, when we rode alongside the Elbe and Danube Rivers from Hamburg to Vienna. At that time, massive rainfall in central Europe had sent these rivers into full blown flood and we were forced to shelter in Dresden for 5 days, before we could resume our ride. Two years later we are faced with the opposite extreme.
About 10 km from Sancerre we started to see the two giant cooling towers of the EDF Bellevue Nuclear Power Plant. As we rode closer and closer the incredible scale of these towers steadily became more evident, although we did notice that no steam was being emitted. Since nuclear power stations require enormous quantities of cooling water, we could guess that the plant has been temporarily shut down due to the ongoing water shortage.
It was along this section of the ride that we observed another unexpected spectacle. Turning a curve in the path I noticed a walker in front of me, sporting a tiny mini skirt, a large back tattoo and NOTHING ELSE. I didn't see that one coming. At first I did not know if it was a man or a woman, although the tiny floral mini skirt would suggest the latter. As I rode past I could not help but notice a couple of points that indicated that she was indeed a woman (although we did have some suspicions that she might not always have belonged to that category).
For a time, our new nude French companion seemed determined to become a part of our peloton, as she insisted on walking so rapidly that we found it hard to get away from her. There was probably an interesting story there, but I was much too shy to try to strike up a conversation.
The bike path skirted right around the nuclear plant with its high perimeter fencing liberally adorned with warning signs and many kilometres of razor wire. By this time we were all looking for somewhere to eat and have a coffee, but all the likely places turned out to be locked up.
After riding alongside another sad and empty canal we reached the outskirts of Briare, famous for its aqueduct bridge over the Loire. This 660 metre aqueduct bridge was opened in 1896 and was for many years the longest such canal bridge in the world. The stone and iron work bear the unmistakable input of Gustav Eiffel, who was one of the designers.
Impressive as the aqueduct bridge is, we thought that the nearby cafe was just as impressive. It's collection of cakes and chocolates certainly was eagerly devoured by our hungry team members. After a lengthy cake stop, we only had a very short distance to ride to our hotel in the centre of the town.Läs mer
ResenärDid you take photos? Its hard to believe the canal is dry 🫣 that walker coukd have been a bloke in a skirt 😉😅 should have snuck a photo 😗
What a View !
10 september, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
One of the unique features of our Ghostriders European Cycling Adventures is the broad diversity of hotels we get to stay in. Since we are mostly travelling away from the standard "tourist track", we are usually staying in modest sized, boutique hotels. While these might lack some of the conveniences of the huge chain hotels (such as lifts, air conditioning, windows, etc) they more than make up for with tons of local charm and character. It is a bit like Forest Gump and his famous box of chocolates - we also never know what to expect until we walk in the front door.
Last night we stayed in the quaint little town of Charitie Sur Loire. Our home for the night was the "Mille et Un Feuilles" Hotel. The name literally means a thousand and one books and the entire hotel has been decked out in a literary theme, complete with books in every room and large pictures of famous authors on every wall. I was pleased to find that my room had a large window that I could open wide to let in fresh air. I was not so thrilled when I had to manhandle my luggage up two flights of stairs around an almost vertical spiral staircase. The room was certainly adequate and the bed clean and comfortable. It was only in the morning that things took a downward spiral.
When we last stayed here 7 years ago, we voted it the very worst breakfast of the entire trip. That was because there basically wasn't any, breakfast that is. Seven years later, thing had not changed.
Rather than provide the standard breakfast buffet, this owner insists on issuing each piece of food personally, even down to individual slices of ham! The glasses for the morning orange juice were the size of small egg cups, and the baguettes and croissants had been so frugally issued that some missed out altogether. And there was certainly no asking for seconds. I felt like I had to full in a requisition form to request one pat of butter. It would be safe to say that, if you want to enjoy your breakfast, avoid this place at all costs.
Our ride today was probably the shortest of the entire trip. With only 29 km to cover, we knew we were in for a real doddle of a ride. I did, however try to warn the group that they were in for a challenge later in the day. Since we had such a relaxed time schedule, I gave David the job of being the chief coffee shop scout. About 14 km into the ride his fastidious research suggested that we should cross the river and ride into the town of Pouilly Sur Loire. It turned out to be an inspired suggestion.
We discovered a delightful little boulangerie with a great array of delicious cakes AND a working coffee machine. As we sat and enjoyed our morning tea, we also witnessed the uniquely French tradition of the entire town lining up to buy their morning baguettes. We could not help but feel a little guilty for causing them to have to wait while we were being served. I know how quickly these baguettes go stale, and I hope that the delay did not ruin their daily bread sensation.
The town also had something else that is quite rare in these parts - modern, clean toilets. That is an increasingly vital need for a group of riders in their 60s and 70s.
After resuming the main ride, I pointed out the mountain in the distance. "That is where we are riding to", I explained. "It's really steep, but these ebikes will make it a breeze", I added.
When we did this ride 7 years ago, ebikes were unheard of, so we had to battle up the slope using brute force. This time we all had electric motors to give us that little extra impetus we needed. The first part of the climb took us to the cemetery. I explained that most of the residents there were likely cyclists who tried to climb the mountain with ebikes. A second push on the bikes took us to our hotel - the brand new Le Panoramic Hotel. It proudly boasted 4 stars and it deserved every one. Not only were the rooms amazing, the place even had a high speed lift. Best of all, the views from the windows our rooms was absolutely breathtaking. (See some of the attached pictures).
I suspect that some are a little sad that tomorrow is not a rest day, so that we could have two nights here. Unfortunately, we have a schedule to keep, and so we must push on.Läs mer
ResenärIn Lyon 7 years ago, I had to haul my suitcase up 5 flights on an ever-narrowing spiral staircase. By then, I had to put my foot sideways on the step. Then I had to go back down for Joan's suitcase. I was worried that after getting her suitcase up, I would then have to go back down to carry Joan up.
Nevers to La Charitie Sur Loire
9 september, Frankrike ⋅ 🌬 27 °C
Group One has just completed the beautiful ride from Nevers to Charitie Sur Loire. I last did this ride back in 2019 and I had forgotten just how breathtaking the scenery is. The weather had cooled to a much more pleasant 20C which made the cycling so much more comfortable. Much of the day's ride would take us along the Lateral Canal of the Loire, rather than the Loire itself. This extensive canal was part of the network of canals that were built to open the area to cargo carrying vessels.
Soon after leaving Nevers, we stopped for a coffee break at the same place we had stopped in 2019. It also gave us a chance to take the obligatory group photo.
The next highlight was the elevated canal at Le Guetin. This incredible piece of engineering was constructed to allow canal boats to cross over the Allier River. The massive gate at the end was by far the highest we had seen this far and the water pressure on it must have been enormous.
Lunch took the form of a picnic by the canal, before completing the final 22km to our destination. It was great to see how quickly our new team members adapted to the bikes and they were soon all scooting along comfortably. Everyone was suitably impressed by the first glimpse of La Charitie and its impressive bridge over the Loire.
We were not so impressed when we arrived the hotel to be met by a sign informing us that it was closed till 5 pm. Fortunately they responded to a phone call, and we were soon happily in our rooms. Well, those on the first floor were probably happier than those who had to lug their cases up an extra flight of stairs. The luck of the draw I guess (and just for the record, I was on the second floor).Läs mer
Group Two Arrive
8 september, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Because of the logistics of this trip, there was only going to be opportunity for those in Group One to meet up with those in the next group. The same things will apply to those in Groups 2 and 3.
