Today came straight from hell. Well actually, it carried over from yesterday, and according to the weather forecast, is going to carry on all week. There’s a 28km/h northerly blowing right in my face, for what looks like the best part of my entire cycle up towards Amsterdam. So much for dreams of panniers filled with a tailwind, helping me along like a sail. Nope, I’m going to cop this crap for the next 3 whole days.
The day started out well and good, with my Amiens French host David giving me a tour around his town before I departed for the day. I rode out of town to cover the short 13km of straight road towards Villers-Brettoneaux. What should have taken 30 minutes took closer to an hour, and that my friends is the story of my entire day…
Despite the wind, I saw some amazing sights. Villers-Brettoneaux, for those unfamiliar with the name, is a small French village to the East of Amiens. During WW1, the Germans occupied the town, and around 1918, the Australian troops were sent here to do battle. The Anzac troops liberated the town, something which the locals have never forgotten (and if you read the big sign above the courtyard in the local, school it’s hard to imagine they will anytime soon). When the town was rebuilt after the war, everything was renamed and rebuilt in the honour of Australia. you have Rue de Melbourne (Road Melbourne), the Victoria School (after funds were raised by Victorian school children the fund its rebuilding), the Koala Club, and lots more. Importantly there’s the Musee Franco Australie – I believe this translates to Museum of France – Australia, and it’s decked out with all sorts of history, memorabilia, personal letters and so forth about the war.
Just outside of town lies the very impressive Australian Cemetary. Immaculately manicured lawns and straight lines of hundres (if not thousands) of graves. From the top of the observation tower, you have marvellous views of the entire Somme countryside for miles in each direction. The entire area is full of cemetaries just like this. I popped in to check out a few of the others which I happend across en-route, including other British Cemetaries and one called the Queen’s Cemetary, though not sure which country it was from. They were all moving but none were as spectacular as ours, perched on the top of a small hill with it’s great tower. Naturally, there were a few other Aussies who had popped in for a visit at the same time. It was great to hear some familiar voices when we had a chat!
Moving along, I visited the town of Albert. A pretty special town, as when it came to the Battle of the Somme (and the Somme is the local river by the way) Albert was probably the most central town to all the action. In Albert, stands the fabulous Basilica of Notre-Dame de Brebières. Perched atop its tower is the gold statue of Mary, which was dubbed the ‘Golden Virgin’. In January 1915, the Bascillia was hit by a shell and the huge statue toppled over, nearly – but not quite – falling off the church. And so the story goes among the troops, that whichever side toppled the ‘leaning Virgin’ would lose the war. It was finally felled in April 1918 whn the Germans started an offensive to recapture the town, as the Allied troops were using the church tower as an observation post. In a fitting end to the story, the son of the original sculptor arranged to have an identical statue made to replace it, and the church rebuilt to the original design.
I could have spent a lot longer floating around Villers-Brettoneaux, Albert and the surrounding countryside. To properly appreciate all the wonderful history out here, you would ned a few days and probably a hire car. They even have retained some of the original trenches out near the hill where the Canadian Memorial resides, however I just couldn’t get around quickly enough because of the bloody wind. As it stood, I was leaving Albert something like 2 hours behind schedule…
I crossed the half-way point to Lille at about 16:30, when I arrived at Arras. I hate to admit defeat, but the wind had absolutely crushed me. After excerting myself too much yesterday cycling into it, and then to have worse conditions today plus my knee playing up a bit… I stumbled across the train station and asked them how easy it was to get to Lille on a train with my bike. Too easy – 48 minutes and 9.80€. On any normal weather day, the cycle from Arras to Lille would have been a breeze, as the terrain hits a downhill slope and then flattens out all teh way up to Amsterdam from here. But after fighting for nearly 7 hours just to get the 80km from Amien, even on the flat I was averaging only aout 13-15km/h and that would have taken me another 4 hours of pain. So I threw in the towel, and learned a valuable lesson. I need to check the weather and make sure that my itinerary is reaslistic given the conditions. It’s amazing how much distance you can cover with the wind up your backside, but with it driving into your face, it’s almost like being pushed backwards!
My train pulled into Lille in no time, and I was even able to cycle around the town for a couple of hours in great sunshine before heading back to the train station to await my host for the night, Julie from Warm Showers. She found me as I was stuffing my face with a cone of chips (cornet de frites). After a cycle back towards the south of Lille, I’ve got a fantastic bed for the night, and we’vejust finished dinner. I’m up early to tackle the next leg towards Antwerp, via Gent. I’m hoping that as there are NO hills at all (so I’m told) that even with the wind, I can make better progress, and I’m leaving before 9am in an attempt to beat the worst of the wind. It looks like it will be about 123km, so a little longer than today (with the train shortcut) but not as long as the first day. I’m sure it’ll be tough, but confident that it I’ll make it!
Righto, that’ll be all from France, for now. With any luck, tomorrow I’ll be in Belgium!
Au revoir…
P.S.> In case you were wondering, yes I have regained the feeling in my penis. Note to Castelli – you make bike shorts about 3 sizes too small!
