Epiblogue. Sur le campaign avec Champagne

Day 24 Narbonne beach pictures!

Day 24 Argens Minervois to Narbonne

Day 23 - Carcassonne to Argens Minervois

Day 22 Castelnaudary to Carcasonne

Day 21 Coufouleux to Castelnaudary

Day 20 Montauban to Coufouleux

Day 19 Cahors to Montauban

Day 18 Cahors - the last "straw"!

Day 17 by Hannibal

Archives

May 2006

June 2006

What a difference a day makes! Drizzle and rain, chilly and very hilly. Hannibal earnt half a brownie point for killing a giant spider that the rest of us were too scared to approach, he didn't mean to kill it but it moved. Climbs are getting harder but rugby and orchid hunting have stood us in good stead. Saw 1st orchids today for 2 days.
   Arrived in Objat then went on a little extra ride with Rommel and Bodacea. Knackered but have reached Correze department.
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Pearl Medical BlackBerry
www.pearlmedical.co.uk

We left Limoges after the biggest croissants ever for le petit dejeuner. Sunny day and 23+ degrees. Hard climbs and descents in haut Vienne and Limousin in lush green countryside on tiny roads beside fast streams and small rivers. Reached Chateau Chervix and stayed at a small ferme du chevre at La Chapelle. Young goats (chevreaux or chevrettes) hens with chicks, one old duck, the good life in reality.
We have now been in haut Limousin, in Blond, Limoges and Chateau Chervix so here is a translation from a book read on the farm by Mike S.:
Cars, cows and women...
   Napoleon in 1898 ordered "un grand statistique des agricultures". In Limousin there were 113,031 cattle called Limousins of which 64,301 were cows called Limousines. Les Limousins and Limousines were the tractors of the era and worked as labourers, pulling tree trunks, ploughshares and carrying kaolin to the towns for the manufacture of porcelain. They provided meat and milk, leather and horns for clothes, shoes and buttons. The breed of cattle is now exported worldwide, including USA, Far East and China, feeding a quarter of the world. Women of Limousin are also called Limousines.
   Spot La Difference!

Chateau Chervix
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Pearl Medical BlackBerry
www.pearlmedical.co.uk

Whole team now on board, Napoleon (Mike S), Marie-Antoinette (Sheila S), Rommel (Mike P) and Bodacea (Valerie P), not to mention Hannibal (Tom).
   Lovely breakfast at Blond. Sponsored £10 by English couple Carol and Roy from Bristol - many thanks. Damp and misty weather as we set off and steep climbs and undulating countyside. Getting quite fit and reached Limoges without difficulty. Visited Omadour-sur-Glane, the village destroyed by the Nazis and all the adults and children killed by them in 1944. Sad reminder of evils of war.
   Stayed in small hotel near station. Limoges is a large sprawling city with a nice old centre with porcelain as a speciality. Lovely old cathedral.
   Sunday - Hannibal discovered that there was 7-a-side FEMALE rugby international competition at the local ground and Ireland were playing. He managed to get us invited to their seating area and we developed close rapport with the team. Unfortunately they lost to England who lost to Wales. Then Hannibal said his mother was from Merthyr Tydfil but he couldn't spell it so we didn't believe him! Took a tour around Limoges centre and on le petit train touristique Hannibal fell asleep and almost fell off!
TeamSharman needs to get back on track for tour de France mk2 tomorrow and put green and female rugby behind it. This is a serious trip.
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Pearl Medical BlackBerry
www.pearlmedical.co.uk

Left our 2* hotel after excellent breakfast. Napoleon's thighs bulged even more than usual due to lunch carried in cycle short pockets, apple orange and ham filled baguette sandwich secreted from the breakfast bar. Left in high spirits but nervous about hill climbs and glacial slopes. Coped with ease and only stopped to walk up hills to search for lizard and fly orchids not yet seen by Hannibal and his enthusiastic pupil Marie-Antoinette.
   Reached Blond early and stayed overnight in remote charming chambre d'hote with Pierre and Miriam Morice and their young sons. Meal of cassoulet and plum tarte should speed bikes tomorrow but Marie-Antoinette the tandem stoker is concerned!

TeamSharman

Good cycling weather very favourable sunny and not too windy. Made excellent time to Montmorillon where we had crèpes in a multinational café! Very interesting museum-almonds and macaroons. Hannibal and Marie-Antoinette thought that both Napoleon and Bodacea were victims of a shooting - it was the locals shooing the equivalent of house martins away! Rommel returns from rebrief for day 10. Orchids were numerous.