Since we have three nights in Nevers, we knew that the members of Group 2 would be arriving sometime this afternoon. I decided to sit outside in the courtyard and wait for their arrival. Earlier in the day I had clocked up many kilometres wanderng the city, so I was now quite happy to just and wait, Around 4 pm they began to ride into the hotel and it was good to swap stories and hear how much fun they had had along the way. For Neill, the day was even more special as he had celebrated his 70th birthday, What a memorable way to celebrate such a milestone.
At 5 pm Nicolas went through the bike fit with the newest 6 members of our Group, then I went back into the town for the very last time. This time I was looking for that famous Scottish restaurant called MacDonald's. The food was forgetable as expected, but it was cheap and simple.
Tomorrow we climb back on the bikes for the first day of the main event. I can't wait to start.Läs mer
Free Day in Nevers
7 september, Frankrike ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
Since Nevers is the place where we finish the Prologue Ride and begin the Main Ride, it is also the only place on our entire ride where we have three nights in the same location. Our first free day in Nevers began with a ride to the Gare de Nevers to say goodbye to Mark Madler Edwards (aka Mark 3). Mark now begins the long journey back to Australia, while the rest of us continue for another 1000 km or so to the Atlantic.
After leaving the railway station we walked to the Best Western Hotel de Dianne. That was where we stayed when we last here in 2019 and we remembered the placxe with some fondness. It was then down to the banks of the Loire and a short walk to the famous Ducal Palace. Parts of this place date back to the 1400s, and it gave some sort of foretaste of the grand castles that we will be seeing further along the Loire.
By this time we were looking for somewhere to stop for a "light lunch". Since dinner had already been arranged at the Comptoir de St Sebastien, we just needed something light and easy to tide us never. Well, that was the theory. We spied a likely looking eatery and sat down to order, not knowing that it was, in fact, a kebab cafe. We have already experienced just what gargantuan servings these places prepare, and this one turned out to be no different. I would defy a whole African village of hungry children to eat the contents of my plate, although I did my best, failing just short of about half a plateful.
Then it was back to the hotel for the compulsory afternoon siesta, before the new 6 members of the Group arrived. Somewhere around 4 pm they staggered in the door, hot and tired after their walk from the station. With the addition of Paul and Catriona Wansbrough, John and Jenny Blain and David and Libby Ellis, our group has now swollen to 9 riders. It was great to be able to swap stories as we welcomed the new additions.
In the evening we walked to the Comptoir de St Sebastien restaurant, a very impressive establishment set over two floors. We were ushered up the grand staircase to our table. It turned out that we had the entire upstairs room to ourselves, so we did not have to be circumspect about the amount of noise we made. In a word, the food was sensational.Läs mer
The World on Two Wheels
The hotel where we stayed last time we were in Nevers, back in 2019
Nevers Again
6 september, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
The final riding day of our Prologue Ride was a relatively gentle 38 km cruise alongside the Chemin de Halage from Decize to Nevers. This path follows the parallel canal alongside the Loire River. At this point of the Loire, it is not really a navigable waterway as it is too shallow and consists of multiple smaller rivers all twisted together. The canal serves the purpose of providing an alternate route for vessels to travel from Decize to Nevers.
Once again, we were greeted with a cloudless sky as we cycled out of the Port de Decize. It looked like it was going to be another carbon copy of every previous day, with the temperature predicted to rise into the low 30s. Since the ride was short, we had no intentions of hurrying the pace. We might as well enjoy the experience, so almost immediately started to look out for the first coffee stop of the day.
When we reached the tiny village of Avril Sur Loire, Mark 3 thought that he would be able to find a coffee shop. I was doubtful of his chances, however a couple of minutes later he waved enthusiastically for us to follow him. Sure enough, he had not only found a lovely little boulangerie, but one that was open on a Sunday ! Previously I had somewhat rashly promised that, if he found a coffee shop in that place, I would eat his hat. Fortunately that promise was forgotten in the excitement brought on by the prospect of cakes and coffee.
The next 30 minutes or so was spent drinking coffee, covering our faces with cakes, and chatting to the steady of stream of locals who were arriving for their morning baguettes. Then it was back on the bikes for another short 10 km or so, until we reached Fleury Sur Loire. There we spied a brightly painted red cafe, complete with dozens of outside tables and chairs. It looked like an ideal lunch stop. Unfortunately the pizzas we ordered were undercooked and underwhelming. That was a bit of a disappointment, but as they say "C'est la Vie".
The remaining few kilometres into Nevers was achieved without incident. The last time I had been to Nevers was in 2019. On that occasion we had a team of 16 riders cycling from Nevers to Le Croisic. We did not get to see much of the city since we arrived from Provence after dark and started the ride the very next morning. Now seven years later, Nevers was the major pitstop for our epic ride. We had not one, but three nights here. That would be time to get up to date with our laundry and also see some of the quite large historic city.
I have to admit that the first impressions of the city were rather mixed. The route to the hotel took us past a number of deserted and graffiti covered buildings that looked like a set for some sort of dystopian horror movie. It was also a very convoluted route that left us wondering if we would ever find the place. The owners of the hotel had done their best to make the entrance almost impossible to find. We had to grope our way down a dim alleyway where were met with a locked iron door. Eventually we managed to catch the attention of the manager who let us into the place. My room was clean and basic, although I was dismayed to find that it contained not a single window. For someone who always sleeps with the windows open, this was a daunting proposition.
Our evening meal had been booked at the Brasserie Au Metro, about a kilometre from the hotel. It was an "interesting" walk through what appeared to a pretty seedy neighbourhood. There were several groups of dodgy looking young people gathered on the footpaths, and even a muscle bound dwarf leaning up the wall (I am not kidding). In spite of our trepidation, we did make it to the restaurant.
At this point it is worth making an observation. Every time I come to Europe, we are surprised at how entrenched is the smoking culture in these countries. It seems that, wherever you go, you are never far away from yet another lungful of smoke being blown into your face, In France, countless millions of the French have selflessly sacrificed their lungs and lives, so that future generations of young people would have the freedom to smoke, whenever and wherever they wished. I wondered if packets of "childrens' cigarettes" were distributed to kids with their school lunches.
Faced with the prospect of sitting outside in the toxic cloud of second hand smoke, we retreated to an inside table. After an awkward interchange with the cafe staff (not one of them spoke a single word of English), we eventually made up our own rules and just ordered anything we liked from the menu. It worked out OK, because the food was great and the dessert was amazing. Somehow, we managed to find our way back to the hotel, thanks to Tim's expert guiding.Läs mer
The End of the Nivernais
5 september, Frankrike ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
Back in 2023 a group of 10 Ghostriders first rode the Nivernais Canal. At that time it was a real "wild card" ride. We had no idea of what to expect as the Nivernais is one of the lesser known rides in France. On that occasion we began in Decize and rode to Joigny, The ride took place in October, right at the end of the canal cruising season. We saw only a handful of boats and almost no other cyclists.
