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Keen Blog - Loire Valley Cycling Trip

We are marching towards St Pancras Station.   David and Paul in front, with me bringing up the rear.   This is how it might be for the rest of the week on our cycling trip through the Loire valley.  We are told to arrive at least an hour before our train to Paris departs.   It seems like a lot of other people were more conservative with their timing as we join the end of a long queue that would rival an immigration line at Heathrow during a strike. Not everyone had the advantage of staying over just 10 minutes away overnight.

Let me introduce you to my friends - David, Paul and Kanny.  This trip is a repeat of the cycling holiday we all took in 1984, straight after graduation from Bristol university.  We literally left the ceremony at the Wills Building and jumped on a train to a ferry at Fishguard on our way to the west of Ireland.  Back then, flush with optimism of a UK economic recovery that was in the making after a tough recession, our conversation was probably dominated by our aspirations for the rest of our lives. I was already engaged to Mrs K and everyone else was thinking about new jobs and careers.  David was destined to spend the next couple of years on an oil rig in the South China Sea and by contrast Kanny and I were about to embark on an exciting career in actuarial science. Paul decided to drag out his time at university for another year.

This time, as the train proceeds towards Paris, at a speed we wouldn’t have dreamed of in 1984, our conversation covers mainly sport and healthcare.  We even get to compare heart rates.  I win that one quite easily.

We arrive in gay Paris and have to negotiate the Metro. Our first issues are not being able to get the ticket machine to work followed by my ticket not allowing me through the barrier.   Paul and David urge me to just jump the barrier or possibly crawl through the small opening for suitcases.  Neither looks appealing or actually remotely possible.  But then Paul spots that it's possible just walk through the exit barrier.  If I get arrested later, we will know why. 

We pile on to a very busy metro.   If you offer travel across the city for 2 euros, no wonder it is busy.  We are pushed on to the carriage by people behind and in particular by one guy who just keeps saying 'pardon' and then pushing more.  Bit suspicious. A few stops later, the guy drops his credit cards on the floor.  I point this out to him but he doesn't seem that interested, at which point Paul realises that his wallet has been taken out of his pocket.  The credit cards had fallen out of his wallet. There is a commotion in which Paul is grabbing the guy and simply telling him.  "Give me the wallet back and I will let you go".  The guy is protesting his innocence and David checks his rucksack which is completely empty.  Was it him? Or was it the other guy that got off at the previous station? But Paul is persistent as we pull into a station.  The scuffle moves onto the platform while David and I are trying to safeguard our luggage and helping to restrain the thief.  Incredibly, several other passengers are involved in this, particularly one young girl who has the guy around the neck and is not letting go. A heroine!  Eventually the thief decides he is not getting away and gives up the wallet.  For a moment our heroine wants to continue the citizen's arrest but we persuade her to let him go.  Paul had his wallet back and we pile back onto the train with our luggage.  There is almost a round of applause from the other passengers that we retrieved the wallet. “We are not all like that”, says one girl. In the frenzy we did manage to get a photo of the assailant but only after he was on his way out of the station. Our heroine gets a kiss of gratitude on the cheek from Paul for her bravery.

There is a suggestion that Paul should check his heart rate again. Not sure whether that is due to the scuffle or having kissed a French girl after being in France for only 20 minutes.  Welcome to France! We celebrate with a bite to eat and a bottle of wine.

We jump on another train to Orleans, which will be the starting point of our 300km cycle over 6 days.  Not too taxing hopefully but back-end loaded, so plenty of time to get used to the bikes and get used to being in the saddle for a few hours per day. The weather forecast is good, if a bit hot at the back end of the week when the distances get longer.  Kanny will catch up with us in Orleans, having flown over from Dublin and having missed all the drama.

We walk into the centre of Orleans, past the enormous cathedral and the statue of Joan of Arc but we are in search of somewhere to drink and eat while we wait for Kanny to arrive.

There is a slight concern at 9am the next morning when trying to work out when our hired bikes would arrive and when our luggage would be collected.  We will put it down to a slight misunderstanding at the reception desk or perhaps a language issue but absolutely no reflection on David's organisational skills which have been faultless - so far.  The bikes turn out to be locked up safely and our luggage is stowed ready for collection.

