Loire Valley 2009 - 600 kilometers

Three blokes, three bikes, three credit cards and 600 kilometers up the Loire Valley. For two weeks in August 2009 John, Des and Ken tested their legs and their wallets from Saint Nazaire to Sancerre. While Julie, Jane and Alice enjoyed the delights of Paris and rural France.

We hired our bikes from Detours de Loire, we couldn't have asked for more. Bikes were delivered on time






The pictures tell the story.

Day 12 Gien to Sancerre 60 Klms

The last ride of the trip, a bit nervous to start, such a big trip, didn't want anything to go wrong on the last day. Good riding,more of the same, but warmer and not much wind. And the worst coffee (2 stops) for the whole trip!

A steady ride, trail was well marked, some good bike only paths, but mostly small lanes and gravel levee bank. We crossed the Eiffel bridge (a bridge that carries the canal and its boats across the Loire) at Briare, a bit special. Some delightful along the canal riding – just stunningly beautiful.

We stopped for coffee about 16 kilometers from Sancerre, completely indifferent service, couldn't offer us any food even though we could see baguettes and salad and cheese being set up to serve for lunch.  With out doubt the worst coffee we have had for the whole trip.

Nice ride all the way into Sancerre, not as difficult as I had imagined. Having been to Sancerre a couple of times in the past, I knew it was bit of a climb up to the village. All went well until we followed a Velo sign that took us up a very steep track. D almost made it K & J walked  the bikes up to the hotel. If we had of  stayed on on the road we could have ridden right to our hotels door.

What a great feeling of accomplishment. So long in the planning, so short in the execution, but exceeded all of our expectations by a huge margin. A great achievement given that two of us were below par because of health issues and the the other didn't get the prep. he would have liked because of business commitments prior to leaving Oz.

Great companionship, great riding, good food and wine – and nice to be back with the girls.

When will we be back?

FOOT NOTE         Friday the 14th

K & D Sancerre to Gien.

Rode into Gien to pick up our hire car.

NEXT RIDE SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

SANCERRE TO MULHOUSE

Day 11 Orleans to Gien 80 klms

View Day Eight - 72Km's in a larger map

      “a tail wind component all day”

A tail wind to look forward to – hoo-bloody-ray!!! After all of the advice during our long planning phase to expect the prevailing winds to be up river at this time of the year – they finally seemed to have arrived!

I have to say at this time I have taken a small amount of stick from young “D” about the prevailing winds.

D still denies the tail wind we had today, he thought “we were going down hill all day”. It was a great ride!

Breakfast at 6:30, on the road at 7:00 and an easy ride out of Orleans on made and unmade bike paths, probably the warmest start we have had. 20 kilometers up before we knew it. A combination of parkland and old sand quarry's that are now recreational lakes. Lots of boating (man powered) and fishing going on, it was a very enjoyable and beautiful part of the days ride. We  rode close to the river for most of the day.

Today is the first day we have come across anyone moving along at our pace, we had to hold D back as he was anxious to run them down. We had a small detour at this time, D&J navigated our way out of a small village back onto the levee bank of the river. After a couple of kilometers K pointed out that the river was running the wrong way!!! The nuclear power station that we were riding towards looked very similar to the one we rode passed 30 minutes ago! It was a good day, we found a short cut (a bit rough), back to the bike track (going in the right direction) and only did about 4 klms more than we need to.

We had a variety of road surfaces today, mostly provisional bike paths (sign posted but road surfaces not upgraded), smooth asphalted lanes, narrow (450 mm wide) tracks on top of the levee, rough stony track (about 2 klms), smooth well graded gravel and a short burst on a busy N road – the full range in the one day . We all felt great about the days ride, my legs were the best they had been for a few days, felt strong all day.

We arrived in Gien about midday – rooms not available until 2 PM! Did a partial change out of bike gear and headed downtown to find lunch. Having had lunch in Gien 4 years ago at a great brasserie, I knew exactly where to go. Failed to take into account the French holiday period – chef on hols, back in two weeks. We walked past a busy cafe that appealed and settled in. We all had the same fabulous salad and yet another rose'. K in particular liked the rose' and insisted we have another, D as usual put up little resistance! We talked some other punters into the same wine, they didn't drink all theirs so passed the unfinished  bottle to us when they left. PHEW!

An afternoon rest and a walk about town. Gein is a very attractive city right on the Loire and a famous centre of ceramic manufacturing. Aperitif's and an excellent dinner at the hotel. We were ready for the last days ride, hoping the legs will stay strong for another 60 kilometers.