We arrived in Decize after a long and tiring series of train rides. After getting off the train, it did not take long to realise that our hotel was at least two kilometres away. It would have been awful walk, wheeling our luggage on the rough footpaths. The group was ready to mutiny. It was just at that moment that we spied a small cafe. The jovial owner made us feel really welcome and soon announced that her husband would take us to the hotel in his tiny car. Several trips later, we were all safely settled in our comfortable hotel at the Port Decize. It had been a wonderful and timely intervention. We were so grateful for their help that we exchanged phone numbers and have kept in touch ever since. When our plans were made to return to ride the Nivernais once again, I promised that I would pay my French friend a visit. So that is what we did.
After riding the Nivernais for 5 days, today was also going to the final day of riding along this incredible canal system that we have come to know and admire so well. What an incredible piece of engineering it is, especially considering the crude construction equipment they would have been using when it began back in 1780.
After leaving Corbigny we had around 52 km to ride. With our newly enriched fitness and considering the ride was mostly gently downhill, our plan was to reach Decise in time to share lunch with Gaelle (my French friend). It was somewhat of a relief that there was a light cloud cover to give us some relief from the sun, Combined with the absolutely still conditions, the cooler weather was perfect for riding. With the changing terrain, we were only seeing locks at much greater distances apart.
Since we were riding to a schedule, our plan was to look for a coffee break at least 25 or more km from Corbigny. We found that towns are rather scarce along this section and we did not find a likely place until we reached Cercy La Tour, about 35 km along. We happened to arrive right in the middle of some sort of trash and treasure market. It looked like the whole town had come out to swap their own rubbish with the rest of the town's residents. Each stall consisted of a pile of old books, cracked kettles, headless dolls, worn clothing and the like. The quality of the goods did not seem to matter, the people were in a buying frenzy. As for us, we were just looking for coffee.
In the middle of a market melee, we found something resembling a sausage sizzle, and managed to buy tiny cups of coffee and little trays of chips. It was better than nothing and it did give us a good chance to have a lovely chat with a couple of local gents who spoke good English.
It was then back on the bikes for the short ride to Decize. The entry to Decize is rather drab and industrial, further reminder that this major town marks the end of the Nivernais Canal. It is at this point that the Nivernais joins the mighty Loire River that will be our recurring theme for the next 1000 km. It was at Decize that we also discovered the first real traffic we had encountered since leaving Paris. Once we left the bike path, we had to share with a never ending succession of cars and trucks, Although the route to the hotel was a little hair raising, it did give us our first glimpse of the Loire River as we made our way over a very large bridge.
We arrived at the hotel at about 12:45, just in time for the prearranged lunch meeting with Gaelle. She had brought along her daughter Jade and Jade's partner Nicolas. We discovered that Nicolas spoke excellent English and acted as chief translator. The occasion was made even more special, since we had happened to arrive on Gaelle's Birthday. The luncheon turned out to be an informal Birthday Party, sing a long and laughter fest. It was yet another reminder that it is such interactions with people that make travel so enjoyable.
After a (very) long lunch and lots of hugs, we bade farewell to our French friends, not knowing if we will ever see them again. Tomorrow we have a relatively short ride of about 37 km to Nevers. That will officially mark the end of the Prologue ride and the beginning of the Loire a Velo route to the Atlantic. That is also the place where we will lose Mark 3, but gain 6 new members of Group 1. Paul and Catriona Wansbrough, John and Jenny Brain and David and Libby Ellis will be our much needed reinforcements for the rest of our ride.Läs mer
What Goes Up.....
4 september, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
The main reason for the construction of the Canal du Nivernais, over 200 years ago, was so that timber could be transported from the Forests of the Morvan into the centre of Paris. In order to achieve this, they needed to find a navigable route to connect the Loire to the Yonne and then to the Seine.
If digging a 180 km canal was not hard enough, the problem is made more difficult by the fact that you have a significant change in levels to overcome as well. They only way this could be achieved was by building something like 150 locks along the way.
Since we began our ride in Joigny we have been steadily gaining elevation. Each lock enabled a passing vessel to gain around 2 to 3 metres of height. As we rode out of Corbigny this morning the early conditions were ideal. Once again there was not a cloud in the sky, although we could feel that the temperatures were going to steadily rise. For the first half of the ride, the locks certainly did rise. In places the gradient of the land was so steep that the locks would have been no more than 100 metres apart. This would certainly make hard work of getting through this section.
After about 15 km we reached the highest point of the canal and then started to find locks where the elevation was going down. This felt like a significant milestone had been reached, and reminded us that our time on the Nivernais is rapidly drawing to a close. In fact, tomorrow we will reach the end of the Nivernais at Decize. At the same time we will meet the famous Loire River which will be the recurring theme of our ride for the next 1000 km or so.
Our home for this evening is the stangely named Au Foudre de Bazois. As I have mentioned in an earlier epistle, the route we are following is actually a pilgrim route, withj the end destination being Santiago in Spain. Although we haven't seen many pilgrims (actually only one), the hotel has obviously been designed with pilgrims in mind. My room actually is two rooms, with a total of 5 beds ! By the time we arrived, the temperature had risen to around 30C - a bit hot for riding, but ideal for drying our washing. My own washing is now happily drying on coat hangers suspended by the curtain rails. It will dry in no time.Läs mer
Locks, Locks and More Locks
3 september, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
After our day off in Clamecy, we were all excited to be back on the bikes again. A glance out the hotel window indicated that we were going to be blessed with perfect cycling conditions. There was not a cloud in the sky, only the myriad vapour trails that are a constant feature of the European skies.
After breakfast at the hotel, we checked out. It actually turned out to be a test of our honesty, as the hotel was ready to charge last night's meal to Randovelo, rather than to us. Although the thought of a free meal might have been tempting, we had to inform them that it should have been on our tab. With my wallet lightened by 44 Euro, we collected our bikes and made our way out of this little medieval town.
The early morning conditions were quite chilly, although the forecast was for the temperature to increase to somewhere around 28C. Our destination for today was the town of Corbigny, a mere 37 km away. Compared to our last day of riding, that should be quite a doddle. And it was. The route closely parallelled the canal for most of the day, although we were conscious that we were steadily climbing all the way. We soon lost count of the number of locks we passed through, but every one raised the water level by 2 to 3 metres. The more we see of this canal, the more we must admire the engineering skills that went into planning and building this amazing piece of infrastructure.
Apart from the locks, I was also surprised to see just how many boats were navigating the canal. When we rode this route in 2023, we were near the end of the season and there were only a very small number of boats still making their way through the locks, This year we must have seen dozens already. Each of these boats proudly displays that "no license is required". One can only imagine how many mishaps must occur when witless, would be, captains try to navigate the narrow locks, especially after a few wines.
After our experience of a couple of days ago, when all the cafes were closed, this time we came prepared. Before leaving Clamecy, a visit to the Boulangerie loaded us up with baguette sandwiches, cakes and drinks. We were not going to go hungry this time. In fact we had not gone more than 9 km when Mark M (aka Mk 3) noticed a very attractive restaurant in Villiers Sur Yonne. It is wise to never waste an opportunity for a coffee stop, as you never know when the next chance will arise. It turned out to be a real treat. The coffee was good and the friendly female owner made us feel very welcome, especially when we told her that we were just the first of three groups of Australian riders that would be coming this way.
About another 10 km further on we found a lovely little picnic area by the side of the canal. It was the perfect place to have our first picnic of the ride. It was also a good place to discuss "secret mens' business". The combination of incredible scenery and perfect weather would have been hard to match anywhere.
