June 2020 Day 1

LE VAUDIOUX TO LANGRES

OUR FIRST ADVENTURE JUNE 2020

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Day 1 Le Vaudioux - Port Lensey 56 km.

It is time to set off on our first bike tour adventure. 

Trying out the equipment and our bodies to make sure everything works as it should before planning longer ones. The sun is shining, there are a few clouds around so it’s not too hot and our bikes are packed and ready. I am both nervous and excited, although today is no further than we often travel on a Sunday. 

The unknown element always throws me a little and I have this little voice that says ‘you can’t do this.’ I push it away, replacing it with my new resolve to not limit myself but instead to discover what I can do.
Martin has the day’s route set up on his phone.

‘Ready?’ he asks. I nod, hoist up onto the saddle and we wobble down the road, adjusting to the balance and the weight of our carefully packed waterproof bags. Out of the village and up the hill. It doesn’t feel much different than normal. Good legs. Down the other side and over the bridge. My bike thumps over the ever-present lumps in the road and off flies my front light! Ha. Bending down to pick it up is a feat of strength and balance but I manage. I tuck the light inside the bag and mentally note I need a better way of securing it but as we are travelling in the day only it’s not too important. Today we are travelling mostly on roads we know, giving ourselves time to settle into the bike tour mode.

It’s hotter in Champagnole but soon we are out of the town and into the villages and forests of the Jura. There’s a slight cooling wind and I breath deep, relaxing into this very healthy and environmentally friendly mode of travel. The green fields, tress and hills pass quickly and after 25 km we stop for lunch. Already hungry from the exercise and fresh air.
We stop in Chapois under two huge old lime trees that are buzzing with insects enjoying the flowers. It takes a few attempts to find a place where the bikes will stay upright on their stands.

‘Well, I’m loving this already. Despite the extra weight,’ I say and Martin smiles and agrees. 
‘I’m finding it difficult to control the bike at slow speeds and getting on an off is interesting,’ Martin says and laughs.

‘Yep, and going up the hills is a little tougher but nothing the gears cannot compensate for,’ I grin felling positive and relieved. I can do this. We can do this. ‘My bike wants to lie down every time we stop. Poor thing.’ I look across and it is still standing. Good bike.

‘No extra rattles or squeaks,’ Martin says looking at his bike with pride. He has rebuilt it from the frame up, even stripping the paint and re spraying. It looks great. 

We soon finish our picnic and take a few photos of the lovely old bridge near the lime trees. Martin has a lie down on the bench while I write in my notepad. Ah. This is the life. 


Back on the bikes and not so much wobbling as we set off through villages and along quiet roads. Chatting about life and what we see as we go. Our eyes drinking in the scenery and loving it although it is familiar. There are some short sharp hills before a breath-taking view over Salins les Bains. 
The road down is a long and steep covered in loose gravel patches as it had been resurfaced recently. I am not the most comfortable with speed, add in gravel and a heavy bike and I am nervous. Still not sure of my capacity to be in control of this bike. The brakes didn’t smoke too much even though Martin says he can smell them when I stop halfway down to breath and shake out my hands and arms. 

We make it to the bottom safely and enter the town. I am very happy when Martin signals left and stops at a café. A cold drink is welcome, but two cokes set us back five euros and I’m shocked.  
We don’t eat or drink out much so I am always surprised at prices when we do, but I’m glad we can help a business just a little in these difficult times of Covid 19. 
Fuelled with the sugary drink we zip up the steep hill to the old railway line – now the cycle route LA VOIE DES SALINES info in English  – and pedal along happily, through the short tunnel and it’s welcome douse of coolness. 

During the ride we have been stopping to take pictures and I am venturing into the world of ‘whatsapp’ groups with my sisters, one son and my mum. I’m not the most social of people, but sharing this holiday when people need to feel together is fun. 

We continue along the cycle way appreciating all the wildflowers until we cycle into the village Port Lesney on the River Doubs. to find our first camp site Woka Camping Radeliers ***. We pitch the tent- it’s so easy to do, a brilliant design, set up our beds and then cool off in the river.

The current is strong so I crouch in the shallows and wave my arms to keep my balance rather than venture to the deeper channel. Martin paddles and watches the fish.

‘Oh look there are even eels in the water,’ he says. 

I flinch but he is pointing to the river weed.

‘Oh ha,’ I say and continue to enjoy the cool silkiness of the water. 

We walk to the shower block and it’s hot or maybe my body is cool from the river, but I soon acclimatise and sigh. An echoing sigh from the shower next to me. We are both happy to have completed the first day of our tour with no problems, And no aches. 
 

Cooking Stove

We are hungry though so out comes the super small cooking stove.

This is a brilliant design, so efficient and quick, but not totally stable with our pan on top, after it has fallen off two times and we’ve fed the grass in front of the tent, we add more pasta and Martin holds the handle while I add seasoning. We keep the flame high and it sticks a little. We decide to use a lower flame next time as it still boils. We are learning. 

We pick the now cooled pasta from the grass and feed the fish before putting the bikes to bed against a tree, tucking their cover around them. It is waterproof but also a deterrent. It could do with being a little tougher and larger, so we’ll think about that as the week passes.

Swimming costume and towel are hung in the tree and we wander along the riverbank, finding an old mill that is now a hydro station, a couple of weirs, a very tall thistle and a tower. I have a thing for towers and thank Martin for his choice of campsite. He smiles and I love him a little bit more. 

Before bedtime I have a joyful tech moment. I find I can access all my word docs on my phone so can continue writing stories when we do longer cycle touring without the need of a small tablet. My phone is a computer. My brain does a happy dance and Martin smiles at my excitement. It doesn’t take much for me to be high on excitement and discovery. 


Yawning we use the Jetboil, another super-efficient design and make hot chocolate adding powered almond milk – which we found in a health food shop this morning. We lie in our tent listening to the frogs serenading, the sheep clanging their bells, the hum of the traffic, and the human sounds of  people in the village and campsite. 


The air bed is comfy, the pillow is great, and the sleeping bag is soft, but…it’s not the same as our bed. We toss and turn, both trying to find that comfortable place. Both trying not to disturb the other, until we realise, we are both struggling to find the sleep spot.


 I am tangled in the sleeping bag, sticking to it as a hot flush reminds me of my age, maybe I should wear something at night as a barrier between my skin and the bag, but it’s warm and I’m too tired to sit up and find a t-shirt. I try to remember how to adjust to the restrictions of a tube rather than a duvet. My arms are a nuisance, and sleep is elusive with sounds alerting my brain every few minutes. 


But we are happy and relaxed. We knew it would be different the first night and I’m smiling at the frogs singing and allowing the road and river noise to blur into the background. I am glad our neighbours in the cemetery are dead quiet, that could’ve been creepy. 


Finally, Martin pulls his sleeping bag over his pillow and sighs. 


‘That’s better,’ he says and soon his breathing changes. I follow his lead and drift off into a patchy sleep, but it is sleep. 


We both wake with the dawn chorus, smile, and doze back off.  Continue to Day 2
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