Dave and his Bike

Day 1.

Back in 2013 I cycled from Lincoln cathedral to Santiago de Compostela with my good friend Mark. Our version of the Camino. In 2020 he had a catastrophic accident on his bike, resulting in a broken neck and damaged spine. That he is able to walk again is nothing short of a miracle. The fact that he is riding again leaves me pretty speechless.

When Mark suggested that he would like to ride from his home (the same village we used to live in) to our home in France I thought it would be rather fitting for me to join him. For some of the ride at least.

Over the last couple of years the plan has, as always, changed slightly. In order to avoid over estimating his abilities and risk a failure of sorts, he and his lovely wife Lisa have decided to drive to Portsmouth and start from there. As I write this, they are on the ferry to Caen. Or Ouistreham to be precise.

So this morning I packed my bike up and set out north. My plan is to meet them halfway-ish, somewhere near the Loire valley, in about four or five days time.

Several things have changed since my last tour (the Big one). The bike is heavier (mudguards, rear rack); the kit is heavier as I will be camping on the ‘outward’ leg (so tent, sleep mat, stove etc.); I am heavier (mainly due to alcohol and peanuts – and lack of recent mileage). I’ve also spent the last few months riding a 7kg carbon Colnago, so a rig in the region of 30kg was always going to feel heavy. It did not disappoint. These are not excuses. They are reasons 😁.

It was a bit weird, as it always is, setting out from home on the local roads which I ride on weekly and are so familiar, knowing that I wouldn’t be going home for a week or so. I wobbled off up the lane, trying to get used to panniers again, stopping after 25km for a coffee in Siorac. Mainly because I could, and it helped me to keep the pressure off a bit psychologically.

I then climbed / descended over to the Vézère valley with its stunning chateaux, eroded cliffs and troglodyte homes. The boulangerie in Les Eyzies provided a sandwich for lunch a bit later on. More climbing (out of the valley) followed. It wasn’t steep, but it seemed to go on for a while, and I eventually stopped at the top in Fleurac to devour my sandwich, and again shortly afterwards in Rouffignac for a well deserved Coke. Well I thought it was.

After the break everything seemed just a little bit harder. I suppose the heat had built up a bit (now approaching 30°C), and the morning’s excited enthusiasm had worn off, leaving the reality of more mileage than I’m used to on a laden touring bike. The road was either rising or falling. My average speed was only falling. That said, I’d broken the back of the distance, and had plenty of time. The navigation was easy, road surfaces ok, and I was loving being back on a one-way ride (for the moment).

The 13% gradient just after 80km was a challenge though. I’d not noticed it on the map (yes it was marked!). I hit my lowest ‘granny’ gear, and must confess I still stopped before the top for a gel. I was grinding along so slowly that a butterfly landed on my handlebar bag and hitched a ride for a few metres.

The campsite was easy to find, and is great. €12 for the night (it’s now low season), a pool (which I’m too tired to use) and a snack bar serving beer and burgers (which am not too tired for). Shady pitch and clean showers. Absolute bargain.

Great first day. I hope my legs aren’t too sore tomorrow.

Mileage so far : 92.52km

Day 2.

I didn’t actually sleep that badly, considering that I haven’t used my small tent for a while. That said, my body was quite weary and clearly needed the rest. It was cold in the early hours (11°C), so there was a heavy dew meaning that the tent was quite soggy. After a couple of coffees and some pastries from the campsite shop I laid it out in the sun. My lethargy, and the drying process meant that I was about an hour late setting off. But I’ve got all day.

My legs felt quite good, but my energy level wasn’t what it could have been. Fortunately the first few kilometres were not too hilly, and I made reasonable time to St Pierre de Cole. It was almost a bit too late for a coffee, but it was also too early for lunch. So coffee it was. I then bought a cheap (and very average) sandwich for later, and headed off on the voie verte (cycle route) along the old railway line.

I have mixed emotions about old railway cycle paths. On the plus side, the gradient is never too steep, and navigation is easy. On the downside, the surface normally isn’t great. This was chunky gravel, which made the going tough and slow. I did enjoy it though! I stopped for the aforementioned sandwich at St-Pardoux-La-Rivière, and took a photo of some Dutch walkers. At their request obviously. I’m not that weird.

Back on the road, and the heat and undulations were taking their toll. The temperature was well into the 30’s, and I seemed to spend a disproportionate amount of time going uphill. On one short descent, my bike lock (on my rear rack) knocked my back light off the bike due to the rubbish road surface and associated vibrations. A 10 minute search ensued, and I found all of the component parts, save for one of the batteries. Kit adjustments required.

The slow progress continued, added to by a Coke stop in Champniers-et-Reilhac with still over an hour to go. I passed through a village decorated beautifully for their fête. Sadly can’t remember where. Tired.

