Day 4 - Gisors to Epernon (109km, 640m)

Tuesday, May 20th, 2014

Route Map and Garmin Ride Statistics

We stayed at the Hotel Moderne right opposite the railway station, and while it was probably only "modern" when it was built some time ago, it was comfortable enough. At least there were no trains flying through every hour and the only noise was the occasional car in the quiet side street.

On the road, Tony W had a few problems with his Garmin and fell behind. The rest of us waited just outside an old farm building complex which looked like it had been converted to apartments.

The sun was still shining, and coming into a small village we saw that  vehicle access was restricted by police and a one way traffic light system. There must have been a funeral, judging by the number of people dressed in black or in robes. The person must have been important, and we guessed it might have been the mayor.

Somewhere further on, Trevor took this photo of me riding. He has no problem pulling his (expensive) camera out of his pocket and taking one handed pictures while still riding his bike. I always stop to take pictures because I'm more risk averse :-)

 

  
According to the route instructions, there weren't supposed to be any significant hills to climb, so we surprised to come across this one which eventually got to 12% for the last few hundred meters.

This is Tony W managing to get to the top without stopping.

 

And this is Tony D, who didn't. He had a problem with his gear cable the previous day, and twas pleased he had his gears back. Perhaps he didn't get all of them?

We were all rewarded at the top of the climb with our first view of the Seine. Some even thought they saw Paris in the distance, but being 90km away still I think they were hallucinating.

There was a nice descent from the top of the hill, and then we crossed to Seine and saw a few old canal boats moored on the bank.

Beside the river was the first large town of the day, so we had our coffee stop with a few other riders, including John from Bike Adventures, and Irish David who John had been given responsibility for accompanying. David had gotten himself seriously lost the previous day.

Unfortunately, by this time of the morning the clouds were starting to roll in and we suspected that the forecast rain was on it's way.

An hour or so later it started to drizzle, so for the first time in several weeks of cycling we put our spray jackets on. In fact, it was the first day that any of had even carried the jackets.

Another hour later, and having spent that time cycling in steady light rain, we arrived at the designated lunch stop. There were already some of our coleagues there and because we were wet we ate outside. Unfortunately, this meant enduring the rest of the diners coming outside for a cigarette! The rain continued, and a few of us started to get a bit cold.

Trevor even thought we were starting to look miserable, so he took this photo.

But...the rain eased, and by the time we got out of town it actually stopped. This was great because we still had another 40km to go, and this would take an hour and a half. 15km from the end some even removed their jackets!

The hotel Epi is in a kind of business park on the outskirts of Epernon. It's quite comfortable, but there were few dining options apart from the hotel restaurant itself. Most of us at there, and had another chaotic time ordering. Note to self - eat with smaller groups next time (joking).

Day 5 - Epernon to Beaugency (111km, 290m)

Wednesday, May 21st, 2014

Route Map and Garmin Ride Statistics

All night it looked as thought yesterday's rain might have passed. However, at 8:30am, after berakfast and in time for the daily briefing, it started to drizzle.

We all started with our rain jackets on, and in 10km we passed through a town with a section of castle wall almost as high as the nearby church spire. I couldn't believe it was still standing, and the next strong wind might bring it down. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a vantage point where I could capture both in the same frame.

The rain continued, and this is Trevor coming into one of the many small villages we passed through during the morning. It was a very flat day's ride, and everywhere there were fields with one of 20 or 30 different crops growing as far as the horizon. Each crop and farm was attached to a village of 10 or so houses, probably as it had been for 100's of years. In any case, we were getting wet.

The first food option wasn't until Orgeres en Beauce at 58km, and all we could find open was a patisserie, but it sold baguettes with ham and cheese, and drinks. There were only four of us, but we managed to create a queue of locals outside as we very slowly decided what we wanted to eat.

  
Because there was nothing open except the patisserie, we headed for a nearby bus shelter to eat our "lunch" (it wasn't yet midday). That's Irish David, Bike Adventures Geoff, and Trevor trying to keep warm. By the time we finished eating we all wanted to get riding again to warm up.

Another 30km or so later, and at the only other place to find food for the day, we arrived at Ouzouer where there were more options than on the entire rest of the ride. We decided on a bar/cafe just near the right turn out of town and had a hot coffee inside a warm bar. At this point, Geoff (in the middle, from BA) was instructed to wait for all other riders to pass through before leaving. Trevor and I volunteered to accompany Irish David through to the end (long story, but essentially David always gets lost, so BA decided he needs to be accompanied each day).

