September 8, 2024
Day 6 - Angers to Oudon
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Another day of predicted rain, but if we got the ride done early there was a chance of staying somewhat dry.
We breakfasted in the room. That Starbucks muffin really must have been something, because Robin’s swearing off sugar for the rest of her life! Coffee/Tea and a granola bar was all we had this morning.
Rich retrieved Schnooks from the hotel garage, and we loaded up on the sidewalk in the sun. It was hot! We both took off our jackets, only to put them back on 2 blocks later once we started riding and got into the shade.
We passed the Chateau d’Angers one more time and dropped down to cross the Maine. After a left turn, we were in a huge park that borders the Lac de Maine. It felt like all of Angers was out on this Sunday morning. We carefully weaved through the chaotic throng of runners, walkers, and bike riders as we made our way down to where the Maine dumps into the Loire.
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As we got farther from Angers, usage of the path dropped off and the riding got easier. We popped out of the park into Bouchemaine, where a Sunday street market was in process.
After negotiating a ridiculously steep climb that the Loire a Velo takes for no obvious reason, we arrived in the village of Savennières, which was also having a (much smaller) Sunday market. An open boulangerie was a score for Rich, as he supplemented his meager breakfast with a croissant. Or two.
Powered up, we continued along until our first bridge crossing of the day. Helpfully, the bridge had dedicated cycle lanes, which kept us out of the way of the relatively busy morning traffic headed for Challones-sur-Loire.
For the next section of the ride, we were actually on an island in the middle of the river. This made for lovely, calm riding on quiet farm roads. We had to dismount to negotiate a tricky bridge underpass, and when we popped out the other side, we stumbled onto Cafe Bondu, which was hopping at 1300 on a Sunday afternoon. It looked perfect, and it was!
We knew we were taking a risk when we stopped for lunch, and sure enough we got hit by a significant shower about 1km from the cafe. We sheltered under a tree and it passed over quickly. We were already in our rain gear, mostly for warmth. So we added our helmet covers and soldiered on.
We exited the island onto the south bank of the Loire and began a rather boring, long segment along the top of a levee. Directly into the wind. We’re not great time trialists, but we did our best impression. Heads down, we promised ourselves a break every 10km. At least it wasn’t raining!
We finally got to Saint-Florent-le-Veill, where the big event was crossing the river back to the north bank. From here the riding was still fairly boring, but it was on a narrower dirt and gravel path along the railroad tracks. It was better protected from the wind, and Rich got to see trains go by. So it felt like much less of a slog. But it was still a long way with not a whole lot of interesting stuff to see.
These kind of dirt/gravel paths really bring out the best in Schnooks. The nice wide tires track through sandy spots, muddy spots, and over just about anything that the path can throw at us. And the bike is so responsive and fun over the small ups and downs. It encourages us to push harder, which just increases the fun. We flew through this section (relative to our normal speeds, it must be said). Of course, our speed might also have had something to do with the big black rainclouds looming up ahead of us.
We turned off the path and up the hill to our accommodation, the Chateau Haut Roche. Unfortunately, the climb up to the castle maxed out at 15 percent and our tired legs just weren’t up to the challenge. So we pushed Schnooks up the hill until the slope got calmer, and then rolled through the gates of a chateau that we actually get to sleep in tonight! Fun!
Two geese on the front lawn set up a ruckus to warn Lars, the friendly owner, that we had arrived. He showed us around the chateau a bit, then up to our room. Schnooks got a cozy spot downstairs in the garage, and we spent a few minutes in the living room with a cup of coffee meeting other guests before heading upstairs to clean up for dinner.
As we opened the door to our room, we realized that it was raining outside. Once again, we dodged the worst of it! I can’t help feeling like we’re building a karma deficit with respect to rain. We’re going to pay for this someday!
Dinner was in the chateau and it was magnificent! Lars is a gourmet cook and regaled us with the history of the chateau between courses. We staggered upstairs, stuffed to the gills. Time to sleep…
Today's ride: 74 km (46 miles)
Total: 334 km (207 miles)
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