Day 22 Pont du Loup to Nice 22 miles

---

A day off from cycling yesterday in Pont du Loup. Instead of using two wheels we used two legs & walked approx 2 miles reaching 1890 ft up to a medieval village at the top of the Gorge. It was up a steep zig zag path & took 1.5 hrs. It was well worth the effort the views at the top were amazing. We could see the sea ( I can he the he) the first time since Mont St Michel three weeks ago. Nice, Cannes, Antibes were all visible. It only took 40 mins to get down again but our muscles were aching this morning, more so than the whole trip

Today we had a gentle 20 mile down hill slide to Nice to the finish, except someone thought that would be too easy & threw in a climb. After so much riding on quiet roads it was a shock to the system to cycle through frenetic streets full of traffic in a bustling city. We were pleased to reach the cycle path that runs parallel with the sea & followed this for 11k .This was an experience in itself ,sharing the path with other cyclists ,rollerbladers ,joggers ,four seat tourist bikes, users of all ages & walks of life. We cycled passed the airport & the beaches with people sunbathing & swimming seeming so far removed from St Malo the start of our journey. We could smell the occasional smell of expensive perfume far removed from the smell of hair dye of northern France.

Finally our journey had come to an end. After three weeks & 1000miles we definitely felt a sense of achievment having ridden across France. It went very smoothly ,looking back, thanks mainly to Mark's organisational skills & months of planning. The bikes behaved impecably, no punctures. The accomodation whether Chambre d' Hote, Auberge ,or Chateau was faultless. Our bodies ,well,sacrum intact thanks to padded Lycra & saddles & decidedly fitter than the day we left.

Many thanks to all the blog followers & comments which helped to spur us on . Now all we have to do is finish walking the South west coast path !

---

Comments

[Susie]

Our trips to the alps from Cornwall are about 1000 miles. The thought of doing that on a bike !!!! Think you deserve a rest before those walking boots come out. Well done both of you ! An amazing effort . Xx

[John P]

Awesome
Awesome effort congrats to you both!

[Tony & Lyn]

Finis!!
Wow ~ an amazing journey and such descriptive Blogs. Re-entry into normal life will seem very strange for you both; in fact by the time you receive this you'll probably be champing at the bit for more adventure.