May 28, 2019
La Tranche-sur-Mer to Brétignolles-sur-Mer
Is the wind telling me I'm going in the wrong direction?
Another day of steady headwinds. It would have been lovely to ride along the shoreline, but the big advantage of La Vélodyssée taking so many little roads through the woods is the shelter from the unrelenting wind.
From the campground, I set off on a route I thought would intersect with La Vélodyssée. After all there are many bike routes visible on Garmin since I loaded the OSM cycling routable map for France before I left, but it doesn't distinguish between EuroVelo or other long-distance routes and local bike paths. It did, eventually.
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Only one rain shower today requiring the donning of jacket and shoe covers. That's one less than yesterday, so things are improving with respect to rain.
I caught up with the two French fellows I'd met yesterday, but I moved on before they did and I didn't see them again. Nor did I see the Germans or the British couple. Most of the cyclists I saw today were just out for a day ride, but there were quite a few of those, despite the wind. Then again, I usually saw them because they were travelling in the opposite direction!
I was glad I hadn't planned to stay anywhere near Les Sables d'Olonne. It's a big place, and at first glance, not my sort of place. I did have lunch there, picnicking on a bench in a little park, holding down what I wasn't actually eating. I'd sat down during a lull, thinking this place was sheltered from the wind. Silly me!
By this point, I'd lost La Vélodyssée again, but it wasn't hard to rejoin a little way north. The next part of the route was through another lovely marsh area and I wondered how many of the holiday crowds in Les Sables even knew this was here. It's only possible to pass through by bike or on foot.
Eventually I came to Brétignolles-sur-Mer and called it a day. The first campsite I checked out had "accuiel vélo" on its website, but all the roadways through it were loose gravel! Sorry, no. So I went to another place and there I was given a pitch for half price (I think). I had expected to pay the published 23€ (resort town, remember) but was only charged 11.61€. I didn't argue!
Setting up my tent in the wind (I've mentioned the wind, right?) was a challenge, but I had practiced yesterday. This campground is more than 1 km from the beach, but it's still windy! These two days are the only times I've ever had to use all the guylines on this tent, but I suspect I'll be using them again. Had I known about the wind, I might have brought my other tent...
An easy walk to the beach area for dinner. I brought the transformer and cable to charge my phone while I ate, but forgot the plug adapter. Another silly mistake I won't make again. I hope my battery pack can go another couple of days.
Today's ride: 77 km (48 miles)
Total: 1,529 km (950 miles)
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