Today we left Saint Malo and made our way to Mont Saint Michel on the coast. This is one of France’s main tourist attractions second only to Paris itself. We were able to stay in the La Mere Poulard on the Mont which was fantastic but the bikes and staff had to base themselves at a farm about 2 km away, which we walked to.

On the afternoon of the 21st, we had a tour of the Mount and it’s amazing Abbey followed by dinner in our hotel.

The hotel was quite incredible as it had signed pictures on the wall of some of the dignitaries who have stayed there. These included Leon Trotsky, Georges Clemenceau and Ernest Hemingway amongst others.

Potentially, the most surreal moment of the trip for me was face-timing into my nephew’s wedding in Melbourne, whilst watching the sun come up over the mont at 5:30am in the morning of the 22nd.

Our practice ride was 80km with 500m of climbing. A loop ride out into the local countryside through Norman villages such as Saint Broladre to Mont Dol, which had a pinch over 20%. There is a small church on the top as it is the fabled location, where Saint Michael fought off Satan.

Within visited Brittany’s biggest standing stone for our picnic lunch

We also visited Brittany’s biggest standing Stone for a picnic lunch. According to legend, two brothers and their armies clashed, and the massacre was such that the blood from the fighters formed a river. The heavenly hands separated the Warriors with a rock dropped and sank deep into the ground. Apparently, it sinks an inch per century and legend has it that when it is completely buried the world will end.

Afternoon Bob and I rode the X loop to Mont-de-Huisnes German war cemetery.

The cemetery contains nearly 12,000 German military personnel from World War II, many from the Allied breakout through Avranches in August 1944. It was a very sobering visit but the view back to Mont Saint Michel was beautiful.