GREAT DAY

Day 10 Orleans Rest day

 Fine and mild TAIL WIND

Not on the bikes today, a bit of bad luck really as there was would have been a nice tail wind!

We were all a bit weary today, our riding has been reasonably solid, 20 – 25 kms per hour depending on the conditions – no one else was really riding at our pace. We have been enjoying the physical side of the riding, even though we are tired at the end of the day. We have been aiming to finish each days riding in time to find somewhere nice for lunch, a rest in the afternoon and sightseeing and a good dinner in the evening. We needed the sustenance after all!

Orleans is a lovely city (much like Montpelier), very pedestrianized and a modern tram network.

We rode the tram from one end to the other, a great way to see the city, we walked the “Parc Floral”.

Had a crap pizza at place close to our hotel, D was up for a good part of the night.

Checked the web for weather and it looks like a tail wind for the next two days – about bloody time!

Day 9 Blois to Orleans

View Day Seven - 67 Km's in a larger map

     Moderate to strong head wind   cool

A quick breakfast at the hotel and on the bikes at 7:30. The legs didn't really want to be on a bike today.

The first two hours were the hardest of the trip, we were riding on the levee bank completely exposed to the wind. A bit easier for me as K & D sat in front, and I tucked in behind them again. Quite a few locals out for a ride today (Sunday), we always got a cheery bonjour and a wave as the overtook or passed us.

Coffee was a problem again today, we managed to buy a pastry in a small village, but coffee was out of the question.

The second half of the ride was a lot better, the legs were feeling stronger and we were riding on paths and lanes sheltered by tall trees. The bike paths today were probably the roughest we had ridden on, but still good enough to get along at a reasonable rate (23 – 25 klms per hour). D caused a bit of a flurry, on a rough section of the path he spotted a couple of rider 500 M ahead of us and as he is won't to do – he put the hammer down and rode flat out for a couple of kilometers with K & J hanging onto his dust. Fortunately for me it came to a sudden end, when an overhanging vine neatly ripped my sun glasses of my face, the glasses survived the fall and a rider behind just missed running over them. As it turned out, we were chasing a very fit young couple who were towing a trailer that carried their camping gear. We were all pleased to make to our hotel in Orleans. I rested up and K&D walked the city to find us a place for dinner – very good it was –  I had veal kidney.

Day 8 Tours to Blois 70 kms

View Day Six - 65 Km's in a larger map

Moderate head wind

An early start again (7 AM), fruit and juice for breakfast bought the night before. The proprietor was concerned that we were going with out having breakfast, so he made us each a coffee and brought them out for us to have while we were organizing our bikes on the footpath – very nice man!

I thought I might have been in trouble with the riding today, stared fair, but improved as the day went on. Stopped in Amboise for coffee and a very delicious quiche, god knows how much cream was in it.

Sent a text to John L, we spent a couple of very enjoyable nights with Jhn and his wife Jen in Amboise a few years ago.

The route took us literally through vineyards today, sealed bike path for several kilometers wandering through the vines. It made a nice change as we were riding up higher (a bit breezy though) than normal and away from the river, we had quite a view looking down the river valley into the distance. We had a bit of trouble with our navigation on one section, missed the bike path sign and rode on down some rough unmade farm roads. It is never really a problem if you stray from the route a bit, the river was over on our left 3 or 4 kilometers away, just keep riding up river and an eventually connect up with the bike trail again. We cut the trail down a bit lower than the vines along an off shoot of the river, tall trees sheltered the path and we rode for several kms out of the wind on unmade bike path.

K & D looked after me again today, pulled the pace and let me tuck in behind them out of the wind – it was much appreciated. All up it was a satisfying and enjoyable ride, although D did go on a bit about the head wind!

Arrived in Blois at 12:30. Unfortunately the hotel didn't have a record of our booking, they only had two rooms left. The boys cheerfully offered me the single room which I gratefully accepted, there was a bit of banter the next day about snoring  - and thank god for single rooms at all of our other overnight stops!

We had a couple of cold beers,  confit of duck Sheppards pie for lunch (an odd combination, but worked very well), washed down with yet another delectable Loire rose'.

A long afternoon rest for me, followed by an average dinner at a restaurant recommended by our hotel, it turned out that it was owned by the hotel! I probably had one beer to many thanks to D.

