2019 - Loire Valley by Bicycle with Bob: Day 7: Sat 7 Sep – Nantes to Angers, 104 km; total ride:179 km

Cloudy but fine, 14 to 22 deg

This is the first real day on the bike tour. Forecast was for a little rain but didn’t see any all day, although the road was wet in a few places indicating that we’d been lucky. We got away from the apartment at 0730h (30 minutes earlier than planned) and headed directly for the cycle path beside the Loire. Before leaving we got the obligatory day-one “selfie” of the two crazy guys on bikes. The front wheels were then pointed eastward where they’ll stay for the next couple of weeks. Had a tail or side wind for the vast majority of the day which made for a rather easy 100 odd km. As we expected the route today was mainly flat with a few lumpy bits to look at villages.

Just about every surface was encountered, from smooth concrete to gravel, but they were all in excellent condition and the signage was faultless. Even I couldn’t get lost.

Not too much to see on the way, just enough really. It was great to be on the bike for a decent distance. Weather wise the temp and a mix of clouds and sun couldn’t be better.

We arrived at our digs for two days, a cabin a few km from Angers well before 1600h. After a cuppa on the veranda we happily got back on the bikes (minus panniers though) and rode to the nearby shops to restock the brekky larder and buy something to cook for dinner. Ended up with my favourite German meal, bratwurst type sausages, potatoes, broccoli and sauerkraut. Just what the doctor ordered after a long day in the saddle. Bob sure knows his stuff in the kitchen.