Day 16 - Vire

I am starting to look ahead and see that I have mostly forty miles to ride each day from now on but then the ride to Cherbourg is close to sixty miles, so I will need to get some recovery in before then and have a plan for the long day such as an early start and good long breaks.

As I ride up through the forest there are signs of wild boar in the area and I have already seen the hunters with their bright orange jackets. 

For route planning I set my planner to touring mode rather than road or mountain bike, so I am mostly on tarmac or compacted gravel, only occasionally do I get sent off into the woods as I did today.

The mid-point today is the town of Flers. I stayed for a week in Lonlay-l’Abbaye about 15 miles south of Flers but never came here knowing I would pass it later in the trip. As I arrived at 12noon it is time to find food and my route to the main church brought me neatly to the centre where there happened to be a market, and the market happened to have a few hot food trucks. One galette saucise, one galettte complete and a portion of chips will keep me going. More than other tours, food has worked out well and mostly due to the availability of restaurants serving a basic menu which varies from place to place. Perhaps it is just more of a thing in Normandy. In La Ferté-Macé this morning many bakeries were either shut down or closed for holidays, then I chanced upon one with seating; ideal for breakfast. 

Looking back, days 11 to 15 had a couple of longer days but started with an easy day, the mileages were 32, 49, 51, 44, and 41 and the respective ascents are 650m, 970m, 550m, 880m and 900m. I am feeling the effects of those three days with the most ascent today.

The church and Château in Flers.

The approach to Vire was uninspiring along a straight but undulating main road then diesel fumes threatened to choke me as I went into the town centre. This was a good reminder of how quiet and car-free my trip has been. You have to take the rough with the smooth and luckily for me Vire is big enough to have a café and the coffee is, well, smooth.

Vire itself is a historic town in the Calvados department of Normandy. The town was heavily bombed in 1944 during the Normandy campaign of WW2. Much of it was rebuilt in the postwar years, but you can still find remnants of older architecture and castle ramparts. Vire is famous for its traditional smoked sausage called andouille de Vire, made from pig intestines and stomach, with a strong, distinctive flavor. On a previous trip I tried a very small amount on a pizza abd that was enough for me.

On the way today I saw one of the old style signposts which are now preserved and celebrated. This one is in particularly good condition and for once the sun was in the correct position. Earlier in the tour there was a general exhibition which included a montage of these retro signs.

Index

Day 17