Our final stop for the day was at the little town of Chemot. Once again Mk 3 spied a likely looking cafe which proved to be quite a surprise. It was even more of a surprise when we found ourselves sitting next to an Australian couple who were cruising one of the rental boats on the Nivernais.
The final few kilometres to Corbigny took us away from the canal for the first time. We even had a substantial hill to climb, along with a rough, rocky trail. It was actually quite exciting to excercise a different set of bike skills, after the smooth flat riding we had been doing for the last three days. By two pm we had reached our hotel, and were delighted to find that our rooms were already ready for us. They even had a lift and air conditioning !
As a final note it is worth pointing out that Corbigny is actually a pilgrim town and is one of the stages of the Camino walk from Vézelay to Santiago. As I was walking the township I looked down and noticed the familiar Camino symbol at my feet.Läs mer
Free Day in Clamecy
2 september, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
I have learnt the value of so called Free Days whenever we are doing these extended rides. On this ride I have included more of these free days than we have ever had previously, Perhaps this is a concession to the fact that we are all getting older, or perhaps it is because these trips are not just about cycling. We also want to immerse ourselves in the French way of life as well.
After the long day yesterday, it was somewhat of a relief knowing that we could spend the day exploring this very historic and interesting place. As we wandered the narrow alleyways, we could feel the sense of history that was all around us. This is classed as a Medieval City and it is easy to see why. The French do not seem embarrassed about buildings that carry the scars from hundreds of years of use. There is no hurry to carry out any restoration works on these old buildings. The principle is clearly "Even if it is broke, don't fix it". It is a refreshing contrast to the attitude of the Germans who go to the opposite extreme of so completely restoring old buildings that a lot of the original character is lost in the process.
Tomorrow we get back on the for the ride to Corbigny. After the break today I will be glad to get rolling again.
It is also worth nothing that today was the first day of cycling for Group 2. They are completing exactly the same ride as us, but two days behind. By Friday Group 3 will be riding and we will have three groups all riding the Nivernais at the same time.Läs mer
75km on Half a Croissant
1 september, Frankrike ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
Every tour has a "Queen Stage", and the ride from Auxerre to Clamecy was the Queen Stage for our Prologue Ride. Now what is the Queen Stage, you may well ask. No, it is not the stage where we all dress up in fancy dress, it is simply the longest stage of the ride.
After yesterday's 40 km introductory stage, it was time to up the ante a little. Well quite a bit actually. Today's stage was listed as 65 km, but I had already decided to add on a short diversion to Vermenton, which would bring the total up to around 75 km.
Vermenton had a great deal of nostalgic charm for me. Back in 2023, 10 Ghostriders had booked out the old millhouse and we spent an amazing 7 days living in this quiet little village. When we left the millhouse, I never thought I would ever see it again, but this was my chance.
We had a little drama at the start when Tim discovered that his battery had apparently not charged. That is not the ideal way to begin a 75 km ride. I tried to assure him that these bikes are quite happy to cruise along with no motor assistance, but he did not seem convinced. Fortunately it was only a computer glitch, and when he restarted the bike, the comforting sight of 5 bars of power came roaring into life. Crisis averted.
We rode out of Auxerre in cool, but fine weather. It gave every indication that the day would not be punctuated by passing showers as had been the case with the previous day, and that is exactly what happened. "I have a treat in store for you today", I promised the rest of the team. "I am going to take you to the finest Boulangerie in Burgundy". I explained about the "short" detour I had in mind, and somehow managed to convince them that the prospect of fine cakes and sandwiches would be great reward for the extra effort.
At about 22 km from Auxerre we departed from the smooth bitumen path and turned on to the much rougher and tougher side path to Accolay and Vermenton. "Not far to go now", I encouraged. When we neared the old millhouse we had to dismount to navigate the narrow walking path. We were accompanied on this section by a large number of brown squirrels that seemed quite unperturbed by our presence.
It certainly was exciting to see the millhouse again, although I was a little reluctant to intrude since I did not know if it was still a B&B. It looked like it might now be private property. Besides we had cakes and baguettes to feast upon.
It was then that disaster of the direst proportions struck. The boulangerie that I had been so looking forward to was closed, FERME, That was gut wrenching. Why do the French seem to randomly have days off, just when hungry cyclists really need sustenance? The only alternative was the TABAC across the road. At least they sold coffee (or something resembling it) there, but cakes were a different matter. When I asked about gateaux, the owner pointed to two left over croissants that were languishing in a bowl on the counter. It was a very poor substitute for the delicious cakes that I had been so looking forward to, but we had no choice.
For the next twenty minutes we sat outside the TABAC watching enormous and very noisy trucks roar past. Each of us had 50% of a croissant to keep us going. Not exactly a feast.
We then returned to the main route via a different path and we soon resuming our progress toward Clamecy. We soon came across a delightful cafe, right on the side of the bike path. "This looks like a great place for lunch", I announced. The only problem was that the place was booked out and they could not serve us. We went on our way with empty stomachs, again.
We never did find another place that was open. It appears that Tuesday is yet another holiday in this region, along with just about every other day of the week. In spite of our severe lack of food, the ride itself was magical. We rode past a countless number of locks, often stopping to watching the boats as they passed through. When we rode the Nivernais back in 2023 it was near the end of the season and there were only a few boats actually moving. This time we are here a month earlier and it is obviously peak season for canal cruising.
About 10 km from the end of the day's ride, another disaster occurred. Mark O'Connor announced that his battery was flat. Apparently he had been riding it on TURBO the whole way, so it was little wonder it run out of charge. He had no other alternative that to huff and puff his way over the last few km to our destination.
Our home for the next two nights is the Hostellerie de la Poste, right in the centre of the town. In the evening we enjoyed a superb meal under the stars, watching the large flocks of birds circling overhead and the endless succession of vapor trails of the aircraft. It was a perfect ending to quite a long day.Läs mer
The World on Two Wheels
We thought this little place would make a nice bolt hole in France.
The World on Two Wheels
We made it to Vermenton, only to find that the Boulanger was closed. Quel dommage.
The World on Two Wheels
The old mill house in Vermenton, our home for 7 glorious days in 2023.
Joigny to Auxerre
31 augusti, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
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.Läs mer
Voila, Les Velos Sont La
30 augusti, Frankrike ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
This was to be our final day in Joigny, and we had so much time and so little to do with it. Tomorrow, we start the real business of what we had come so far to this country to do. In the meantime, this would be our last chance to rest and relax. So that is exactly what I did.
I thought I would begin by following the left bank downstream. The first 500 m or so followed a nice walking path, however it disappeared into the forest at that poinbt and I could proceed no further. I then walked back into the town, across the bridge (there is only one) and explored the right bank upstream. The more I discover in this town, the more I like it. Along the right bank there was a lovely walking track with parks and children's playgrounds alongside. I even found a nice little food caravan that cooked me a nice ham and cheese toasty (aka Croque Traditional) for lunch.
All this walking had somehow made me feel a little sleepy, so it was back to the hotel for a little afternoon siesta. I had already set my alarm to remind me that we were due to have our bike fittings and orientation with the man from Randovelo. Later in the afternoon we noticed the large Randovelo van in the carpark and knew that we would seen get to see the bikes that would be our constant companions for the next 5 weeks.
