September 28, 2023
So that's a wrap
Champagné les Marais to La Rochelle
So there we go. My little Odyssey is over, although Christoph and Arlene will ride another 70+km tomorrow for a low luggage train-bike day back to Royan. I'm tired, I'm proud and I want to do it all over again.
The day started with the gravel road from hell, which led to the first flat of the trip (mine). While Christoph fixed the flat, Christina chatted with Miguel from Spain, who says he's been on the road for eight years, and 40,000 km. Or was it four years and 80,000 km? He certainly had a well-loaded bike, including a floor pump, which he graciously let us borrow.
Then again a mix of Vélodyssée and minor roads, along canals, past fields and marshes and with a short break to taste some tart, astringent sloes. I prefer them well marinated in gin, I think.
Around lunchtime, I requested a battery switch because even though Vivian's power meter insisted that her charge was still nearly full, the motor really didn't seem to be making the headwinds any easier. And what a difference it made. The headwinds disappeared and I bounced happily ahead.
Lesson learned. Trust your legs, not the power meters on one-speed electric bikes.
The spiffed up motor made the last 20km spin by, and we soon arrived in La Rochelle, where the hotel we had booked told us it could not store our bikes. So we found another just a few steps away with beautiful back yard. We are just minutes from the pedestrianized centre.
Bike friendly town, La Rochelle. Bike lanes everywhere, priority signs for cyclists, ability to wrong-ride one way streets, respectful cars. And an impressive stone fortress.
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Accommodation: Hotel Atlantique. Perfect location just steps from the centre. We took three rooms because they had no twins and they were lovely. Air conditioning a welcome bonus in the cosy third floor rooms. Bike parking in the big back yard. Totally lovely people. Highly recommended.
Today's ride: 47 km (29 miles)
Total: 364 km (226 miles)
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