A mini Hamster Jam Week!

Hey Gang, Mike here again. I'll be doing the commentary today and Serena's going to add the pics and quips.

Before I start, let me say that we've just done our second biggest week of the trip so far. 298k (yes I know, we should have done the extra 2 - Cody for his credit racked up extra k's getting bread each morning - sometimes on the bike, so he officially had a 300k week!). Serena's knee held up great, with cold packs and cold spray helping keep things calm, plus limiting the k's each day.  

So... how did we limit the k's, and do a big week? Well, I'm glad you asked!

1. An explosive start!

We headed off Sunday, Cody rode to get bread on his new trusty bike, just to get used to it, and after a delicious breakfast we headed off early to ride 1.5k to a station, and then take a train 4k's to jump off the train (leaving Serena on for an extra station to avoid the nasty initial hill). Cody and I jumped off the train and headed straight up a serious climb, about 1k at up to 10% gradient. A great test for Cody's new gears, which he passed with flying colours. The reason for this climb was what was at the top... wow.. a Roman aqueduct running right along the road - spectacular!

Next we flew down the hill to the station, picking up Serena and heading south to the next town for our first morning tea on the road, and it was gooood! (It even included my rear tyre exploding while we ate, sending everyone running for cover! - all good - our trusty spare tyre got us back on the road quickly). We then found our rhythm and quickly made our way south to Givor where we picked up our route down the Rhone - the "Via Rhona", and on to Vienne the old Roman capital complete with amazing temple and amphitheatre (after our delicious Moroccan lunch!). After our lunch and tourist activities it was off to our apartment for the night (campsites just didn't align with our route). That got us 35k so far!

Power Rangers are go!  We were so excited to head off from Lyon - it was early, freezing cold, and we had the streets to ourselves on this Sunday morning on the way to grab the train

Waiting and excited that we'd started - it's a bit complicated getting out of Lyon so everyone suggested a bit of a train ride to the outer suburbs to head off

Cody loved the Roman aqueduct

Loving the ride!

Then more ruins along our route for the day...it's just crazy to be cycling and then look up and see we're encircled by beauty and history  -this was our view coming into Vienne

Hmmmm...just a small wander from our Moroccan restaurant and we stumble upon a Roman temple - local French apartments built around it.

The Roman amphitheatre - just there.  Incredible.

2. Camping here we come

The next morning, after Cody delivered breakfast, we headed off early into a cold morning to continue our way down the Via Rhona, which is fantastic. An almost totally flat sealed path running close or next to the river all the way. Unfortunately, the party was interrupted near the end, where we had to get off the Via Rhona to head into town to a supermarket and on to our campsite. This mean crossing a number of stressful road bridges and some complicated route navigation through town. But eventually we pulled into our first camp site at Saint-Rambert-d'Albon. A chance for Cody to try out his new tent (which Serena named Harry), and for us to realise what camping in the cold and dark looks like - not so much fun! But we slept OK, and that was another 40k in the bag! 

Breakfast the next morning in our wacky little apartment (thanks Cody)

Ready to leave our little piece of heaven (ie. wacky little apartment) in Vienne

Ready to go go go for the day!

En route - the vines are appearing

And the scenery is gorgeous

We hit Cody's first campsite - and they both get the tent, Harry, up for the first time.  Yay!

Harry meet Sally.  Sally meet Harry.  Fast friends.  Muddy campground.  And weirdly empty.  In fact most of the campgrounds in France are now closed so we have to be careful about availability moving forward.  I think we saw three other groups in the whole campground.

3. Valrhona Chocolates 

Up early, and ready to hit the road, we headed off, and after a quick boulangerie stop, we were quickly back on the Via Rhona and making good time. This time the Via Rhona went straight through the town (Tournon Sur Rhone) and after a significant Taco stop for lunch we headed to our "upstairs apartment", a strange arrangement where we had the top floor of a house but had to come through the main front door - strange. After freshening up we were off for a walk across the river to the City of Chocolate (Valhrona chocolates HQ, museum and shop) - yep - it's a real place! Another 35k in the bag!

Excited to head off... it's cold, but we're happy!

Again, amazing things to see en route.

A happy Cody with his French "taco" when we hit our home town for the night - it was HUGE. 

A visit to the Valrhona shop was a must see (and eat) - DIVINE!!  They gave us so many free samples as we wandered around.  Loved it.

They had every chocolate available all laid out and labelled for us - amongst all the overwhelm of choice and options, we decided to choose one of these bars each and have it for dessert that night (the bars are there on the right).  I had the most delicious coffee and orange gelee dark chocolate bar.  INCREDIBLE.

4.  When a plan hits reality!

The next day we had a plan, 30k to a camp site right on the route, fantastic!  An early run to a boulangerie 3k out of town, and onto the Via Rhona had us confident and relaxed... until... of course we get to the camp site and it had closed the previous day for the year. Problem?  No problem for the expert team that found an apartment 6k away in Beauchastel and off we went - and it was cuuuuute!!!  (Another 35k in the bag!)

