Day 10 - La Rochelle > Nantes (48 km)

"It's market day in the centre of La Rochelle. Unburdened of our panniers for the morning, we've come here to find the strength for our last stand. The aim was no longer to rack up the kilometres but simply to enjoy ourselves, before putting a definitive end to this half-tour of France. The route takes us towards the Marais Poitevin, via the Sèvre Niortaise estuary and the Brault locks. Sunflower fields light up the horizon. The clouds enhance the contrast of our latest Kodak photos.

We're at the gateway to the Vendée, the fifteenth département we've crossed since we set off. At Pointe aux Herbes, we leave the Vélodyssée for good to follow the bucolic greenway of the old Luçon canal. All we see are herons.

The course of the water that has guided us for the last ten days takes us to the Port de Luçon district. All that remains is to salute the statue of Cardinal Richelieu, the local of the stage, before jumping on a train bound for Nantes.

It's time to part with our bikes at the Paulette branch in Nantes, just a few metres from the station. It's also time to take stock of these bikes, which have fulfilled their mission brilliantly. 1104 kilometres without a puncture: that's a long way from the standards of a Mille Bornes game.

This time, the train took us back to Paris. The TGV reached cruising speed. The kilometres we had worked so hard to cover on our bikes were flying by. The distances are crushing and slipping away. Our cycling outfits and tans are the last visible signs that this adventure is coming to an end. And then there's that heady tune that seems to superimpose itself on the rhythm set by the train on the rails :

« Quand on partait de bon matin
Quand on partait sur les chemins
À bicyclette »

Paulette is a network of bike hire agencies. You can find us on the Canal de Nantes à Brest, the Loire à vélo, the Vélodyssée, the Canal latéral à la Garonne, the Méditerranée à vélo and the Canal du Midi in Brest, Tours, Nantes, Lyon, Arles, Mâcon, Chalon sur Saône, Montélimar, Paris, La Rochelle, Royan, Bordeaux, Sète, Béziers, Narbonne, Biarritz and Toulouse.

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