When Nicholas introduced himself and started unloading the bikes, we quickly decided that we like them. They are quality bikes, made by the French company with the (very French) name of "Moustache". The bikes were all step through design and had large comfort tyres which would be ideal for touring. They were also equipped with German Bosch motors (somewhat surprising considering that the French and Germans have a rather chequered history.
After some time adjusting and test riding the bikes we gave them our formal seal of approval and eagerly started looking forward to really get to know when we began the ride tomorrow.
We had heard that Heather and Greg from Group 2 had arrived in Joigny this afternoon and arranged to have dinner with them at the Chez Italien restaurant. It was a great chance to swap stories and share some laughs before we separate. We will not see them again until we reach Nevers in nine day's time.Läs mer
Exploring the Left Bank
29 augusti, Frankrike ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
On our previous walks around this town, we had only ventured into the right bank of the river. That is certainly the most attractive part of the town and the place where the oldest buildings are. Today was my chance to explore the left bank.
You do not have to go far before it is evident that the left bank is where all the newer houses are. It turned out to be where all the people are as well. Whereas we hardly saw a soul on the other side of the river, this side has quite a bustling city centre with a number of eateries and other shops. What I was really looking was a supermarket and the young assistant in the Boulangerie had explained to me that there was a supermarket somewhere "a la droit" (on the right). So that is what I went in search of.
After walking the length of the main street, I did the right turn as advised and headed off in the direction of Paris. After walking for about 20 minutes, I began to think that the girl was having a lend of me and really had sent me on a walk to the nation's capital. Just when I was about to give up, to my surprise I saw the unmistakable sign of a McDonalds restaurant. I was not expecting that. A little further on I found an entire commercial precinct with an Aldi, a LIDL, a huge department store, a coffee shop and even a coin laundry. It was a veritable shoppers' Shangri La.
This gave me a perfect opportunity to stock up on essential supplies for the upcoming ride, mostly in the form of bottled water and sweets. Some time later I was met by Mark and Tim, who had also stumbled into this oasis of capitalism. When the time came for me to carry all my purchases back to the hotel, I made the fortunate discover that there was a direct short cut which the distance to just a 10 minute walk.
I returned to the hotel in time to follow the second half of the elimination final between Melbourne and Carlton. The result was not what I was hoping for, but I should not be too disappointed. My team had enjoyed a much more successful year than most experts predicted.
In the evening we had our official welcome dinner at the hotel restaurant. That marked the actual start of our ride to the ocean, Apparently the kitchen is ruled by the renowned chef Jerome Joubert and we soon found out why every seat in the place was booked out. The food was simply divine. That now sets a very high standard for future restaurants to aspire to.Läs mer
Exploring Joigny
28 augusti, Frankrike ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
After escaping from the hustle and bustle of the big city yesterday, it was delight to have a day to do basically nothing. We now have a couple of free days in this delightful town, before the real part of this adventure begins. These gradual starts have been a feature of every trip I have organised for at least the past ten years, and it gives a chance to recover from the long journey over and just relax. Once the cycling part part starts, the daily schedule can be quite relentless, so it is wise to start slowly.
So what did we do ?
Firstly we enjoyed a somewhat late breakfast in the opulent dining room. I then retrieved my kindle and spent some time sitting in the outdoor dining area reading. It was one of those moments where I could honestly say that there was no place on earth that I would rather be. We had previously decided that, later in the morning we would make our way into the town in search of somewhere to have a late lunch. That turned out to be a bigger challenge than we thought, since the place seems to be quite deserted. Although there are many art galleries and the like along the main (umbrella) street, we have yet to see a single customer enter any of them. Maybe this is because the main holiday season is past, or maybe it is just because the place is in an economic downturn.
Tim managed to eventually find a cafe at the top end of the town that was open and keen to serve us meals. The obvious excitement shown by the lady owner suggested that they needed our business. They didn't have a menu, but she dragged out a blackboard with some selections written on it in chalk. The two main options were Burger Italien and Burger Indien. We split down the middle and ordered two of each.
A short time later she carried out our lunches, and they turned out to be very good, so good in fact that we decided to skip dinner all together.
After lunch we wondered up to the imposing church set at the highest point in the town. Apparently, the town has three large churches, which is quite rare for a place this size. I enjoyed exploring the cavernous interior and testing out the acoustics with a Gregorian chant. These buildings were certainly designed in such a way that microphones and speakers were not required (probably because they were not invented yet). A single human voice can easily fill the entire church.
Further exploration took us to the hilltop cemetery, home to many of the oldest residents of the town, some of them dating back hundreds of years. Our exploration was then interrupted by a few spots of rain and the darkening sky suggested that more was to come. We made our way back down through the town and started to head back to the hotel. We did make time for one stop however, the town Boulangerie. You can't come to France without sampling the many delicious patisseries these places take such pride in.
After looking at the display of delicious sweet treats, we walked out with a box of three Religieuse Cakes, so named because they look like little bishops. Back at the hotel we sat eating our little guilty treats and drinking coffee. I seem to remember that the jokes started flowing and we spent as much time laughing as we did eating.
Our final activity for the day was to explore the rambling grounds of the hotel. The history of this fascinates me as it situated on what must be at least 20 acres of unkept gardens. In its hay day it must have impressive. The gardens contain remnants of tennis courts, a huge lake (with an angry goose), some sort of large assembly area with three flag poles (still holding tattered remains of their last flags), overgrown flower gardens now covered with blackberries, hot houses, bee hives and even a heliport.
Nowadays the only area that is maintained is in the immediate vicinity of the hotel building, the rest is being progressively reclaimed by nature. It would take a herculean effort and a huge bank account to restore it to its former glory.Läs mer
A Free Train Ride to Joigny
27 augusti, Frankrike ⋅ 🌧 20 °C
After four days in the City of Light, it was time to pack our bags and head off on the next leg of our adventure. We had been somewhat dreading this moment, not because we were sad to leave Paris, but because we would have to manhandle all our luggage down the narrow winding staircase.
Although the hotel was equipped with a functioning (albeit miniscule) lift on our arrival, due to an unfortunate incident with two of our team members, the lift is no longer functioning. As the French would say it is "en panne". For the past two days we have had to walk past the sad sign on the lift door and drag our tired and rapidly ageing legs up the steep stairs to our respective rooms. It wasn't easy. I have made sure to remind the two culprits at every available opportunity that this was indeed another fine mess they had gotten us into.
After wrestling our cases down the stairs to the foyer, we pondered how we would get to the Bercy Station. We quickly decided that taking the Metro was not an option. Mark suggested we try the Bolt app to secure a car. Within five minutes a large Mercedes minibus was at the hotel, ready to take us to the station. And the cost for this service ? It was a very reasonable 20Euro. At 5 Euro each we considered it a bargain to be conveyed effortlessly to the Gare de Bercy.
We discovered that, although we had booked the 11.30 am train, we had arrived early enough to catch the 10.30 am one instead. We had our tickets ready for examination, but found that we were able to get straight onto the comfortable train without any check at all. Maybe there will be a ticket inspector on the train, I thought. There wasn't. We could have taken the entire trip for free! It must just work on an honesty system.
About 70 minutes later we climbed off the train at the old Joigny railway station and began the 25 minute walk to our hotel. Although it was a relatively short 1..2 km walk, the heat and the heavy luggage made it somewhat tiring. We were glad to arrive at the hotel, so that we could deposit our luggage and settle down for a chat and drink in the garden by the riverside.
