September 28, 2023
Day 16 - Eurovelo 6 across France
Amboise to Tours
We headed into the city for breakfast and stopped at a café called Bigot's. Initially, I refused to eat there, but the guys convinced me it was just the founder's surname.
The ride out of Amboise started on excellent bike paths, passing through parklands for the first few kilometres, before following a cycleway alongside a quiet secondary road. A few other cyclists were out, enjoying the morning.
Then our luck took a turn ... again.
We’d been dealing with bike problems daily - tube changes, valve issues, one replacement tire (which should have lasted more than 1,000 km), one patched tire (fingers crossed that it holds), and one axle swap. But today, we faced the biggest challenge yet: David's front wheel axle and bearings completely imploded. After spending about 45 minutes attempting a fix to get us the remaining 20 km to Tours, we finally opted for safety. I argued for David to just keep riding, but the guys like him.
Enter Habibe, the hero of the day. He was the first (and only) Uber driver to answer our distress call, arriving to pick up David, his bike, and gear 5 km outside Amboise. Habibe drove David 20 km to a bike repair shop in Tours, arriving just before the French 2-hour lunch break. Not only did he help unload the bike and wait while David explained the problem to the mechanic, but he also drove him to our hotel and stayed to ensure it was the right one. Habibe, we salute you - and gave a generous tip!
While David lounged around, the rest of us continued the remaining 20 km ride to Tours. If you're reading this, David, it was the best ride ever - a real shame to miss it!
We cycled past many vineyards of red and white grapes, where harvesting was just beginning. The guys tasted a single red grape each as we rode through the backstreets of Montlouis-sur-Loire. We stopped for coffee at a small brasserie, having just missed the local markets. While I took a quick break in la toilette, the guys ordered me a coffee - and three glasses of rosé for themselves. Some friends! Clearly, they were eager to put yesterday’s wine-tasting tips to use!
Back on the bikes, with the guys primed by red wine (and a disappointing coffee for me), we picked up the pace, determined to reach Tours early enough to explore. We hit speeds of 27 km/h - not bad for fully loaded steel bikes.
Upon arriving at the hotel, we found David waiting, but check-in wasn’t until 4 pm. Armed with a map, Brett led us on a scenic tour of the town. Unfortunately, we kept getting lost and misdirected, only to realise that Brett was using a map of a town 200 km away!
All was not lost, though. We managed to visit the stunning Cathédrale Saint-Gatien, a church that took four hundred years to build, Le Cèdre du Liban (a tree rumoured to have been planted by Napoleon), the Opera House, Place Plumereau, and of course, a gelato shop.
After finally checking in, we headed out for an Italian dinner. On the way, we had to navigate through a French protest in the city. I’m not sure what it was about, but the French are well-known for exercising their democratic rights. No yellow jackets, burning cars, or riot police this time!
A few of us headed back to the hotel afterward to prepare for tomorrow’s early start - 90 km ahead, with predicted 20 km/h headwinds! Meanwhile, Brett and Col kicked on, determined to absorb more cultural insights by drinking in more bars.
P.S. The protest continued all night. You’ve got to admire their commitment - whatever the cause was!
Today's ride: 25 km (16 miles)
Total: 902 km (560 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 2 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |