September 30, 2021
Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire to Angers
Today was pretty magical! We set a daily distance record for the tour thus far, and it was easy to do! The motivation was a break from camping (more on that later). The assistants were a sunny day, a flat route, and a fairly constant tailwind.
I don't know if it was any colder overnight, but we were definitely feeling the chill this morning. We had both pulled our sleeping bags' drawstrings as tight as possible, making us look like middle-aged Teletubbies. I had to give myself a little pep talk in order to venture out of my cocoon and out of the tent, telling myself that breakfast would warm us back up in a jiffy. It helped, but I was still not thawed until well after we started riding at 10am. It may be time to pull out the wool socks and hat that are currently stowed in my "emergency" bag.
We said goodbye to the only campground in France we've stayed at for more than one night. I don't mind giving them a shout out too, because they were super nice and they run a fine facility:
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It was exciting to follow a new bike route, with a new graphic:
So, between the cold and my fear that the upcoming rain would have us begging for shelter all day Friday, I flip-flopped again and decided to book us a room in Angers for three nights. We had further to travel today, but at least we would be sleeping in a warm bed. I found a very affordable place, with a kitchenette, in the city center. We like cooking our own food. It also takes the edge off the overall expense of credit card touring.
Once we pulled the trigger on that plan, it was Angers or bust! We were well-rested and everything landed in our favor. We averaged close to 20kph and kept our breaks to a minimum. Lunch was at a tiny little park in the tiny little village of Meilleraie:
We were doing so well that we decided to stop for a cider not much later:
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Today's theme, and perhaps that of upcoming days too, is bridges. Of course there's the river too, but it's the bridges that give us the best views of the water. Luckily they all either have separate bike/pedestrian lanes, or have very light traffic. You can relax and enjoy the view.
Other highlights were a tribe of pygmy goats who blocked our path but who fled too quickly for me to photograph them, and a flock of sheep with very curly horns. We also saw our first grape vines of the tour:
We are going to visit at least one winery. To not do so would be crazy. The other thing we're going to do is to see more chateaux, the next one being within walking distance here in Angers. So our weather-related break is going to be pretty nice, I think.
We made a couple of changes to our route today. It splits in two at Ancenis. The north fork looked simpler, so we took it. We are also taking the "business loop" through Angers rather than the bypass route, for obvious reasons. This way puts one on a long regional path that is popular with walkers, joggers, and cyclists. It will slow you down but it's still fun.
It feels strange not to piggyback on today's fine start to La Loire à Vélo, but that's ok. The whole point of taking this much time to tour is to not rush things. The good weather will return, and we will have a lot to look forward to. Until then, we will hopefully get to know Angers pretty well, and if you continue reading, you will, too!
Today's ride: 96 km (60 miles)
Total: 1,475 km (916 miles)
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Angers; tapisserie de Apocalypse.
Saumur : There are a lot of wineries entering the city ( Ackermann, Bouvet Ladubay), Saumur center called Distillerie Combier designed by Gustave Eiffel, leaving Saumur Gratien Meyer in troglodytes. Before Saumur, in Prebean troglodyte restaurant : La cave aux Moines where you can eat mushroms and fouées (yummy bread). https://goo.gl/maps/wDWHrQfVySeebJ5D7
Shortly after leaving Saumur, in Turquant, D947, you will bike under the Greewich Meridian 0 https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/pics/docs/00/01/17/61/large/2017-06-25_10.43.01.jpg?v=2
2 years ago