May 21, 2022
Dijon Loop Ride
Decisions, decisions – what to do with a day off in Dijon? Take in the city sights and perhaps a museum? Go for a hike? How about a bike ride? In the end, Suzanne and Janos took in the sights of Dijon while Scott, Rachael and I opted for a loop ride that Scott had mapped out, a little north and west of the city. Thankfully, our way out of town was a much less chaotic than our way in yesterday, along side streets and through neighborhoods until we reached the outskirts of town and found ourselves on a dedicated bike path. It was a glorious day, clear blue sky with wisps of clouds, and a bit cooler than the last few days.
Rachael got a bit ahead as Scott and I stopped for pictures, circling back just before the end of the bike trail to tell us not to miss a side road detour just up ahead. And the raison d’être for the detour? Poppies! Coquelicots! Fields of them, a carpet of red. A near Wizard of Oz experience.
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After our fill of poppies, we left the bike path and began a gentle climb in the woods, passing numerous road cyclists on the way to Val Suzon. The climb continued past Val Suzon, before looping back along open fields to Pasques, where we found a bench in the shade for a bit of lunch, each marveling at the quality of the day and the ride. Both spectacular! But the day kept getting better – starting with a long downhill to Plombières-lès-Dijon. It was my kind of downhill – dropping a little less than 1000 ft over five miles. There were two switchbacks, but it was mostly wide angle turns that offered a good view of the road ahead, meaning less braking and more fun.
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We spent quite a bit of time idling in Plombières-lès-Dijon, admiring the church’s glass-tiled roof and staring into the Ouche River - sometimes looking for frogs, other times just looking, an unfocused gaze of a contented cyclist. After determining that there was no ice cream for sale Plombières-lès-Dijon, we moved on, A dedicated bike path took us along the Quai des Carrières Blanches and Lac Kir before depositing us at a busy corner we all recognized from yesterday. We tried to circumvent the yesterday’s chaos using an alternate route but found ourselves in a different kind of chaos – one way streets and tourists on foot.
Garmin finally led us back to the hotel where we all rested until our seven o’clock dinner reservation at one of Dijon’s highly rated restaurants. The meal did not live up to expectations – either in the quality of the food or what was actually served. Scott was quite surprised when a plate kidneys was set in front of him rather than the lamb he thought he’d ordered. But as he has no sense of taste or smell he gamely plowed ahead, vowing to use his finger and not his voice when ordering in the future. Once again, we delighted in being in each other’s company and entertained ourselves with stories of trains, predicaments, and the kindness of strangers. Another fine day.
Today's ride: 39 miles (63 km)
Total: 1,053 miles (1,695 km)
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