Burgundy into Champagne

Top of the climb

Yesterday was a national holiday in France: Ascension Day.  I don't know how they figured it out (kinda like the date of Christmas), but it's the day that Jesus ascended into heaven following crucifixion and resurrection.  I feel like I'm already in heaven and today I ascended my first real climb.  You can tell when you've pedaled your way up a true climb in France because there's always a big cross at the top (I guess I just know that from watching the Tour)!  The high speed descent into Bazoches was really exhilarating!  I got the B.o.b. trailer up over 40 mph and it followed me like a shadow!

Coffee Break

Entering Avallon

Most of the shops were closed on Ascension Day except for in the morning.  I stopped at a bakery in Corbigny and loaded up on pastries this time to eat throughout the day.  The riding was actually quite remote.  It was a lot longer in between villages, and the villages were like ghost towns, anyway.  I rode through the beautiful villages of Burgundy, stopping for coffee in Pierre-Perthuis, lunch in Avallon (a pastry that I'd purchased in the morning and half of a baguette with butter), and photos in Montreal.  Riding into Avallon was really a trip highlight.  I rode along a road with rock cliffs on one side, and a beautiful stream on the other.  Making my way into Ravieres, I asked three different locals where I should camp (there are not so many campgrounds when you are not on a published bike route or in a tourist area) and they all said to camp along the canal, that no one would care.  So, I pitched my tent, cooked my dinner, and fell asleep to the sounds of the frogs in the canal.

In Montreal

Heading toward Avallon

One of two foxes I saw in the evening

Camped along the canal

This morning I woke up and headed for coffee and a bathroom in Ravieres.  Then, I made sure to purchase a great sausage that I learned about from having dinner with Edwige: Saucisson! (I also bought a couple of baguettes, of course).  The hills were not quite as bad today.  I learned that my regional maps show little chevrons on the roads to indicate hills and their steepness.  So, to cater to my knee I've chosen my route with as few chevrons as possible!  I had a great lunch in  Châtillon-sur-Seine  (I made it back to the Siene!) and continued on.  I should note here that I'm up to about 7 shots of espresso per day.  This trip is pretty much fueled on baguettes, pastries, and caffeine!

Saucisson!

I gunned for Chaumont (riding under the impressive viaduct upon entering the town) and rested at the McDonald's for a bit.  My saddle started bugging me yesterday and it had intensified today as I rode.  It's like a nerve is getting pinched and it doesn't feel great.  When I got back on my bike after the break in Chaumont.....ouch!  I continued riding in hopes that it would go away.  The intensity lessened, but I wasn't really comfortable for the rest of the evening.  Today marks 12 days in a row of riding...days have been between 7 and 12 hours in the saddle.  Perhaps it's getting close to time for a rest day.  This evening, in Andelot, I broke down and got a room in a quaint little hotel with a restaurant below.  Dinner was foie gras and sweetbreads!

The viaduct in Chaumont

Time for a glass of bubbly!

foie gras

sweetbread (calf thymus)