June 2020 Day 7

LE VAUDIOUX TO LANGRES

OUR FIRST ADVENTURE JUNE 2020

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Day 7 Orchamps - Le Vaudioux 77 Km

We wake at six, feeling rested and very awake. There are no ants on the tent today, but three slugs instead, slowly slimming their way across the flysheet. 

The river and canal have a light mist and the air is fresh and welcoming. 

I stretch on the empty canal side pathway, testing my body and finding it is good. Paracetamols are a wonder drug. My knees are no longer burning and I’m full of energy and happiness, all the worries about not being able to cycle home today have gone. I am eager to start and suggest we leave early. 

Martin agrees. He is well rested too, and our neighbour’s tent is giving us shade from the early sun, but that won’t last long. We eat the last of our porridge and the pastries bought last night. A very tasty treat.



We leave the last campsite of the trip at seven fifteen. This is a wonderful time to be cycling, why haven’t we left early before? The air is cool, and we are feeling good despite knowing we have five hours of cycling ahead and we will be climbing up to our home in the Jura. 


‘There’s no wind,’ Martin says with a grin, and he’s right, everything is still. We have made a good decision to leave early. Another lesson learned, if the day is going to be hot, leave early.


We are back in the Foret de Chaux, such easy cycling on the smooth track and slight ups and downs next to the trees. Back on the cycle path, through the tunnel,a nd on towards the town.

There is a little dread lingering as every direction is up after Salins les Bain, but Martin chose the gentlest route and it is still relatively cool as we plod up the five-kilometre hill. 

My knees are doing okay, only a tiny ache in one, it’s not steep and Martin follows me saying I am his hill pacemaker and I keep a steady even easy to do pace all the way, only stopping once in the shade to have a drink. There are a few vehicles that pass but it’s not busy. 
At the top I look across at the view. The Jura is beautiful.

I am not sad to be heading for home, this has been a wonderful holiday and we know there will be many more of longer and longer lengths.

 

The sun decides to heat us and the wind blows to cool us down, it’s not as fierce or in our faces today. 


We are wending our way through familiar territory and stop in Le Latet under two lime trees buzzing as the flowers are still blooming. It’s early but we’ve already cycled sixty kilometres and that all familiar hunger is back. Out comes our lunch.

  

We talk about what we have learned on this tour –

  

These thoughts swirl between us as we travel down to Champagnole and through the town. 

  

‘If I’d told you two years ago that you would cycle this far in a day you would have shaken your head,’ Martin says, and he’s right. Cycling has taught me not to limit myself, but to find my limits by trying. I’m still learning how to do this.  


We have one more hill to climb. Martin lets me set the pace at a steady ten kilometres an hour and then we are in the home straight, or wriggle as few roads are straight in this region. And before we know it there is home. 

  

We have completed our first bike tour and loved it.

Thank you for reading and sharing our experience. We hope you join us for more adventures.



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