August 14, 2024
Rainout and Back
The day started with a trip to the boulangerie to pick up croissants – not quite as good as my local bakery in Paris, quite tasty nonetheless. Alex headed off to work in the vineyards, a volunteer job helping one of the local restauranteurs with his small wine operation. Carla and I lingered over breakfast discussing plans for the day. I proposed the idea of meeting for lunch in Chablis, about 10-15 miles north of Noyers, depending on the route. However, the local hourly rental car was not available until tomorrow – so Chablis would have to wait. For today, I decided to head south towards L’Isle-sur-Serein, a town I had fond memories of from my visit seven years ago. From there I would let the weather and my whims dictate the route back to Noyers.
It was a grey day with cool-ish temperatures so I packed my windbreaker and the extra pain-au-raison I’d picked up on the morning pastry run. The route took me south on D86 toward Cours, roughly parallel to the Serein River. Similar to yesterday, it was a rolling route past fields of stacked and baled hale. Unlike yesterday, however, the sun remained hidden behind increasingly ominous clouds and it soon began to rain, a light drizzle that progressed to a steady sprinkle. My windbreaker offered some protection, but I was hesitant to continue south into the worst of the weather. At the same time, I’d gone less than five miles and did not want to just turn around and retrace my route.
My rainout solution was to return to Noyers through the small town of Grimault, a small loop that would take me in the general direction of Noyers. I backtracked a bit on D86 and then dropped down to Grimault, a small village in the Serein valley of just over 100 inhabitants. After a brief look-about the town, I turned onto the Véloroute sur Serein, 53 km cycle route between Sainte-Vertu et Sauvigny-le-Bois. The initial miles were on a gravel track that appeared to be an old rail line and/or country lane that wound through woodlands and trees before crossing D86. After a brief stretch on a gravel road, the cycle route rejoined D86 for the last few mile to Noyers.
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I arrived back at Carla’s just in time for lunch – Alex was home on his mid-day break and had fired up the barbecue for sausages and pork loin. A brief side note: Carla is from Argentina, where barbecue is an important art and mealtime ritual. Soon after purchasing her house in Noyers, she had a barbecue built in her barn – designed by her father to Argentine specifications and built by local craftsman. Alex was schooled in fine art of Argentine barbecue by Carla’s father Hussein, and after many successful lessons Alex was awarded the special “family knife”. Consequently, any trip to Noyers is rewarded with some very fine barbecue.
Though I was not expected back in time for lunch, it was easy to add more meat on the grill and set another place at the table. The storm had completely bypassed Noyers, so it was a leisurely lunch in “garden” – enjoying some of the best traditions of France and Argentina.
Today's ride: 10 miles (16 km)
Total: 1,978 miles (3,183 km)
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