Day 38: Orléans to Loches | 132km

6 July 2026

It was a fairly rough night’s sleep. My mattress had slowly deflated on the rocky ground, and although it had been hot when I went to bed, I woke up around 4 a.m. feeling cold. I pulled out my sleeping quilt, warmed up, and managed to fall back asleep. When my alarm rang at 6 a.m., I was surprised to see several other cyclists already packing up, apparently following the same strategy as me. We were all heading in different directions, though.

One man in his late sixties was riding from Luxembourg to the Sahara. The language barrier made it difficult to understand all the details, but I gathered it was a journey of around 12,000 kilometres. He seemed to have cycled all over the world. Before this trip, I might have found that lifestyle aspirational, but after just one day of riding alone again, I didn’t feel the slightest desire to do something similar. I’m really enjoying this adventure, but I think that’s partly because it’s temporary. For one summer, about two and a half months of my life, I’m choosing to put myself through this experience. I don’t think I’d want it to become my everyday life. Never say never, of course, but if I go bikepacking again after this, I imagine it’ll be shorter trips of a week or two to explore a specific area, travelling much lighter than I am now.

The bread I’d planned to eat for breakfast had gone mouldy, so instead I boiled some noodles and ate a banana. Not exactly a balanced breakfast, but enough to get me through the first few hours until lunch.

As I expected, it felt lonelier being back on the road by myself. Yesterday, riding alone had been a welcome opportunity to catch up on podcasts I’d been looking forward to for weeks, but today that novelty had already worn off. I spent most of the morning cycling through the Loire Valley, a region famous for its beautiful châteaux, vineyards, and the Loire River, France’s longest river. Much of the route followed dedicated cycle paths. Some were paved, while others were packed gravel, which always demands a little more energy than smooth asphalt.

By around 10:30, I had already covered 62 kilometres, and my stomach quickly overruled my original plan of stopping only for coffee and a snack. It wanted proper food, so I ended up having what was possibly the earliest lunch of my life in Blois before continuing south. Like so many French towns I’d never heard of before this trip, Blois was beautiful. A striking bridge stretched across the Loire, and the old town had plenty of character. The little burger restaurant I chose played classic French music, which almost felt like a stereotype, but with no tourists in sight, I convinced myself it was probably the real thing.

With temperatures climbing quickly each day, I’ve decided to aim to finish riding before 2 p.m., when the heat really starts to peak. As much as I’d have liked to spend more time wandering around Blois, I still had another 70 kilometres to cover and wanted to minimise the time spent riding in the afternoon sun. I’m starting to question which is harder to deal with, the cold or the heat. So far, I’d still say the cold, but the heat certainly requires much more planning.

The landscape between Blois and my destination for the day, Loches, changed noticeably once I left the Loire behind. The river gave way to dry farmland, and one thing I’ve seen a lot of over the past few days is enormous sunflower fields. Imagine sunflowers stretching in every direction all the way to the horizon. It’s a beautiful sight, but the farther south I’ve travelled, the drier they’ve looked. I couldn’t tell whether they simply hadn’t been harvested yet or if the heat had taken its toll on them.

Slightly dehydrated, I finally arrived at the campground, which was a big improvement over last night’s. Thankfully, I found a pitch tucked away from the afternoon sun, so I’m hoping it’ll stay a little cooler once I crawl into my tent. It’ll be an early night too. It’s only 8 p.m. as I write this.

Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for a high of 39°C, so I’ll probably wake up around 4 a.m. and be on the bike by 5 to avoid the worst of the heat. Looking ahead, it seems I’ll be following that routine for the next few days.