August 22, 2016
Bicyclist's Paradise: The Ile de Re and onward
Getting old sucks, but it is better than the alternative. One of the ways aging has gotten to me is through my stomach, and to combat acid reflux, I need to take a pill every night. Well, this morning I discovered that I was about to run out of these pills. I could substitute regular antacids, but they just don't last long enough, and I like feeling well, so I arranged to start the journey home this afternoon. This left me with enough time to tour the Ile de Ré in a leisurely fashion before getting on the five o'clock train for Tours.
I had a big breakfast at the hotel this morning, chatting with the owner over croissants, fruit, bread and jam, and coffee about my trip. She offered to keep my baggage for me while I visited the island before I asked which was very nice of her. Riding unloaded seems so easy after two weeks of carrying all my stuff. The way out of la Rochelle to the island bridge is pretty easy. You start out on city streets with bike lanes, then follow the signs to a cycle path leading to the bridge. The bridge is a causeway, and the only hill I would face all day. There is a cycle path on one side and a walking path on the other, leaving two lanes for motor traffic. Coming off the bridge, you are put onto a cycle path that traverses the island with a lot of side paths to the different villages along the way.
As it turns out, cycling is the preferred mode of transportation the Ile de Ré. There were bikes everywhere and only the main road down the center of the Island was really busy with cars. In the villages, the bike traffic can get to bottleneck proportions, and all the bike racks seem to be full. This makes for very relaxed riding, but your bell does get a workout. So much nicer than can horns, don't you think? The island itself has been closed to development for a long time now, mostly due to the limited amount of fresh water available and the need to provide sanitation. This means that unlike Oléron, Ré is more or less as it was in the 1970's. The only construction project I saw was a dune restoration project near the village of Ars. There are a few vineyards, a lot of pine forest, oyster farms, and the salines, ponds where sea water is evaporated to make salt. Despite all that, the major business is tourism, and the majority of my fellow cyclists were holiday makers like me.
I rode out to the village of Ars-en-Ré, before making an about face and heading back toward la Rochelle. I wanted to eat lunch on the island, and I had spotted a café right on the beach in the village of Rivedoux on my way out. The café was right on the bike path, too, with parking for bikes and tables right on the sea front. If I got there early, I could have a prime seat to enjoy the water, and that is exactly how it worked out. The special of the day was cold smoked salmon, filet of sea bass on steamed veggies, salad, and white chocolate mousse for dessert. Sun, sea, great food, and cycling, what more could I ask?
The rest is anticlimax. I left the Ile-de-Ré reluctantly, rode back to the hotel and collected my bags, and then off to the railway station for my train. I got to Tours just before nine in the evening and checked into the Ibis near the station. A light supper of fresh pea soup and a glass of wine, and I was off to bed.
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Today's ride: 87 km (54 miles)
Total: 1,093 km (679 miles)
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