Our home for the next four nights is the Hotel Rive Gauche, a very stately hotel set on expansive grounds, right on the banks of the River Yonne. The rooms are spacious, comfortable and well equipped. It even has a fully functioning lift, at least it does at the moment. I hope it stays that way.
Later in the afternoon we wandered back along the river and over the bridge to the centre of the town. It was so refreshing to see the complete absence of tourists, in fact there was almost no one in sight. Most of the shops were shut and the place was deserted. We did eventually find one shop open - the kebab shop. Although the guy spoke not a single word of English, he managed to serve up an absolutely superb dinner and drinks for the grand sum of 12 Euro each. What a bargain,
With our tummies full we started the walk back to the hotel with a few drops of water falling on our heads. That was a sign we hadn't seen since arriving in France, and the parched state of the surrounding countryside showed how much it was desperately needed. We had heard that it was raining in Paris, so maybe it was now heading our way. Although we were subjected to rolling thunder, the much needed rain did not eventuate.
During the night I was able to lie on the bed and look out my window to the Northern Hemisphere stars, shining brightly overhead. There were no sounds of sirens, no cars, no music, nothing. The feeling of serenity was overwhelming, reminding me once again why I love this sort of travel so much.Läs mer
Sacre Bleu C'est Sacre Coeur
26 augusti, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
If you have been following the development of this cycling adventure, you would already know that we have not one, but three teams of riders who will making their respective ways across France. The so called Awesome Foursome make up the entire Group One, Groups Two and Three are significantly larger. Each group will be departing from Joigny and following the same route, but separated by two days.
Today we had the chance to meet up with Neill and Karyn Kamminga, the leaders of Group 2. As it turned out, Neill and Karyn had chosen to stay in a hotel just around the corner from us. After meeting in the foyer of our hotel we walked to the nearest Metro Station to take an excursion to the famous Sacre Coeur Cathedral, famous for its lofty location on the Butte Montmartre. Paris is predominantly a flat city, but the Butte Montmartre rises above the surrounding plain. Atop the Butte sits the very famous white cathedral, famous for its distinctive architecture and for the swarming crowds of gypsies and other scammers that prey upon the innocent tourists nearby.
We now consider ourselves to be fairly cognizant of the workings of the Metro and managed to reach Pigalle without difficulty. From there we walked the leafy Boulevard de Clichy to the foot of the towering cathedral. In order to reach the top you first have to climb a considerable number of steps, This task was made harder by our considerable ages and the fact that the temperature had soared to the predicted 30C. The combination of steps, heat and age did serve to slow down my progress a little, In bygone days I seem to remember sprinting up these same steps without hesitation. That was then, this is now.
Near the top, our progress was hindered further by a bunch of young gypsy girls doing the well known clipboard scam. These were actually the first I had seen since arriving in Paris a few days ago, and I started to think that the police had finally cleared them out. Obviously, that is not the case. Although I managed to navigate through the throng of eager pickpockets, I was appalled to see the well dressed gentleman behind me getting out his wallet and handing over a bunch of Euros. I tried to warn him what he was doing, but he did not speak English, and his money quickly relocated itself to the pockets of the thieves. Why are some people so stupid ?
After admiring the view, we walked to the Place de Tertre, home of a significant artist colony. If you hand over a bunch of Euros, you can have your portrait drawn. If you are lucky, it might even look something like you. There must been at least 25 artists doing this business, but it was interesting that all the artists were men and all the models were girls. Why is it so ?
We then went in search of a place for lunch and found a suitable cafe in the centre of the square, Mark and Tim ordered a glass of beer and were surprised to find that it was served in something like a bucket with a handle. It was the biggest glass I had ever seen. By contrast, my cider was served in a much more realistic sized vessel. I could only wonder how their bladders would cope with the overload. The simple answer was, they didn't (cope that is). My choice for lunch was a creamy veal concoction. It truly was delicious, but as usual some of it somehow managed to find its way down the side of my bag, I think I will have to invest in a plastic eating poncho. It was only when we went to pay, that we found that the operators seemed to have quietly added a significant tip to the meal charge, I guess that is the risk you take when you dine in such places.
After lunch we said goodbye to Neill and Karyn and wished them a great ride. The next time we see them will be in Nevers, in a couple of week's time.
By this time I was hot and tired and longed for the cool sanctuary of my hotel room, So it was back on the Metro, riding a succession of hot and crowded carriages until we were back in St Germaine. At least we did not get lost. The subsequent nana nap was most pleasant.Läs mer
Luxembourg and the Eiffel Tower
25 augusti, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
The grueling pace of the short time we have been in Paris has already taken its toll. At breakfast Tim, Mark and Mark (aka "Curly, Larry and Mo") informed me that after walking over 30000 steps yesterday, that they had now lost all sensation below their necks. They had declared themselves medically unfit for any more walking and had decided to catch the infamous "Hop On Hop Off" bus instead.
I did not expect our elite athletes to succumb so quickly, but it was obvious they had made their decision. Later in the day I found out that their bus trip turned out to be a "Hop on and don't get off", rather than hop on, hop off.
The early retirement of 75% of my team meant that I had most of the day to myself. So what did I decide to do ? The answer is walk. About 10 am I headed off for the nearby Luxembourg Gardens. In my humble opinion they are the most beautiful gardens in Paris and I was looking forward to spending a few hours strolling and people watching.
The overnight drizzle had completely cleared and Paris was enjoying yet another mild and sunny day. Thousands of Parisians and tourists were already enjoying the amazing park. I was happy to find a chair in the shade and watch those around me. I was soon captivated by a very well dressed young woman and her male companion. They spent at least 45 minutes trying to find the perfect pose. Time and time again she would look in the mirror, slant her head and wait for the next picture to be taken. Then she would join her companion to examine the end result. Apparently, they were never quite good enough, as she repeated the process over and over. I could not help but feel a little sad that so many people have become so shallow and self centred that they become oblivious to the natural beauty that is all around them.
I wondered on to the large lake where dozens of small sail boats were struggling to make in the headway in the calm conditions. These sailboats have been a much loved tradition at this park for generations and it was comforting to see that such simple things could still bring pleasure in an age of social media and smartphones.
After a couple of hours I started to get thirsty and sat down in one of the cafes for a coffee and some chocolate mousse. I was really enjoying the delicious mousse until I looked down and discovered that somehow I had managed to dribble some of it (actually quite a lot) right down the front of my pale shirt. Obviously, I must have been given a faulty spoon. Well, that was embarrassing. I had no alternative other than to return to the hotel for an unscheduled change of clothes and some hasty laundry.
Sometime later, wearing a different shirt, I walked to the Latin Quarter to find somewhere to have lunch. I was drawn to a small pizza restaurant where I enjoyed a classic Four Cheeses pizza and it really was delicious. The walk back to the hotel took me back past the 2000 year old Roman baths, although I was a little frustrated that the surrounding security fencing made it really hard to get a decent photo.
The next couple of hours was spent resting in my room. We had previously made plans to meet up at 4.30 pm to catch the Metro to the Eiffel Tower, then do an evening cruise on the Seine. The Three Stooges were so exhausted after sitting on their Hop On Bus trip that they needed even more afternoon sleep. Then it was time to venture below ground to experience the Metro system. This incredible transit system carries something like 20 million passengers every day, and most of them were apparently on the train we needed to catch. It really does work efficiently, although it would have been more pleasant if the trains were air conditioned.
