Tooting, Trials and Le Tour!

So, welcome to blog #19 and this one starts hoping I can type, download pics and upload the blog all on the battery life on the laptop! A truly off grid experience this one as I write from a field roadside for tomorrow's stage of the Tour de France 2018.

For the non-cycling fan reader, don't worry too much, I'm not planning on getting too technical, and as before, it's more about our experiences along the way than who's wearing what jersey!!

So last blog post saw us on Ile De Re, and we enjoyed our last day there with a final ride around the island before crossing back to the mainland on Friday morning. We managed to navigate back to a supermarket we'd spotted on the way across and filled up the LPG tank which we use for cooking - we'd got to the lowest point so far on that, so the last few days cooking had been a bit of a worry! Anyway, back to full and for the princely sum of €5 for about 4 weeks worth! Such a worthwhile addition to the van for definite. Previously we'd used Camping Gaz 907 bottles which would be about €30 for 1/2 the time! We also had a stock up on food and drinks too for the week ahead, knowing we'd be largely roadside and without too many amenities. There was a small hiccup on our return to the van as for some reason the electrics decided to start messing about! First we had a running van but no dashboard display/dials, and then the immobiliser stopped the engine from starting altogether! Slightly stressful you might say! Luckily (not for the first time in this trip) with Jase being the engineering genius he is, he calmly took the dash apart, wires everywhere and methodically worked through until we found the fix. All sorted in less than an hour!

After that little drama we headed towards La Roche-sur-Yon to have a look at the fan park set up for the tour - La Roche had been the venue for the team presentation a few days earlier and was also a finish town for Stage 2.

For those who may not know, the Tour De France is mostly a cycling event, but it's locations change every year and in effect each local town/village has to bid in order to host particular parts. What I find really incredible is the amount of effort that each town goes into supporting the tour - shops are covered in decorations, roundabouts used to show support - really impressive. It really seems that although it is a sport first and foremost, it is almost equally an opportunity to showcase your town/village to the world. In fact, as I write this, I've been visited by a lady working for the tourist office here, and given a stack of information about the local area - brilliant! Anyway, we had a nice walk around the fan park, and took on board some of the free samples (rice pudding - showcasing milk production, Senseo coffee - promoting the machines, hats - supporting the local paper and as many bananas as we could carry)!

Once back at the van we drove across to Beaulieu-sous-la-Roche to hook up with Steve & Claire. We've known Steve (or Coops as he is fondly known), for many years through the cycling group, and with him very well placed in the Vendee, it seemed a great opportunity for a catch up. Once we met in the town square, we convoyed back to his house - a lovely little hamlet which we'd never have found on our own! He had really kindly arranged for us to use his neighbour's parking for the weekend to park the van on - probably one of the nicest places we've parked so far - gated area, with electricity and our own little patio, fab! Friday night was spent chatting, catching up and generally enjoying food and drinks together.
Saturday morning and it was Tour stage 1. The four of us drove to Brem-sur-Mer which as the name suggests was a stunning seaside location. We started out having a coffee in a beachside café, and then headed roadside to watch the race pass us by. The peloton felt so relaxed for day 1 and almost like first day of term for them! It was a very quick pass, and a very hot day so we were really pleased to head back beachside for the afternoon and enjoyed a couple of very refreshing dips in the sea. The evening was spent chatting and enjoying each other's company - with the odd fly past by a barn owl as the sun was setting. A perfect day.

Sunday's stage was actually going through Steve & Claire's village of Beaulieu so the plan was to head to a restaurant for a lovely lunch ahead of the tour passing through. Jase's best riding mate Jules (from the Flanders adventure) and his wife Sarah were also now in town, so we spent a stunning few hours catching up and enjoying the €16 set menu (Amuse bouche of salmon toasts, Rum punch, Melon & Ham or Duck Terrine, Fish or Chicken and then Red Fruit Ice cream or Chocolate deserts) - stunning!