From Orgeres to Beaugency it basically stopped raining, so by the time we arrived at he hotel just before 2:00pm we thought we had dried out.

I might look dry, but I was soaking, and my bike needed a good clean. Luckily, and for the first time on this trip, we had a hotel with a bike cleaning "station", so everyone as able to clean the "muck" off their bikes.

Beaugency is a lovely place, situated on the Loire river between Orleans and Blois. This is the cobbled street next to the hotel which leads to the river.

After showering, drying and changing clothes we headed for a walk through the town. First to the Loire river about 1 km down the road.

Then back to the 500 year old (originally 1,000 year old) cathedral and the nearby castle tower. While the cathedral was very nice inside, the castle was much more impressive outside.

We had decided to eat at a pizza restaurant near the river (recommended by BA), but it was closed for the night. So, after a few beers (!) we headed for another pizza restaurant near the hotel.

And a cat in a window reminded me of Couscous.

Dinner was chaotic, as usual, but enjoyable anyway. I just hope my clothes dry overnight and that it's not raining tomorrow.

Day 6 - Beaugency to Vierzon (103km, 280m)

Thursday, May 22nd, 2014

Route Map and Garmin Ride Statistics

On the way out of Beaugency we crossed the Loire river which is quite wide at this point.

And the bridge which crosses it must be 500 years old, at least. You also get the impression that the river floods regularly, and when it does it poses some risk to the town.

There were two ride options for today - the "long" option which went off course to visit the magnificent Chateau Chambord, and the "shorter" option which did not. Chambord is set in very extensive grounds which must measure 5km to 10km square. That's Trevor in the distance on one of the roads leading through the grounds to the chateau. We saw a number of other riders, so this must be a popular route for locals and tourists alike.

You approach the chateau (more correctly, a palace of the French monarchy) from the side, so this was our first view of it.

This was a pedestrian and cycle route only, so we took it. The last time I was here was almost exactly 40 years ago! Note that I am still in wet weather gear because it did rain a little during the 25km ride from Beaugency.

As usual when visiting important monuments, there always seems to be some restoration going on, and therefore scaffolding obscuring part of the building.

It must also have been a quiet part of the year because there were only a few Chinese tourists, plus us, visiting it - all the better to get a clear view.

The road curves around the chateau and the view from the back is just as fantastic as the one from the front. The rain has stopped and the clouds are beginning to break up.

At our morning coffee stop about 10km further on, the children from the local school were preparing to go on a bicycle excursion, we believe into the park of the chateau.

At the first lunch option, another 30km or so further on, the sun was shining and we saw another "Tudor" style building similar to many we had already seen elsewhere. We probably should have stopped here for lunch, bu instead decided to press on.

Anne, Keith and Noreen were smarter - they stopped for lunch where we should have stopped, and also for a snack further on!

Lunch for me was a delicious piece of beef with onion and butter sauce, potato, beans and tomatoes - superb. Trevor looked on because there were no vegetarian options in this restaurant. It seems we were breaking the rule by trying to snack when it was really lunch time!

We arrived in Vierzon before 3:00pm and I finally got a hotel room with a view - ironically, of the local river and the (now disused?) Canal de Berry, and one of its locks.

Our hotel is back behind this bridge, and there's another "Tudor" house on the corner.

Of course, I headed straight for the lock, which is by far the narrowest lock I've seen in France. Perhaps that's the reason it was shut down. Incidentally, this canal was only built in the 19th century, compared to the 17th century for the Canal du Midi. Competition from railways probably also explains why it was shut down.

After my walk I found Dennis, Les, Chris, and the Tonys in a nearby pub. I had a beer and then went to relax before dinner.

Some aspects of the hotel were "bizarre" - there seemed to be a Hollywood theme running through it - this being one of many posters decorating the corridors and stairwells.

But the biggest surprise was room 30 which Chris and Dennis were allocated. It was a themed bar, complete with grand piano, and two double beds which folded down from the wall. All about the room was a collection of American "pop" memorabilia! They told us earlier about the room, but we didn't believe it until we saw it!

Seven of us went back tot the pub for a lovely pub dinner, and some "Frog Pink" (ie. Rose), and as I started to write this blog entry, the sun was setting over the canal/river at 9:30pm. Let's hope the sun comes back up again in the morning!