October 3, 2023
Day 21 - Eurovelo 6 across France
Nantes to Saint-Nazaire (final day)
Mission accomplished.
We arrived in Saint-Brevin-les-Pins and dipped our toes in the Atlantic Ocean after riding across France, east to west, from Mulhouse, near the Swiss border. We still had a short ride to Saint-Nazaire, where we will spend the night before travelling to Paris by train tomorrow.
We've travelled over 1,300 km in 21 days, including three rest days in Nevers, Orléans, and Amboise. We experienced some of the best that France offers its visitors: cultural experiences, fine wines and food, and a glimpse of its history and heritage.
Today's ride …
A few blogs I’ve read about the stage between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire described it as a bit boring; however, we found it great, with remarkably diverse landscapes throughout the 65 km journey.
We started this morning with ‘stands up’ at 9:00 am, cycling back towards the EuroVelo 6 route on the northern side of the river. The traffic seemed chaotic to us, though the looks on the Nantais' (natives of Nantes) faces suggested it was all quite normal. Hundreds of cyclists were on the bike paths crisscrossing the city. It’s obviously an important mode of transport in France's sixth-largest city.
After a few kilometres of playing dodgem with cars and bikes, we found ourselves in the quieter port area of Nantes, which itself has a 3,000-year history! The area was very industrial, but before long, we were back on forest trails and country roads.
The day was forecast to start with showers, but they passed before we began, leaving us with moderate temperatures. The challenge was the predicted 20 km/h headwinds.
We passed a few small villages along the river and canals and stopped for a coffee just as a restaurant opened. A third of the way through today’s ride, the roads and bike paths had been excellent. We finally had the chance to travel on our first car ferry of the trip … free of charge!
Suddenly, the promised 20 km/h headwinds hit us. We battled on for a couple of hours along the riverbanks before finally arriving at Saint-Brevin-les-Pins and the Atlantic, our destination.
After taking the obligatory photos at the end of our journey, we had one final adventure … getting across the Loire River to Saint-Nazaire, where we'd hand back our rental bikes and pack for our train travel to Paris.
To cross the river, we needed to take the Pont-de-Saint-Nazaire, the Saint Nazaire Bridge. It’s a beast - 3 kilometres across (3,356 metres to be exact) - with heavy traffic and high buffeting winds at its apex. The bike lane, added as an afterthought, is only about shoulder-width wide. To top it off, the bridge isn’t level. You need to climb a decent grade, with a fully loaded bike, to the bridge’s apex before descending. It would have been hair-raising if I had hair. We survived … but vowed never again!
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After a ride through Saint-Nazaire’s port and industrial district, we arrived at our hotel for the night. Dinner was at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant before heading to our rooms to repack one last time on the trip.
Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 1,222 km (759 miles)
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