Pays de la Loire

EV Cycling Day 31 (7 June): La Rochelle - Sable d'Olonne -Bretignolles-sur-Mer 125 km

The last stages are coming up, and in the next two days we want to get to the mouth of the Loire. That means pedaling, pedaling, pedaling - even if large parts of it are flat land. We take small country roads to the Baie de l'Aiguillon, known for its large oyster farms. There are often invitations to stop for tastings along the way, but firstly we don't feel like eating (yet) and secondly we still have a few kilometers to go. We mostly cycle on good gravel paths through wetlands, past canals and rivers. It is pleasant and beautiful cycling in ideal temperatures. Almost out of nowhere, the seaside resort of Sables d'Olonne appears on the horizon on a cliff with dense buildings, including high-rise buildings. We fight against the wind for the last ten kilometers to the city center. As we leave the city, we almost collide with a fast e-biker, and I fall slightly onto my side with the heavy bike. If we think about it carefully, this was the only slightly dangerous situation on the entire tour. There are lots of cyclists on the narrow cycle paths around Sable d'Olonne and Dominique warns us to be careful. We get to the campsite near the Atlantic without any problems. After returning from dinner, there is still some excitement because Dominique's mobile phones, which were in the sanitary building to charge, are missing. We remember losing the sat nav in Flossenbürg two years ago. In the morning, it turns out that someone has secured the bag and will later hand it in at reception. Everything is OK again!

EV Cycling Day 32 (8 June): Bretignolles - Brevin 120 km

The last long stage! After 20 km we reach St-Jean-des-Monts, a seaside resort with a long sandy beach and high concrete castles for summer guests. The next 30 km are up and down through pine forests on a gravel track. It is a bit arduous as there is hardly any variety other than other cyclists. Then we come to a main road, on which we reach the Ile de Noirmoutier over a steep bridge. To get from the island back to the mainland, there is a special path, the Passage du Gois, which was the only access to the island until the bridge was built in 1970. It is part of the former national road 148 and is 4.5 km long. The special thing is that it is only passable depending on the tide. At high tide, the road is completely flooded by around two to four meters of water. At low tide, the "locals" drive out into the mudflats to collect mussels and oysters. Two more anecdotes for cycling fans: during the Tour de France 1999, on the second stage from Challans to Saint-Nazaire, there was a mass crash on the wet and slippery Passage du Gois, which split the field of riders into two groups. The first stage of the Tour de France 2011 started on the Passage. Thanks to the valuable information from the cyclists at touren-wegweiser.de, we arrive on time when the water is low and pass Le Gois dry and without falling. We continue through typical polder landscapes close to the dyke and only come across another busy little town on the Atlantic in Ponic. In Saint-Brévin, our destination for the day, we are almost at the mouth of the Loire.

EV Cycling Day 33 (9 June): Brevin - Nantes 60 km

Only a few kilometers to the mouth of the Loire, where we see Saint-Nazaire on the other side. There we leave the EuroVelo 1 and now ride on the EV 6 to Nantes (we could cycle all the way to Basel on this long-distance route 😊). Although it is the Loire cycle path, you rarely see the river in this section. Shortly before Nantes, a ferry ride awaits us before we quickly reach the city. We drive straight to the train station to book tickets for the return journey. Full of energy and confidence, I go to the information office and immediately get a big setback - since June 8th, you have to make a reservation to take your bike on the TER, which is only available online. I can download a page in the office, enter the desired route and then make the reservation. For the route to Dijon, we therefore need three different reservations, as we have to take three different trains. First, the route to Tours and enter all the data and pay €2 by credit card. The payment process ends, payment is rejected. Frustrated, we go to the hotel, where I get Philippe's credit card details - and hey presto, the payment works. I do a little more research and find out that no reservation is required on trains in the Bourgogne/Franche-Comté region, where the other two TERs run. In a much better mood, I book the three trains. Now something to enjoy - Les Machines d'Iles. In former shipyard buildings, creative minds have designed machines that move based on models from the animal world. It all started with the giant elephant that marches through the hall roaring and spraying water. Also worth seeing are the albatross in which Dominique flies, the spider, the hummingbird and the chameleon. A great experience! The cathedral is also impressive, although it suffered severe interior damage from a fire in 2020.

Over a good dinner we toast the successful conclusion of our tour with a red wine from the Loire Valley.

Wine recommendation: Saumur -Champigny/ Les Longes