Day 4: windy day at the office
The plan; an easy day to recover after the Ardennes. This etappe is a copy of the one I rode to Rome on the Moulton on my pelgrimage in 2018. After Reims we will get on the Camino ( the road to Santiago de Compostela) which is new for us.
Last night however a wind started to blow from a very bad corner.
A little present for Esther, it is her birthday today.
The St Michel hotel in Sedan was brilliant again; great food yesterday and a very good breakfast.
After buying some real oil for our chains that did no longer shift correctly on the applied wax we took off. First we had to negotiate ourself out of the Ardennes.
After 30 km the Ardennes with it wind protected little roads were over but by now we were riding in the wind swept plains. Our speed on the flat dropped to 21 km with pilot and stoker working hard. Our mood was not affected by the wind, we really enjoyed the challenge. At crossing the Aisne River I had expected at least a bakery. This part of France is so desolated however that the village did not have one single shop.
There was a bit of leftover bread from yesterday and some sport bars left in our panniers and we prepared ourselves for a ride on little fuel.
Much to our surprise 15 km later in Juniville La Venue Gourmande was open; an excellent bakery shop with my favourite pate en croute. We sat down on a fountain an had lunch, I think the same fountain were I had lunch in 2018.
We battled the wind for another 35 km and finally got in the Reims city walls.
We love Reims; it has one of the most beautiful cathedrals with its Chagall stained glass windows and yes…. there is the French food.We have been here many times but arriving by bike is extra special.
Ben negotiated in perfect French a credentiale for the rest of the trip with the pelgrim service in the cathedral.
We finally had our first coffee on the street cafe in front of the cathedral. Our hotel was nearby. The hotel is in the middle rebuilding the lobby; there is no breakfast tomorrow but it gives a very nice place for the tandem to be safe for the night.
And now; Esther’s birthday’s dinner…
