To Noyers-sur-Serein

August 12, 2024 to August 13, 2024

The Olympics were an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experience but I did not get much cycling in, other than tooling around Paris on the Velib. Thus, I was very much looking forward to spending a week or so in Burgundy, visiting friends and taking day rides around one of my favorite areas of France. I’d booked a reservation for me and Vivien George leaving Paris on Sunday morning and returning Saturday afternoon. But two things came up that altered my plans and left me wondering if I would make the trip at all.

I was mentally and emotionally exhausted after three weeks of intensive French classes and life as an Olympics super-fan. I felt I needed at least a day of down-time before starting the trip and so had begun looking into options for delaying my departure until Monday. In the interim, I received an email from the Grampies wondering if I might be interested in joining them on Monday as they cycled between Paris train stations. Their plans weren’t yet confirmed, but it’s hard to turn down an opportunity for a CycleBlaze meet-up so I promised to join them if I could rebook my train reservation.

The regional trains for Burgundy, TER Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, requires reservations for bicycles on the certain routes. This included the train to Tonnerre, the closest station to my friend's house in Noyers. I found a bike space for Tuesday afternoon and so arranged to meet Steve and Dodie at Gare Saint-Lazare on Monday morning at 10:11 and escort them to Gare Austerlitz for their 1:20 train to Orléans, where they would transfer to Nantes. I took a practice run on Sunday morning to check out the route – it was about 30 minutes between the two stations, which would leave plenty of time for a few photo stops if they so desired.

On Monday morning I received a flurry of anxious messages from Steve informing me of train delays. Soon, however, they were on board the RER J train and due to arrive in Paris at 10:49. I had arrived at Saint-Lazare around 10:00 and talked the SNCF attendant into letting me into the platform area, a space usually restricted to ticketed passengers. Though I wasn’t sure of their arrival track, the Grampies were easy to spot in their hi-viz yellow. I herded them into the elevator and we were soon in the streets of Dodie’s favorite city, a line of three CBer’s cycling through Paris. After photo stops at Palais Garnier Opera House, the Louvre, and Notre Dame we arrived at Gare Austerlitz with plenty of time for a bit of catching up before their train departed. I helped them to the bike car, which had very tight quarters for three hanging bikes. One bike was in place and I asked the owner, Joseph, to help Steve and Dodie hoist their heavy eBikes onto the hooks. Soon the bikes and gear were stowed and the Grampies were on their way to another great adventure.

Though the Paris leg of their journey went well, the rest of their trip was not so smooth, as described by Steve as a “Voyage of the Damned”

The Grampies in Paris - Dodie is nervously checking the departure time for their next train, fearing we would have to speed through Paris

Relief - their train to Orléans departs at 1:20, not 11:20

The elevator at Saint-Lazare is large enough for two loaded bikes and two Grampies

It was a tight quarters for hoisting the eBikes onto the hooks, but all went well with the help of Joseph

After saying good-bye to the Grampies, I headed back home to prepare for my trip to Burgundy where I was to spend a few days with friends Carla and Alex in the small medieval town of Noyers. I’d planned to take the train to Tonnerre and bike the 14 or so miles to Noyers. Unfortunately, a double-check of my train reservation indicated that I had not reserved a bike space on the Tuesday afternoon train to Tonnerre – apparently I had forgotten to finalize my change in plans. Worse, the only bike space left for Tuesday was on a train arriving in Tonnerre at 9:45 pm, which would necessitate biking to Noyers in the dark. A check of Wednesday and Thursday trains gave similar results – the only bike spaces available were on the late-arriving train. It turned out that work was being done on the Paris-Dijon route and all morning train traffic was cancelled. Dismayed, I went to bed thinking I might have to leave Vivien George at home.

I woke in the middle of the night with an idea that there might be bike space available on the train to Avalon, a line not affected by the work stoppage and one which stopped in Vermenton, a short 18 miles from Noyers. Sure enough, there was space for both me and Vivien George on the 12:35 train out of Gare Paris Bercy. We were booked on our way! The trip to Vermenton went smoothly, and no one ever asked to see the bike reservation!

Plenty of bike space on the train to Avalon - even room for a family of four and a baby carriage

It was about 3 pm when I started out from Vermenton, opting to take a somewhat meandering route to Noyers. The day was hot and sunny and the route offered little shade, but I had no complaints. After more than three weeks in Paris, I was delighted to be back on the road, rolling through recently mown fields populated with large bales and stacks of hay. However, I was a bit concerned about my water supply – I’d foolishly filled only one water bottle before leaving Paris and neglected to fill up in Vermenton. I pulled into a Proxi in Joux-la-Ville just before four where a small group of locals informed me the store would open back up in a few minutes. Relieved and refreshed with a Fanta and cold water, I turned north and enjoyed a nice downhill run to Sacy.

The ten miles from Sacy to Noyers were on the somewhat bigger D11 road, but vehicle traffic was light and I enjoyed a number of downhill straightaways, letting Vivien George run loose at speeds she doesn’t often see. It was a thrill, but I’ll probably keep to my more tame descents in the future.

It was a bit past five when I passed through the portal of Noyers-sur-Serein and smack into a WWII movie set, forcing me to take the back way to Carla’s house. It’d been while since we’d last met in Paris, our various travels had kept us busy most of the summer. Alex was off working in the vineyards, so Carla and I caught up over a simple dinner and I called it an early night, looking forward to some idle days of cycling and barbecue.

A short uphill out of Vermenton and I was on my way

Choosing the long way to Noyers on the road less traveled

Big Burgundy sky and small Burgundy roads

Steeple of Église Saint-Christophe de Nitry in Nitry

Portal into the medieval village of Noyers-sur-Serein

It's movie time in Noyers. I don't know too much about the movie, other than it's a French and is set during WWII

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Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km)
Total: 1,968 miles (3,167 km)

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Steve Miller/GrampiesWhat a ride that was with you through Paris! So good to have had a meetup, even if it was all too brief.
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3 months ago

Rachael AndersonHow kind of you to help Steve and Dodie out! I’m glad you found a way to your destination.
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3 months ago