May 14: Vivonne - Chatellerault (62.5 km -640D+)
It stopped raining around midnight, but the sun failed to break through the fog in the morning and it remained chilly and damp until noon.
The route was fun: 5 km along a gravel path along the river Clain, followed by quiet D roads climbing in and out of one valley after another. With a slight headwind on the flat between valleys.
I had to wait until 3pm to find a tavern open for a drink. There are no more bars in small rural villages. About 12 km I cycled through the 'Forêt Domaniale de Bignoux', a beautiful mixed forest with deciduous and pine trees.
The last 15 km along the river Vienne were flat, but also quite slow due to the constant headwind from the north, which will continue for several days. Breakdown.
May 15: Châtellerault - Sainte-Cathérine de Fierbois (55 km - 440 D+)
Today was another chilly, grey and foggy morning. We had to wait until noon before the sun came through.
After I left the city Chatellerault via the banks of the river Vienne had traversed, I cycled on via a beautiful road to the north of the Vienne valley. The scenery was beautiful, but always more or less the same: very vast and green undulating cornfields.
I passed several small villages. They all had a church, but no more taverns or grocery shops. There was nowhere to stop for a cup of coffee.
In the bigger city Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine I went to the supermarket. When I returned, my bike had tilted and the front brake was stuck against the rim. I couldn't fix it myself and there was no bike shop in town. Tomorrow I have to go to Tours city to get it fixed.
May 16: Parc de Fierbois - Vouvray (42.8 km - 280D+)
Today I left early to arrive at the Giant Veloland shop in Chambray-les-Tours to be. I thought I could cycle the 26 km via the straight D-910 in 1.5 hours, but the Beaufort-4 headwind thwarted this plan. It took me almost two hours, but I was still in time to get my front brake fixed. It was the front wheel that had become a bit unbalanced.
By Tours I cycled via the Grammont Avenue, the Place Jean Jaurès, a chic shopping street straight to the Loire Bridge and the church Saint-Julien.
After the busy D-910 and the city centre was cycling along the Loire cycle route as far as Camping Bec de Cisse a great relief.
May 18: Bracieux - Beaugency (36 km - 240D+)
Yesterday was a long and tiring drive from Vouvray to Bracieux, so I took a morning rest and went swimming in the heated pool of Huttopia Le Châteaux campsite.
Last night, Els decided to return to Belgium via the Normandy and Opal coasts, so our paths separate today. I had initially planned this route too, but it was too big a diversion for me to be back in Belgium before the end of May.
Today's ride was through beautiful scenery: 7 km through the forest of Chambord, followed by a light lunch near the impressive castle of Chambord, then a gentle descent into the Loire Valley, followed by some 20+ kilometres on the right bank of the Loire.
I only had to cycle 36 km today, but some obstacles slowed down my ride:
First, the phone mount on my handlebars came loose and I had to secure it with a Colson strap. In Chambord, I had to wait quite a long time for my lunch. As I had just left Chambord, a screw of the fast-lock system of my right ORTLIEB Outdoor Equipment pannier came loose and the bottom of the pannier hit my wheel spokes. I had to remove all my camping gear from the pannier to retighten the screw. Near Muide-sur-Loire there was a big flea market on the banks of the Loire. It caused considerable traffic and pedestrian congestion on the narrow D-road I was following. I had to walk to get through the crowds. On the Loire embankment near the Avaray power plant there were very dense clouds of mini-flies forcing me to mine my Scottish mosquito head net from my pannier. Another item I didn't carry for 6,000 kilometres in vain... I don't think the flies were the infamous 'midges' of the far north because they didn't bite.
And then there was the eternal north wind force 3... The right bank of the Loire is rural and not wooded at all, so I was completely exposed to it all the time.
19-20 May: Beaugency - Le Secouray (48.5 km - 420D+) - Chartres (41.3 km - 270D+)
Wind wind wind wind wind, I'm sooo tired of it! 🌬💨😕
The journey from Friday to Le Secouray was fantastic: long and straight local roads through endless, gently rolling fields. Pure zen cycling, but I progressed only very slowly: my average speed was no more than 12.5/hour. It was hard physical work against the wind. With no to mild headwind, I would have almost reached Chartres in the same time frame....
Anyway, I arrived at farm campsite just before 4pm Le Secouray and had a fun and relaxing afternoon in the sun. Until 8pm, I was all alone, but then Patrice, a French cyclist. He cycles from the Savoy in the Alps to Normandy. From Cherbourg he will cross over to Ireland for a long tour of that country.
