clairedavieswriter

I’m not going to lie, today was very hard work. My blowy friend was back, and of course I was riding straight towards him. While this time I was never at risk of being knocked over, I did find that, when going downhill, I had to keep pedalling, which should give you an idea of…

Team Bernard enjoyed a tranquil 36 hours in our tiny cabin, scarcely 5 metres from the Seine. But this morning there was a difference of opinion with regard to our route out. Guillaume wanted to take us back the way we’d come, via Bonnières, to a bridge. But I’d discovered we could go in the…

Today I experienced two of those ‘I can’t believe I cycled here’ moments. First when I realised I was in Normandy (albeit quite a way from Trouville) And then when I reached the Seine. Bilbao seems simultaneously a very long time ago, and only yesterday. Mind you, after 103k in the saddle, even this morning…

They say train hard, ride easy. If that’s the case, the last three days must have been training, because today I felt I was flying. Obviously, it helped that my northeastern nemesis let up a bit. But who knows, maybe you get fitter if you pedal over 1,000km in two and a half weeks? It…

On paper, today looked like a doddle, but our friend from the northeast had other ideas. If I’d thought the last two days were tough, he made clear I had another think coming. There were times when I could barely make headway at all. Even so, I preferred that to a sidewind: on one occasion…

Team Bernard started the day beside La Loire… And ended it beside Le Loir: We had company throughout: And despite the constant threat from the northeast: It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, which I confess came as a bit of a surprise given how fatigued my legs felt this morning. How to explain this unexpected…

Châtellerault was largely closed yesterday, it being Monday (?), but did its best to make up for it this morning, sending me off in style with velvet-smooth tarmac and smartly painted bike paths. I crossed the river, passed between this imposing pair of gatehouses… And turned right, at which point I realised I was in…

Having pedalled over 720k in two weeks, we enjoyed a restorative weekend with old friends, involving very little exercise, plenty of good food, and the odd pick me up. But today it was time to get back on the road. We pedalled north through rolling farmland, crisscrossing another fine river. The air was noticeably warmer…

This morning (Thursday) we acquired a fresh domestique. Harry took on responsibility for directions – Guillaume didn’t seem unhappy to have the day off. With gilets and jackets on against the morning chill, and fresh pastries secured in our panniers… We crossed the Charente once again and followed its meandering valley north. We enjoyed quintessentially…

In a moment of linguistic over-confidence, I tried to tell our hostess last night that I’d seen a red squirrel on our ride. Unfortunately what I actually said was that I’d seen a Russian squirrel. In the circumstances, her reaction was impressively neutral. I guess I’d better keep going to my French lessons. Animal of…