Day 7 Tours rest day

Tours not much to say it just didn't click for us, even though it is a lovely city. We had a big walk around the city looking for something more than croissant and jam for breakfast, not an omelet to be seen. We caught a bus out to Vouvray for lunch and some wine tasting. Pleasant lunch, the wine tasting was a bit average, we were restricted to the tourist type wine shops on the bus route.We must have walked at least 10 kms for the day. I was stuffed, the body didn't want to cooperate at all. All had a late afternoon rest, we had to wake D for dinner. We went back to the same brasserie, D had left a kangaroo pin for the waiter the night before and he was pleased to see us and pointed out the Ozzies to his boss. I had a quick pizza and D escorted me back to the hotel – the brain was a touch foggy!

Day 6 Samur to Tours 81 kms

12 to 32 degrees      Moderate head wind   6/8/2009

What a day, our biggest ride ever – 7 AM on the bikes, magnificent riding along the bank of the Loire watching the sun come up over the broad expanses of the river. Cool and mild, perfect for riding. The first 2 hours of riding was along the levee bank, then we dived of the river into narrow leafy lanes, just magic in the early morning light. We enjoyed our quiche, fruit and juice at a small village after D combed the place for coffee to no avail. The only problem with early starts, the coffee shops are not open early enough! We cycled on past a continuous parade of lovely chateau and fine buildings made from the local stone on our right and fabulous vistas of the Loire on our left. Many of the houses were built into the cliff face, lots of  bright flower gardens and neatly kept vegetable patches.

At our first coffee stop (a small hotel restaurant) over looking the river we chatted to a couple of older Swiss chaps riding and taking pot luck with their accommodation. They weren't covering a lot of ground, but they were having a very nice time. At our next coffee stop we caught up with a couple who were staying at our hotel in Ingrandes and had coffee with them. They lived in Anger

and were just out for a few days ride.

At Villandry K&D made a short visit to the famous chateau there to look at the fabulous gardens, I had been there a couple of years ago and the body was starting to sag so I cycled on into the next town???? and bought a few nice bits for lunch, including a bottle of local rose' (goats cheese, terrine de lapin, tomatoes and mineral water) and rested up a bit. I always wanted to do the baguette on the back of the bike thing – now ticked of!

With full stomachs and the head wind picking up we set off to cover the last 20 kms to Tours. A bit slower but a good ride, nice ride into Tours, bike path almost to our hotel. K had another brush with traffic, but no tears this time.

My body performed much better than I expected, the long lunch break probably helped.

The usual jobs done and then we hit the town for a couple of beers. We chose a run down brasserie for dinner, nothing special, but we had a good night eating on the street with a chap playing jazz/swing trumpet in the back ground.

D had a luck break, he had hung his washing in the hotel window as he is want to do, we found his bike shorts on the footpath when we returned to the Hotel.

Day 5 Angers to Saumur 55 kms

View Day Five - 81 Km's in a larger map

5/9/2009    13 – 33 degrees  Moderate head wind.

7:15 AM start to beat the heat. It was a good ride out of town on well planned and graded bike paths (brand new) through old slate quarries - an interesting, though rough, ride along a canal path. We decided that we should have pulled a small boat we had spotted, which was attached to a rope across the canal, and crossed on that (since confirmed). This oversight caused us a bit of a detour onto a busy N road. Ken fell over again.

As it turned out, it was a great ride along the Loire, up close and personal. We had coffee at about 25 kms and then crossed the river. We then got off the busy road and onto peaceful sheltered lanes (out of the wind) and bike paths, with beautiful trees and green, green fields. Lots of serious cyclists as well as tourers were out today.

Fruit from a small market on the out skirts of Saumur and more coffee helped to fill in time, as the hotel rooms weren't ready yet. It was a nice ride along the waterfront into the centre of town.

Ken and Des graciously said I could take the first room ready, then had to wait an hour for their rooms. I was very grateful, as my body was stuffed. I lay on the bed for ages, too knackered to shower. Finally showered and did my washing and ventured out for food, a quick bite and then back for more rest. We bought quiches and juice for breakfast as we wanted an early start the next day. The temperature was expected to be 31 degrees, and we had an 81 km ride.

Ken and Des had a very productive afternoon tasting some of Saumur's best sparkling wines. There was a two day food, wine and dance event on, with people everywhere having a great time.

We had a pleasant dinner at a brasserie, and talked to a couple of Norwegian chaps who were doing a 7000kms driving trip over 3 weeks, not at all phased by the distances involved (a bit like here). The brasserie overlooked the big event, and was rocking. The staff were getting into the music and were very cheerful, having a glass of Saumur bubbles on the side.

