The Abyss
Since I last blogged about my Flow Vélo cycle trips, I’ve been shouted at, tooted at and nearly run over more times than I care to admit to my children. Such are the dangers of cycling on a daily basis in the small town of Cognac.
Conversations with my husband, on his return from work, begin with phrases like, ‘Nearly had my chips again this evening,’ and ‘that BMW cut me up again on the speed hump’. These are then followed by a good ten minutes of us ranting about the thoughtlessness of certain car drivers.
And yes, I know that some cyclists are thoughtless too. But how many of them kill car drivers? I really believe it’s up to the most dangerous vehicles to look out for the vulnerable – which of course means cyclists should be careful of pedestrians.
When I heard that Cognac has its own charity who work to improve the place of cyclists on the roads, I decided to find out what it was all about. After all, it’s better to rant in a group than alone – and it’s even better to take action than to rant.
The opportunity to meet ‘Vélo d’Vie‘ (loosely translated as Bike for Life), came on a Sunday in February, when they organised a discovery outing to visit an abyss (Le Gouffre) in the nearby village of Gensac. An abyss? How come I’d never heard of this? Teetering on the edge of an abyss with my bike sounded like an exciting way to spend an afternoon, so my husband and I signed up for the 20km ride.
It was 8°C outside and a strong northerly wind was blowing. But the sun was shining and I had 2 pairs of gloves on, not to mention a thermos of tea in my husband’s pannier. I was ready for my first cycling adventure of 2023.
There were only a few people at Place François I, the meeting place in the centre of Cognac, when we arrived at 3pm.
I got chatting and found one of them was a fellow volunteer from Le Texte Libre bookshop, and also a founder member of Vélo d’Vie.
She explained that the charity, launched in 2016, organises activities to promote the use of the bicycle for transport. They go into schools, organise an annual festival, hold bicycle repair sessions and raise awareness with local companies and town councillors. For the price of €10, you can join and participate in all of these – plus monthly, family outings to discover the region.
Within minutes, flocks of cyclists arrived from every direction and converged on the terrace beside the statue of Francis I, the king who was born in Cognac. Thirty-five women, children and men set off on a variety of pushbikes, electric bikes and cargos.
The pace was gentle, the roads were quiet and the route took us across the industrial zone and then out onto tracks through vineyards. It was perfect for chatting to the other cyclists. I even heard English being spoken when we stopped for a break at the 12th century St Martin’s church in Gensac. This was my chance to meet a friendly South African cyclist who has just arrived in the area.
After warming up in the church, we pedalled through the pretty centre of Gensac. Glancing at a street sign, my heart beat faster: ‘Chemin du Gouffre’ (Street of the Abyss). We were almost there. In a few seconds I’d be staring down into a chasm, my hands clutching my bike brakes so I didn’t fall in.
Everyone stopped at the village mill, a pretty place beside a small lake where trout are farmed. A lake with no river running into it.
Oh. Right.
This was the abyss.
In fact it was The Abyss, the name for Gensac’s résurgence, source of the River Ri de Gensac. If I wanted to see the actual 150-metre-deep abyss, I’d have to leave my bike behind and put on diving equipment… An adventure for another day, perhaps?
The second surprise of the outing came during a crêpe stop at L’Yeuse hotel on the way back. This magnificent hotel hugs the steep side of the ridge overlooking the River Charente and is where you’ll find the fascinating Jardins Respectueux, one of my favourite gardens, which I blogged about last year on a Flow Vélo post.
Today was its Open Day, during which the public could visit the bedrooms and see how the guest artists had decorated them. Their brief was to turn each bedroom into an individual work of art. The hotel’s owner had given them a free hand to paint whatever they liked, based on the local environment. The results were amazing – as you can see below (or on the hotel’s website gallery for better photos).
It was 6pm by the time we’d finished visiting. I wanted to see the film ‘Arrête avec tes Mensonges’ (Lie with Me) at the cinema that evening – a film based on a novel by local author Philippe Besson and filmed in Cognac. Philippe Besson had given a talk about his work at Le Texte Libre two days before – but that’s the subject for another blog post. So we took leave of our new cycling friends, promising we’d see them again.
That evening, I paid my subscription fees to Vélo d’Vie. It was comforting to realise that my husband and I aren’t alone in our rants: Cognac has a terrible reputation for cyclists. Luckily, Vélo d’Vie are there to help the authorities overcome the problems. Let’s hope the people in power listen and take action to make the town safe for everyone. Please.
If you like cycling and are interested in helping improve the safety for cyclists in Cognac, why not join Vélo d’Vie too?
