Day 10: Poitiers - Angers
Today was the big one, at least 90-miles, so it was an early breakfast again and on our bikes before some of us were awake. This was our tenth day of cycling without a break and few of the team are a little weary (actually there’s another word for it but weary will suffice for now) but everyone has come too far to give up now. Once out of the city we set off at a fast pace as we wanted to break the back of the ride before our first stop, which was at Thouars some 40-miles away. It took us three hours of nonstop cycling to reach there and as the temperature was rising we were very much in need of a break when we at last saw the backup vehicles ahead of us. It’s a pity though that they couldn’t find somewhere better than the grass verge at the side of a dual carriageway!
Old Bill (74-years young), who has been taking a few days out from cycling, decided to get back on his bike today and while we were taking our break he was off on his way and cycling in the direction of somewhere – I’m not quite sure where that was but the backup team eventually picked him up at Le Puy Notre Dame and locked him in the van to stop him going off again! As the rest of us were slowly making our way through Thouars looking for the right road I had a puncture – so much for kevlar lined tyres! Whilst Paul, John and I replaced the tube Mark rode off to ask for directions and as usual found a very friendly local to point us the right way so very soon we were off on our way racing towards lunch. We stopped for lunch at Duoe-la-Fontaine and the backup team had excelled themselves once again, not only did we have the boiled eggs to compliment the usual bread, salad, cheese and ham but today we had fresh prawns. By the time we set off again the temperature was well into the nineties and the tar was popping under our tyres as we rode along. This is always the most difficult part of the day and it was especially so today with some 60-miles already behind us and the sun beating down on our backs but as always we recall those magical words “pain goes away but quitting lasts forever” and grind our way on. Our final stop for water and fresh fruit – peaches, water melons, oranges and grapes was at Coutures and we reached here after75-miles. It was now blisteringly hot so we put our heads down and pushed on as quickly as we could and then there it was, the Loire, from here it was smiles all the way as we picked up the signs for Angers – Centre Ville. Thankfully as we reached the centre we saw the sign for our hotel, we had been so quick in getting here that the backup team were still sorting the rooms out when we arrived, we had cycled 92-miles, most of it in temperatures of 90f and we were all well and truly bashed but very pleased with a job well done.
View photos from our ninth day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikeride2010
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