August 2, 2016
Senlis to Soissons
We woke up early today, 7:30! Breakfast was being served at 8:00 and was not to be missed! It had rained most of the night, and at 6:00 AM (which is when I typically wake but don't rise), it had picked up a bit. That's normally good, as it gets it out of the way. The day is predicted to be iffy, so rain jackets may come out for visibility and warmth even if there is no rain.
Breakfast was delightful. Fresh croissants, bread, cheese, fresh yogurt (not store-bought), and large cups of coffee.
Afterward, I stepped outside to check the air temperature. A little cool and an extremely light (barely a drizzle) rainfall. Mark will be more concerned than me, as he likes it very warm. For me, it will be fine, although more sunshine is always welcome. But, before breakfast, I made sure my Stix was charged.
Good thing, as the rain came and went, never really heavy but relatively steady. We made it out of town OK in spite of the cobblestones everywhere!
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We ended up on a fairly major road, D932a, a pretty road but maybe a bit too much traffic. But as is usual, the further from town, the less traffic. And after MP 8, we turned onto a real local road and the type of road we can ride forever.
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And we basically did, all the way to Soissons. Local, minor roads with almost no traffic. We did have to cross a few busy roads or do a jog on one to connect to another minor one, but all that is to be expected in a day's tour!
And we made it to Soissons pdq in my opinion, arriving around 2:00 PM. Of course, we didn't stop for lunch, and we left earlier than yesterday, but still, not bad for a fairly hilly and rainy day. We basically crossed four plateaus between three river valleys, with the fourth valley being Soissons on the Aisne.
The first valley was along the l'Automne, which may have been the nicest part of the ride. That part passed along and through a number of quaint villages nestled along the heavily treed waterway.
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The second valley followed a number of waterways that go unnamed by Google Maps but for one canal-looking feature labeled Ru de Sainte-Clotilde. I cannot find a translation for Ru, so let me know if you know (but I'm guessing it means stream, as an adjacent waterway is labeled Ruisseau de la Plaine).
And the third was Ru de Saint-Pierre-Aigle, which was probably the shortest valley of them all, as this one was actually more a crossing and less riding along.
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All three had nice climbs up the other side, some relatively steep, and all conquered. Mark chided me later for pushing too hard on them! He says, "We're supposed to be touring and taking it easy!" OK, maybe tomorrow.
The first thing that caught my eye was the Abbey of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes, of which the west front is the most prominent surviving element. It happened to be right across the street from our hotel, so I stopped there before checking in.
We arrived early, so we relaxed, washed bike clothes, and then wandered about town before settling into a delicious meal at the hotel's restaurant. As in Senlis, most of the local establishments were closed early in the week, and the ones that were open weren't what we were looking for. Good call on our part, as we truly enjoyed the meal at Relais des Vignes.
Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 104 miles (167 km)
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