After about 30 minutes we emerged near the Eiffel Tower and were soon in the midst of a tourist throng. There is no doubt that the tower is a spectacular construction, but the sheer number of tourists left me really looking forward to soon leaving this enormous city and getting on our bikes on those peaceful trails we had come so far to enjoy.
To get near the tower you now have to go through a security check. These checks have now become a feature of every major attraction and are a reminder of how much things have changed over the past few years.
We had planned to take one of the evening river cruises and obviously about 500,000 other tourists had somehow made the same plans. After paying the 20 Euro ticket price we joined a huge queue to join the ceaseless line of boats. Each of these massive vessels was crammed with 100s of passengers. Some quick mental arithmetic gave an indication of how lucrative this business must be.
Although I normally shun such tourist traps like the plague, sometimes you have to swallow your principles. A night cruise through the City of Light really is an amazing experience, especially on a clear night with the full moon doing its best to add even more to the spectacle. The only distraction was the young girl in front of us who spent the entire cruise looking away from the surroundings while her friend took picture of her in front of every landmark.
After the cruise, we navigated the Metro again, after running the gauntlet through the mass of hawkers selling miniature models of the Eiffel Tower. I didn't buy one, By this time I only had one thing on my mind and it was bed.Läs mer
The First Full Day in Paris
24 augusti, Frankrike ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
After the marathon day of travel yesterday, it was a blessed relief to finally reach our hotel in Paris. When choosing a hotel in this huge city I always choose the location first, then look at which ones I can afford before finally going through the list of possibles to choose the best of those that met the previous criteria.
Our home for the next four nights will be the rather grandly named Hotel Claude Bernard, situated right in the prestigious St Germaine district of Paris. It is only a very short walk from the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens and Notre Dame Cathedral. The location gets a huge tick. And as for the hotel ? The outside is classic Parisian style, Another tick. But what about the rooms ?
For those that have never been to Paris, you need to know that hotel rooms in Paris are usually about the size of a small kitchen. If you come expecting anything more, you will always be disappointed. At least the Claude Bernard has an ancient elevator, that is always a bonus, even when the size of the elevator is not big enough to get both you and your luggage in at the same time. It was certainly a challenge, but it finally managed to get me to the second floor and the very long awaited Room 21. And as for the room itself, although it was tiny, it was very clean. It also had a tiny bathroom, double bed, small desk and chair. It even had very effective air conditioning, something of a rare find in modest priced hotels.
It was a massive relief to finally take my shoes off and settle down in a bed. I immediately fell into a deep sleep. For about 4 hours. Then I woke up. After trying to get back to sleep for some time, I got up and began my first full day in Paris. Another long day lay ahead.
A few hours later I was with the other members of my small group in the underground breakfast room of the hotel. Since none of them had been to Paris before, I thought I would bless them with one of my famous walking tours of the city. Paris is a city that begs to be explored on foot, and it is easy to spend the entire day just walking and people watching.
We began by walking to the Seine and the nearby Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame simply means "Our Lady" and there are actually numerous churches of that name scattered throughout France, but the most famous of all is the ancient building situated on the Isle de La Citie in the middle of Paris. This building is actually so important that it is the point that all distances to other places in France are measured from,
When I was last here in 2023 the cathedral was still in ruins after the disastrous fire. I was very keen to see what it now looked like, after the huge rebuilding project. Well it certainly looks better than it did. Not only has the roof been replaced, but the entire building has been cleaned and restored. They really have done a superb job, even it is not actually finished yet. Much of the rear part is still covered with extensive scaffolding and the previous walking routes are still blocked with security fencing and builders sites.
After the cathedral, our walk continued to the nearby Isle St Louis, home to some of the most expensive real estate in Paris, and probably the world. Then we crossed to the right bank to begin the long walk back to the Louvre. It was about this time that I realised that this was going to be the slowest walking tour I had ever conducted. Time and time again I turned around to discover that my companions were nowhere to be seen. So I waited, and waited, and waited. It became a recurring theme. Then they complained that I was walking too fast. I thought that I had been walking so slowly that it was hard to avoid falling over.
Some time later we reached the famous Louvre, probably one of the largest museums in the world and home to an astounding collection of priceless artworks and other treasures, although its inventory had been reduced lately by a brazen (and very successful) daylight raid that made off with tens of millions of dollars worth of items. As far as I know, none has ever been recovered.
The location outside the front of the Louvre is home to the famous glass pyramids. Although these were very controversial when they were first built, they are now accepted as one of the most iconic sights of the city. I did however notice that something was missing. On every previous visit the area in front of the Louvre had been plagued by groups of young gypsy girls working together to fleece the hordes of tourists of every piece of personal property they could get their hands on. This time, these groups were nowhere in sight. I wondered if the police had finally managed to clear them out of the city. The next couple of days will tell.
Our crawling tour then proceeded through the Tuileries to the Place de La Concord. By that time the group was complaining that their bodies could take no more. They had given up, even though I was just starting. I had to admit that maybe we are all getting old after all. "I think we will end it here", I said. The problem was that we still had to walk back to the (now distant) hotel.
Somehow I managed to get them all back, albeit with a few rest stops along the way. I began to think that I should have brought along a defibrillator, just in case. By the end I had to admit that even I was getting tired as well. It must be contagious. According to the step counter we had only done 28000 steps !
We eventually made it back to the hotel, where I immediately went to have a little nana nap. About twenty minutes should be enough. You could imagine my surprise when I awoke to find my watch telling me it was 6:45 pm. I must have been in a coma. Upon contacting the others, we discovered that Mark O'Connor really was in a coma. It took some time to wake him up.
All that remained was to find a nice place to eat. A short distance from the hotel we found a lovely street, alive with cafes and entertainers. It was the perfect place to end a memorable day.Läs mer
Two Icebergs followed by a Great Surprise
24 augusti, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
Anyone who knows me well might already know that I am regarded as something of a micro manager. I do like paying close attention to details, and trying to make sure that all the proverbial bases are always covered. Perhaps that is why I always like to arrive early for appointments. I just like to think that, with any complex task, I have always done everything I can to make sure that nothing is omitted. Sometimes it works.
This particular adventure has been almost two years in the making, At times it looked like the logistics were just going to be too complex to be able to put together successfully. A couple of times I came close to giving up, however eventually all the details started to come together and the final plan was formulated. With such a long lead time, I would have absolutely no excuse for not having everything perfectly in order when the day of departure finally arrived. And I really thought that was the situation.
My bag had been packed and repacked several times, weighed, labelled and secured. I even put it just inside the front door so that it would be ready when the airport driver arrived to pick me up about midnight on Saturday night. Throughout the day I paced around the house, watching the clock slowly mark off the passage of time. I just wanted to get going.
At 9 pm, for some strange reason I decided that I should do one final quick check of everything in the case. After all I could think of nothing better to do in the final three hours before departure, I started pulling everything out, just to make sure that I had not missed anything. Shirts ? Tick. Underwear ? Tick. Socks? Tick. Trousers ? Trousers ? Where was the special pair of lightweight travel pants that I had bought just for this trip ? (And just in case you were thinking that I was wearing them, no, even I am not that stupid). They were missing. How could that possibly happen?
