Hot day with a perfect ending: St. Quentin to Peronne via Guise

July 30, 2013

Got up this morning at a decent hour, aboout 7:30, and made coffee with the last gasp of gas left in my canister. I was in no hurry, because I knew that the bike shops didn't open until at least nine, and I had to get my bike repaired before I could move on. The other campers were waking up at about the same time. Some of them seemed to be more-or-less permanent residents of the campground, and were preparing to go to work. The Belgians were very quiet and obviously not in the best of shape as they rolled out. I suspect the party aspect of their tour will diminish as they move on. Compostella is a long ways away, and wine consumption is not conducive to good touring technique, at least not in the quantities I saw them imbibing.

I asked the campground manager where I might find the nearest bikeshop. And shortly before nine, I went off in that direction. I got a cup of coffee at a neighborhood bar near the shop while waiting for it to open, and talked with the woman behind the bar about bike touring, etc. She wished me "bon courage" for the tour as I left for the bikeshop. The old guy working at the shop was less than helpful. He didn't do repairs, the workshop guy didn't come in until 9:30, I would have to wait, no he couldn't say if I could get the screws tightened, etc. Very frustrated, I rode out of the shop back to the campground and packed up. I decided I would go to a hardware store and get tools to fix my loose bolts myself. As luck would have it, there was a hardware store close to the campground. The owner was more than happy to help. In fact he just got the right tools off his racks and came outside and fixed the bolts himself. He didn't even ask me to pay anything! I bought a Torx screwdriver anyway, so that I could tighten the screws myself should they work their way loose again. It wouln't do to have the same problem miles from a shop, now would it?

The hardware store where I got my bike fixed. Be sure to visit if you need hardware in St. Quentin!

My next goal was to visit Guise, a city I had somehow missed on my 2009 tour; It was out of the way with regard to my other goals, but if I didn't visit now, I would lack a stamp on the card for the department of the Aisne, so I set off east in search of the precious rubber stamp. It was about 30 km over rolling country to Guise, and as I went along the day got hotter and hotter. By the time I got to Guise, I had drunk two liters of water, and I was craving more. I stopped in a bakery for a tuna sandwich, water, and an Orangina as well as getting my card stamped and went off to the city park to contemplate my next move.

Guise is noted for the manufacture of wood-burning stoves. Godin stoves are known all over France, and the factory is open for visits. The founder of the enterprise was one of those utopian-minded 19th century industrialists and he built these huge apartment blocks to house and educate his workforce and their families. Partly converted into a museum they are still occupied and are called "la Familiere".

I cruised past the campground in Guise after lunch, with the thought that I might stay there, but I was feeling good, so I decided I would head west toward my real goal: the Baie de la Somme. The ride was long, and a bit of a slog in the heat, but I was able to get water from bars and gas stations along the way, and eventually I got to the little city/ big town of Peronne. The municipal campground was virtually unoccupied when I pulled in about five o'clock. I found the manager scrubbing sinks in the sanitary block, and was quickly checked in. I got set up, did some washing and took a shower, and walked into town in search of a cold beer. One bar in particular caught my eye. It was on the main square in the center of town with a fine view of city hall. I sat down and ordered a large one. There are times when things just seem to fall together, and this proved to be one of those times. The people in the bar were all friendly, everyone greeting everyone else (even me, a stranger) with "bon jour". The bartender was singing, the customers were flirting with the waitress, there was a table of "regulars" engaged in banter, etc. It was just what I had hoped to find. The Gens du Nord have a reputation for openness and friendliness, and here it was. I stayed on for a spaghetti dinner, just soaking up atmosphere. After dinner I walked back to the campground and found the manager and a few of his friends playing cards and drinking beer. They invited me to sit down for a chat, and after discussing the weather, the state of French football and Rugby, and the illogic of French politics, I went off to bed quite happy.

Today's ride: 106 km (66 miles)
Total: 352 km (219 miles)

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