September 25, 2023
Day 13 - Eurovelo 6 across France
Orleans to Blois (via Chateau de Chambord)
We had another great breakfast at the hotel this morning, followed by a short ride of a few hundred metres to rejoin the EuroVelo 6 route. It was a leisurely ride out of the city in the crisp morning air. This was our first ride with Stewart, so we took turns riding alongside him to get to know our new friend better - and to see how far we could push him with our Australian humour.
The route was a mix of well-paved cycle paths and some dirt country lanes, adding to the experience. We did encounter a few secondary roads where the traffic was busier than usual, but drivers were courteous to cyclists.
At one point, I came around a bend in the trail and saw a guy smashing a large pole into the branches of a tree. My first thought was that it might be one of those new-age anger release sessions that are all the rage. Intrigued, I stopped to observe and ended up being invited to eat walnuts! It turns out this local monsieur was simply knocking walnuts out of the tree. After a brief lesson in French on walnut hunting - none of which I understood - I rode on.
We kept a steady pace at around 18 km per hour, and after about 30 km, we started looking for coffee. In the town of Beaugency, we found the perfect spot, Cesar et Firmin Café, near the Abbey Notre-Dame de Beaugency. It was an idyllic setting for morning tea, just off the EuroVelo route.
After another 15 km, we left the official EuroVelo 6 route for a detour to Château de Chambord. The off-route ride took us through small villages, eventually leading to forest trails as we entered the estate. As we emerged into a clearing, the magnificence of the château - once home to a French king - came into view.
King Francis built Chambord between 1519 and 1547 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and rightfully so. Riding around the château and its gardens, we were in awe of the sheer opulence. While I enjoyed some ice cream (and left the cake for the peasants!), David and Stewart toured the inside. According to them, it wasn’t quite as large as some ancestral homes in North Carolina, but still impressive.
Of course, I had a flat rear tire. Again.
Col and Brett decided to ride ahead to Blois to visit Decathlon and stock up on spare tubes, as we were still having daily issues. Not surprisingly, Brett developed a rear wheel problem, changed the tube, and then ran into a disc brake issue. Despite leaving over an hour earlier, they arrived in Blois just 15 minutes ahead of - slackers! Luckily, there was a bike shop around the corner from our hotel, and the issue was fixed. The shop owner even refused to take payment - another example of the generosity we’ve experienced here in France (cue collective "awwwww").
We took a nice walk around town, enjoyed a cold beer, and had dinner before I headed back to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow’s 60 km ride to Amboise, which promises to be hilly and include yet another château.
David is sharing a room with five bicycles tonight, as the hotel, for the first time on this trip, doesn't have any bike storage facilities. I get to bunk with the newbie, Stewart.
While touring Blois, I had a good laugh when I spotted Lord Maximus Farquaad's palace (of Shrek fame) with his statue perched above the entry gate.
Au revoir!
Today's ride: 69 km (43 miles)
Total: 817 km (507 miles)
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