Day 6 - Pompertuzat > Agen (52 km)

Pedalling the last stretch of the Canal is a treat. We mingle with the crowds of people from Toulouse, out in trainers and with their families for the start of the weekend. Our bikes took us straight to Paulette's, where we met the teams to review our discovery of the ViaRhôna and the Canal du Midi.

This visit to the stand was an opportunity to discover Toulouse and get our bodies used to walking again. The city streets are quiet. They lead us towards the sublime Basilique Saint-Sernin, the Jacobins convent and the excellent L'air de famille restaurant on rue Chalande. Rid of our cycling shirts, washed off with sun cream and back to civilian life for a few hours, we returned to our holiday habits. Our wanderings brought us to the threshold of a shop where we met young Anna, a chocolatier who doesn't like chocolate, but knows her trade inside out.

After five long days and longer-than-expected distances (135 kilometres on average), we decided to slow things down by shortening today's stage. After collecting our brand new bikes, we jumped on a train bound for Valence d'Agen.

The 30 kilometres left to cycle are an opportunity to discover the Canal Latéral à la Garonne in the cool of the day. This structure, which doubles the Garonne from Toulouse to Bordeaux, extended the Canal du Midi, forming the Canal des Deux-Mers, and in 1856 provided a navigable route between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

The cycling infrastructure that follows the canal is impeccable. It takes us to our gîte for the evening, just a stone's throw from Agen. We were welcomed into the home of friends' parents, and in the nicest possible way. After a dip in the pool and a tasty summer dinner, we sampled the local sweet delicacy, apple croustade, as well as the inevitable Agen prunes.

This beautiful summer evening would not be complete without a game of Mille bornes. The bridge table was brought out for the occasion. The evening's visitors lost out to the seasoned home players.

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, Paris, La Rochelle, Royan, Bordeaux, Sète, Béziers, Narbonne, Biarritz and Toulouse.

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