September 10, 2011
We begin day three, perhaps feeling better than we should. The skys are clear and it is about 55 degrees. We definitely begin our ride with our jackets on. But, James our fealless guide tells us it will get hot later in the day. We begin at 7:45 AM for our final 105 miles of biking to the Arch de Triumpj in Paris.
It will be a day of:
Length: 104.7 miles
Total riding time: 11 hours 22 minutes
Elevation Gain: 1,908 ft
Calories burned: 9,140 (...but will we have enough energy left for dinner tonight?)
The team prepares for Day 3
From left to Right; Michael, Mike, Simon, Alan, Liz, Clive, Billy, Andy, Duane, James and Steve.
First stage of the trip is just under 30 miles when we stop for a proper French Coffee:
Mike in the local "Bar et Tabac".
It still amazed us how much the French still smoke openly in bars
...and how many of them smoke!
Just outside the bar we watched a hunter come in from the fields. A very country scene that could have been from 100 years ago.
And here is Michael taking a coffee with the local lads:
...and of course your vintage French squat toilet:
We pass through the truely beautiful French countryside and great little villages. As we would approach a village by bike you could always see a church steeple. I kept saying one village one church. And from a historical perspective it really was one church (the Catholic Church).
Almost every good size village seems to have "La Marie", the town hall where official business is transacted. Here is where you invariably see the French flag and the clasic French motto from the French Revolution that is cut in stone "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" which means "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity (Brotherhood)". Actually, I remember from my days at Ecole de St Croix in 1962 that one of the priests told us it was originally "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité ou La Mort" (or Death). But he said they dropped that part because it was too associated Reign of Terror right after the revolution when so many were randomly put to the guillotine. When you are an 11 year old Army Brat you love that kind of details
...and here we are at lunch with our quide James:
..and then we ride
Even once in a while we get to ride on a bike path. But the greatest thing about this trip is James knew the most excellent back roads, paths through the woods and country trails.
By lunch we have done 54 miles and it is time for a few repairs. One chain replaced, one shoe fixed and a new gear sproket.
Here is Orsi still in fine spirit 200 miles into the trip, who helped organize the whole ride:
...and then we ride, and ride, and ride... and by afternoon it wah hot1 Over 90 degrees.
We also ha
Throughout the entire trip we had Nick in the follow Van.
Nick always has all our luggage and equipment. As you can tell it is a little worse for the wear after 228 miles
But.....speaking of someone who does not look much worse for the wear, here is Simon at mile maker 228 for the trip so far (that was at about 91 miles for that day so far.
And then we finally enter Versailles And the Chateau of Louis XIV, XV, XVI, and many Louis' before them.
If you look carefully you can see the Pallais de Versaille in the background behind the team.
We are still smiling and there are only 14 miles left to go!!!
