It is with a twinge of regret and excitement that we prepare to say au revoir to France. What an incredible few days it has been. We are in complete awe at the cycling infrastucture - endless miles of dedicated cycling paths and clearly marked route signage. Evidently, the bike and barge business has been good for the two wheeling crowd. At almost every turn we have witnessed upgrades geared specifically for cyclists, not to mention a huge investment in charging stations for ebikes.
To describe a highlight from our time in France would be extremely difficult. Each section of the route has offered something different: easy, flat cycling adjacent to canals, narrow twisty country roads, quaint villages, calming natural areas and busy cities. Historic palaces and churches, villas and chateaus, and of course incredible food and wine have been the order of the day.
Fascinated, we have observed the fisherman along the banks of the canals. Countless fisherman, each with several rods, testing their skills against Mother Nature. I can not tell you how many fishermen we have passed, but I can tell you how many fish we have seen pulled from the river. ZERO! Apparently, you need much patience to fish in France!
Without fail, during our time here, as we drew near larger urban areas the cycling paths became congested, but not in an annoying rush hour way. Instead they were a wonderful mix of “athletes in action.” People of all shapes and sizes sharing the road. Imagine the Stanley Park Seawall on steroids. Cyclists, walkers, joggers, runners, scooters, rollerblades, tricycles, ebikes, wheelchairs, and the odd motorized service vehicle just to make it exciting! Naturally, because we are in France, there were wine stops adjacent to the cycling path. Why not pull off, take a break and sip a glass of your favourite grape juice?
Most impressive, and absolutely intimidating, were the road racers who used the trails for training. Large masses of muscle, approaching at great speed, zipping by before you even knew they were there. Quite a contrast to our slow chugging touring bikes. As we watched these racers in awe we came to the decision that France is the land of quads, calves and croissants. We will miss it!
Giggle
Two. The winning number is two. Those of you acquainted with Rob will know that he is either misplacing, searching for, loosing or breaking his glasses. When home, he frequently purchases eyeware in bulk at the local Costco. Well, rest assured on day two of our trip he completely destroyed his glasses and on day three he broke his sunglasses. I will not tell you what we had to pay to purchase a replacement set of spectacles. Leopards and their spots!
Route update
Tonight we pitching our tent in a paddlers campground on the banks of the Rhine River. Three of the Eurovelo cycling routes converge at this point and in addition to the white water paddlers , the campsite is full of cyclists from around the world, sharing tales from the road and route tips.
Our first 1000 km are under the belt and we are feeling in bike shape. We have navigated our way across France and tomorrow we will touch Switzerland and Germany. Peddle on!
