EV6 days 28-31

I have finally arrived at a place with Wi-Fi where I can catch up with this blog! Days 28-31 finished and I have a rest day.

Day 28 started badly. My phone could get no signal for data which meant that I could get no map data up and if I used a paper map I had no way of knowing where Passepartout was lurking. It didn’t like the move from Germany into Switzerland! 2 hours, lots of resetting, and a long phone call on Wi-Fi to Vodaphone and I am finally sorted. A late start.

I have my first introduction to the Rhine. Even as a youngster I can see it is a powerful beast. As I cycle along I still see lots of eagles. It occurs to me that they don’t know anything about national borders, or indeed neutrality. I beetle along quite happily and then as I am starting to climb a hill my front gears fail. Despite sharp words and a kick, I can’t fix them, nor can I get them to adjust. I have to make do with just the big ring.shortly afterwards I link up with Passepartout and we find there is a cycle shop at the bottom of the hill in town. We take it in and, although it is an electric bike shop, Laurel and Hardy the Swiss engineers ‘fix it’. They say it’s not perfect but needs new parts but will function. It does- for about 5 minutes. Next stop I swap bikes back on to Nicks spare.
eventually we find ourselves, in error, on the German side of the river for the night in Bad Sackingen. We do find a decent campsite and local restaurants. Deal with the rest in the morning!

Day 29

We have a royal visit today. Matt Leek has flown into Basel to join us for a couple of days. I set off on nicks bike to do the 35 kms into Basel while Passepartout takes the van with my bike into Basel to collect Matt and see if he can get my bike fixed. By the time I get to Basel he has done both! He has collected our guest and they have found – about 500 m from my trail- a cycle and triathlon shop staffed by young enthusiastic cycle enthusiasts who do a great repair on the bike ( needing no spare parts as Laurel and Hardy had claimed!). We even had time for a coffee – maybe more-in a cafe to celebrate!

I pass more great sports facilities- including a canoe slalom run. I just missed 2 athletes doing a run on it. Then I am along the flat into Mulhouse, now we are in France, standards of driving instantly drop and consideration for cyclists reduces- shame. I do see some memorials to the fallen of a battle in 1944. They are complete with an old tank and field gun. Almost forgotten history.

When we get into Mulhouse Passepartout has pulled off a coup. He has found a campsite for him in the van and booked 2 adjacent witches cottages for me and Leeky. Not only that it’s next to the town rugby club- as befits someone of Leekys standing- and is around the corner from a restaurant. French food!! No more pork and spuds.

Day 30

I head off along the canal. The day goes spookily well. The track is flat, really well surfaced, and I have a small tail wind! I pass some interesting stuff but mostly I am happy making good time. It is good to see swans and their cygnets happily swimming along. I arrange to meet my (now) support crew is a small canal marina, there is a cafe there and I thought a coffee in the sun would be good. Of course we are in France now so the surly cafe owner comes out and tells us we can’t park the motor home in his car park. We explain that firstly there are no other vehicle there, it is like the grave, and we want to be customers. He tells to park up the road. We do and make our own coffee too!
next stop is Montbeliard. It is quite a nice town. We find a suitable car park, ironically situated next to the rugby club! And have lunch. Leeky has to make tracks to get back to Basel for his flight. I say goodbye to him there- we have been pleased that he took the time to come and visit- Nick takes him up to Belford to get the train and I head off down the canal. I am amazed as I stay in luck! The path remains flat, well surfaced and I keep the small tail wind. Yesss!

As I am closing in on Baumé-les-Dames, I meet with a British couple moored up in their canal boat flying the British flag. Not only that, they are partaking of an evening G&T- keeping the empire alive amongst the foreigners!! They are an elderly couple and touring the French waterways in a leisurely and longer term fashion.

Finally I arrive in Baumé-les-Dames where we have a decent campsite for the night. More French food and a good nights sleep.

Day 31

Things seem to be going so well- can this continue? Yes. I cycle up through a magnificent set of mini gorges up the Doubs river. As I am doing so my mileage clicks over- I have 999kms left to go. That lifts the spirits. I am on a flat well paved route again, making really fast time, the scenery is magnificent and I am closing in on completing the trip. It doesn’t get much better!!

I get into Besacon (where amusingly there is a cycle protest for something and cyclist are blocking the road!) and have a celebratory coffee and salad lunch with Passepartout. There is an amazing fort there and even more amazing they have tunnelled through the rock underneath it to take the canal- and the cycle track through.

Now we are beginning to feel properly in France. Thankfully drivers have started to be more considerate of cyclists again. There is starting to be more mention of the EV6. It is much better signposted. It seems that since Covid the French have upgraded many of the paths. I hope it is commercially successful for them.

Tonight I finish in Damparis – outside a beautiful old building that was, and is, the post office. They were very grand and one of the most important buildings in the town in that era.

Passepartout has found us a campsite with swimming pool and all facilities nearby. We have a rest day tomorrow so can slob. Perfect and at the end of play 3028kms completed and 906 kms scheduled still to go.

For some reason the Wi-Fi is not good enough to upload pictures. I hope I can add them later.