Orleans to Briare

We covered some serious territory today, clocking in at 57 miles at an average of 12.3 mph.  That does not sound fast, but on fully loaded bikes, on unfamiliar and varying terrain, that is a pretty remarkable result.  Our group is operating as a fine oiled machine at this point.  We all take turns in front, sometimes using the electric stallion (Beth's e-bike) to pace us as fast as 17 mph (or 27 kilometers per hour - sounds faster that way).

The miles (or kilometers) go fast as a group.  The front person is spending more energy, while the rest of us rest in the slipstream.  A lot of the trail today was on the top of the flood control levees' (not sure that spelling is right).  It can be quite beautiful, but most importantly, it is flat, mostly well paved and has very light traffic.

Today's route took us by a wonderful bakery for a morning snack (flan, cookies, apple turnover).  Then we found another bakery for lunch, feasting on baguettes and ham (or prosciutto) with wonderful combinations of mayonnaise, horseradish mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese.  All perfectly suited to fuel our rides.

Our lunch was eaten within sight of the Surry sur loire château. 

Lori took this beautiful picture of the flowers at the town hall

Typical French town along the Loire 

We had a treat at the end when we came upon an unusual site, a canal, crossing over the Loire on a bridge.  The pictures do not do it justice.

Crazy - a boat canal over a river - a canal bridge

Today we treated ourselves to a 4 star hotel, with a beautiful pool.  It felt great to hop in a pool after a 57 mile day.  It was warm today, about 82 degrees.  Once again, it was pleasant in the shade (of which there was quite a bit) and while riding.  Another perfect day of cycling in France.

Dinner was "al fresco" (like most evenings) overlooking a beautiful park.

Blois to Orleans (via Chambord Chateau)

 Okay, before you get the feeling that this blog is about nothing but cycling on fine day's and visiting Château's, we want to let you know that our saunter through the Loire Valley is about at an end.  That does not mean that there will not be more adventure, but there will certainly be fewer chateau's.

With that said, today we have a marvelous bike ride (of course) and visiting what is probably the best of the Chateau's, Chambord.  Chambord was built for the Kings of France as a hunting lodge.  From the history we learned today, other characters in the story seemed to be out of luck royals that were given the marvelous chateau in order to spend all their money in restoration.

In any case, we were thankful for all their effort and appreciative of the restoration effort, which as you can see is ongoing.

The top of the grand staircase - 50 meters tall and based on a design by Leonardo da Vinci

Oh, is that a royal that Lori spotted?  No, just Patty styling a cute hat 

Photo by Beth of a tiny portion of the grounds

The Loire at this point is much more natural

As a cyclist, I appreciate what I THINK this sign says, priority for the pedestrian, freedom for the cyclist and the need for power vehicles to be vigilant 

We cycled 45 miles today.  Wet roads, but no rain to start.   Overcast and cool were perfect riding conditions.   The traffic was light and roads were great.

Chenonceau To Blois

We started today with a rerun of yesterday.  On the way out of town, we went on the other side of the river from the chateau at Chenonceau for the view.  It was well worth it.

An interesting historical tidbit is that during WWII, the river was the dividing line between Nazi occupied France and the Vichy France, administered by the French in collaboration with the Germans.  So in essence, you could enter the chateau from the right side on the picture and exit into "free France" on the left.  This was a popular route for the resistance.

Next stop was the Chaumomt Chateau.  It had beautiful gardens.  The chateau decorations were and "interesting" mix of history and modern art.  I was not sophisticated enough to appreciate much of the art.   The history was very interesting.

The chateau was fabulous

The artistic "shot of the day" by Beth

The dining area

The chapel, with some of the more modern art

The Loire from the chateau

Another "rolling rest" day.  It was hot, near 90 degrees, but the tree canopied roads and trails kept us comfortable.

Sunset over the Loire River in Blois - by Patty

Tours to Chenonceau

Another fine day in France.  We had a very historical ride today.  Once again, we had nice weather, a little warmer at 85 degrees, but a light wind, sun and a lot of tree covered trails and roads.

Our mileage was only 25 miles.  It was a "rolling rest day".

Last night, all of us sixty+ year olds spent the night in a hostel.  We had private rooms (one for the men and one for the women). It was very comfortable, clean and tidy.  They had good beer and coffee and a fun ambiance (cycling motif).

Our first stop was Tours Cathedral. It was built between 1170 and 1547 in the gothic style. 

Next stop was Amboise.  We were luck to join the locals at a huge Sunday market.  We had a great lunch and picked up some fresh fruit.

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Our last stop for the day was Chenonceau Chateau.  It is known as the Castle of the women because of the strong influence of women in it's history and restoration.

the grand hallway - used as a hospital during WWI

                  Weary tourists 

After a nice dinner, we had a walk back to our lodging, with a quick stop in a vineyard for a sunset photo.

Samaur to Tours

We stayed overnight in a charming Inn, hosted by Franois and his wife.  His English was much better than our French, but not great, but we got by easily.

Our journey today was 50 miles through the vineyards of the Loire.  The weather was a pleasant 80, with light winds and mostly sunny skies.

The roads and trails were wondering.  There was little traffic, good surfaces and courteous driver when we encountered them.  There was a few hills to get our blood pumping and develop an appetite.

Breakfast.....peach compote from his own peaches and yogurt 

First stop was the Saturday vegetable and fruit market.....these are different varieties of tomatoes, not like the tasteless tomatoes in the store at home.  We have been feasting on new crop apples, appricots and peaches.

The gang ready to go 

The chateau Azay-le-Rideau.  We stopped for an audio tour and learned a little history.  The Chateaux of the Loire were the "up north" of the French Aristocrats 

 

Art shot of the day by Patty ...the servants staircase 

Ooh la la.....look what we found on the banks of the Indre River

On last picture of the Chateau.... absolutely stunning 

Mont Jean Sur Loire to Samur

Another great ride again today.  Perfect weather, roads, scenery and company.  We went 54 miles, with a light tailwind, 75 degrees, dry and partly cloudy to start ( which is a blessing) and sun later on.

The route today

Vineyards along the way 

The ride into the town of Angers, with the chateau on the hill

A very small portion of the "Apocalypse Tapestry". Completed in 1382 it originally totalled 90 scenes, and were about six metres high, and 140 metres long in total.  It was very beautifully displayed in the Chateau

The chateau chapel from one of the 17 towers

Several of the Chateau towers and of course the beautiful gardens 

The sunset lit Samur Chateau

The sunset stroll back to our Inn....end of a perfect day 

Nantes to Mont Jean Sur Loire

We woke up today looking at an 87% chance of rain and made the 40 mile ride without a drop of rain.  This proved that French weather forecasters are no better than their American counterparts, but I am not complaining.

We made the journey with nice temperatures and overcast sky's, facing only light crosswinds.  The journey was comprised of a wander through charming French town with glimpses of the occasional chateau on the hill and views of the drought stricken Loire (and a lot of cows).  The route surfaces varied between good quality tarmac, crushed limestone and single track mountain trails.  Overall, it was very pleasant cycling.

The route and results, we can eat pretty well with 1357 extra calories to burn.

The "peloton" cruising through a French town.  Our bikes are fully loaded for the rest of the journey 

Some interesting roadside art

The volume of water on the  Loire is extremely low.

The appropriate end to any good bike ride