Tuesday 4 May 2010 Montjean-sur_Loire to Angers

Tuesday 4 May 2010 Montjean-sur_Loire to Angers 36km

Let me tell you about cold head winds,  I'm not talking your average stiff breeze here either.  If I was at the helm of a yacht I'd have the 2nd reef in the main and looking for a third.

We left in bright sunshine and hopeful that we would have good weather without a head wind.  Ah well at least it didn't rain today but it was cold and very very windy.  We had planned on a big day but you can only take so much headwind before the campgrounds start looking very inviting.

No need to comment :)

Apart from the wind though today's ride was the most French we've had.  As we rode through each village I hoped the camera was capturing what we were seeing.  The little villages are wonderfully rustic and even the new buildings are built in the same style.  Actually in both England and France we saw people building stone houses and fences that match the old style.

Sheltering from the wind

We stopped at a bridge today with the town centre on the other side of the river and noticed a nice wooden shed for parking bicycles.  Next to it was a car park which was full of cars and people were getting out of there cars and walking across the bridge to go to the markets.  They were coming back with plants, chickens (live), vegetables, all sorts of things.  It was refreshing that people here dont mind walking (or cycling).  I laughed and said to Sandy “In Australia they would have knocked down a block of those 15th century buildings to build a car park so people didnt have to walk 100m across the bridge”.

Check out the woodwork on the bicycle shed.

The straw that broke the camel's back today was when we were riding down a path into the wicked headwind at about 15kph.  We were overtaken by a group of runners!!!  Yep, runners.  I think this must be a new low in my cycling to-date, being overtaken by runners.  Not only that but they pulled away from us.  It was truly a lesson in humility.  If ever you hear cyclists talking about the psychology of the sport and you want to psych your opponent out just get off and make the breakaway on foot.

The successful break away.

Sandy reckons they were the French Olympic team and declared we were no longer to eat at a patisseries every morning.  But then she recalled the chocolate eclair we had this morning and quickly retracted her hasty vow of pastry abstinence.

I do need to tell you about the chocolate eclair, it was the best....but then was it?  You see this was the  first eclair we've tried in France so how can we say it was the best.  Therefore further research is required.

Tonight is also our first night in a four star caravan park.  It seems that every campground/caravan park here gets a start rating.  We think the rating guy comes in, has a shower and gives it a rating;
 
* no shower, no WiFi, BYO toilet paper
** a shower but water cool, maybe WiFi but dodgy connection, BYO toilet paper
*** a shower and water that you wished was a bit warmer, WiFi, BYO toilet paper
**** a shower you need to apply a little cold water to cool it down. WiFi, toilet paper

Tomorrow we are going to do some site seeing in Angers before heading off again up the river.