Ride Leaders

To confirm - Clyde will be leading Thursday to La Poisonniere and I will lead to Nantes.

Ride Leaders

Only a few days before we hit the saddle!

I am happy to lead the ride on Tuesday Blois to Tours.

Update

Just re-read the blog, is Martin leading the ride to Tours?

If so, it  looks like Thursday and Fridays rides are between Clyde and me. What day are you proposing to do Clyde?

Refreshment on Sunday 25th at Orleans.

Martin and Clyde arrive into Orleans in the afternoon, then I should get into the main station at 19:32 followed by Shawn and Maldwyn at 20:19. I shall have had a meal early afternoon on the Eurostar but will need some sustenance before bedtime. Is there a chance for a late evening get together, perhaps somewhere twixt station and F1? If not, I shall probably get "Le Sandwich" before I leave Paris.

Blois - Tours route notes

Blois - Tours notes

Map 1

Leave Blois by stone bridge.

Right on to cycle path by river alongside D751.

Under steel bridge (at roundabout) and then immediately cross main road to follow cycle path.

Map 2

After ~ 3km path turns left away from river and then continues to run alongside D751, crossing to other side after ~50m.

~1.6km to Chailles entry sign.

Map 3

Path appears to continue across parkland, behind the houses on main road, and joins Rue de la Vallee at right turn after ~700m.

Cross Rue de la Varenne after ~500m.

After ~600m follow road to left then after further ~150 turn right (Velo signed Amboise).

Cross Rue des Prés after ~500m into Grange Cazin.

Map 4

After ~800m left at stop sign into Rue de la Loire, then right after ~50m into Rue de l’Aumóne (Velo sign).

After ~300m the Velo route appears to be straight on, ignoring the left fork (Rue des Châtaigniers) that becomes a dirt track, and also avoids a short section of D751 through Candé-sur-Beuvron .

Map 5

Continue along Rue de l’Aumóne for ~2.5km to cross-roads. Turn right into Rue de la Bordé.

First left after ~300m into Rue des Robinettes (Velo sign). Then after ~400m, with church on left, follow road to right down to Rue du Château and left into Candé-sur-Beuvron. After ~100m use small stone bridge over river (Le Beuvron). Right on to cycle track beside river.

After ~1km the Beuvron joins the Loire. Another ~1km and a barrier to motor traffic, plus an Ambroise 25km Velo sign.

Map 6

The path goes through a camping site and under the D1 bridge over the river, and a Amboise 22, Blois 21 Velo sign.

Map 7

At Chaumont-sur-Loire the path is alongside the D751 for ~1.5km. The path then crosses the road and around woodland for ~3km before rejoining at Rilly-sur-Loire. Right, back along the D751 for a few metres and follow the Amboise 17 Velo sign to the left.

Map 8

After ~2km left turn and the path crosses back over the D751 (at the Indre-et-Loire Department boundary, note: the March 2010 Google Street View shows yellow “Itineraire Provisoire” Velo signs hereabouts(temporary or diversionary?) that may have changed since).

Cross D751 and follow Route des Montils for ~2km and cross D123 (yellow Velo signs).

Map 9

Continue on Route des Montils for ~3km, after crossing a drainage ditch and a small stream the same road changes to Rue de la Salandière. After another ~1km cross D80 (yellow Velo sign) into Rue de la Résistance. After ~1km fork left (just after start of vineyards, signed St. Régal, plus Velo signs).

Map 10

After ~1km cross Rue de la Forgetrie into Rue des Tétes Noires. After ~1km (at water tower) right turn into Rue des Blaisies (actually looks like same road). Second left after ~400m into Rue du Saule and then left after ~200m into Rue de la République.

Map 11

After ~600m cross Bd Saint-Denis Hors (D31), on a bridge, into Rue des Fauchelleries, which becomes Rue des Chaumieres. ~200m after Amboise entry sign we can either follow the Velo route through a maze of on way streets or turn right down Rue de Bel air direct to the river. This would, however, mean ~1km along the D751. Plenty of shops along the waterfront. Good place for a picnic? 

The Velo route goes under the stone bridge and alongside the river.

Maps 12 - 22

Since the rest of the journey to Tours is mainly off road, I will trust copies of the Velo maps (and it’s getting late) to get us to our destination. Conveniently, the route drops us off at the end of Route des Deux Lions on our way to the F1.

Ride Leading and maps - France 2014.

As I have the bookings for Orleans and Blois I am happy to volunteer to lead Monday's ride from Hotel to Hotel (with a diversion to see the Chateau at Chambord). I had intended to use the mapometer links provided some time ago by Clyde but they don't work any more for me. Do you know if they expire over time, Clyde? I can probably use Michelin maps, or those provided on the Loire a Velo site or the Eurovelo 6 website. We have proposed Martin as leader into Tours, following his (very) detailed analysis of possible safe routes to the F1. Any other volunteers?

Some new distances

Here is an update of the distances of our trip. I have not taken the precise locations of our hostelries in Orleans, Tours, Blois or Nantes into account, but I thought our places near Saumur and Angers were sufficiently different from what we had originally that corrections were necessary.

Orléans - Blois	68	68
Blois - Tours	67	135
Tours - Domaine de la Brèche	75	210
Domaine de la Brèche - La Possonière	83	293
La Possonière - Nantes	87	380

Tours Sud F1

Previous experience of F1 hotels suggests their locations can be elusive. Tours Sud is no exception. Their website positions the F1 on a motorway slip road. In fact it is on a completely different road, protected from the motorway by two, very high, wire-mesh fences.

Tours Sud F1 is about 7 km from the river, off a main arterial road (Avenue du Grand Sud) and close to an Auchan complex. However this road also appears to act as a feeder to the A10 motorway, with several entry and exit roads that would have to be crossed. Not very cycle friendly.

An alternative, more suburban, route is possible from the Pont du Lac at the southern edge of the city centre. This leaves Pont du Lac on a cycle track along Rue de l'Auberdière to a roundabout. Then first right on to a cycleway, protected by a no entry sign. Keeping left at every turn and through a gap between a stream (Le Petit Cher) and a lake (Lac de la Bergeonnerie) for about 200m, to Avenue Marcel Dassault. Right turn along cycle path for 100m and left at a roundabout to Rue des Deux Lions for about 500m. Left and then immediately right at T junctions to Rue due Tailhar for about 1 km. Left under a main road bridge (and beside a railway line) to a roundabout. First right up to the main road (cycle track) and over the railway and a minor road and then immediately right through a gap in the hedge (by a big roundabout sign) to drop down into a housing estate and right on Rue de Candé. Left to Rue d'Amboise. Left at roundabout to Rue de Chambord. Straight on at next roundabout to Rue de la Marchanderie. Continue straight on into Rue Guillaume Louis. Straight on at next roundabout. Just before next roundabout take cycle track on left, over first junction and on up hill alongside the main road, Rue Philippe Maupas. This goes over the motorway, on a narrow pavement, and then drops down to a pedestrian crossing - and into the F1 site. This alternative route is about 8 km from the river at Pont Wilson.

Incidentally, Tours also has a new tram system, so another chance to admire Alstom's centre conductor rail.