Travels with my Bike

It all goes downhill today

It all goes downhill today as we travel along Canal du Centre from Montceau-les-Mines to Chalon-sur-Saône. So far on this trip we have travelled upstream on every waterway. The gradient has never really been noticeable, but today, when things turn around and we head downstream on Canal du Centre, it brings on a fun set of downhill locks. We go through about five where I don’t need to use my pedals much, just rolling downhill to the next lock, then down again. It’s enough to bring a smile to the face of a slightly weary traveller.

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Au revoir La Loire

It is such a fast start to the day. With our bikes cleaned and the chains oiled to perfection we zip along wide, well paved and smooth bike paths out of Bourbon Lancy – sometimes the bike infrastructure is just so very, very good in this country! It’s always good to make a lot of progress early up – it sets up the day and make us feel good about our progress.

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Spa day!

Everybody has a spa today, including the bikes and our clothes.

We start the day with our first hearty breakfast since leaving Melbourne. With a small cooktop and microwave in our apartment we can put together a typical “JoyMck” breakfast and eat it while listening to Raf on ABC radio (it feels a bit wrong to be listening to Raf’s Drive program in the morning).

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Is it cheating if you hitch a ride?

Deb and Howard invite us onboard Moondance to travel a few kilometres with them and we jump at the chance to experience the way the other half travel along these waterways.

We only go a couple of kilometres, so it’s not really cheating, right?

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Where east meets west

We’ve been slowly moving east on this trip, while our friends Michelle and Steve have been moving west on their first European cycling trip. We knew we would meet up at some point and today is the day.

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It’s not a day for getting things

Neil McKinnon June 2023

It’s Monday. Monday in France is a lot like Sunday in France. Many places are not open. It is hard to get things.

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A what?

We’re treating this today as a bit of a commute. It’s a 70+ km day and the EV6 route looks like it meanders around a bit early on so we decide to take the road for some of the day to cut a few kilometres off and get some distance done early.

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Be careful of rogues and snakes

Jean McKinnon, 2013, as we departed on a cycling trip to Eastern Europe

“Shit!”

(Apologies if the word offends, but I must report accurately.)

We are riding out of Orléans and having a lovely morning in a park reserve. It’s Saturday morning and the locals are out running, riding and enjoying themselves on a beautiful sunny day. After spending most of yesterday off the bikes we’re both feeling well and fit. The bike paths are great and we are making good time. Today is a good day.

I’m on it before I see it and I’m over it before I can stop.

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Now the flames they followed Joan of Arc / As she went riding through the dark

Leonard Cohen

It’s just an 8km toddle from Chaingy to Orléans, but one that is a little fraught. I think this is the first time since we’ve been in France that there isn’t a defined bike lane on the road. We are just in the midst of what is probably peak-hour Friday morning traffic.

I guess there’s a reason why the EV6 route swaps to the other side of the river for the approach to Orléans.

We’re never in any real peril. Only one car comes anywhere near close and that’s really only because the road is divided, narrow and there’s nowhere really for the driver to go (and probably because it is a young and impatient driver). On the whole, drivers in France are incredibly tolerant and kind to cyclists.

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Piscine and dinner with Jacques’ brother

Hotels and other accommodation places here are really strict on check out times. Our apartment check out time is 10am and we are finishing packing at around that time when there is a knock at the door. 

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