Days 26-27. 56km (84572kms 8yrs)
A zero kilometre day in which I caught up on some admin, visited the Jardins Suspendus, and hung out with Hélène. Perfection.
The following day not so much. The good weather had finally broken and I set out into a wet grey day. I knew I had to take a ‘scary’ bridge out of Le Havre to the west, but also that it had bike lanes. How bad could it be?
Pretty bad in fact. The westbound direction was closed so for a moment I thought I’d get to travel up that side entirely traffic-free but pedestrians and cyclists were directed to the opposite side of the bridge whereupon I was alarmed to see big trucks hurtling down the only one open lane, straddling the narrow bike lane as they rushed past me. I wouldn’t be using that! I rode instead on the pavement, separated from the bike lane by a raised curb. All was fine until I swerved to miss a dead pigeon, clipping a pannier which sent me tumbling headfirst into the bike lane. Thanks to providence there was a break in the traffic or else you wouldn’t have been hearing from me again. I was pretty shaken, at first too afraid to ride further, but then also desperate to get off this awful bridge.
In Honfleur, after a tour of the pretty harbour lined with very expensive bistros, I found a nice warm bakery with a nice warm Croque Madame to warm me as I settled my nerves.
I bet the the town is super lovely when the sun’s out (and you haven’t just thrown yourself into traffic on the Pont De Normandie) but on this cold wet day it was unpleasant to be lingering outdoors. Église Ste-Catherine was special though; built by shipwrights in the 15th and early 16th centuries, the double-vaulted roof resembles two overturned ships’ hulls. It was only supposed to be a temporary structure to replace the previous church destroyed during the Hundred Years War. Wood was used so as to have money left over to strengthen the city’s fortifications.
With 30 kilometres still to my hosts I left town with the wind at my back. I stopped briefly in Deauville to eat a meringue the size of my head before completing the wet ride into Houlgate.
Here I was more than usually grateful to be received by Stéphanie & Fabrice who fed me a hearty meal while my wet shoes and clothes dried in their snug guest room.
If you enjoy my vlogs, blogs, and photogs please consider joining me on Patreon 😃
https://www.patreon.com/helsonwheels?fan_landing=true
#biketouring #cycling #france
12 Comments
Be careful on the road, there are drunk and stoned 🍺🥃🌿🌱drivers driving vehicles and they do not know what they are doing, especially if you come to Algeria
Whoa, that was a bit too close for comfort! Cycling on bridges is so nerve wracking, at least for me it is. Glad you’re ok! Hope you have a restful stay. 😊
A scary bridge, but a lovely church and a nice Croque Madame to recover!
I like the breakfast and evening parts and trying something new.
Glad you did not break your shoulder or any bones!
My goodness, how scary was that bridge .
Glad you survived, safe and well 👍
I agree with you, I hate that bridge. Even without roadworks the lanes for cyclists and pedestrians are far too narrow. Farther inland the Pont de Brotonne is slightly better and the ferries only slightly farther east are superb, but they are quite a detour. Still, you get the reward of Honfleur, one of the prettiest coastal towns on the Normandie coast, and because of that it is heaving with tourists in the summer, particularly on the waterfront. You saw it at its best on a rainiy pre-season day. Safe cycling!
Yipes! I‘ve driven over that bridge a number of times, and I can’t imagine anyone crossing it on a bicycle. Much less a loaded touring bike. — I sure hope you won’t be facing situations like that again.
I've done the Humber bridge but in that case the walking and cycling bit is on a completely separate track from the road. Even without the road works I think cycling in that narrow lane with the traffic would not be fun at all. I think the ferry at Quillebeuf sur Seine might be nicer.
White Line survival. Stay safe, had a similar pannier bounce off last year in Poland. Nice video
I traversed it from La Havre in August last year with a fully loaded bike. Pretty horrific especially when I stopped to do some filming of it. You can see the results here
I Cycled Over the Pont de Normandie—Here’s What Shocked Me!
https://youtu.be/TWKx8s2d6AI
It's unbearable to see that structures essential to the movement of people have neither sidewalks nor cycle paths. When we see the climate nonsense, the CO2-laced scientism, but it's impossible to ride a bicycle without risking your life. Personally, I often use sidewalks where I ride quietly, putting my foot down if I see that I'm scaring an elderly person. In short, I don't have a problem because there are no plates and in Switzerland we tolerate the attitude more than the rules. But I am convinced that the registration of bicycles will become mandatory because it will very quickly become a paying thing (certainly not at the beginning) and will bring in billions to buy bombs. Ah, France is beautiful (if we ignore global cooling;)!