August 4, 2019
Travel and rest day
There’s really not much to talk about today. I got up as usual, ate breakfast as usual, packed up as usual, everything was as usual. I had initially planned on taking the 10:30 train to Rennes, but decided instead on the 11:55 to Quimper. In either case I would have to transfer to another train to get to Nantes, where I am spending the night. Both trains had loads of cyclists on them. On my train all the available places for bikes were quickly occupied. More bikes kept coming, and they were packed into doorways and standing room spaces. When a party of six cyclists joined the train at one of the last stops before Quimper, the train became really crowded. Getting everybody off was something of a circus, but eventually it all got sorted out and the cyclists dispersed, some heading off on their bikes while a few of us lugged our bikes through the tunnel under the tracks to get to another platform where the train to Nantes awaited.
The ride to Nantes passed quietly, more and more people joining the train as we approached the city. My hotel was just beside the station, and I was quickly settled. In the evening I walked through the downtown looking for a place to eat, but many of the better restaurants were closed of a Sunday evening so I settled for a pizza, and then an early bedtime.
Today's ride: 12 km (7 miles)
Total: 358 km (222 miles)
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Which leads me to wonder, why doesn't the French Ministry of Trains (or whatever the overseer of trains is called) just add one more train car to accommodate bikes? Maybe they really are trying to alienate cyclists.
Europe really does seem to attract bicycle riders. The only time I put my bike on the AMTRAK, it was one of only two bikes on the train.
5 years ago
The SNCF, our national railway, is a source of constant aggravation, not just for its handling of bikes but for its perpetual problems with delays, failing equipment, lack of transparency when spending public funds, etc. The lack of space for bicycles is something that is fairly low on the priority list. There was a trucking service some years ago before bikes were allowed on trains. It delivered your bike with a delay of three days to a warehouse often located far from the station and required you to box your machine up for shipment. Naturally, hardly anyone used the service. The Loire valley has trains which are adequately supplied with bike carriers, but that’s about it. As for adding cars to the train, all the money was spent on TGV lines and trains which go from big city to big city. As long as the assembly in Paris can get home to the provinces, the government won’t complain too loudly. Sigh.
Cheers,
Keith
5 years ago
5 years ago