The view from the front of our "upstairs apartment" as we leave for the day...

To have a yummmm brekkie from the local boulangerie - we found a great spot at the town fountain which was fortunate because we could have a good chat with the locals who passed by and wanted to know all about us!  So cute.

The day was another glorious day of riding - in fact this whole week was full of glorious countryside, amazing vineyards and market gardens, fantastic cycling paths, and wonderful old French villages and towns.  Fantastic cycling was had.

Our emergency find - a great old apartment in the quaint old town of Beauchastel - this is the downstairs storage area for our bikes, and also had the washing machine for us to do some washing.

 

The front of our wonderful little home for the night.

Cody went to find us some dinner at the supermarket and we gorged on frozen Paella (it was sooooooo good) and Roast Chicken and Potatoes (soooooooo yum) and salad - can't forget those micronutrients!

5. Radiation levels green!

Heading south again we were quickly on the Via Rhona and loving the smooth flat route.  We decided to stretch our day a little to get to a cheap old fashioned Auburge (La Pignata) in Montelimar  - taking the day to 46k. On the way we stopped for lunch next to Nuclear Power station - we like to mix the old with the new!

Ready for the day to begin!

Gorgeousness abounds

The lovely nuclear power plant where we stopped for our lunch (Victory bread (the extra baguette we would buy every morning to fold in half like a "V" and squash it in the back food bag I'd keep on the back of my bike), jam, and some bickies)

THE FRENCH BRIDGE OF DEATH - I know I know, but this bridge was the most extreme EVER.  It was really high, really long, really narrow, really wobbly, and you can't see it but the floor of the bridge was perforated so you could see all the way down, and there was like a 10cm gap on each side before the railing started.  Cody rode the whole thing.  I rode about one third of it and had to get off.  Mike walked it after I yelled out to him once I started riding "WALK"!!!

Our cute little Auberge in Montelimar

Someone had a big day.  And still looks pretty cool.

Cody and Mike went out exploring Montmelimar while I rested - a cold had hit Mike and I hard the last few days.

6. OK let's get to Avignon

Early the next day started to focus on our Avignon plan, about 100k away but with the dream of a rest day on Sunday, we decided to stretch the k's a little. We had spied a campground in Mondragon (expecting it to be 45k but ended up being 51k!) En route we took a quick detour to a boulangerie for a quick snack lunch. Once in town, we setup a campsite on a slope hill(!) and headed back into town for awesome pizzas.

Heading off happy and fresh the next morning - bring on the bigger kms, the knee seemed to be coping so we could push it a bit further - woohoooo!

Just a view along the way

We stopped at a cute little bakery just off the bike path for some lunch - we found a great French sausage roll that we all devoured outside the bakery (so many gorgeous murals all over the place including at this little bakery - I'm a sucker for a mural)

Cody looking bizarrely menacing with his sausage roll.

And an afternoon tea stop at a little bridge to watch the local water rats/otters/ French platypus and put on more sunblock.

Great riding again - gorgeous scenery all the way

We hit the cute-as-a-button town of Mondragon and just loved it.  Olive trees are appearing everywhere, the stone is getting lighter, and the soil very sandy.  We are definitely in the quintessential South of France now.

Dinner at a local pizzeria

Sally and Harry on their slopey pitches - it was a bit of a rough night all round with sliding down our mattresses all night!

7. Avignon Power

Waking up early, and packing up just after sunrise (about 7am now instead of 3am before!), we headed down for a bar/boulangerie breakfast (where we buy the pastries/bread, and take them across the street to the bar where we get coffee and eat - a very civilised way to go!). Then we got our bikes rolling and with Mt Ventoux growing on the horizon we headed to the town of Orange (a small detour), to see an amazing Roman Amphitheater  (yep - they seem to build these things everywhere), and then pedal to the metal we pushed on into Avignon - wow, what an amazing entrance! Ticking off another 56k and our second biggest week!

The wall in the background there is part of the Roman forum ruins in Orange - just amazing to see

And the amphitheatre - HUGE

The view from going up and to the side of the ampitheatre out to Mont Ventoux (a famous cycling ride)

The boys' lunch dessert - Tropizienne - YUM YUM!

Cycling along with Mont Ventoux in the background!

Just cycling along!

This could be my fave pic I've taken so far - it encapsulates this week of riding - great bike path with incredible things we just ride past and with a glorious weather (even a tail wind).  Gorgeous pic (that's Mike and Cody btw).

Crossing a great bridge - not at all the deadly - this is The Bridge of Happy Cycling!  And you can see how happy I am on this bridge in the video below!

More walled cities along the way...

And we hit Avignon - this is the famous bridge and city on the way in - I was overwhelmed with how beautiful it was.

We were so freaking happy to have arrived - great riding, great weather, great team!

That evening, after we found our little apartment within the old city walls, we went to explore and saw the famous Papal Palace, and went for a walk on the Avignon Bridge

Our cute little apartment tucked away from the tourist centre - living locally (and deliciously).