The last 20km took a while. The campsite was worth it though, in a beautiful location. Another €10 well spent. It’s situated on the banks of a reservoir – one of the Lacs du Haute Charente. One side of the dam there was water, albeit at a low level. On the other side, where there clearly should be water, grass was growing. Obviously indications of the hot summer we have had.

Nice pitch; clean showers; average pizza.

Heard from Mark and Lisa, who have left the coast and are making good progress south, so all seems to be working out so far.

Distance covered so far: 183.3km

Day 3.

I managed to get off a bit earlier after another average nights’ sleep, followed by knocking the pan of coffee off the stove. The 4% gradient straight out of the campsite wasn’t my favourite, but it set the tone for the day – not steep gradients, or long climbs. Just quite a few of them.

My legs felt good, and the morning hadn’t heated up too much yet – that was still to come. A couple of croissants purchased just as I left the campsite kept me going until a coffee and orange juice stop in Confolens. A pretty town, probably worth a visit in its own right.

With no-one to chat with, coffee doesn’t last long. So I was soon back on the bike which suited me as I was keen to finish a bit earlier today.

I followed the east bank of the river, which was both peaceful and scenic, as far as L’Isle-Jourdain, passing through St Germain-de-Confolens and its 15th century castle. Lunch was taken in the romantic setting of a supermarket car park. Intermarché, if you’re interested.

My meander up the river continued. The heat did too, building up to the mid 30s by 3pm. I didn’t bother stopping again, preferring to get to a campsite in good time. I did come across a road closure at one point, with what looked like a lengthy diversion. With it being Saturday, I took a gamble and hoped that there was no-one working on the bridge repairs. My gamble paid off, and I squeezed past the JCB parked across the road to stop traffic feeling very smug.

The Vienne river is beautiful. The road surfaces along side leave a little to be desired, but you can’t have everything!

I decided against a bit of cycle route. I like a challenge, but this one was a step too far.

Civaux is a very smart village with a little supermarket, a municipal campsite, and modern sports facilities. Oh, and a nuclear power station. To be fair, it doesn’t really spoil the campsite, as there are trees in the way. What is a bit bizarre about the camping though, is that it’s unmanned and there’s a phone number for the guardian. Not to be used at weekends. No arrivals or departures are allowed on Saturdays or Sundays. This being a Saturday meant it could have been a bit awkward, but someone in residence on the site said ‘just install yourself – no-one is coming tonight’. So I did. So far, so good. Happy to pay (obviously) if anyone shows up.

There is no shop or restaurant here either, which I had anticipated. So a tin of ravioli is all I get tonight. Yum-yum.

Mark and Lisa have had another big day, and are fast approaching. They’ll have to slow down.

Distance so far: 274.6km

Day 4.

Good sleep, not interrupted by any campsite officials demanding payment. So a good result all round.

I managed to sort my stuff out in good time, and got away well before 0830hrs, despite waking to the sound of a few drops of rain on my tent. Fortunately it came to nothing, and I benefitted from a rainbow over the nuclear plant. There appeared to be a slight cross tailwind according to the steam from the cooling towers, which made me smile and added a bit of encouragement to my morning. For the first couple of hours I seemed to be surrounded by rain, with clouds and obvious precipitation on the horizon all around me. Miraculously I didn’t get wet, nor did I ride on wet roads. I’m sure that will change at some point during this trip.

Being Sunday, the roads were very quiet, even for backroads in France. The terrain rolled away from the river a little, as I headed towards the north side of Poitiers. My first break was after 20km for a coffee and pastry in a boulangerie at St Julien l’Ars. I also picked up a slice of pizza for lunch, as clearly there will be nothing open after midday.

The small climbs gave way to long drags and false flats of 1 or 2% – the sort of thing you wouldn’t even notice in the car. I wasn’t looking forward to navigating around Poitiers, but in the event it was easy. Maybe a week day would be worse, but I think I was far enough north to avoid any issues, and the small lanes never really changed, other than being assisted by the odd bit of cycle lane.

Between Lencloître and Berthegon there was a voie verte. It started well, with reasonable tarmac, but for the last couple of kilometres deteriorated somewhat, with no surface whatsoever.

I stopped for lunch on the good bit, but with nowhere to sit I didn’t hang around for long. The villages started sounding familiar as I approached my cousin’s house where I arrived in good time. A proper bed seems like quite a luxury after the last few nights. My own private gîte in the garden was superb. I haven’t been away long enough to start craving company, but it’s always great to catch up with family 😁

A car drive into Chinon for a beer and apéros on the riverbank opposite the chateau, followed by a lovely home cooked meal made it even better.

Total distance: 367km