Mike and Tom enjoy lunch at Bellac

We arrived in Vouneuil/Vienne in happier spirits as weather much improved. We put it down to the prayers said by The Americans at breakfast. Excellent picnic organised by Bodacea. Orchid watch back on track!
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Pearl Medical BlackBerry
www.pearlmedical.co.uk

We left Blère after a lively evening in the bar opposite our hotel where they were still celebrating Munster's heroic win. Teamleader Napoleon rallied the troops to help them through the hardest day so far with headwinds gusting stormforce together with rain sleet and hail! Tandem powered on relentlessly and Hannibal threatened mutiny as he was nearly blown off his super lightweight bike 3 times. Remarks like 'who's idea was this Sharman?' did not help. All was appeased when 50kms later we arrived in Sepmes at a charming Chambre D'Hote.
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Pearl Medical BlackBerry
www.pearlmedical.co.uk

Rommel recalled to base for rebriefing. Gruelling 5 1/2hr slog to Blère actively supported by Bodacea with her chariot spikes and helmet. Hannibal brought up the rear suffering the effects of Munster excesses!
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Pearl Medical BlackBerry
www.pearlmedical.co.uk

Les velondeers left Mondoubleau in fine spirits. Route 66(D) flashed by us without incident. There is testosterone in the air. Oh to be in Wales when the Munstermen were there. There is now a part of Vendome that is forever Cardiff. We were there an we have the hangovers to prove it!!
Bodacea (Valerie P.) has now arrived.
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Pearl Medical BlackBerry
www.pearlmedical.co.uk

Had best breakfast to date from Mrs Morgan, croissant, brioche and slices of old french country bread washed down with strong coffee. Then first crisis of the tour when we discovered that cyclists worst nightmare, a back flat tyre! Screwed on pump but after 5 minutes pumping, still flat. Then realised it was the car tyre. Mrs Morgan showed her mettle and came up with an electric pump which soon infated the tyre. Rommel drove to friendly local garage for rapid repair. Set off on route without directions(left in car) but found our way with expert navigation by sun and compass. 2 brownie points to Marie-Antoinette for that.
   Hannibal told us he alone had been invited to Mrs Anne Morgans dog's 6th and her 70th birthday bash in August. Rest of team a bit peeved and envious.
   Ride was wet and windy at times but uneventful until we descended a steep hill and heard a squeal of tyres, and a shout from Hannibal. We stopped the tandem, turned and found his bike on the ground beside the road and Hannibal lying face down - no injury - he had found another rare orchid!
   Picnic lunch in shelter of church where we met up with Rommel then off to Montdoublou to overnight stop at Chambre d'Hote at Isobelle and Alain's old artisan's house in the village centre. A good day of 74km. 332km total from Hove actually. Orchid count 189.
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Pearl Medical BlackBerry
www.pearlmedical.co.uk

Leaving Suivre and the delights of chez Wordsworth we settled into an undulating bike ride through the rural charms of lower Normandy. Our route was lined by hundreds of Solomon Seal plants who stood sentinel to the advance of the intrepid velondees! The lead was taken by Napoleon (MS) and Marie-Antoinette (SS) on the tandem with Hannibal (Tom) bringing up the rear. Rommel (MP) advanced ahead to arrange lunch and accommodation. The lady orchid appeared in full bloom by the roadside. Some 67kms later and in brilliant sunshine we tackled the last steep hill to chez Morgan. Madam Morgan, a horsey lady given to wearing well worn barber rain coats showed us around her amazing manor style mansion near Montgaudrey. Dinner at La Perchiere where the local restauranteur opened his auberge especially for us. Superb meal. And so to bed with une verre of Laphroaig - it's tough this cycling for charity! Orchid count 96.
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Pearl Medical BlackBerry
www.pearlmedical.co.uk

A good day. The 1st B&B was lovely - friendly, french, beautiful. The day was enlivened by a 180 degree navigation error (a la wrong way corrigan) but this filled out otherwise empty day. Only 8km from the B&B was 'Road Closed' sign. Luckily the plucky cyclists ignored it (or couldn't understand the French. They came upon the hot tar later and couldn't resist putting/shoes in it. This enabled Mrs B&B (Diana) to prove her mettle by producing 17 different kinds of solvent (including muscadet/cotes du rhone etc!). Good lunch in Livarot (not Liverot!) and another B&B tonight. (Despite 1/2 mile of tyre unfriendly gravel Tom's Orchid count 74.
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Pearl Medical BlackBerry
www.pearlmedical.co.uk

Arrived Portsmouth 15 May (yesterday) after 92k rather windy ride. Almost missed ferry but made with 15 mins to spare. Arrived this morning after very smooth crossing. Left ferry after continental breakfast to start our epic charity ride. Only 45km today!
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Pearl Medical BlackBerry
www.pearlmedical.co.uk

Not many days to go until Mike, Sheila et al head over the coast for
their sponsored bike ride across France. Come back soon to check their
progress. Bye for now...

In the meantime - here they are outside Palmeira Practice with their gleaming new tandem!

:J)