September 23, 2023
Day 11 - Eurovelo 6 across France
Gien to Orleans
We had a "hearty" breakfast at the hotel this morning. I’m still getting used to "cold" breakfasts in France ... cold pancakes, seriously! Nonetheless, it was filling.
When we loaded the bikes, all the tires were properly inflated, which was a good start to the day. We set off by 8:00 am, with an 85 km ride to Orléans, where we’d meet up with our fifth rider, and David’s best friend, Stewart.
There was extraordinarily little traffic, and after two days of rain, we were eager for some sunshine. You can really feel the temperatures dropping as the seasons change, though David noted that we should expect a spike in temperatures early next week. We cycled through the backstreets of Gien, a surprisingly impressive town for its size, before finding the EV6 cycleways again. Riding atop levees beside the river, with the crisp early morning air, it was just a beautiful time to be out on the bikes.
A few kilometres out of town, we spotted a couple of nuclear power station cooling towers that looked eerily similar to the ones we’d seen yesterday. I jokingly convinced the guys that I’d messed up the navigation and had taken us back to where we’d started. If looks could kill! For a few seconds, they actually believed me. By mid-afternoon, they were talking to me again.
The route swung away from the river and took us through the towns of Saint-Gondon and Saint-Florent. Several people had decorated bicycles to welcome Velo enthusiasts - it was a nice touch. However, we suspect the real reason of the detour was to avoid the nuclear site. After yesterday's green water joke, they’re clearly keeping us at a safe distance.
Brett had another tube issue, so we pulled over for yet another tube change. While we were fixing it, we could hear gunfire in the distance. We weren’t sure if we were near a rifle range or if it was duck hunting season in France, but we hoped not to be targets!
After riding along dikes and lovely bikeways for most of the morning, we arrived at Château de Sully-sur-Loire for our first château visit of the trip. We took a self-guided tour, though Brett and I were out in 30 minutes, David in forty, and at the time of writing this, Col was still reading every display (ed: not quite true ... but close). We grabbed a coffee in Sully-sur-Loire afterward, and I must say, the château was prettier than the town!
We continued riding for another hour on what turned out to be a sunny, but cool, day. We stopped for lunch in Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire, where I bought some fruit from a supermarket and ate it near Fleury Abbey. It was here that I met Raphael from Turin. At first, I thought he was a fellow tour cyclist because I saw bags beside him and what looked like a bike trailer - it turned out to be a wheelbarrow-like trolley. Raphael wasn’t a cyclist but a homeless man who had settled in town. The soft drink I thought he was holding was actually a beer (and it wasn’t his first for the day).
Initially, I wanted to get away, but I spent about five minutes talking with him. We chatted about places Raphael recommended I visit while cycling. When I finally got back on the bike, I realised that few people engage with Raphael willingly, and he enjoyed our brief conversation. I felt a bit disappointed in myself for not spending more time with him.
After lunch, the dreaded crosswinds and headwinds arrived, making the last few hours of riding much less enjoyable. I had yet another cycling failure, this time with a split in the tire. Brett did a fantastic job patching it up with duct tape, giving the tire (hopefully) another day of life. We’ll be making a stop at Decathlon tomorrow for more tube and tire supplies.
We eventually arrived in Orléans, with Col guiding us to the hotel via Google. Joy of joys ... we ended up on the busiest road of our trip so far. Orléans is hosting a festival, so the traffic was chaotic! After some tricky navigation, we finally made it to Hotel Marguerite and met up with Stewart. After a quick shower, we headed out for drinks and dinner. The town was absolutely "heaving" (the busiest we’ve seen since arriving in France). We’re convinced the big night out is to celebrate the Brisbane Lions' win over Carlton, securing their spot in the AFL Grand Final next week. Go Lions!
Today's ride: 85 km (53 miles)
Total: 748 km (465 miles)
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