July 4, 2018
Lyon to Buxy
Today was the start of the end of my journey. I was back to being a solo rider and though I would miss the good-natured companionship of Carolyn, I also looked forward to the reflective time that solitude can provide.
I had not made specific route plans for this last week, only that I wanted to return Christine's house in Magny around July 7 or 8 to complete the circle of my grand tour. I have a flight back to the US on July 12 and had reserved my Paris apartment from July 8-12, figuring that I could arrive a day or two later and it would not matter. It was also important that my route took me through Beaune, where my love of bicycle travel began. Based on experience over the first four weeks, I wanted to reduce my daily mileage a bit from what I'd done in the first half of the trip. Taking all this into consideration, as well as the advice from Steve Miller/Grampies, I decided to take an early train to Macon and start cycling from there.
Thinking it would be a long day, I opted for the big breakfast at the hotel - eggs, pancakes, muesli and yogurt. I said my goodbyes and thanks to the concierge, a very nice man who had kindly kept Vivien George in the luggage room rather than sending her to the parking garage. When I arrived at Gare Part Dieu I was delighted to discover they had lifts for each set of tracks - no ferrying the panniers and bike up and down the stairs! My train arrived early and we were soon situated for a short trip to Macon.
It was pretty easy getting out of Macon and onto the Great Southern Burgundy Loop, a 145 km loop between Macon and Chalon-sur-Saone. I went up the western side of the loop, planning an overnight stop in Buxy. I soon met up with a pair of cyclists studying a map, so I stopped to see if I could help. Hilda and Hedwig, a couple from Belgium, were doing a day trip to Cluny and wanted to make sure they were on the right path. It was from them that I first heard of the Tunnel du Bois Clair, which, at a length of a 1.6 km (1 mile), is the longest véloroute tunnel in Europe. Over the next few miles, I leap-frogged Helga and Hedwig, as we all enjoyed the sunshine, scenery and undulating route.
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Helga, Hedwig and I all approached the tunnel together - but they just cycled on through while I stopped to read the information and take pictures. There is an alternate route around the tunnel, which is necessary during the winter months when passage is closed to protect bats hibernating in the tunnel. I wasn't sure if bats frequented the tunnel in the summer months, but thought that the alternate route may also be chosen by those who are afraid or bats, or those who may get claustrophobic in dark, damp places. I know that bats are carriers of many, many viruses - but a ride through the tunnel was a piece of cake compared to the Rhone bridges. Besides, there were lights in the tunnel! So off I went. The coolness of the tunnel was like wading into a pond on a hot summers day - relief from the heat amidst a palpable earthiness. Shallow pools of water added to the dampness, and the microbiologist in me worried a bit about bat guano. Nonetheless, I made it through the tunnel without incident - not even the sound of a bat.
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6 years ago
6 years ago
I took a short break at a picnic area on the edge of Cluny, debating whether to visit this place of historical significance. I decided to continue on, stopping for lunch at a trail head in Bois Dernier. I had no sooner started on again after lunch when I met Helga and Hedwig coming toward me! They were were headed back after a good day's ride. We said our last bon voyage and headed in our separate directions.
A disadvantage of véloroutes is that they often skirt the towns and thus require a bit of detour to find some unexpectedly interesting or beautiful small village. As I approached St Gengoux Le National, I noticed that there were a lot of camper vans and picnic tables. Across from the old train depot, a mural was painted on the building encouraging people to come see this historic village. These signs suggested it might be worthwhile to take a look, so I turned back to find a way into town. However, a cycle touring couple eating lunch at one of tables waved me over to join them - and so I did! They offered to share their food and boullion - I declined - and we each shared stories of cycle touring and home countries. Saapl and Wim are from Holland, near Rotterdam, and like most Dutch they are avid cyclists and English speakers. They took a train from Antwerp to Girona and are cycling back to their home. We complained about headwinds and the recent heat, but were all smiles in doing so. Soon I was off, cycling among vineyards, happy to be in Burgundy - but was suddenly distracted by something biting/stinging my back. I kept swatting away, thinking it was flies or mosquitoes, but found no relief. Pounding on my back helped some, but I finally had to stop and shake out my shirt - not quite resorting to a full removal. While washing out my bike clothes later that evening, I discovered that I'd been attacked by ants! Lesson: beware of picnic tables!!
My B&B in Buxy was originally an old school - just like my condo back home! The guest rooms are enormous, each with a private terrace. The gardens are wonderful, as is the host - Florence gave me a cold drink on arrival that was a perfect welcome on this very hot and very thirsty day. I wandered about the gardens for a bit, and spent some time on the terrace working on the journal. After a dinner of take-out pizza and carbonated beverages, I finally felt replenished. A good night's sleep and I'd be ready for another day.
Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 1,173 miles (1,888 km)
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