Valence to St. Quentin Sur Isère

June 1, 2019

A Beautiful Ride, A Beautiful Day

We had a great breakfast this morning in Valence and headed out into absolutely perfect weather. Not a cloud in the sky, warm and no wind. The CN had us on EV 17 within moments. It was a beautiful ride. There was so much to look at. After several days with so much wind we felt like we were flying along.

We were on the Eurovelo for probably 8 km and then we headed east on V63 which runs parallel to the Vercors for the rest of the day. It was a fantastic track. Incredibly well marked, both with signs and symbols painted on the road. It made the navigating easy. The scenery was fantastic.

River to the left, check. We are headed in the right direction. This is the EV 17. Once we left it the other bike tourers disappeared.

After leaving the EV 17 the first thing we happened on was a winery. Perfect. Closed unfortunately. We were a little too early. It was built into the rock face.

We loved the ride. We stopped in Romans sur Isère to look at the town and make the all important bakery stop. We had lunch in the shade in a pretty park on the river. The temperature was climbing. It hit 32 degrees C today. We didn’t find it too hot as the breeze we create cycling kept us cool. I am a real heat seeker so I was very happy. Keith got a good laugh when I gave up on my long sleeved shirt though, stripped to my sports bra and put on lots of sunscreen and a short sleeved jersey at the side of the bike path. Since we had this route almost completely to ourselves I was pretty sure I was going to frighten anyone.

Getting ready to explore the ancient church. Both the French and English signs said the oldest part was made entirely of molasses. We aren’t sure what that means. Something more to research!

There was an organ concert in the evening and when Keith went in the organist was practicing. When I went in he was packing up. Timing is everything. Keith said it was amazing.

The ride was a combination of voie verte and road sharing, but even when sharing the road it was very quiet with very few cars. The route was up and down, with some interesting climbs. We climbed over 700 m today but it didn’t feel like it, although I do confess to having the passing thought on one downhill swoop that we would be going up again. We did. The road surfaces were so excellent the descents were really fun. We rode one long stretch uphill and down that had very recently been resurfaced. It was like riding on butter. There was one hill on the voie verte marked with a sign, 50 m at a 20 % grade. Very short but very steep. I took one look and decided it was safer to push. It was an effort for me to push my bike up. The CN however, went for it and made it to within a couple of m to the top where it kicked up even further and he was defeated. A pretty impressive effort none the less.

These trailside companions were particularly sweet.

This was a huge abbey we passed along the way.

The château in the same town. About here we were becoming concerned about water. We couldn’t find anywhere in this beautiful spot to get more. Everything was shut up tighter than a drum.

A boules competition. Shortly before this we came upon a campground where reception happily filled our water bottles with ice cold water. We were so grateful.

We went through the most delightful farms and tiny villages.

I love what you see bike touring. Every day is special.

The last fifteen or so km were absolutely beautiful. We dropped down to the river and pedaled along a forested greenway with the mountains right beside us, shade and stunning scenery. We flew along. In many ways I felt today was all about the bike and the joy of riding. It was such a great day.

Scott and Rachael, the CN says you should recognize this town. You rode through it in 2015. We are on the other side of the river.

This was just an amazing way to finish the ride.

We arrived in Saint Quentin Sur Isère and instantly felt right at home. We are staying at a golf resort and they seem to be pretty much the same everywhere. Since we both golf it felt hilariously familiar. There is also a lovely patio and pool. We had a fabulous dinner on the patio and the only problem with the accommodation is both data and wifi are giving us trouble.

We have one other bigger problem. One km from the resort (now that was good luck) Keith’s bike began acting up. The derailleur again. Tomorrow is a Sunday in France. We aren’t sure whether to limp the 25 or so km to Grenoble tomorrow, and hope there is a bike shop open Monday morning (a Monday in France) or if we should just stay in this little piece of paradise and limp to Grenoble on Monday. Keith is going to take a good look in the morning and see if he can repair it himself before we make any decisions. We can always rent clubs and go golfing. It is a beautiful course.

If Keith’s bike was going to act up, this was the perfect spot. Sometimes our good luck astonishes me.

One more interesting thing. We aren’t the only cyclists here. That is fun.

https://www.relive.cc/view/2415322704

Today's ride: 101 km (63 miles)
Total: 1,664 km (1,033 miles)

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