Last 2 days

Too much to update, and no time - usual story on this trip.

Got into some serious hills past days. Not the alps but has challenged us with climb, after climb after climb.

"It's all downhill from here" said the lovely lady who filled our bottles at the cafe. She also told us we were mad/brave. A common occurrence.

Maybe shed forgotten about the next few hills, or maybe just letting the garmin's guide us and then ignoring even their advice, meant we added a few unnecessary climbs.

But eventually after the final longest climb we'd ever done in our lives it was downhill for a very long way. 2200 feet down to about 800.

Ended up riding into night as the hotel we planned to ride out the storms at, was closed for summer and miles to the next one. Normally it would be camping and a no brainer in that situ, but with heavy rain forecast the next few days, we decided against it. It's going to be enough just riding in it.

Finally get a hotel, and some necessary sleep. Well, after washing clothes, charging devices, repacking, planning a route, calling home, updating this, eating, etc etc etc.

Ah, the relaxed life of cycle touring.

Some very sore muscles tomorrow we think. Urgh.

Day 10

Photo is of us saying farewell to our host at the Chateau.....

It was an emotional day for me today.

Things started out well with a warmer morning leaving the amazing Chateau that we lucked out on and pretty much had to ourselves. Unbelievably it was one of the cheapest places we've stayed.

Things changed as soon as I got on the bike - I knew something was up. My legs didn't feel like they were mine, and all energy had been sapped out of me. It was like I had a different body today, and one which didn't want to be anywhere near a bike.

Johns puncture and then second blowout on the new inner tube gave us a restful start, but as soon as we were going again I was suffering. I've never experienced this before, and it was literally the worst day of riding I can remember. The bike seemed to weigh a tonne, and I had to dig deep to just move the bike at all. Leaving the Loire meant back on roads and mixing with traffic again, less pretty scenery for a few miles, much more hilly landscape and a light headwind. It all added to my physical and emotional strain, and for the first time on this trip I hated it and seriously considered calling it a day and going home.
I was already on a bit of a low anyway, as I've been thinking I won't have time to make it to the end of the trip. I was always locked into an end date because I've got one of my best friends wedding to go to in Scotland, and with the various delays in setting off, it's made the timing very tight. Pretty much no days off and longer days - my first taste of which wasn't enjoyable.

I could head back at Grenoble if running out of time but really wanted to do the Alps. Cutting a section and 'cheating' on the train is sort of an option, but that stops John doing the whole trip, and it was sort of his idea.

This worry combined with all the physical symptoms above, made the day miserable. Just gritting teeth and turning pedals with a couple Nurofen's to numb the legs.

It was our longest day yet and had to really dig deep to make it. Dompierre-San-Besbre - our resting place - left a lot to be desired (more on this another time) but a decent meal for once gave hope of a recovery.
 It's that or home.

65.9 miles brings end day 10 to 440.1 miles. By far the longest bike journey either of us have ever made.

Another View from Sancerre

Donations

John saw a few mails come in today from justgiving donations. Thanks so much!!

Sancerre

View of Sancerre on the way back down. Can see right across the valley and down the Loire river. Really beautiful.
Sun now really hot.
Back on path south, and a few more bone shakers of unsurfaced roads. Somethings broke on my bike but it's only a plastic disc by the cassette. Come loose, will break off as soon as can as don't need it and can save a few grams. Makes a noise when freewheel otherwise.

Ran out of water. A lady in her driveway directed us 3 miles to the nearest town/shop when we asked where we could get water. We certainly didn't expect it but if I saw two cyclists in the burning heat and having run out of water I might have offered to fill a bottle up from my sink.

C'est la vie, a few miles later and a few euros later, we had some bottled water, which was really cold and hit the spot. Who would have thought the afternoons could be so much hotter than the mornings.... From jumpers and numb fingers, to 50 block in the afternoon each day for the last 2 days.

Nuclear power on the Loire.

An amazing image, but why put it here of all places?  

Maybe this is why the Loire-a-Velo trail seems less popular (and still in progress) once you get this far inland.  Since they're unlikely to ever move it, maybe they could get some really, really big trees planted along the trail....

Day 9

An early-ish start and another cold morning. I knew the answer to my question of "is this weather normal for the time of year" as soon as our hotel owner smirked. Normally lows of more like 12 degrees she said, not 2.

Still, the Loire was as amazing as yesterday.

Quite cold riding but the suns out.

For the sake of man and machine, we had to detour off the cycle way after a couple of bone-crunching miles. This sections still being worked on and nit quite ready. Quick look at another nuclear power station, and then off for our pilgrimage to Sancerre.

Bit off the track but seemed shame to both of us to miss such a famous town and we'd both drunk enough sancerre in the past to justify it.

