On the first cycling day of the 2010 Normandy trip, we decided to set off for the coast. Of course, this involved a false start due to my failing to remember to bring a pump or bottles of drink.  So, back to the house we went to remedy this oversight.  Then we set off again, on a lovely ride down to Hauteville-sur-mer.  This is a destination we’ve been to a few times before.

The route was terrific – it was so good to be back riding the tandem in the bucolic and very lush Normandy landscape. However, it was very hilly to start with, becoming rather gentler nearer the coast.  Hutevlle was rather deserted with almost all of the houses shuttered – such is the fate of seasode resorts out of season.  We visited the usual cafe for moules et frites, followed by a big ice cream for Carol, and a crepe normande for me.  The moules, of course, were reared on the famous bouchot poles (not visible in the photo as the tide was in) – they are small but very tasty.

CAROL ON THE BEACH AT HAUTVILLE-SUR-MER

Throughout our lunch, we were bathed in bright sunshine, though during our return ride, the clouds came out, eventually massing to form large dark skies.  Despite this the rain held off.  We had some confusion at Quettreville regarding which road (D49 vs D35) we needed to take.  Tis was soon resolved and on we were soon on our way again, returning via the D49/D35/49 to D38.

Unfortunately the black clouds intensified then passed over, and finally a shower of light rain came over.

38 miles

Later in the day, Gerry and I adjusted our bikes to conform to UCI regs (once again, rumours abounded about UCI checks across all categories), then nipped out for a short test ride.  This revealed serious gear indexing problems with Gerry’s bike, fortunately resolved by tightening the gear hanger.

10 miles