September 27, 2023
Where did they hide the Atlantic?
Jard sur Mer to Champagné le Marais
We skipped the ocean views as we meandered our way inland towards La Rochelle today, but I'll forgive the route planners because we enjoyed an even more spectacular lobster dawn. I grew up with the adage "red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning", but that clearly doesn't apply in this part of the world. We had sun and clouds and sun and clouds as we veered off route to the canal side nothing of Champagné de Marais.
Tonight we are staying in a gite, a little canalside house built in 1786. We have three bedrooms, a bathroom and a lovely living room as well as a gravel garden with palm trees and other greenery. It even has a washing machine.
Very civilized.
Not much to say about the riding today, and venturing off route meant we spent more time than ideal on moderately busy roads. But I'm continually amazed at how bicycle-savvy the traffic is. There's usually no room for a car to pass four slow moving bikes on these narrow, two lane roads, but the drivers wait patiently for a gap in the oncoming traffic before venturing out and leaving us plenty of room. A far cry from North America, where cars and trucks often pass far too close for comfort.
A highlight. The perfect Vélodyssée park in the village of La Faute sur Mer, complete with shaded picnic bench, bicycle tools, a floor pump and charging stations for electric bikes. Also very civilized.
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And then we saw our first signs to La Rochelle.
Talking electric bikes, Vivian is still showing an almost full battery after 5 days of riding, which makes no sense at all because I've been using the e-assist a lot. Either the gauge is faulty, or I'm stronger than I thought I was.
Another brutal headwind today, for the first half of the day anyway (with a nasty crosswind after lunch).
Why does the weather forecast always get things so very wrong?
Accommodation: We stayed at Izzys, an absolutely lovely gite, with three bedrooms and 1-1/2 baths, plus comfortable living room. We ate (and stored the bikes) in the sheltered backyard. No ocean, and not on the Vélodyssée, but what a find. Note, towels and bedding cost extra.
Today's ride: 43 km (27 miles)
Total: 317 km (197 miles)
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