Paray le Monial to St. Just en Chevalet: Too much.
Did you ever have one of those days when you know you've attempted too much, but you just can't seem to stop and you have to finish it all? Today was a day like that. The ride from Paray to Roanne was uneventful. Pretty country side overlooking the Loire, again beside a canal. I wanted to get to St. Just en Chevalet today. It looked reasonable on the map, only 28 km from Roanne. But (you knew there would be a but, didn't you?) what the map didn't show is that the route crossed not one, but three separate cols. after the first, I was looking for a hotel, b-n-b, or campground, anything so I didn't have to backtrack to Roanne and could still get some rest. After the second col, I was knackered, and seeing the road go down and sign indicating that St. Just was just 12 km further, I thought I was saved. Not yet, I wasn't. I still had the third col to get over. I ended up pushing part way, but while that used different muscles, my shoes are not adapted to walking long distances, at least not pushing a loaded bike up hill. The last downhill was almost anticlimactic. I arrived in St. Just totally spent. A beer or two partially revived me. I still found myself shivering with fatigue, and a brief consult with the sky told me that rain was on the way. Rather than pitch the tent in a thunderstorm, I found the last available hotel room in town, showered, and collapsed on the bed. I hope tomorrow goes better!
The vast sweep of the Loire valley on the way to Roanne
