Day 16, 6 6 2013, Dole to Dijon
We left Dole this morning on the same high quality bike path that we rode in on, but through increasingly less-interesting flat-farm country.
After a while we entered the Bourbogne area, and the quality of the bike path and all associated infrastructure quickly deteriorated to the level we are used to in western France. That is, we were riding on a broken up farm road, with potholes and bumps, a far cry from the sort of path we had got used to. In addition, due to the flat country, we were riding through what Roz calls the “green tube”. That is, the canal is surrounded on both sides with impenetrable forest, and the canal water is green. You cannot see much.
We rode into the very flat plain of the Soane River, past the attractive town of St Vits, feeling a bit bored with this, and turned away from the Euro Velo 6 path onto secondary roads to go to Dijon. We gradually gained a bit of altitude and rode into the town of Nuits-St-George, where we were surprised at the large number of hotels.
TomTom led us out onto secondary roads through vineyards along the side of a ridge, until we came to a spot where a man was hoeing weeds with a plough drawn by a horse, and where a number of people had gathered.
We asked an American what was special, and he told us in a very reverent tone that at this point we were at the epicenter of the major vineyards of Burgundy. While we have only a passing interest in wine, this raised our spirits somewhat, and we rode through the rest of the Burgundy wine route in better spirits.
We rode into the attractive city of Dijon, went to the tourist information centre, quickly arranged a cheap hotel in the middle of town and enjoyed a pleasant summer evening, dining in an outdoors café. This is how life is supposed to be.
I have had a niggling problem with some of my gear. I am meticulous about preparation of our equipment, if it all works nothing else matters. When our bikes were unloaded during the plane’s final approach into Charles de Gaulle airport, they managed to put small buckles into both wheels. The bike works fine, but this irritates me as I ride along. I have a slight electrical problem with my USB bike charger, I will redesign this when I get home for next time.
I purchased 2 new wool riding shirts, both of which have developed holes within the first two weeks. They may well last out but will be rubbish by the end of the trip. I will write to Endura, the manufacturer when I get home but am reasonably sure they will tell me that I mistreated the shirts by wearing them. I would have bought the same Icebreaker shirts I have worn in the past, but they took that model off the market because it was so good. I noticed that my pannier rack has rubbed against my panniers and worn through the metal tubing, so it will have to be replaced sooner rather than later. This one is my fault, I knew there was a problem and the rack has been on the bike for over 60,000Km. These things are sent to try us, and it will all be OK in the end.
95 not so easy kilometers for the day.
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