Then it was time for the caravan! Again, for those who aren't too familiar with the "extras" of the tour - each stage is preceded by a caravan - this is essentially a massive publicity/advertisement opportunity for any and all companies to show their brands. There are two points of note here. Firstly the vehicles - any shape goes it would seem, and these vehicles travel the whole tour as well, including all the transfers between stages! Secondly, it is a chance to see grown adults all fighting for the free stuff that gets thrown out! The items are many and varied from the useful (shopping bags, washing powder, pens) through to general crap (keyrings, magnets, stickers etc). The kids quite rightly go mad for it all and I made friends with a German family, making sure their son got way more swag than the grown ups who ought to know better! In return they did swap me back a shopping back & tube of glue (you do wonder whether this is the sort of thing which should be thrown out at random........!). Anyway, the pictures give you a flavour of the caravan in all it's glory - where else would you see a bucket of chips chasing down a chicken along the road.......?!

After the caravan, we had a good gap before the race, so more chatting and cool drinks as it was a fiercely hot day. For the race itself, Jase and I took a wander down by the church only to find ourselves next to a couple of Bristol Rovers fans from Bitton! Small world. As expected the race came through quickly and all too soon it was over - amazing to see the speed and spectacle though.

We then had to say farewell to Steve and Claire, and thank them for their hospitality. Claire had sent us on our way with a big bag of local tomatoes, huge pepper and melon - thanks again both.

We then headed slightly north (I think!) to our next point which was to be roadside for Monday's team time trial. Again, we'd been incredibly lucky as Rusty & Kay and Paul & Adele had pitched up already and bagged us a brilliant spot. Once settled, we spent a lovely evening chatting with them, plus new friends Eddie & Jean, Ronnie & Lillian and Cathy & Geert (the last 2 couples being from Belgium). Huge thanks at this point to Rusty and Kay for laying on a super BBQ with the best steak I've ever eaten!

Monday morning was another scorcher, but we all woke a bit bleary eyed - not due to too much drinking, but a very noisy night roadside! The local cars and lorries all seemed to want to welcome us to the area with a toot of the horn! Very friendly and all, but at 3am it does become a little bit challenging!

The morning was spent roadside chatting, and hoping for the teams to come through for a practice - a team time trial is the whole team together, against the clock. Eventually they all came by, and we had a chance to eye up the best photo spots. Jules and Sarah also came back across to join us, and we had a great lunch before hiding out of the way for the inevitable carnage of the caravan! We did manage a decent haul of Haribo this time though! Once the race was underway, teams came by every 5 minutes so we had a great afternoon's viewing.

Once the race was done, we initially headed to Nort-sur-Edre for an Aire we'd found in the book, but it was long since closed. After a hasty replan, we headed to nearby Nozay for the night in a pay Aire where we could fill water etc. A lovely spot all for €8, and much quieter thankfully!

Tuesday morning, and we had a bit of a transit day. Although the previous night's stop had ended up being alongside stage 3, we'd already decided to have a day off, and get ahead of the race ready for Thursday's stage in Mur-de-Bretagne. Initially, we got to the town and parked up in their usual Aire at the old railway station. As we enjoyed our lunch, we kept thinking it felt a bit too good to be true. Sure enough, a proper read of the signs confirmed we couldn't stay there for the race! After a hasty pack up, we headed slightly out of town, and into a large field which has been set for motorhome parking for the stage. We rolled in and found a suitably level spot, and set about making it home for the next few days. We are parked with Rusty & Kay, and later in the day Paul & Adele and Eddie & Jean arrived too. Last night we had another lovely meal and then plenty of laughs into the evening.

After a lovely peaceful night, today is sunny again although cooler and breezy. The field is filling up all the time, but hopefully there will be room for all. Again, testament to the local Mayor and community for how important these events are for bringing people to their town, and fair play to them for making such a space available and for free too!

As these pictures show, the town is clearly well and truly embracing the tour!

The boys have gone out for a ride, and us girls are getting the chores done and chilling out. The stage doesn't arrive until tomorrow, so we have plenty of time later to support England - although if France's victory last night is anything to go by, it could be noisy later! Come on England!

Spend for the week is looking like €197 which is a bit more than we hoped having had so much free camping, but we did have a reasonable food shop plus fuel, so I guess it's not so bad.

We stay with the tour until Friday and then we plan to head towards the coast around St Malo and then nearer to Mont St Michel to spend some time with my Dad and his partner Liz. Really looking forward to seeing them both (and the goodies they are bringing too, of course!)

Until next time, and here's hoping my battery lasts to get this little lot up, stay safe all

J&J