Samedi et Dimanche

Samedi et dimanche

After a lovely breaki with my hosts I set of with some level of uncertainty after yesterday’s mind games on the bike. I knew I had around 85k to do and I was determined to follow the EV6 cycle route. Well…I can report it was a great day! I travelled over gravel, canal paths and small back roads all day. Yes, the wind was always in my face but that aside, it was sunny and dry! I stopped in the gorgeous town of Gian for a mid morning coffee, and here met a fellow cyclist. Feck aren’t we the most boring people to talk to!! He went on and on and on about this trip and that and I swear he never once asked where I was from or where I was going!! Shoot me please if I ever get like that (some might say……!!)

The scenery was stunning all day and tho Bob was quite sick (it sounded like two pissed off cats in the bottom bracket I had no misfortunes like yesterday. I had been forewarned about the climb in to Sancerre and whilst I didn’t need to go to the village (as I was staying near the canal) I decided to try. Well, around 150 metres in the road reared up and I stopped and wondered what I was doing! But then I thought ‘Sod it….I’ll keep trying’ so I chucked it in the 46 and hauled my sorry arse up this most ridiculous of climbs (of course Maps had found the toughest route to the top!). It ground on for about 1k at 20 odd percent with Bob groaning with the task. But god it was worth it at the top. What an amazing place!

I then flew down the other side to the one supermarket I knew was open and right next door was a bike shop. Bingo! Got chatting to the owner and through sign language and verbal gymnastics I was able to explain my predicament! I had a spare set of bearings so together we went to work. I think he said ‘c’est de la merde’ when he say the crap bearing that were fitted in Ireland! He laughed! I didn’t! Anyway….the sound of silence was restored to Bobs Bottom Bracket!
I stayed overnight in a sort of gite…a family run type of bed and breakfast but it wasn’t particularly good – they forgot they had fee paying guests and family chaos continued all evening. I was glad to leave this morning!

Ok so as I meandered today (more like buried myself in to the unrelenting headwinds of the Loire) I pondered a few things about France:

1: you do not need the precision of a Swiss Watch to know the exact time in France. Stand outside any shop in France at 1o’clock and you’ll have the exact time, for this is precisely when the doors close. Exactement!

2: I now know how NASA work out their ‘window of opportunity’ to launch. They send their best and brightest to France to examine how the whole of French life is dominated by tiny ‘windows’ when a shop (or anything come to that) might actually be open. There are minuscule windows in any given day when something, anything, is actually open. Outside of that….forget it! And as for launching on a Sunday….the windows all have shutters on them, so don’t waste your time!

3: to Team Ineos, or McLaren….forget your wind tunnels and ‘marginal gains’….just bring your time trial bikes and your F1 cars to the Loire and voila…wind tunnel for free 😊.

Today was another good day, though Bob continues to fall apart on me – these tracks have wreaked havoc with the bike especially as it’s so heavily laden. I got through the day well until I tried to find a supermarket open (🤣🤣🤣). I had directions to one which was open in the afternoon but when I got there I couldn’t find it. I was in an area which was clearly very run down, with significant signs of social deprivation. However, just as I was about to resign myself to having snack bars for tea tonight I asked a guy where the market was and he pointed out a small shop heavily boarded up. I got everything I needed and then bang….the heavens opened in what can only be described as a freak weather system….rain like a monsoon, hideous thunder and near constant lightning! In the end I had to leave as the shop was shutting so I did the last 4K in torrential rain 🌧!  But at least it was warm!