Day 3
A very different day to yesterday- the first full day in the saddle, calmer brighter weather, and my longest ever day’s ride ahead.
I was rather late setting off after oversleeping and then being very slow to get ready and packed up. I hadn’t realised how much yesterday had taken out of me with limited sleep, and then riding into such a strong and gusty wind.
I also wanted to see various Château on route and struggled to find my way to a view of the one in Azay itself. Not much of a view in the end, so set off on the route, including cutting across to the Vienne valley to Chinon where I stopped for lunch after struggling with the steep uphill sections of the route. It was worth it though when I got a great view across the river of the Royal Fortress.
After that it was a largely flat route for the remaining 45km or so, seeing more châteaux and finally getting to the Loire itself. Shopping at Saumur left me with 10km to go. I crossed over the river for the last phase on the north bank, and discovered the worst path so far which continued the full 7km to the campsite. That path really drained the last bit of energy.
A shorter day awaits tomorrow and I will find out what my body thinks of heading off again. My arms and legs feel very tender, not to mention my … I won’t mention it!
Here are some of today’s highlights, including a very speeded up video of the route.
