September 1, 2021
Blois-Tours
Grateful that all our camping gear is working and to wake up in a quiet campsite beside the Loire and for a day of touring ahead.
We woke early excited for a first real day of riding, but being out of practice, it still took us until noon to get everything packed up and on the road.
It was a delightful day of cycling in France, along the Loire for much of the first hour, past the Chateau Chaumont, then we headed inland and most of the rest of the day was a mix of farms, forests, vineyards and perfect little French villages. This is why we came.
Technically, we were going downstream so it should have been primarily downhill, but there were just as many uphills, including one we had to walk. I'm sure we are just a bit out of shape and will be much stronger by the time we get to the truly hilly parts further south.
Lunch was planned for Amboise, a lovely riverside town with a classic chateau and a billion tourists - seriously, it was as busy as Paris- so we were so glad for the well marked bike lanes which took us through the heart of the old city and out to the river where we ate a picnic lunch. The afternoon ride to Tours traversed the elegant Montlouis appellation region with some lovely wineries offering dégustations, but we resisted knowing our energy was flagging. By the time we rolled into our campsite near Tours we were exhausted and I was relieved to see the GPS reading 78km for the day...we must have taken a couple of extra detours as I had calculated 65. A light picnic supper was all we could manage before we rolled into bed, tired and immensely satisfied to be back " on tour".
Today's ride: 78 km (48 miles)
Total: 108 km (67 miles)
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