Day 7: Thouars to Airvault: 29 km. Lazy Sunday afternoon.

Short, slow day today after two days that were a bit tough. I had planned to ride an average of 100 km a day but Liz and I had His and Hers Covid just before Le Grand Depart and I couldn't ride for a couple of weeks and I didn't finish my training plan. My Covid was, naturally, full blown man flu that required 24/7 room service with extra sympathy and meant I couldn't do some Peak District hills with the bike fully laden. As a result I'm not as fit as I had hoped to be. 

Quick dash this morning to arrive at a Gite in Airvault in time for Sunday lunch but there's none to be had. Rural France is increasingly deserted and I pass through villages and hamlets seeing almost no one. There are more cyclists than cars, dogs than people, cows than goats (?), and the cafes, bars and restaurants are all closed or boarded up. It's a bit of a problem because I don't want to carry food and water, because of the weight, so I'm reliant on places being open. Thankfully there's a bistro with beer (but no food) and a few doors down there's a kebab house. So it's back to my student days......

Not sure how far I'll ride tomorrow. The sun is shining, the route is safe, picturesque, mostly smooth and flat, and I'm loving it.