Day 4
Rochefort sur Loire to Fontevraud l'Abbaye
In every equipe the Maillot Jaune occasionally has an off day when the mere Domestiques keep the show going and protect their leader from the rigours of the road. Or step in to write a day of the blog.
The first part of the day took us along the Loire mostly on winding and relatively quiet roads past farms and small and frequently decrepit chateaux.
Not far from Angers we met a French couple on their racing tandem who told us of their tour of the UK taking in Angers' twin town Wigan (obvious really).
Later we rolled effortlessly along beside the Loire through what appeared to be a late Medieval ribbon development of pretty white stone houses overlooking a scene of traditional flat bottomed barges moored on sand banks.
At Gennes the wheels came off in all senses. At the Cycle Obsession bike shop Jim had his ailing derailleur mech fettled following which we hungrily and fruitlessly toiled back and forth across the Loire in search of somewhere for lunch (fermé or terminée in most cases) before finding a supermarché on yet another of the roads out of town.
Near Saumur lies the St Cyr military academy some of whose students eschewing their more customary transport (cavalry horses) roared past us clad in combat fatigues on motor bikes.
The final miles into Fontevraud were hilly, hot and tiring as the fuel gauges finally hit empty.
Accommodation: Chambres d'hôte with an elderly couple where we had a shared room for four overlooking their garden and the cave where our bikes spent the night.
Km cycled 89 injuries 0 mechanicals 1
I'm going backwards with your blog at the moment but enjoying it very much all the same! Glad the mechanicals are limited and sorted, the views are certainly lovely and this is a smashing shot of the street and cobbles at night. x
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