Day 13 Lyon to Valence

If I had realised that it was day 13 I might have been more careful! The day began like many others. Up at 7 washed, shaved, creamed( anti-insect, sun, bum ), dressed, packed  - a good breakfast and warmly wished on my way by Sebastien by 8.30. By 10.00 I was still in the centre of Lyon getting more and more frusrtated by my inability to find the road out. Eventually I decided to get radical (the soft option asking for directions was again worse than useless) - ignore the map, the signs, and my directions and to follow my nose and the Rhone. 

D4 alongside the A7

This led me on a slightly circuitous route but before long I was sailing along  heading back towards  the planned route. An hour lost but nothing too serious. There is no timetable to keep to. Enjoy each and every part of every day. By Chasse-sur-Rhone I was back on the left bank of the Rhone and back on route. There is not too much actual choice of route because the Rhone, the A7 autoroute, the TGV line and the little road that I was on (D4) were all squeezing through a relatively small valley with steep sided slopes on either side to which clung precariously little clumps of vines. 

Just as I was congratulating myself on having navigated back on track and making good speed - disaster! Disaster of Friday 13th proportions. I blinked and found myself on the A7 autoroute cycling on the hard shoulder alongside three solid lanes of traffic speeding South. What could I do? The sign said 8km to Vienne. Perhaps I could make it to the next exit? I kept pedalling like mad hoping to make it before ...... my worst fear was realised. The hard shoulder stoped and turned into a tiny piece of tarmac a foot wide between the white line of lane 1 and the wall that separated the autoroute from the Rhone. I had just got past this terrifying part and back on to the relative security of the hard shoulder when  I heard the sound of an emergency vehicle behind me and I stopped.

I have never been so grateful to see a man in reflective clothing in my life. Considering what he must have been thinking of this mad old twit cycling on the busiest motorway in France on a "jour rouge" he was very calm and accepted my pleas of ignorance and regret with equanimity. He explained that he would need to take me off the motorway in his van. We loaded my bike into the back and me into the front and he calmly took me the four miles or so to the 1st exit. He went out of his way to explain the best way through Vienne and dropped me at the roundabout leading in to Vienne.On his radio I could hear his controller ask, "Have you got that mad cyclist?" "Oui!" After that little adventure the rest of the ride to Valence was uneventful.
 

Cotes du Rhone

My route followed the Rhone faithfully bend for bed and was pleasingly flat.It had been a fairly easy 70 miler and despite my little mishaps I was at my F1 hotel by 3pm. I still had energy enough to cycle into Valence centre (8km) for a look around and to visit the tourist information which may be closed tomorrow (Sunday)  It may have been me but for a Saturday afternoon it didn't seem very busy. I was struck, though, by the ready availability of  public transport and the bike frienliness of French big towns and cities. Back at the F1 hotel which was busy it was a by now familiar tale, "Wi fi gratuit" is not much use when you can't connect. But Canal+ was a definite plus for I enjoyed South Africa against Australia and the Johnny Walker golf. I am looking forward to a nice lie in tomorrow until maybe 8am! I haven't finalised my plans yet but I am thinking in terms of: Sunday Valence, Monday Orange Tuesday Orange Wednesday Montpellier Thursday Montpellier Friday Narbonne - swim in Med Saturday arrive in Raissac d'Aude. These plans are weather/ hotel availability / continued leg strength dependent.