The first day of cycling is a relatively easy 27km cycle along the Loire to Beaugency.  This was made slightly more challenging by the seemingly persistent headwind and misty rain, which at times got very heavy.  Paul decides that it would be boring to follow the navigation app provided by the tour company and we take several detours en route, but its hard to get lost when you are simply following a river. We stop for a coffee at a café in Meung-sur- Loire, which is a little more than half-way, some of us a little more damp than others.  At midday the church bells chime and the French national anthem is played over the tannoy in the market square. We are not sure whether we need to stand for this but decide not.

We arrive in Beaugency at 1pm. Our hotel is called Hotel Abbaye and I am wondering what kind of room we will find when we are given the room key. The cycle wasn’t too bad but carrying the suitcase up 4 flights to the 2^nd floor gets the heart racing. Our room overlooks the river and the main bridge into town.

Tomorrow, we head for Blois with a stop at Le Chateau at Chambord. It will be longer at 48km with 3 times the elevation (942ft) as we will be leaving the valley to visit the chateau.

I will be a bit more streetwise this time and take a rain jacket, as the forecast seems to be for thunder and lightning. This is not the weather we signed up for.

David will also be a bit more street wise as he was taken out by a passing van while seating himself at a kerbside table in the village. Fortunately, his knapsack took the brunt of it (no injuries thankfully). The van driver seemed to be less than apologetic as he stopped and leant out of the window smiling.

Part 2

On Tuesday morning, it’s an early breakfast at the Hotel Abbaye in Beaugency and we set off at 8am, in an effort to beat the storms that are rolling in.  It takes 3 men to work out how the coffee machine works.

It’s a 48km ride including the short detour to take in the impressive chateau, described as a hunting lodge for the aristocracy and with a helix staircase, said to be designed by Leonardo da Vinci.

Chambord is about 7km from the river so not too serious a diversion. It is meant to raining, but no, we could have stayed longer in bed.

We are cycling down river this week but against a prevailing westerly wind which makes the cycling tough at times.  Getting in the slipstream of the lead rider really helps though, if you can keep up.  The river has excellent cycle paths almost the whole way, often sited on top of the levees that indicate that flooding must be an issue at times. Only other cyclists and stray chickens to watch out for – no idea why it crossed the road.

By the time we arrive in Blois (about 3pm) it is still dry.

This hotel is a cut above the last two. Hopefully this is a trend that continues over the week. The first one wouldn’t have passed the Mrs K test. This hotel has a pool and a jacuzzi and we take advantage.

Paul has taken the precaution of bringing 2 of many things including adapters (lent to Kanny), swimming shorts (lent to Kanny) and a water bottle (lent to me). Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a spare smart watch for me after mine dies in the pool despite being waterproof. That’s the end of my heart rate measurement.

Blois is a much busier town than Beaugency and there is a lot going on. The rain has finally arrived as we visit a couple of bars to kill some time before the restaurants open. The conversation is wide ranging, including sport, film, business ethics and sexual predators (both female and male). All the talk of need for massages after our rides means that David now has massage parlours and pole dancing clubs appearing on his Google Maps – the internet is listening! When it’s time to find a restaurant, it seems difficult to find the right place or indeed anywhere that will take us in from the rain, even the restaurants that are empty at 6.45pm. “We are fully booked”. But finally, we find somewhere and from there it is back to the hotel to enjoy the only pool table that we have seen in France so far.

Wednesday is supposed to be a slightly easier day (44km) but we decide to visit Chateau de Chenonceau which makes the rise closer to 70km. Also, cycling away from the river introduces many inclines which make the distance challenging for me. By the time we reach the Chateau around 3pm I am, to be honest, a bit broken and desperate for something to eat and for somewhere to lie down. The manicured lawns look very inviting but are not for walking on or sleeping on, so I find a patch of grass near the car park while the boys have a quick look round the chateau.

The home stretch to Amboise is another 12km or so with Google maps taking across farmers’ fields and trying to get us to cross private property. Our hotel is on the outskirts of town and taxis are in short supply it seems. So a 20 minute walk each way to a restaurant is not what I had in mind after the day’s excursions but a stretch of legs is a good warm-down and we find the busy market square, full of places to eat and hot air balloons cruising overhead.