The last 5 km to the city campsite were very atypical: no busy streets with heavy traffic and one roundabout after another, but a rural gravel path, first along the Etang de Barjouville and then along the river Eure. The campsite is on the right bank of the Eure in a very quiet area, but just 1 kilometre from Chartres city centre. A very nice walk along the river.
22 May: Chartres-Rambouillet (46.3 km - 270D+)
Nice ride today, mostly on French local cycle paths. And for the first time in days a fairly normal ride with moderate winds.
The scenery was less monotonous than the previous days: first along the valleys of several small rivers, then climbing to a vast rural plateau, and then a hilly D-road up to the beautiful park of the Rambouillet castle. There it was already 4pm, I found the first open tavern of the day, but a Schweppes Tonic cost me 4.5€! For that money, I unrolled a long string of toilet paper, as most French campsites do not provide this basic necessity.
After Rambouillet I took a diversion to take a long stretch via the D-920 avoid and by the Parc Naturel Regional de la Haute Vallée de Chevreuse cycling. After only 2 km through this beautiful forest, I saw a nice and very quiet Huttopia campsite with a heated swimming pool. Although I still had 12 km to go to Le Cernay, I decided to stop here and have a nice swim. Probably the last swim of many this trip....
23 May: Forêt de Rambouillet - Maison Lafitte (53.7 km - 510D+)
It was not a pleasant cycling route today. First, the wind had returned. Second, I almost always rode along D and N routes with very heavy traffic. I must admit that there were bike lanes, but most of them were 'des pistes (presque in)cyclables': deep potholes and tree roots growing under the road surface, curbs of side streets, parked cars....
The last third of the route I faced bike push ramps of over 15% on which I severely obstructed traffic as there were no pavements.
The only relaxing part was in the Forêt domaniale de Saint-Germain, from where you have a wonderful panorama of Paris.
Hopefully tomorrow's route will be more pleasant....
May 24: Maison Lafitte - Angicourt (68.3 km - 560D+)
The quality of the roads and cycle paths was better today, traffic less congested and the wind was still strong, but often tempered in wooded areas. To reach the Seine Valley out, I had two push-bike climbs. Pretty tiring at the start of a day's ride.
At Précis-Sur-Oise Komoot sent me a few hundred metres into an overgrown wilderness with thorns and nettles, but the reward was pleasant: several kilometres along the towpath of the Oise, reasonably sheltered from the wind.
When I was in Angicourt arrived, I had problems finding a cycling route to the campsite, which is on top of a hill. Komoot recommended a very steep and rough gravel road. I asked a woman in a cul-de-sac which was the best road to take, and she told me it would be a diversion of several kilometres. After 68 km and many altitude metres, I was feeling quite tired and asked if she knew anyone in whose garden I could pitch my tent. At that point Ophélie, her neighbour, stood with us and she said I was welcome in her garden. What a relief, I could skip another exhausting climb. Thank you Ophélie and Rudy!
25 May: Angicourt - Orvillers-Sorel (37.5 km -340 D+)
Windy winds and open, treeless landscapes! It was fighting the wind again. Most slopes were very mild, but there were still two long (up to +1 km) and quite steep ones. Very tiring with strong headwinds.
A special landscape were the Marais de Sacy (swamps). Then, just like a few days ago, I cycled through endless green cornfields.
At Francières I passed an abandoned sucrerie (sugar factory) which is being renovated into an industrial heritage site. The factory was inaugurated in 1829 and remained operational until 1969. During these 140 years, it underwent several technological innovations typical of the sugar production industry. It is an iconic building that is now getting a second life as a learning and information centre.
Although it was a short drive today, I was still happy when I arrived at Camping de Sorel.
May 26: Orvillers-Sorel - Péronville (52.6 km - 450 D+)
First of all, I would like to issue a warning to long-distance cyclists wishing to pass Paris via a western route: avoid this section of the D-1017 if you can. It's a killer road for cyclists: two fairly narrow lanes, only the white line for cyclists, heavy traffic in both directions and disproportionate numbers of heavy trucks. Some of them just blew their horn to tell you to get out of the way and save your life by taking refuge on the unpaved road verge. I assume these are all trucks who want to avoid the péage on the A1 motorway from Lille to Paris (or are required to do so by their bosses). They use this departmental road as an alternative motorway and drive accordingly.
The wind was supposed to be 1 point less today, but I noticed no difference from yesterday. After a few kilometres on the suicidal D-1017 I arrived in town Roye. Fortunately, from there I could continue on small provincial roads or quiet D-roads. What a relief!