The hill up there nearly wiped us out. Had we known it was so high up abc the gradient so steep, we almost certainly wouldn't have bothered considering the time pressure we're up against.

Quick lunch - salads - after a bit of confusion with the order where my vegetarian goats cheese came with a load of ham, which John kindly took over and gave me his.

We'd both been dreaming of a posh vineyard lunch with beautiful wine tasting, but that hasn't happened and we haven't got time to try and find it. Need to get some more miles done. Another trip....

Day 8

Here's the canal crossing the Loire at Briare.

Ended up being a nice, warm day. Much better than yesterday and a total contrast to this morning. Not sure if this is normal for the time of year or not.
Seeing the Loire this morning revitalised our souls. Spectacular. Felt more like Africa to me, and far more beautiful than expected.
Bit of off-road right along side it was great. Nothing broke on either bike which was a bonus.
Chateau at Sully quite beautiful, but as usual on this schedule, a couple of snaps and we're off.... Past three groups of archers shooting life size (cartoon-like) fake animals along the river bank. Bizarre, and luckily they didn't shoot us either.
Only the huge power station spoilt the view at one point. Why anyone would stick a huge monster like that right on the edge of a heritage site is anyone's guess.

Lunch sur la Loire

Distances

276.6 miles down. Lots to go.

Day 1: 51.9 miles
Day 2: 13.4 miles
Day 3: 57.2 miles
Day 4: 31.9 miles
Day 5: 59.9 miles
Day 6: rest day
Day 7: 62.3 miles - our longest distance so far

Breakfast Day 8

After a ridiculously cold night (2deg), and a morning of wiping dry tents and getting soaking wet feet, we finally get packed up and out for breakfast - and the sun comes out too. Feels like it's going to be warmer than yesterday, fingers crossed.
The Loire awaits.

Days 2-7

Finding time/energy/Internet connections to update the blog has been harder than we thought. Camping makes it even harder.
Will come back and edit the details in later, but here's a quick taste of days 2-7

Day 2
After a funny night camping nr Ditchling, we somehow left the site totally late (1.5 hours!) and after a sickeningly fast pace through the seemingly never ending south downs hills, we arrived at Newhaven exhausted, feeling bit sick, but seeing the ferry there we were just in time. Just in time that is to be told we'd missed it and couldn't get on. The ramp was up.

Next ferry 10:30pm. Time now 10:30 am.

Got bus and spent day in Brighton, got night ferry, rough crossing, little sleep,

Day 3
sat in dieppe terminal until chucked out at 5:45am, cycled in the dark until ran out of streetlights outside dieppe, sat by road until light enough to ride.

Cycled on to Rouen, and on to Ponte de l'Arche for camp

Day 4
On to la Bonneville Sur Iton

Day 5
Dreux, then on to Chartres. Finally somewhere with minimal dismal outskirts, and a decent city to look at and facilities too.

Day 6
Tired, calling a day off even though not really on schedule. Washing smelly clothes, resting, eating, sleeping in a bed, festival of lights.

Day 7
Cold! Longest day so far, 62.3 miles. Orleans, and finally on the Loire Valley.

Day 1

London - Ditchling, Sussex
Bit of a late start out of London, assembling the gear and making final tweaks.
GoPro Hero mounted but bit wobbly - hopefully can still capture some footage.
Weather pretty nice, clouds building but generally sunny. A bike race in Richmond park forces the first route change, but then through lovely tracks in Wimbledon Park before escaping the not so lovely outskirts of London.
Out towards Chipstead have a strange encounter with a blue van with two occupants that seem to have a combined IQ of about 3, and shout as they go past and well as trying to hit one of us on the head. Makes you worry for the world, and fortunately an accident was avoided. Let's hope the gopro caught the license plate.
Saw some shooting event going on just before crossed M25. Could hear it from a long way off.
Made the same mistake of seeing a nice place for lunch, deciding to press on and then not finding anywhere for ages and totally losing energy (the bonk). Had a mediocre fish pie and roast and shortly after we trucked up Turners Hill - to those that know it, it's no place to hack up it on zero energy, having just finished a big lunch and with overloaded bikes (more on that later). By the time we got to the top we'd practically passed out.

Intro

In short:
A couple of guys - after a long time talking about it, and now with a bit of unexpected time on their hands - finally gearing up, getting their acts together, and cycling from London to Cannes.
Well, at least that's the plan.
This blog, as well as our Cancer Research charity page (click here to go to our "Just Giving" website), were both meant to be up and running well before we left, but for various reasons we're a bit behind and are catching up now.
Keep watching, and follow us on our ride into the unknown (well, to us anyway).