September 9, 2021
Versailles to Rambouillet
If today is any indication of what's to come, then yes, our plans to crisscross France multiple times might have been a bit too ambitious. Everything looks so close and so flat on a map! I'll wait until we have a few more days under our belts before adjusting expectations. Croissants and grand estates foiled us this time, and France possesses both in spades.
Our 8:00 breakfast turned out to be a 9:00 breakfast. We're not sure why the campground cafe didn't open when they said they would. Maybe we misunderstood or misremembered. We spent some of the time making ourselves useful by partially breaking camp. After breakfast, which was worth the wait, we rode to the palace, and really only had time to visit the canal. It was awesome to ride around it on bike. I feel bad that we didn't have time for anything else. Maybe we'll take the train out and see it again at the end of the tour.
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At 12:30 we finally rolled out with all our gear. The weather was perfect for a day of touring. Overcast at times, blue sky with big puffy clouds at others. We did have a moderate headwind for about half the ride. The route signage was spotty at first, slowly improving as we continued. The GPS tracks I had downloaded worked fine. There's one section of the route that everyone complains about: a set of stairs just past Magny-les-Hameaux. I rerouted us to D938. I highly recommend anyone who is cycling westbound to do the same. The stairs sound pretty nasty.
Following this was our first significant climb of the tour. If there was any doubt of us being out of shape and our bikes overloaded, this proved it once and for all. We'll get there, and if I can figure out a way to send a little extra gear to Paris for a few weeks, I'll do that too.
We managed to grab lunch at a tiny grocery in Toussus-le-Noble (I keep having to look these names up, and even then, I keep misspelling them) just as the shopkeeper was closing for her own lunch. Sunyoung bought the best baguette I've ever tasted (so far), a couple of tomatoes, and an excellent Brie. This baguette had a crunchy crust and I'd say about 20% whole wheat. We're going to have to find a traditional mill or something to check out. I've heard that there are some special wheat varieties grown in France but I don't know anything about them.
There really is a lot of picture-postcard scenery to enjoy. I'm sure this is just the beginning.
Rain is expected tomorrow. If it's real rain, we'll don our Seattle gear and probably only ride as far as Chartres. I want to take advantage of these campgrounds while they're still open, but even I have my limits. If it's too wet, there's no shame in looking for more suitable accommodation.
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Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 156 km (97 miles)
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