Day 4 Cholet to Rochefort Sur Mer - 103.79 miles

So we rolled out of Cholet, Oscar felt better after a night of icing and resting his knees and some large doses of anti inflammatories from our mobile pharmacy.

The villages were a constant delight and the countryside really was stunning. We loved these rides and the lack of traffic and good road surfaces made them a perfect spot for a bike ride. We cruised along gently not wanting to put too much strain on Oscar who was by now suffering again. By morning coffee it was clear that for him to continue would jeopardise his whole trip and possibly his knees in the future so we made the unenviable decision to put him in the car. Thank heavens for our superb support crew who were soon at the rendevouz point and taking care of loading Oscars bike on the roof of the car. We all hoped that with a day or two of rest he would be able to continue the trip, it was a long shot but worth a try. Anterior knee pain is not fun and with legs that are as long as Oscars the joint forces in his knees are alot higher than most so he was always likely to be predisposed. Seeing the bike on the roof was a sad sight. However he is a young man and needs his knees. Some decisions in life are hard but have to be taken for the longer term good. He had ridden a fantastic distance already. |We waited to see what difference a rest would do.



The afternoon we sped up a little as we were making slow progress had still had a long way to go to get to Rochefort on the Atlantic coast. We were just too late by a few weeks it seems to see the now regular fields of sunflowers in the fields who all hung their heads solemly as we rode past. The yellow faded and the sun apparently all gone from their wilted bodies. Occasionally though we found a field where they were still at full strength and they were at those times a real sight to behold.

We crossed various canals and streams and as the late afternoon sun started to set eventually made it to Rochefort Sur Mer where our hotel was in the Ramparts of the old city. It was on the other side of an open bridge into the enclosed harbour so our final hurdle of the day for Jeff was to navigate us around the harbour to the hotel on the other side. Sadly there was no time left to use the facilities and try the thermal baths attached to the hotel. we were far too focussed on food and sleep.

Of course the trouble with writing these blog posts so many days after the event is that you forget some of the important things that happen along the way. I did grill the team the other night to prompt me for the things we should be including and yet I have managed to forget the fact that on our way to Rochefort we stopped for our now customary picnic lunch in a quiet spot and it was hosted by Mr & Mrs Cleminson (Kate's mum and dad) who live in France. We have really enjoyed the family aspects of this trip, meeting so many family members and having a support crew that contains people of all ages. It really has been one of the major highlights of the trip and has made it more than just a team event. Its made it much more personal and in true Healix tradition it we all feel part of a wider family.  

Day 3 Mayenne to Cholet - 106 miles

The day started with the first of many 'faffing' sessions. It was the first morning with access to all of our bags and bike kit so there was much organising and no established routine yet.

We ate breakfast in the hotel then set off out of town. This is a luxury we have rarely experienced since, generally leaving before breakfast has even been thought about.

Leaving Mayenne meant leaving Gary Edmondson behind so the day started off very quietly without the usual quips emanating from the peloton in a thick yorkshire accent. We missed his company but our peloton was now 7 and we rolled through beautiful lush green farmlands of the western Loire region and the beauty of the scenery was a welcome distraction from the relentless number of miles we had to pedal until that nights stop in Cholet.

One routine we had quickly established though was our morning coffee stop and no matter how quiet rural France is there is generally always a little tabac or coffee stop in a village or town so this morning was no exception.

A long day on the road of 100 miles or more is much more easily achieved in the mind when its broken into sections. It does of course also break up the physical effort to stop for breaks and so morning coffee and afternoon ice creams have become some of the highlights of our days.

If the peloton were larger we could be mistaken for a plague of locusts, arriving into towns, eating everything in site then moving swiftly on.

The lunchstop on this day was a memorable one. We sat on the steps of what looked like a local government building in a pretty square and ate our picnic. An interested french man and his wife came to interrogate us over lunch on our trip and with full mouths we were able to point at the support vehicles to offer him most of the answers to his questions.

This was the day that Oscar's knees started to become a real issue for him, the pain was increasing as was the size of the effusions of the knees although he rode on not wanting to get off his bike. The gradients were fairly gentle as were the size of the hills so we all moved on aware that we were really in the heart of some of the nicest wine regions in France. I was really looking forward to a glass of a local dry white wine that evening as a treat at the end of the day.

We reached the Loire river and stopped at a little picnic spot for an ice cream. The weather had noticeably imprpoved and each day was getting warmer. Ice cream suddenly seemed like a perfect snack not something anyone of the first leg to Portsmouth would have been looking for I am sure. The road turned to cycle path for a few kilometres before we crossed the Loire river and headed onto Cholet.

The last few miles Oscar was suffering and he Chris and I rode a little way back at a more gently pace. Oscar was determined to finish the day and I was torn between helping him achieve his goal and worrying about the state of his young and precious knees. Eventually we made it to the hotel which was a fabulous little place and where they couldnt have been more helpful. We took our bikes into our hotel rooms for safe keeping and Oscar put some ice on his rather sore knees before we all tucked into some take away pizzas.

We had finished quite late in the day and the onus was on eating and preparing for the next day. So we were quick to bed to be ready for an early start to Rochefort and our second day of more than 100 miles.



We are alive and well!

OK so there have been no blog posts of late. Sorry, I had been hoping to catch up with myself but have failed miserably.

Suffice to say it's because we have been busy. Still cycling, eating and sleeping everyday for more than a week (well except the recent rest day in Biarritz).

I have been taking photos along the way and of course there are all sorts of stories to tell which I will eventually update but for now I am simply going to tell you of today.

It's after 11 and I have to be up for breakfast at 06.00hrs. So it will be quick.

This morning we left a beautiful 'Parador' hotel in Sos del Rey del Catolico. Sadly we had to leave before Dawn and also we waved goodbye to our second support car containing Kate and Lucy. We left before Dawn and headed straight up our first climb of the day. About 3-4 km up to a summit in the dark.

As we reached the top the sun was up for the descent down the other side and thankfully the day was mostly overcast so we were spared the full brunt of the Spanish heat. We seem to have the perfect ability to climb the biggest hills at midday.

Our new support team quickly got into the swing of things though and were passing out cold water bottles as we climbed. Earlier in the day we had got a waterbottle refill from a fireman when we couldn't find a shop open.

3 more punctures took our total to 10 so far.

The landscape in Spain has changed to a more semi arid one and we passed many olive groves and vineyards. Its no surprise that the temperature appears to ride daily too. its like riding directly at a hand dryer all day blowing warm wind in your face.

A quick stop in the shade to refuel and meet the support team at lunchtime is a welcome ritual now. The logistics of keeping 6 hungry cyclists happy is not easy.

The last few miles of the day rolled gently through an almost deserted but stunningly beautiful gorge where the only other people we saw were the fruit pickers and a man cutting his lawn in his speedos! He was also using a hand scythe to cut it. Jef says he will take the image of that man to his grave it was such a vivid and unexpected one. ;-)

I didn't manage to write as much as I would have liked last night before I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I am trying to finish this as I shovel in more calories in the form of breakfast. Today's ride profile doesn't appear to have any large climbs (more than 3-4 miles at a time) but it goes up and down all day. It's only 94 miles too...! That's exiting and feels like a holiday to do less than 100. It's been more than a week. The forecast is showing 81 degrees by midday. Ouch so I had best head off so we can get on the road.

Adios Amigos...

Photos won't upload so I have had to remove them but will add them later on another connection.

Location:Paseo de San Nicolás de Francia,Calatayud,Spain