Into Champagne Country: Sedan to Chalon

Setting Off

We were delighted to be greeted by clear skies this morning, the first time it has been so promising since the morning we set out from the heart of London, and that day deteriorated as we moved towards the coast. It was cool enough for all of us to be well rugged up, but Tony was ready for the sunshine ...

Meanwhile, Jo, his better half was taking a more conventional approach to the cold conditions ...

 The dynamic duo of Aaron and Richie were also more warmly dressed, and ready to lead the bunch out once again ...

We were faced with something of a rude shock in the form of a steep hill just out of town before we were properly warmed up, and that certainly broke up the bunch leaving six of us at the front.

Struggling to the top, we turned right an plunged into an emerald green valley. Cruising along the valley floor at the front of the group, I shot this short video ...

This day the first group had settled at six riders after the selection process of climbing that first steep hill. José I both liked the look of this lake and stopped to take a quick shot ...

A little further along there was a barn in a field that caught my eye ...

We stopped just over this bridge for our morning snack and coffee break ...

More great riding took us through gently rolling hills with the occasional tougher pinch. We were surrounded by an intensity of green everywhere, with lots of wheat growing alternating with an occasional splash of yellow canola ...

Lunch today was in a fairly quiet village with an attractive war museum ...

... which paid particular homage to the American forces that helped liberate the area ...

Bruno had prepared a magnificent spread for us all ...

The dynamic duo took a bit of a break together after lunch to contemplate the remaining part of the day's ride ...

They set off with Harold, while José, Sarah and I opted to pause at the café on the edge of town for a coffee before we got back on the road.

We started to see patches of poppies by the roadside ...

While the morning's ride had been amongst the most exquisite I have ever enjoyed, the afternoon proved to be a bit less so, with long straight and largely flat roads. The edge was also taken off the day somewhat by a bit of a headwind, but we were still having a pretty good day out considering it remained sunny for the first time on this epic journey.

We had left lunch with 50 kilometres of riding left, and José the Hardman, King of the Domestiques towed Sarah and me almost all that way. Chapeau, José!

I paused to take this photo of an attractive farmhouse just before the turnoff down into Chalon ...

Sam was waiting for us just another hundred metres of so down the road to point those of us who wanted a little side trip in the direction of St Etienne to see the basilique there. Here it is in all its glory ...

It would be a very impressive structure anywhere, but considering it is sited in a very small town it is even the more so.

I got a couple of photos of architectural detail ...

... before going inside for a look ...

One of the things we liked most about this building was that it wasn't overly ornate inside, unlike some large cathedrals.

Here is a graphic showing the route we travelled today, with profile of the terrain ...

After checking into our hotel it was time for a cold drink. While José and I were enjoying a beer our better halves arrived, and Di took a photo of José and Jo together, highlighting their legs ...

Speaking of highlights, we were treated by Bruno to a very informative and excellent seminar on the ins and outs of champagne before getting to sample various styles. Thanks Bruno! A very convivial dinner followed and that was another great day done!