My Tour de France 🇫🇷 // Day 4: Le Mans - Saint Junien

An “award-winning” route serving as a “connecting route.” That’s today in a brief summary. So many nice views. Flat environment and great tarmac for a long time. Great! The goal was to get close to Oradour-sur-Glane (more on that tomorrow). If I were to rate the route, it would get a perfect score. A tour really couldn’t get off to a better start. I had a lovely breakfast and then took a fantastic bike path straight out of the city without any hassle. I’m really impressed by the cycling infrastructure here in France; you feel very safe.

There is a lot of mutual respect among road users here – especially towards cyclists. I’ve never been crowded or honked at aggressively. I also like to signal to those getting stuck behind me, when it’s safe to overtake. And drivers acknowledge this with a friendly wave. Why doesn’t it work like that in Germany?

Today it was almost the same long distance as yesterday, but with 1,000 meters less elevation gain and a chance to just roll along at a relaxed pace for quite a long time – that makes all the difference. Even without a passion for motorsports, it was actually quite nice to ride a short stretch of the 24-hour circuit south of Le Mans.

For a long time, the road just ran straight ahead without any significant undulations or climbs, but the scenery provided a welcome distraction. It was a great way to warm up, to find a rhythm, and simply to cover quite some distance. I’d been told beforehand that there wasn’t much to see between Cherbourg and Poitiers. That’s not entirely true. There were beautiful panoramas, lovely landscapes, a château, and at one point, it even briefly reminded me of the German state of Brandenburg. 😉

It was such a great joy to cycle here.

I just kept going until my first break in a small village, having done nearly 100 km by that time. Then, a small shop invited me for a quick stop. Up to that point, the route had taken me along main roads with hardly any traffic, followed by plenty of quiet and cozy country roads. Before I discovered that little shop, I had no reason for any stop. Absolutely free of stress. A great flow. It was like in a dream. Literally I got all that I have missed the day before. 😉

Having the first third of today’s distance in my pocket after around 3 hours was motivating enough to power through the second third at the same pace – at least until Poitiers. This would be around 200 km in total until there.

However, the time pressure remained a constant underlying factor. Despite the good progress. And again I enjoyed the landscapes and the first blue sky since days (it was never free of clouds). And eventually, it looked like rain again. How could it be otherwise? Ok, just hold out until Poitiers and then let’s see. Weather was frequently changing from more to less clouds but the tendency to rain was obvious.

A highlight was a decorated small town or village. I often saw those small pennants strung across the streets. At this particular village I just had to ask in a shop for water and I got it right away from a carafe from the fridge. For free. I really love and appreciate these friendly people. The name of the town is Loudun. One of the bigger towns in that area. I remember there were long ways between the villages or towns and I was always looking for a cemetery but these villages were too small. I never ran out of water but I was happy to get water there. Plus, the fight against the rain clouds had already begun. And I wanted to see how far I get before taking a shelter. At some point during the ride, I spotted Loudun on the GPS navi and figured I would be able to get water there and, if necessary, find shelter.

Moving forward, I saw the clouds moving from right to left. Ideally they have moved to the left by the tine I come closer to the clouds. And so it was. 😁

Another highlight was the Chateau de Dissay, close to Poitiers. Built in the 15th century by Pierre d’Amboise, bishop of Poitiers. By the time I got there it was already sunny again and the fight against the rain clouds was over. But just for now. Next might come. Who knows?

In Poitiers it was really time for a longer break. The first longer break today so far. And it was time for tasty food: a large filled baguette. That’s what the French really do well – amongst others of course. 😉 In addition always some liquid sugar. That fancy sparkling soda always brings some quick energy. 😉 Same like in Loudun, I only had to ask for water to get new one. But this time I had to replace it by colder water from a cemetery outside of Poitiers. Including a short and cool shower for my head. A cool, damp cap helps too.

The weather remained quite sunny and warm after that, though only briefly; just as I was considering applying sunscreen, a look at the rain radar made me change my mind. Not far after Poitiers the situation turned slightly critical. And again it was a good timing. Again the clouds had just to move from the right side to the left side. There was small corridor to pass between two big clouds. And I managed.

I was only dealing with the outer fringes of a thunderstorm. I could see the lightning in the distance and kept counting the seconds until the thunder rolled in. That way, I could calculate that I was always a safe distance away. I would never ride through a thunderstorm, but as long as it was far enough off, it was just about manageable. I kept in mind all the things you absolutely shouldn’t do – standing under a tree during a storm, for instance; that’s not a good idea. And case of doubt look out for a shelter.

There was intermittent drizzle, but just as it intensified for a moment and I had pulled the rain cover over my backpack, another road cyclist actually rode past me. So, I wasn’t the only madman after all?

Around one hour later I have arrived in Saint-Germain-de-Confolens, which seemed to be a bigger place, according to my map. One can visit the ruins of a castle there. I have picked this village for shelter in case of heavy rain or thunderstorm. But cloud dynamics can sometimes be hard to predict, and so the rain clouds were gone by the time I have arrived. However, the sunset was due to start soon.

From then on it was a piece of cake. Clear sky, still warm, sunset starting, and not so far away from the hotel. I knew I could make it. Later, as I hit the last hills and climbs for today, it was obvious I must have dodged a severe storm, given the abundance of fresh foliage and branches littering the roadside. Fortunately, the storm had already passed by the time I arrived. That is not a place I would have wanted to be while the storm was raging. Good timing.

The last miles. What an enchanting, idyllic scene at sunrise – sunflower fields to the left and cornfields to the right. It’s amazing how beautiful a day like that can be – completely stress-free. The morning sun wasn’t too hot, and later there was plenty of shadow or cloud cover and no wind – it was perfectly comfortable. Almost ideal cycling weather. Except for the thunderstorm.

Liked that small village and just for the sake of a short video I rode downhill and up again. Can you believe this? I had a last short break here.

Memories of yesterday came flooding back, where I hesitated to take the risk. But today I took a big gamble – and won. I practically deserve a “Best Timing Award” for it. I managed to ride skillfully between heavy rain clouds and watched the storm from a distance while on the move. There was just one moment where I felt a bit uneasy. I quickly pressed on.