France - Ain

Bourg-en-Bresse
Wed 14 May 2014     Cumulative distance 389km
The rain had passed but the cold remained. Suitably rugged up we set off at around 8.30am to complete our journey to Bourg-en-Bresse, a further 40km or so. Soon we commenced our first climb, initially at a steady 4% inclination before the gradient increased to a brutal 10% and 12% for a 1 to 2km section. Marianne ground up the entire way while the rest of us simply ran out of puff and pushed our bikes for several hundred metres past the worst of it.

In the final section to the top we could see our breath in the cold air and, damp with perspiration from our exertions, we could not rest for long before becoming chilled. We were thankful that we had not attempted this yesterday in the wet as it would have been tortuous.

At the Col we met a local who told us that the weather was colder than usual - this was one of the three or four days that typically occur in Spring when the temperatures plummet. She also assured us that we had completed the worst climb but there were several more ridges to cross on our way and she particularly warned us of the next descent as it was very steep. She was not wrong! With long sections with gradients of 10% to 15% we zoomed down, stopping occasionally to enjoy the views of the magnificent valley, while in between reaching speeds approaching 60kph. We all agreed that if we had done this yesterday we would have been suffering severe hypothermia by the time we reached the l'Ain river.

After enjoying a stroll across the high bridge spanning the river and admiring the views up- and downstream we continued on, climbing and descending the final ridges of the Jura tail, before reaching the much flatter region near Bourg-en-Bresse. With the sun out and (somewhat) warmer temperatures we started to thaw and, on reaching the town, immediately found a small restaurant in the centre for our 'Plat du Jour' lunch.

Satisfied with our day's effort, and knowing that the next reasonably-sized town was another 20-30km away we decided to stop for the day to do a bit of shopping (regional maps, a cap for David, a new bike mirror for Denis), explore the town and plan our onward route.

Bourg-en-Bresse is a town of about 40,000 people located approximately 70 km north-northeast of Lyon. It is the capital of the Ain department and, while pleasant, is unexceptional as regional French towns go, with a few interesting old buildings and squares. It is a starting point for Stage 12 (Thu 17 Jul : Bourg-en-Bresse - Saint-Étienne) of this year's Tour de France. We enjoyed wandering about, had success with our shopping and, after an aperitif sitting with the locals in the cool evening air, found a Creperie for dinner - surprisingly a first for Beth.

Enroute to Bourg-en-Bresse

 

 

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Bourg-en-Bresse
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