Our own Tour de France, and an Aussie in line to win the green jersey

Bikes loaded and ready to go

A scenic spot on our first day of cycling

The annual Tour de France ends today (Sunday, 23 July) and it’s almost certain that Australian, Michael Matthews, will win the green jersey (awarded to the top sprinter).

We have a vested interest in this competitor. The 26-year-old Matthews is from Canberra and his dad is one of our local butchers.

Michael Matthews (photo from Getty)

While Matthews has ridden with skill, determination and tactical smarts, he has had some ‘good luck’ along the way. Slovakian Peter Sagan was the pre-race favourite for the green jersey but, a few weeks back, he was disqualified after causing a crash. That crash led to legendary sprinter, Mark Cavendish, withdrawing from the event due to injury.

Next favourite, Marcel Kittel, crashed on Wednesday, leaving Matthews the new man in front. If he wins today, he’ll be the third Australian ever to capture the green jersey. That said, Matthews was already creeping up on those in front of him. He’s an amazing sprinter and not too bad on hills. So he might have won the jersey without the mishaps.

It’s amazing that Matthews is riding at all. Ten years ago he was, by his own admission, ‘heading in the wrong direction, hanging out with the wrong people’. But his high school physical education teacher suggested he attend a talent identification program at the local Academy of Sport. The fact that he was seen as a young man who could ride a bike fast changed his life.

One of the prettiest lockkeeper’s cottages we saw and their garden below

Lock

Lock and garden

Of course, all this cycling reminds me of our recent time on bikes in Brittany, France. Many of the Tour de France days covered more than 200 kilometres. Our whole week-long bike ride covered just over 200 kilometres.

So do I feel shamed. Nope. You have to remember that I was riding with a badly damaged shoulder, having been knocked over in Brussels a few days earlier.

We organised our bikes through Breton Bikes (highly recommended) and originally planned a much longer trip that would have taken us over plenty of hills and twice the number of kilometres.

But my injuries required a whole new approach.

A large lockkeeper’s cottage where an annual canoe kayak competition takes place

Burger

Galette

As a result, most of our ride, but not all, was along canal paths (towpaths). That said, I had to laugh about the route instructions that referred to one ‘long, gentle slope’ on the first day. Ha! There were bloody ‘mountains’ every day, and because of my unstable shoulder, I often had to walk my laden bike up those inclines.

But the towpaths were a delight. These were along the Nantes to Brest Canal, which was built in the early to mid-1800s. It was important for trade until the 1970s, but is now used only for leisure boating. The canal runs for 44 miles and has more than 100 locks (12 have been submerged after the construction of the Guerlédan Dam).

We didn’t cover the whole length of the canal, but I reckon we pedalled past at least 40 of the locks and lockkeeper’s cottages. Some of those cottages are no longer in use, with one lockkeeper looking after several locks (and often riding their bike in between). Others are beautifully decorated, with lovely gardens and friendly lockkeepers. 

All set up at the campground in Josselin

And did I mention that we camped every night during the ride?

Breton Bikes supplied a tent, roll mats and sleeping bags. We declined their offer of a camp stove, cutlery, dishes and cookware. We had our travel coffee cups and spoons, ground coffee and an immersion heater to use for breakfast (baguettes and marmalade), and we ate out for the rest of our meals—usually a plat du jour for lunch and a light meal at night.

In spite of my injuries, it was a fabulous week with excellent bikes, beautiful scenery, superb food, welcoming campgrounds and wonderful weather.

So today I’m sharing some of the sights—my wonky shoulder kept me from taking too many scenery pics. That said, I’ll be back with pics of some of the towns we visited. Oh, and see those two food shots above? The burger was the biggest and nicest burger I’ve ever had. And the eggy pic is of a galette. Brittany is famous for this buckwheat pancake-y dish that can be sweet or savoury. We enjoyed quite a few galettes (occasionally two in one day).

Picnickers enjoyed the canal and great weather

French countryside

Update on my shoulder
I got fairly banged up when that kid mowed me down in Brussels. I’m not exactly sure where he hit me (came out of nowhere) or how I landed, but my right shoulder, right hand (especially the thumb) and left knee suffered the most.

Since returning to Australia, I have seen the doctor and physiotherapist, and had an MRI plus arthrogram. The news is discouraging.

There are full thickness tears of two tendons, including the subscapularis muscle. It’s the largest and strongest cuff muscle and provides the majority of cuff strength. It’s at the front of the shoulder. It is the spot that hurts most and is probably where I was hit.

Now I’m playing the waiting game to see a specialist. Surgery seems likely, and recovery will be slow. Ugh! But for those of us (myself included) who thought I was crazy to do the bike ride, I can report that the doctor said it was probably good for me! Who knew?

And my brother-in-law sent me hilarious words of encouragement as I pedalled along. ‘Glad you are still game. You are in France: I watch the Tour and am used to riders crashing, having amputations or legs in slings and riding on. I’m proud of you!’ Thanks David.

Poor John is dwarfed by trees along the trail

A small marina on the canal