June 16, 2025
Day 15 - Uzés to Nîmes
Our last day!
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The last day of the tour. We always approach the end of the tour with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it’s sad to be at the end of a project that allows us to work together and be together. After almost 50 years, we still enjoy each other’s company. The togetherness and tightness of these tours is something we really cherish.
On the other hand, we’re old. And not very tough. We’re amazed at the stamina and adventurous spirit of other Cycleblazers, but that’s not us. 2-3 weeks away from home is about the limit of what we can tolerate. So as the tour comes to an end, we’re 50% sad and 50% looking forward to getting back to our house, garden, friends, and hobbies.
The breakfast at Boutique Hôtel Entraigues was really nice, as you might expect from a 4-star hotel in a popular tourist location. We got on the road by 0930h, which is early by our standards. We had in mind to get to our endpoint in Nîmes in time for lunch. With a view of the Maison Carrée, if possible.
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The inner ring road in Uzés is one-way, so we joined the morning traffic in exactly the wrong direction and rode around the town stopping and going with the cars. Uzés is doing something with the trees. They don’t butcher the plane trees like most places in France. As a result, there are several locations where the tree cover is magnificent. In the dry, hot, windy climate of southern France, Uzés feels like an oasis. Kudos to the city tree maintenance people!
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After circling about 3/4 of the town, our exit appeared and we dove down a narrow, tree-covered road with excessively bad pavement. This road led us through a teeth-chattering journey to a roundabout where we crossed the main road and hit a blissfully-paved bike path. There’s nothing better than riding off of nasty pavement onto something smooth. Especially when it’s a bike path. We relaxed instantly and the morning suddenly got really nice.
The roads into Uzés were long and straight. And so was the bike path leaving Uzés. It was pretty clearly a converted train line. We eventually got to the end of the line and spent some time navigating the bike path network around our first objective: The Pont du Gard.
This wasn’t easy, but with some stops and starts and backtracking we eventually found ourselves walking up the ramp to the beautiful old structure. Signs warned us that riding was not tolerated, so we contented ourselves with gawking and walking. The Pont du Gard is just a magnificent, stunning piece of antiquity that we’ve managed to inherit. It always feels like a privilege to be in proximity to the thing.
We crossed the Pont and continued on some middling bike paths on the other side of the river. There were some sandy and rocky sections, but Schnooks handles that stuff very well. After zooming down a tree-covered road and navigating a narrow railroad underpass, we found ourselves on another bike trail. Great pavement, with a tailwind!
All good things must come to an end. Our route diverged from the bike path and climbed through the village of Sernhac, then wound through farm fields and suburban back streets until we suddenly found ourselves in the city of Nîmes.
Navigating a city is always a challenge, and the bike paths we entered Nîmes on were no better than the ones we left on. But we persisted, and walked when necessary. Finally we spotted the blazing white facade of the Maison Carée and walked down to soak up the beauty of another ancient gift.
Robin remembered that there were cafes around the Maison Carée and of course she was right. We chose the “Carée Jazz” for our celebration lunch. The manager and waiter were sweet and the chicken burgers were huge. We didn’t manage to finish everything, but they seemed to understand.
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After lunch, we had a few blocks to go to recover our car in the underground parking area. It was right where we left it, thank goodness! A few minutes disassembling Schnooks and putting the bags into the car, and we were on our way home.
We were home about 1645h. Everything was the way we left it, thanks to our amazing neighbor Anne-Marie, who keeps an eagle eye on our place. The garden needs some serious attention, but we expected that.
So. Another tour complete. And another repeat of our message. We are both 70 years old and are not athletes. We’re just normal people who enjoy seeing new stuff and having new experiences. If we can do this tour, you can too! If our journals encourage someone to get out and try cycle touring, it will be worth all the typing. If you’re thinking about trying cycle touring, please give it a try. You won’t regret it!
Finally, a sincere thank you to all who have followed along on this adventure. We sincerely appreciate your interest and attention.
With some luck, we’ll be back in September with another trip!
Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 728 km (452 miles)
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