Day 39: Loches to Moussac | 132km
7 July 2026
4:15 a.m. That was the time my alarm went off this morning. For the first time on this entire journey, I was awake before the sun. Up in the north, that would have been impossible, but here it had become necessary. The forecast along today’s route called for temperatures of up to 40°C, and I’m not even sure it would have been possible to cycle through that for more than an hour without constantly cooling down with icy water.
At 4:30, though, it was a pleasant 17°C. As efficiently as possible, I packed my things in the dark and made breakfast, since nothing was open yet. Normally, breakfast is probably my favourite meal of the day, especially on weekends, but this morning it was simply about getting enough calories in before riding more than 120 kilometres.
I cut open an avocado, spread half of it on a slice of bread, and ate the other half like an apple. As I sat there, I couldn’t help wondering how brunch restaurants manage to charge €15 for avocado toast. I suppose the setting makes all the difference, because eating a plain avocado over a ping pong table in a completely dark campground at 4:30 a.m. isn’t exactly a gourmet experience I’d pay for. I also had two bananas, a leftover doughnut from a three-pack I’d bought the day before, and started pedalling while finishing my sandwich. I could have stayed another ten minutes to eat in peace, but I didn’t want to risk getting caught out on some exposed farm road in the middle of the afternoon heat.
Naturally, my front light had run out of battery, but when I rolled away at 5:15, the sun hadn’t risen yet and there was just enough light to make out the road ahead. There were no cars and barely any people around, so I decided to chance it. Spoiler alert: I was fine. The air was surprisingly crisp that early in the morning, and I even kept my thin wind jacket on for the first 20 kilometres or so. It was hard to imagine the temperature would more than double later that day. Wanting to make the most of the cool morning, I rode harder than usual. Today’s route had noticeably more climbing than I’d seen over the past two or three weeks, but I felt strong. By this point, my body has adapted remarkably well to the demands I put it through every day.
The route took me past endless fields of sunflowers and wheat, with very few towns along the way. The quiet morning was filled with the sound of the wind, roosters crowing, and birds singing. Then, all at once, the silence was broken by barking. I was riding along a gravel road beside what looked like an abandoned farm when I glanced to my right and saw five or six medium-sized dogs charging straight towards me. They definitely weren’t coming over for belly rubs. I may be one of the biggest dog lovers you’ll meet, but not when a pack of dogs comes sprinting after me on a deserted farm road in the middle of nowhere. I pedalled harder than I have at any point on this trip. Thankfully, there was a downhill immediately after the farm, allowing me to pick up even more speed, but it still took a few hundred metres before the last dog finally gave up the chase. If I hadn’t been fully awake before, I certainly was after that. The adrenaline stayed with me for quite a while, and I used it to keep the pace high until I reached more familiar roads.
By then, it had been several hours since breakfast, but I didn’t feel like stopping. Even if I had wanted to, there wasn’t much around. Instead, I ate two apples from yesterday’s grocery run and opened a packet of Nutella biscuits that turned out to be a great purchase. My goal was still to finish most of the ride before noon, when the heat becomes truly unbearable.
The downside of riding with that much urgency isn’t really the extra effort. It’s feeling like I can’t stop to take photos or properly enjoy the places I’m passing through. There wasn’t anything that immediately stood out about today’s scenery or the small villages along the route, although perhaps there was and I simply didn’t give myself the time to notice. The plan worked, though. By 11:30, I reached the small town of Lussac-les-Châteaux, where I found a grocery store and a handful of restaurants. I stocked up on fruit, a large smoothie, and breakfast for tomorrow before settling into a well-ventilated pizzeria. To be honest, I probably appreciated the air conditioning even more than the pizza. Many restaurants in this part of France close during the afternoon, so by 1:30 I was more or less forced to continue towards the campground. I’ve been here for a few hours now, enjoying the silence and the lack of people around.
Without my adventure companion, Irene, I don’t feel particularly social at the moment. I’d rather spend some time by myself than make an effort to meet new people. Even if I wanted to, there aren’t many people here anyway, and after riding through this heat, I don’t have much energy left. I just hope this heatwave eases soon, although the forecast suggests it won’t be happening anytime this week.