One of the roads was called 'Route de Flandres'. I am approaching my homeland! A little further on, the name changed to 'Route de Paris'.
May 27: Péronne - Boiry-Notre-Dame (47.5 km - 550 D+)
At Péronne it was market day. I strolled around the market and just as I was about to jump back on my bike, the local brass band, accompanied by a group of majorettes, bid me a musical farewell.
Otherwise, today was mostly a war memorial ride through beautiful landscapes. There were many World War I monuments on my route.
Just outside Péronne, in the village Mont St.-Quentin, I saw an Australian war memorial commemorating the recapture of the Mont St.-Quentin and Péronne in a surprise attack by Australian troops on a much larger German battalion on 31 August-1 September 1918 .
At Bouchavenne-Bergen stood a war memorial to Marshal Foch, the commander-in-chief of the Allies during World War I.
There are war cemeteries in several villages. Sad, so many white crosses.
At Rancourt I saw another Nécropole Nationale and a memorial chapel. This chapel houses an exhibition on the patriotism of different religions (Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim) and the role of religious figures during the war and in the army.
At Rocquigny villagers held an open-air festival to mark the christening of old military vehicles. The event took place in the garden of the Art deco Church of Our Lady, which was well worth a visit for its strikingly modern architecture.
May 28: Boiry-Notre-Dame - Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (50.8 km - 360D+)
Today was the first ride after so many that I was able to cycle at a more or less normal speed. Most of the way I followed the towpath of the lower reaches of the Scarpe, a wind-shielded 'voie verte'. It also took me through the city Douai. While I was resting on a bench on the river bank, a local advised me to go to the city hall, as it is very beautiful. And so I did... I was lucky: two of the halls were hosting a vinyl record fair, so I could also have a look inside this imposing building. This is the first drive after many that I didn't feel very tired on arrival at the Camping Mont des Bruyères.
May 29: Saint-Amand-les-Eaux - Kluisbergen/Ruien (53.1 km - 430D+)
Another tricky day of cycling due to a northeast wind force 4 against.
I followed the wind-sheltered towpath along the Scarpe-River to its confluence with the Scheldt in Mortagne du Nord.
From Mortagne, I followed the beautiful towpath of the Scheldt. Beautiful, but in open fields with lots of headwind, so constant hard work on the bike. After a few hours, my legs felt like the lactic acid tanks in a factory I passed along the way.
At Tournai was a yellow rubber ducks race going on. The ducklings were sold to sponsor the local food bank. To end the campaign, all the ducklings are thrown into the Scheldt. The owner of the duckling that reaches the finish line 300 metres downstream first wins a prize. I wonder if the ducklings reached the finish line at all, as the strong upstream wind caused the upper reaches of the river to flow inland.
Today I was tired again when I was on the Panoramic campsite at Kluisberg arrived. Yes, I am back in Flanders. I'm not sure I'm happy about this....
30 May: Kluisterberg - Ghent (42.5 km - 290 D+)
No photo shoot today. I had a terrible off-day and had insufficient energy to get my heavy bike going again after taking photos.
Last night around 5am, I woke up shivering in my sleeping bag. I pulled on my down jacket and threw an emergency aluminium blanket over my sleeping bag. This was enough to keep me warm for the rest of the night.
When I woke up around 8am, I felt terrible: a stabbing headache behind my left eye, probably due to the strong headwind along the Scheldt yesterday. My stomach was upset, I could barely eat breakfast. I was still cold and my energy level was close to zero. I took two Dafalgans and waited for a while. They helped, after about half an hour I felt a bit better and started packing my tent.
I decided to go to Ghent cycle and take a room near the station to ensure a comfortable and warm night's sleep.
I cycled all the way in a very low gear against the eternal north-easterly wind and took many breaks. When I arrived at the hotel I had booked through Booking.com, there was no room available. An error had occurred just when I was so longing for a bed... Fortunately, there was another hotel nearby where I found a room.
If I still feel nauseous tomorrow, I have the option of taking the train to Antwerp.
A bike ride that ends in minor...
31 May: Ghent - Antwerp by train
So I went by train. I could not have cycled 62 km against the wind today.
And for the last five southbound kilometres from Antwerp Central to Berchem, I had tailwind. After so long....
My neighbour Annet van Vliet had decorated my door, cleaned my flat and delicious snacks were waiting for me.
What a wonderful homecoming! Thanks Annet.
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
