Day 8: Niort to Bordeaux. 121 miles. 4613 feet of climbing. Paved roads!

After having read about it's history, it was unfortunate that I didn't get a chance to tour Niort and the surrounding areas.  So much history from the English Plantagenet kings.  But yesterday's ride took so much out of us all that, as the British would say, we were all knackered.

I took no pictures today.  Instead, today was all about completing the day.  With 121 miles to ride, I was thinking about nothing other than finishing.  And, doing the math, I wasn't sure how long it would take.

During most of the past days of riding, I've been averaging about 12-13 miles per hour.  That's a result of a combination of rough roads, many traffic circles, hill climbs and, above all, not being in top performance shape.  So calculating a similar pace, I figured I'd arrive here in Bordeaux somewhere around 6pm, assuming our normal 8am departure.  With all that, I didn't figure I'd have time to stop for anything other than a bathroom break and water bottle refills.  Photos, therefore, were right out.

Courtesy of Jesse.  We rode through miles upon miles of sunflower fields in between the vineyards.

Heading south from Niort, we rode through the remaining sections of the Loire Valley and into the Bordeaux region.  The cornfields soon gave way to miles and miles of vineyards and sunflower fields.  We entered the Bordeaux wine region into the Cote de Bourg area before actually riding into the city of Bordeaux, having crossed over the Dordogne River.

When I arrived at the hotel, I had actually ridden at a 14.2 miles per hour pace.  I felt good.  Tired, but not as bad as yesterday when we had to battle both the headwinds and the terrible road surfaces in the early portion of the ride.  Today was all about smooth road surfaces.

I also made sure to drink more water today than in past days.  Jesse figured that at one 24-ounce water bottle every 15 miles (8 bottles in total), I drank more than a gallon and a half of water and electrolytes.  Sounds like a lot, but that was over 9 hours of riding.  And no muscle cramps afterwards!

Early to bed tonight.  And a later start for tomorrow's 55-mile ride.