| Wednesay, June 19, 2013 -- Orléans to Beaugency -- Biking Day 1 |

I guess you could say we got a late start, leaving the bike shop in Saint Jean de Braye just east of Orléans at 4 PM, headed west for Beaugency.

We started off heading west on a nice, bike only trail along the Loire River, a mixture of paved and dirt surfaces.

After 4 km, we crossed over the Loire River just west of Orléans. From there, we paralled the river riding along various roads passing through St. Pryvé at 6.5 km and St. Hilaire at 10.5 km, while rain squalls came and went. Another 8.5 km and we reached a freshly paved bike only trail that took us the next 6 km. It was there that we noticed that Lawton's rear tire was flat. Lacking a wrench to remove the rear wheel from the frame, we made a temporary repair, pumped up the tire, and continued to the trail's end at the next bridge. We crossed that bridge to the north side of the river at kilometer 25 and stopped in Meung sur Loire to give the kids a rest break and snack.

On the road again, we covered the last 8 km quickly, arriving in Beaugency at close to 8 PM. Total distance for the first day was 32 km (20 mi).