We woke early and packed as usual having coffee during the decamping. On our way out we met another camper, a gregarious smiling woman, older than I but younger than Doug, a quirky French woman who was on a vacance of her own and told us about the Fête de Velo this weekend where thousands of people ride the roads (which are closed to couriers). It was going to have a lot of vintage bikes too. People ride from Saumur to Angers.
The day was cool and overcast when we left and the trail winds through tiny villages with beautiful old yellow limestone walls and buildings with beautiful cut and shaped back slate roof tiles. Early on our way we stopped in Bréhémont because there was a velo repair and rental shop. The owner was a character. He didn't have a spoke but he referred us to his colleague in Chinon(which was out of our way by many kilometers). We purchased coffee and he charged us a euro for one of the free tourist maps. He also told us about the fête de velo that was happening this weekend and he chatted in very good English about when he worked in the states.
As we rode I decided to check out the chateau d'ussé. An interesting building with ongoing repairs to the eroding stones. I didn't get the audio guide so I am not sure of the history other than it has been varied. It had a two hundred year old cedar and other massive old trees, plus a cave where they quarried stone and then later used the caves for wine storage. Caves are interesting because they are cut into cliffs idea and the presence of the hill above is pronounced.
I toured the public part of the chateau itself, the prison which was in the thick walls, the basement which was deep and thick and carved out of rock, the stables with cool carriages (on for a dog and one for a goat too).
Apparently this chateau inspired the story of sleeping beauty (something something belle du bois).
while I toured the chateau Doug made some adjustments to his rear tire and discovered a second busted spoke. We agreed that we had to step it to Chinon. So we took some very hilly winding roads through cute towns with places for sale and then entered the suburbs and big box store stretch of chinon.and then went up a long steepening slope to the bicycle repai shop (which was closed for an hour). Chinon is at the top of a steep hill, it is a fortress town.
when the shop opened the guy actually bikes back to his home to search for spokes that would fit.(and they did)