After dinner we had a couple of tastes and Des managed to talk one of the winemakers into giving him his event tee shirt, the cheeky bugger! I retired early.

Day 4 Angers – rest day

View Day Four - 53 Km's in a larger map

Day 4 Angers – rest day

After a late start, we had a bit of a walk to find a great cafe in the sun, and managed to talk them into making us an omelet for breakfast - we never managed to achieve an omelet for breakfast again, despite a constant search. The owner of the cafe was a curious about us and came out for a chat. He was impressed that we came out from Australia to ride the Loire Valley. He then proudly produced a photo of himself with Bradley McGee. Apparently Brad McGee lives and trains in Angers. We must have been pushing along a bit too quickly, as he never managed to catch up to us for a chat. Des handed over the usual kangaroo pin, much appreciated.

We took the petit train ride around town, spotting a couple of places for dinner on the way. We visited the very prominent chateau, saw the big rug ( tapestry) and enjoyed the grand construction of the chateau. We than adjourned to the the wine centre adjacent to the Chateau, where a very helpful and informative young lady showed us a range of local wines. We were impressed enough to purchase a chenin blanc for lunch. The young lady informed us that Australians and Americans generally don't enjoy unoaked wines, as they normally drink oaked wines (some heavily oaked). We picked up sandwiches to have with our chenin blanc, and found a spot by the chateau overlooking the river, where we got chatting to a Belgium/Dutch couple who were traveling with bikes that they purchased in France.

During a walk around town, I tried unsuccessfully to buy myself a man bag at the market. We walked through the Palais of Justice and stood in on a court session, all very formal and very French. A boule match was in progress, with some very flamboyant players and everyone very serious. Des was busting to have a go.

Time for an afternoon rest.

We put ourselves in Des's hands for dinner, as he had spotted a couple of places to eat from the “petit train”. 1.5 kilometers later we found a restaurant that looked OK, but we had no idea if it was the one Des saw or not! We were a bit early, so backtracked to a hole in the wall 'Australian Bar” that we had seen earlier. No one had any idea how the bar got its name, and it is currently being run by an African chap. We explained that we were from Australia. It was a very friendly place with great music being played, and we enjoyed our first round of beers. Des produced a kangaroo pin and handed it to the barman, who received it in the manner in which it was given, but many times over. He proudly showed it to his girlfriend and every one else in the bar -  thumbs up all round and a free round of beers for us – a bit special I think. It would have been nice to have gone back and built on the relationship. They agreed that the restaurant that we had chosen was good – and so it was, 3 course menu for 16E . Lentil entree and a veal shoulder for my main.Very good food, simple and well executed in a small neat space by a husband and wife team. Des introduced himself to the chef (wife) and we had a brief chat.

Later on, we got a big cheer from everyone at the Oz bar as we walked back past it on the way to our hotel. Earlier today, our tee shirts caused comments and questions from two young couples pulled up in a car at traffic lights.They asked about our trip and wished us bon velo!

Day 3 Ingrandes to Angers 45 Kilometres

View Day Three - 43 Km's in a larger map

Cool, 12 – 24 degrees, 7:50 AM start.

we set off in light rain, which fortunately only lasted a short time. It was an easy ride to Angers, with good paths and roads.We missed the sign post and had a minor detour up a short steep hill. Des found a walkway that took us back to the bike track, almost through peoples' back yards. We had to take a detour through La Possamniere to find a coffee today. We need to talk to the designers of the “Loire a Velo” - we need the cafes closer together and opening earlier!! We found our coffee at a hole in a wall cafe/bar, which we could have easily ridden past. Talk about timing, the clouds parted and let the sun through, just as we sat down with our coffee. With only another 20 kilometers to ride, there was no need to rush. We were all pleased with the shorter ride today, as the bodies were a bit weary. Ken had another fall – must adjust his clips!

It was very pleasant riding along the Loire and its offshoots, alongside great stretches of sand and water and beautiful green trees. Riding into Angers was a breeze compared to our entry into Nantes. The bike path delivered us to within a kilometer of our hotel, then it was an easy ride on the city streets to the hotel. arriving at 11:20 AM. Hotel clean and bright, staff very friendly and helpful. Shower, shave and washing, then hit the streets for lunch. We all had a pork salad, beer and a pichet of muscadet for 42 E -  very tasty and great value.

