Day 8
The River Orne, the Caen Canal, and I, have all made it to Ouistreham. While the first two end at La Manche, aka the English Channel, or whatever Donald Trump has decided this stretch of water should be called, I will continue on the overnight ferry to Portsmouth to begin the final day of my epic adventure.
But it is here that the real ‘Tours de France’ ends. Roughly four hundred and fifty kilometres (two hundred and eighty miles) ridden since I set off from Tours railway station last Tuesday Afternoon. I had no idea at that point whether I could really manage this, but I have been so blessed along the route with the encouragement of those, both family and friends, who have let me know that they were following my progress and who have held me in their prayers. I have also been blessed with extremely favourable weather conditions and with excellent cycle paths and roads. I do recall seeing a very small pothole or two, but the French have so much to teach the English in this (and many other) areas.
Most of all, I have been blessed by the Lord Jesus, who has reminded me on many occasions that, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” Today’s climbs looked impossible to me, and I fully expected to get off and push on the steepest parts, but with the chants of Taizé in my ears, I was enabled to go a bit further, have a short rest to get the heart rate down, and then repeat until even the 9% slopes were conquered, and the steep descents safely overcome. Before I realised, the last climb was over, the cycle path alongside the old railway was there and the final thirty miles could be taken with minimal exertion. Not that some parts of my anatomy found the total of four hours in the saddle quite so comfortable 😅.
Now a night on the ferry awaits, and three short rides across Portsmouth, London and Kenilworth still need to be done, while, for the remainder of the journey, I can let the train take the strain. If all goes to plan, I will be back at Kenilworth station at 15.07.
Here are some of today’s photo and video highlights, including the ride video.
