nbjtours

95 miles

2231 ft climbed

Today started at about 5 am with the noisiest Cuckoo face off you could imagine. Whilst Chris and I were almost comforted by the familiar cycle tour sound Nick reckoned he was still asleep and heard nothing.

As usual however Nick did entertain us with the tale of the day. He explained that for some reason he woke up cold as he had slept in his sleeping bag when it was inside out which had then made the interior of his tent look as though he had plucked a small chicken in the middle of the night.

Back to the cycling we managed to return to our usual routine of Nigel’s porridge before starting at a latish 9.15.

With a 90+ mile day ahead of us once again a 3 leg day lay ahead.

The first leg took us back to the London-Paris Avenue Verte which we were able to access via the back gate which the previous night we had not got through although the guy who told us we could not get through last night said this morning it wasn’t locked. That cost us 3 extra night miles. Next time we will check rather than take someone’s word for it.

This leg was almost exclusively on the cycle route and was an enjoyable start to the tour not having to worry about traffic, only avoiding the occasional cyclist and walker and one errant cow

The only detour was a brief 100 yards off the route to see the fabulous chateau at Mesnieres en Bray.

This great ride ended at Forge les Eaux which was the busiest place we had seen so far. Nigel agreed to meet us a couple of miles out of town along a straight road Nick pulled us out of the town at speed and arriving at the camper with Chris and myself, Peter and Dom had gone missing and there was no sign of them along the road.

I got on my bike and a mile from the end of the first leg Peter had got the first puncture of the Tour already.

Improvising as usual Nigel parked up on a small road turning it into our coffee & croissant stop.

Leg two was all on small roads and included a short sharp climb up to the appropriately named Beauvoir-en-Lyons.

A fabulous ride alongside a beautifully clear stream came to an end at a fabulous spot that Nigel had found for lunch.

As you can see Dom decided to cool his feet in the very cold water.

The final leg of the day saw a further 15 mile stretch along a cycle path where we were entertained by a couple of likely lads pulling wheelies on their motocross bikes wearing only their shorts.

We then had a climb and descent to La Roche Guyon, a chateau fashioned on top, in and in front of the cliffs of the River Seine.

Following the Seine for a few miles the heat seemed to build as it hit 30 degrees with it threatening to be hotter tomorrow. It was quite a struggle keeping going. I think all of us drunk more water in a day than ever.

A minor detour therefore beside Claude Monets garden meant some very slow cycling weaving between the hordes of tourists.

By this time 3 out of the 5 sat navs had given up the ghost ( including both mine) so we were worried about risking Nick leading us through the town I had a map in reserve but having sent copies of the route to everyone in case, we fortunately had Chris’s machine still working so he was able to take us through Vernon and then up to the campsite which is at the top of the hill

Just 650 metres from the end Chris needed a break as the sun had started to take its toll. A drink and then the final all uphill 650m were completed to the campsite where cold beers, showers and Nigel’s BBQ and Monica’s coleslaw awaited

I write this sitting behind Chris as he watches Spurs in the Champions League as Peter has managed to link his laptop up to watch the match so we did not need to venture out to a sports bar. Let’s hope the result changes.

A good start, almost 150 miles down already and a slightly shorter day tomorrow.