The city is very picturesque, with fantastic street flowers. Like a lot of French cities, the centre is being dug up to install a new tramway – couldn't help but think how the Mall traders would cope! After a bit of a walk around town, it was time for a PM kip to get ready for dinner. Des's back seems to be OK, but he is pleased not to be riding tomorrow. Rest day!

Day 2 Nantes to Ingrandes 72 Kilometers – Sunday

View Day Two - 68 Km's in a larger map

Great company, great day on the bikes.

Another early start 7:45 AM. The hotel was nice and central, comfortable and the staff were very helpful. Their bike storage was a luxury staff bathroom on the ground floor.

We had bright sunshine for most of the ride (temp 13 – 23) with the cloud taking over in the last 40 minutes or so. Once on the trail, it was very easy going for most of the day – a couple of climbs, but nothing onerous. Coffee stop at about 26 kms. The lady was very chatty and interested in our ride. Good coffee sitting in the sun, with pain au chocolat provided by Des. We rode on through very pleasant green and leafy countryside, on a combination of trails and roads (very tiny lanes). We lost our bearings a couple of times, but we were never very far from the bike trail. Ken had a couple of tumbles today -  just not getting his shoes unclipped quickly enough when stopping. We rode with a head wind component for most of morning, but towards Ingrandes the wind picked up – we were very pleased we only had a few kilometers left to ride. We were a bit disappointed today though, the crowds were very thin and the camera chopper couldn't make it. We stopped at 60km at Saint Florent le Viel for coffee. There was a little confusion with the ordering, and a nice French couple from Nantes ended up inadvertently paying for our coffee. We chatted to them as best we could, and she was pleased with the kangaroo pin Des gave her,. There were many groups of French bike riders on the road today (Sunday) -  a big bonjour and hello from one large group.

The Loire at Ingrandes is just stunning, big wide sweeps of sand and a strong flowing river. The town is picturesque and historic. Our hotel was terrific, typical French 3 star. It had a large secure storage shed for our bikes, and plenty of hanging space for our washing. After our shower and shave routine, it was time for a few beers in the bar with the proprietor (Marc), who had as many questions about us and our ride as we had about him and his decision to by a small hotel in Ingrandes.

Post beers we set off to look for somewhere for lunch. Unfortunately it was after 2 PM and everything was closed, including a restaurant that was still serving 100 plus people. Forty minutes later we were back at the hotel ordering a beer and bemoaning the fact that everyone had closed up. C'est possible le picnic? Ummm, oui c'est possible. Hot bread rolls, salmon terrine, sausage and cheese washed down with a bottle of very pleasant local rose. - c'etait superbe! It was very nice sitting on the plastic in the sun with our picnic. Marc recommended a restaurant that he frequents, about 5kms away, and offered to drive us there and pick us up afterwards! Interesting chap, he is from Paris, and has only owned the hotel for 12 months (1660 building). His English was very good.

I had the palatial suite, 2 bedrooms, a sitting room and separate toilet/ bathroom, second floor, very steep steps – a good place to stay. It was nice being out of the city – NOTE TO SELF – not so many city stays next trip.

The Logis restaurant that we ate at was very good. I had cold fish and potato terrine, Ken and Des had rabbit saddle stuffed with pate, great local wines and very good service. A short walk around town before bed- the body is a bit weary and the bum a bit tender (different seats to our bikes at home). A top day's pedalling.

Day 1 Saint Nazaire to Nantes - 62 km

Day 1 Saint Nazaire to Nantes - 62 km



View Day One - 63 Km's in a larger map


We left at 7AM. We probably could have left at 5AM, as we all slept badly.
The bridge was no problem, apart from the long pedal to the top. The traffic was very light, and there was not a lot of wind. We stopped for photos and a look around at the top of the bridge (one advantage of being on a bike) - the view was fantastic. It didn't take much imagination to see how dangerous the bridge could be in adverse conditions.
Once off the bridge, we pedalled effortlessly along small country roads and back lanes, very peaceful riding with very little traffic. About 8AM we found a small bar/cafe open, placed our orders for coffee, wandered 30 metres down the street and bought croissants. If only the cafes were so well placed every day!
The Loire, near the mouth, is tidal with wide mud flats, so we were actually riding quite a way from the river itself for a time, along a large canal heading for Bac,. There was virtually no traffic and the countryside was very picturesque. 