It’s Thursday morning and the sun is pouring through the skylight in our hotel room at 7am. It’s going to be a hot one – don’t forget the sunscreen. We cycle to Tours today, which is a much shorter ride, with the potential reward of a vineyard visit when we get there. That should keep me going.

Part 3

Thursday is a big day. An 85km ride. Forget the Tour de France, this is where the pain and suffering is.

And we have a major issue.  “Pedal-gate”.  David has been complaining that his pedals have no grip.  It was obviously a serious issue on day 1 when we were cycling in the rain but even since then, there have been slippages.  David gets on the phone to the tour company.  They do not seem to be all that interested in addressing this major flaw, and to be honest I have no problem as my bike appears to be newer and it has nice new pedals with excellent grip and freewheels faster than the other 3 bikes - I am slower going uphill but faster coming down.  But David plays the health and safety card and sure enough by the time we get back to the hotel in Tours on Thursday night, someone has been in to upgrade all the sub-standard pedals.  We are all set for the big ride.

Earlier that Thursday afternoon, we did get to our wine tasting, not in a vineyard but at Caves de Vouvray. It’s a massive network of caves where millions of bottles of Vouvray from thousands of growers are stored in cool temperatures, some of them turned daily by hand.  We are given the tour for just 4 euros each and then enjoy a tasting of sparkling and still wine.  A bargain.  We buy a few bottles at wholesale prices, one of which is chilled for imminent consumption back at the hotel.

The next morning, David visits the bike shop round the corner to get his handlebars adjusted.  This is the other thing he has been complaining about since day 1.  The guy in the shop says, "where are you cycling to today?"  "Saumur" says David.  "On this bike?", he says.   Hmm, the bikes might look like shopping bikes, but they handle most of the cycle tracks pretty well.  Farmers’ fields and steep hills, less well. This is me modelling my bike just as we are about to set off from Amboise to Tours. Note the absence of any battery.

This is us outside the hotel in Tour on Thursday morning ahead of our long ride

About halfway to Saumur, we pass through a small village and stop outside a small shop, not to go in, but just as a drink stop. The shop is hiring hydrogen powered bikes and there is a French TV crew next to the river trying to make a film about tourists using powered assisted bikes. Noticing our star quality they rush over with their camera and Paul and Kanny are recruited to stage a chat with the shop owner. Paul even has a go on one of the bikes and offers to swap his own bike for it. If you watch French TV, look out for this scene. Paul and Kanny’s agents are livid that no appearance fee was negotiated.

One of other memorable stops was at a ‘hippy’ riverside allotment which was operating as a café. We all taste the nicely chilled fresh pear juice, all grown on the allotment. When it comes to relieving oneself, it is a case of anywhere in the bushes will do.

It is around 33C which makes the cycling tough but thankfully it was mostly flat. We arrive in Saumur around 5pm.

In the evening, miraculously we find a bar with a pool hall, which is probably the roughest place in town and are forced to stay there for the evening as the heavens open. Oh well.

Our last day is the ride to Angers which is a 60km journey but after the achievements of the week and despite some tired limbs we take it in our stride and the last few km is a sprint along the Maine river and across the causeway to the town. It is a Saturday and the riverbank is quite busy with bike traffic. Kanny sets the record for the number of times motorists have tooted us to get out of the way but on the whole French motorists have been incredibly respectful and careful – they can spot amateur cyclists a mile off.

Angers is a nice town (possibly the nicest we have been to I think) and we celebrate the week with a classy meal, some more wine and a review of the week. David has organised a quiz which as quizmaster somehow he wins but all in good fun and some great memories.

These are pictures taken 39 years apart. The first (I believe) is taken outside Temple Meads station in Bristol at the start of our trip in 1984. The photo has been rescued from the side of a mug – we need to rummage through a few attics for the original.

The second is of us (in the same order) about 10 miles from home on Saturday afternoon in our team shirts.

It has been an amazing week. It’s incredible to think we have all stayed really good friends for so many years despite leading such different lives and we got through the week without a cross word spoken. Well not yet anyway.

We have seen some very pretty countryside. This is my favourite photo. Kanny was disappointed that David didn’t cycle to the other side of the field to get the sunflowers looking at the camera.

We return to the UK by train (and Dublin by air) on Sunday. We will be careful on the Metro.

Thanks for reading. .Until next time

Jeff