October 6, Last loop through Chambourcy

Hard, bright sunlight breaks through the clouds blowing in from Brittany. The wind is in my face as I roll past the market and down Rue de Guerrines and onto the Route de Bailly. It's a ten minute ride to the top, a nice way to warm up, but my legs are feeling it today. I need the spin, though; I'm spending tomorrow locked in a metal tube at 30,000 feet.

The downhill run through the Bailly and D307 rondpoints is smooth and I feel like I'm cheating the wind, rolling along at 20+. Rennemoulin speeds by for the last time; me, negotiating the sharp turns on pave, and the white Renault behind me pressing a bit too close. He turns left at Villepreux, perhaps some shopping in on the strip of Walmart-like stores?

After Villepreux, there is little traffic. At Chavenay a rondpont offers a shorter ride to St Nom, but my legs are feeling better and I head on to Feuchrolles for a longer loop coming back through the bigger towns of Poissy and St Germain. Feuchrolles is another quiet, upscale village, within commuting distance of Paris, yet with some fresh air. There is no sign for Poissy, except on the busy departmental road coming into town, so I trust my instincts and head through on the main street, past the Mairie (city hall) and the old part of the town. I'm climbing again, the legs feel good and I'm rewarded with a small sign, Rue de Poissy. I've bypassed most of the busy road and begin the descent into the Seine valley.

I'm thinking of my conversation with the American couple I met in Chinon the other day. The husband was concerned about the highway number for the road to Aiznay. I tried to explain the pattern of roads in France, but I don't think he understood and I'm sure I wasn't clear. Just like in Iowa, where Graf Rd takes you to Graf, the Route de Noissy takes you to Noissy, 90 percent of the time, successful navigation requires a big picture of the surrounding towns, their direction and an idea of the rivers in the area. Then you can travel like a Frenchman, that is you can be not lost, but not exactly sure of where you are.