After a short coffee break at Bac, we left for our final leg to Nantes. It started to rain - "not much in it", said Des. "No need to stop and put on jackets". We discovered later that Des didn't have a rain jacket!!!!!! The rain, light at first, gradually became heavier and it rained all the way into Nantes.
The bike paths were very well sign posted, which was fortunate, as the maps that I created didn't like the rain at all. Even the provisional bike paths were well signed. The Loire Valley bike paths consist of fully developed 'bike only' paths (sealed or gravel), plus a mix of lightly travelled country roads and lanes. In many places, the final route has not been decided, but provisional routes are in place and signed - very easy to work with and the accompanying maps are excellent. But you do need to be on the ball, as we still managed to miss signs on several occasions.
As we approached Nantes, the rain was heavy and unrelenting, and we managed to miss a sign, ending up totally lost, cold and wet, on the side of a very busy dual carriage road. Exiting the highway, we managed to find our way back with not too much difficulty, ending up in suburbia with plenty of marked bike paths on moderately busy roads heading into Nantes. The rain was still coming down. We had a little spot of trouble about here -  Ken was forced off his bike in a roundabout by a car driver, and at the same time, I did a barrel roll right in front of a hairdressing salon (misjudged the depth of an overflowing gutter). As I picked myself up, Ken appeared from the bushes on the side of the roundabout with blood flowing from his knee and arm. Despite appearances, not too much damage done. Ken's wounds were fortunately just flesh wounds, and I strained my shoulder a bit.

We regrouped and set off again. After a short stint going the wrong way, we eventually picked up the bike path and cycled into town to our hotel (11:45AM) - we had been given very good  directions (to our hotel) from a monsieur who was intrigued by these silly Aussies riding in the rain.
Our rooms were not immediately available, so we waited around in our wet gear for about 40 minutes - very wet and dirty and Ken bleeding all over the floor.
Had a very uninteresting lunch and went for a walk around Nantes. The centre of town has been re vamped, with new trams and lots of pedestrian walks. It reminded me of Montpelier.

We caught up with Nicolas at the bike shop, and he agreed to call into the hotel on his way home from work to fix a couple of problems on Ken's bike that resulted from his fall. Thanks Nicolas for going out of your way to help, much appreciated.

We had a couple of beers at a bar before dinner and were castigated for not speaking French by the barman - he then chatted to us for some time in better than average English.
Thanks Brian for the restaurant recommendation (Le Cigale) - the sea bass was stunning.

A little time to attend to the now drying washing and into bed - what a great day!

Paris to Saint Nazaire

Uneventful trip on the TGV from Paris to Saint Nazaire, apart from the old goat sitting in our little 4 place compartment. He asked the conductor where we were getting off, and later picked up our tickets and had a good look through them while we watched him. His disdain for us was all too apparent!
We got to see a little bit of the country side that we would be riding through the next day, can't wait to get started.

We walked from the station to our hotel (an easy stroll) to find the van from the bike shop waiting for us, with Nicolas in the process of unloading our bikes and getting them ready for us. We were very pleased to meet him and to know that a major part of our adventure had fallen into place and on time. Nicolas fitted our pedals (brought from home) and made sure our bikes were all set up correctly and wished us well on our ride (more about Nicolas later).

A quick lunch, a look around the Port area and we were ready for our first pedal on French soil (wrong side of the road and all that!).We had a very pleasant 50 minute pedal around Saint Nazaire's bike tracks - warm, sunny and beside the sea. The bikes were great and we all felt good.

We had a few beers at a pub and Des got his first lesson in French bar etiquette. As we were about to leave, Des collected our empty glasses and placed them on the bar. As we turned to go, the barman refilled them! Your shout Des. Our tee shirts (printed with a map of Oz and our planned route) were working well, and were a great way to get to talk to folk. The publican was very helpful with advice for our ride.

We had dinner at Cafe Cadaux - good food washed down with some great local wines. Our Tee shirts had us talking to two other tables. All wanted to give us advice on what to eat and drink,  and were quite surprised that we would want to come all the way from Australia to ride bikes up the Loire Valley.

Nice night, but we were all a little nervous about the first section of tomorrow's ride - the huge and heavily trafficked bridge over the Loire, about 4 kilometers in length, with a reasonable climb to the top. Only a 600mm section of the road is allocated as a bike lane, and high winds and heavy traffic are serious problems. Rain was also forecast, so we planned a 7AM start to hopefully beat the traffic and the weather!

Our hotel was quiet and clean, nice people and big on bikes.