Montjean-sur-Loire to ST.Mathurin-sur-Loire: Our Bike Computer Goes Crazy

August 14, 2012

It looks like rain today - we must be becoming more seasoned to travel as it doesn’t feel like such a big deal.
Our route is taking us over an island, Ille de Chalonnes, through wonderful farms. We are constantly reminded of why the French are known for their baguettes and more importantly their cheese.

Today our computer went a bit crazy - as we were crawling along against rain and a wind, we saw that we were going about 40 km/hr. We tried to get it working, but we'll have to wait until we have internet to read the manual and figure it out. We feel a bit lost without our computer to motivate us and to keep track of the distance and time cycled. Barry fiddled with the buttons, and as a result it switched to miles per hour and we lost all of our data that we had accumulated since the beginning of the trip.

We have been reading about the “highs and lows” of the Loire River. At times, we are surprised that it is little more than a stream with sandbanks on each side. They say that it will take a century for the Loire to recover from the environmental abuse that it has endured for the sake of industry and development. That being said, around a bend, we often see the Loire as a mighty river.

A frequent sight along the river is the distinctive flat bottomed boat that has plied these waters for centuries. We see many of these today.
As we approached La Possonniere and Savennieres, we entered wine country and that means lots of hills and a very circuitous route. The humidity was high and we enjoyed the villages, but we were reminded of Graham’s observations (met him in Bayeux and he gave us his velo map book for the Loire) that the route is not always the best way. In hindsight, we should have taken the direct road and avoided miles of uphill and sharp bends in many directions.

Decided not to go to Angers - and instead took a lovely route along the south edges of the city through villages along the Loire. We love cities, but so often the small villages offer us unexpected surprises and charm. It was a good choice.
Bouchemaine offered cyclists stations to wash their bikes and a stand with all the necessary tools. After weeks on the trail, our bike enjoyed the bath.
Reached our destination, Saint-Mathurin-sur-Loire which provided an imposing waterfront image of buildings that had remained unchanged for centuries.
The campground was very low key and lacking in amenities - but the surprise and good news was that our Dutch friends, Gertjan and Romkje were there. Meeting interesting people who share your interests is a wonderful part of travel - but it is exceptional to meet people who feel like good friends from your first meeting. We enjoyed seeing them again and hope to see them again in the future. Barry and Romkje talked about their single recumbent bikes - Barry has a Bacchetta Giro 26 and Romkje a Velotechik Grasshopper. Mary Ellen and Gertjan found much in common - a love of classical music and a love of Canadian socks. I was happy to pass on my pair of socks and she proudly wore them as she rode away the next morning.

From our campsite, we could see (and hear) this beautiful church in Montjean.

Another example of beautiful artwork along the shores of the Loire.

Many flat bottomed boats along the route.

The Lenin Cafe - unfortunately it was closed. Gertjan had found out about this cafe and we had hoped to spend some time there.

The gates are not always very friendly. At times, we have to remove the panniers and trailer.

The campground at St. Mathurin was surrounded by farms and sold tomatoes, eggs and cucumbers - so good.

Unlike northern France in Normandy and Brittany, we are seeing large groups of cyclists. So many families and couples are enjoying their holidays cycling along the river. We are impressed by the young children who ride and carry all of their own gear. In this small picnic site, there were at least 30 cyclists taking a break.

In Savennieres, we escaped the humidity and hills by having an espresso.

A bike wash at the tourist info at Bouchemaine.

In France, we often see ways to slow down traffic - big people lego does the trick.

Today's ride: 59 km (37 miles)
Total: 1,082 km (672 miles)

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