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Although Strasbourg was the destination for the tour through France, it is not the eastmost point in France. So, in order to complete the journey from west to east, I had to do some extra kilometres, and from looking at the map, I found that the eastmost point of France is at the north-east corner towards Germany. So to complete the tour, I had to do some kilometres extra. 127 to be exact, including some extra metres to get to Lauterbourg for lunch.
The ride up to the border was a breeze, whereas going back was like entering a storm head first - very windy and tiring. Luckily, it eased off a little after a while, and in the end it wasn't too exhausting.
So, with the highest monument of Strasbourg as background, here are the big numbers from my tour across France - based on data from my GPS, including every twist and turn in motion:
Total distance: 1704 km (1626.8 on the bicycle computer)
Maximum speed: 58.6 km/h
Average speed: 24.8 km/h
Total ascend: 10974 m
Time in motion: 68:35
That's all, folks!
Germany in the background. :-)
BMWs in transit.
With a stomach begging for some serious musli I went shopping this morning, passing by the Palais de Rohan sunbathing in the river.
When I lived in Strasbourg, I never really thought it special. But now, having seen so many other chateaux around France, this really stands out. In itself a good reason to visit Strasbourg - I've also seen the interior, and it is no less stunning.
Leaving Belfort literally was a breeze, and the last climb before rolling down to the flat valley of Alsace became nothing of what I had feared. The only problem I ran into was too high speed, which caused me to miss an exit and reroute via the next. That also means that today was the record-breaking day in terms of speed, with a maximum speed of 58 km/h (going downhill, of course). Otherwise, the stage was rather straightforward, and I came in after rolling 159 kilometres for six hours.
Coming to Strasbourg is always a very friendly event, hence the picture of my friends Kristina and Laurent with some of Laurent's colleagues. That is also why this post is so late.
Anyway, I still haven't reached the easternmost point of France, so tomorrow is another day of bicycling. But this time without any luggage, turning my bike back into a road racing bicycle. ;-)
With 50 kilometres to go, I stopped to prepare for rain and coincidentially discovered that my carrier is about to snap! I don't know when it began, but I certainly hope it will hold on for the last couple of hours. Hopefully, easing off a little on the bumpy parts is enough...
Look it up on Google mass, and check out the satellite photo.
Looks like it's gonna be a nice day today. Slept very well this night too - in contrast to most other nights.
Another long day with a slightly delayed start due to a real shower. So wasn't off before 11 am, and kept an easy pace - first to Gray and a stop for lunch, and then to Vesoul refilling energy (it's amazing how few villages have a bakery easily visible from the main street).
After Vesoul, I disbanded my original route in favor for the one route that had "Belfort" as destination. Hence, I ended up riding a national road with heavy traffic. And for some strange reason, at least it felt like I was going faster - I certainly burned more energy. But it kept working like that all the way to the Hostel in Belfort, and I arrived with these results: 168 kilometres after six hours and 44 minutes of bicycling.
On the way, I must have passed through a beef-region - the village with the "moods"-cow had numerous other cow-statues, with plenty of live versions on the fields by the road.
The terrain has been very much like it is at home in Norway: hilly.
When it comes to Belfort, this is the second time I stop here to sleep on a bicycling-trip - the first was when I left Strasbourg four years ago, heading for Barcelona. However, tomorrow's stage to Strasbourg will not be the reverse version, because I've planned to stop by a place called Neuf Brisach, placing me at the eastern part of Alsace (I came down in the western part four years ago).
Time to sleep - hopefully without rolling thunder like last night...
Update: Belfort must be the most quiet city in France these days. Even finding an open restaurant was difficult last night, and there were barely any people in the streets. But then, this is vacation time here in France. The city itself appears pretty big, with large old buildings and wide streets. But the funniest observation I did is the balconies - they are everywhere, nicely painted and in large numbers (how many balconies can you possibly put onto a facade? You'll find the answer here...)
In Noidans-le-Ferroux.
The sun is back.
Today started with an easy and fast first hour. Thereafter, life on the bike became tough with headwinds and partially very bumpy roads. However, following a channel about half the distance, the ride has been a lot nicer than yesterday when straight lines was on the menu.
Dijon has a seriously nice city center, with interesting and amazing buildings popping up everywhere. When I arrived, I was too hungry to pay much attention, but it was impossible to ignore those buildings. Come and see for yourself.
Today's menu has been fairly scarce until dinner was served, but then I had a nice local beef bourgouise - a kind of stew - and a very nice bottle of wine (see previous post). The place, la Concorde, may not be the finest place to dine, but it certainly does the job efficiently and nice.
Tomorrow is a long day, probably featuring some rain, and thus it is time to sleep. Bonne nuit!
A really good wine! 2004 Lois Jadot. Bon apétit!
Maybe there's a reason for the steep prices...
This time in Cöte de Nuits. If you thought wine was expensive in Sancerre (8 euros a bottle), this place blows you off with no bottles below 20 euros.
Thus, 28 kilometres in today's first hour. :-)