I frantically went through everything again, No pants. I started to think that maybe I had forgotten to pack them. I went through my entire wardrobe, just in case they were still hanging there. No pants. The clock was ticking. This was making no sense. I was starting to slightly panic (in fact, maybe more than slightly panic). There was just no sign of them. How could a pair of pants just disappear?
After about twenty minutes of frantic searching, I had an epiphany. I knew where the pants were. They were in my luggage all along, except I had packed a small selection of vital clothing in my carry on, just in case my main bag was delayed in transit. In hindsight it was a simple mistake. But at least I knew where the pants were. All I had to do now was to repack the pcase and wait for the driver. Simples. Actually it turned out to be anything but.
As I was zipping up the main case for the twentieth and last time, disaster struck. The zipper suffered an aneurysm, just at the worst possible time. Now my heart really started to pound. I struggled and fought to try to rethread the slider, but to no avail. What was I going to do now ? Pack everything into a plastic garbage bag? Of course I called for Maggie to solve the problem. We both battled without success. The clock was ticking steadily. The only thing I could think off was to unpick the end of the zipper to expose the end. Hopefully it would then be possible to rethread the slider.
So out came the pliers, scissors, thread cutters, etc and we both set about destroying the case. It was not my finest hour. It is never pleasant to see a grown man cry. I won't go into all the details of what transpired over the next 30 minutes, but somehow we managed to get the little fellow back onto the zipper and the case secured again. Maggie had to then hand sow the end of the zipper to make sure it could not come off. It was not how we planned to spend the final evening.
After the great zipper catastrophic, I still had an hour or so to wait before the driver arrived. I was not going to risk further disaster by doing anything at all. The driver did arrive right on time, the luggage was loaded and I was finally underway. Fortunately there was little traffic and I arrived without further incident. I was soon met by the other members of Group 1, Tim O'Connell, Mark O'Connor and Mark Madler-Edwards. We were soon checked and began the wait for the plane to depart at the ungodly hour of 5.15am.
At this point I have a confession to make. After putting together so many of these trips and after spending so many hours sitting in sardine class at the back of long haul flights, for the first time in my life I had lashed out for business class. I had been looking forward to the unfamiliar experience of actually having lots of space and comfort on the flight. It certainly did take some of pain out the long 14 hour leg to Dubai.
There was only an hour of transit before we boarded the second flight to Paris, much of that that was making our way from one side of the enormous airport to the other. It was at that point my luck changed dramatically. Just as we were boarding the plane, the steward took my boarding pass and issued a replacement. I looked at it and could not believe that it had FIRST CLASS printed very proudly on the top. I don't understand what happened, but I certainly wasn't going to complain. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that I would be hobnobbing with the rich and famous in First Class, but here I was.
So how was the First Class Experience ? It was a bit overwhelming to be honest. The sheer amount of food and sweets was enough to give me a blurby feeling in my stomach. At least it was something I could tick off my bucket list, even if it was not something I would ever have put on that list in the first place.
The plane touched down at Paris CDG Airport right on time at 8 pm. We were met by a driver waiting for us with a prominent sign and we were soon being unloaded at our home for the next four nights - the Claude Bernard Hotel in St Germain. Needless to say I wasted no time in getting straight to bed. It had been a long and very eventful day.Läs mer
More Bumps in the Road
29 juli, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
With the final countdown now down to just over three weeks, it is time to get more serious about my packing. To that end, I have now reduced one room in my home to a state of extreme disorder. Whenever I remember something that I require for my trip, I immediately collect it and add it to the ever growing pile. The rationale is that I would rather know where everything is that I need, rather than go looking for it at the last moment and then discover that it is not where I thought it was.
So where am I up to ? According to my estimates, I am probably about 90 to 95% ready. When the time gets a little closer I will have a "dummy pack" to see how everything fits into the case, and then to weight it to see what the final weight is. I am hoping for a final weight of around 17kg, but it could go a little more. I have to keep reminding myself that, for every extra kg I add, that is another kg I have to lug all over France with me.
What about the status of the others in my group ? Some weeks ago there were some serious concerns about the medical condition of a couple of other team members from Group One. At one stage I was a little concerned that I was going to make a group of just one. Fortunately those concerns have now abated, as the two doubtful starters now seemed to have made a good recovery. There will be four males in Group One of the Prologue Ride, so I think that I might christen the phrase "The Four Amigos" to describe our team.
Added to the medical concerns, we had the added uncertainly of war in the Middle East. That would be bad at any time, but takes on a whole new degree of relevance when our flight over is planned to go right through the conflict zone. In spite of the ongoing skirmishes, daily flights are still taking place, so hopefully my trip won't come to a premature end in the Straits of Hormuz.
Added to these concerns, there is now a new challenge that has arisen. Europe has been battling the hottest summer on record, with temperatures regularly exceeding 35 and even 40C. These elevated temperatures have continued, almost continuously through the entire European summer. Unlike in Australia, where we get a few hot days, followed by a cool change, there has been no letup. Not only have the temperatures been remarkable, but this has also been accompanied by a drought which has dried up many of the major rivers. The latest addition to this unfortunate mix are widespread forest fires in France and Spain. These are so bad that the French president described them as the biggest disaster to hit their country since World War II.
At this stage the French fires are to the south of where we will be cycling, but we may be impacted by smoke and other disruptions. Travelling is always interesting and the challenges that we face are amazing ways to test our resolve and mental toughness.
This may be the last update before I head off, so it is possible that the next footprint will be posted somewhere in Paris.Läs mer
One Month to Go
19 juli, Australien ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
There is no doubt that the most famous multistage bike race in the world is the Tour de France. Each year in July the world's top cyclists battle it out to secure the coveted yellow jersey and the fame and fortune that goes with it.
For three long weeks the riders battle heat, head winds, mighty mountains and pouring rain, before they finally reach the finish on the streets of Paris. Although this year's Tour is only half over, the winner has almost certainly been decided already. Tadej Pogacar has demonstrated over and over that no other rider can match him when it really counts. On the steepest climbs, when all the others are hitting the proverbial "wall", Pogacar simply switches up a gear and rides away.
This year the race had special significance for those soon about to set off on our own version of the Tour. On Stage 11, the tour passed through Decize on its way to the stage end in Nevers, and then on the next stage, it started on the outskirts of Nevers and rode back through Decize for a second time. Since both of these town feature in our own tour, it was a great feeling to watch the race, knowing that we will soon be in that same area, albeit riding at a much slower pace. I wonder if we will be greeted by the same sized crowds when we arrive ? Probably not.
With only a month to go before I climb onto to the big plane that will take us on our way, I have started to get a little serious about packing. Well thinking about packing, at least. I have prepared my list and have started putting important items aside, ready to pack them into my case. I know where my passport is, and I have started buying a few Euros. This year I have even invested in a brand new Garmin Edge 1050 GPS. We have received the GPS tracks from Randovelo and these will soon be loaded in the GPS, ready for our ride. In the "old days" we had to rely on paper maps for navigation. This necessitated frequent stopping to ascertain where we were, followed by much discussion and confusion about where to head next. I have to admit that it is so much easier and better with a GPS.
And, as for the question as to who will be wearing the yellow jersey when we cross the finish line in Le Croisic, the answer is simple. We all will be !Läs mer