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Racing the Dark to Cléry

A Sunday-afternoon loop west from Orléans along the Loire levées to Meung’s bridge, Dry and the basilica at Cléry-Saint-André, racing the dark home on the day the clocks went back. Read the ride.

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Racing the Dark to Cléry

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The bike’s home for the night: the car park under the Hotel d’Orléans before the ride.

Ready to roll in the hotel car park

The front of the Hotel d’Orléans, where the ride started.

Hotel d’Orléans

Place du Martroi in Orléans with its carousel, the low sun behind the square

Place du Martroi, Orléans

Rue Royale’s arcades in Orléans on the way down to the Loire.

The arcades of Rue Royale

The Loire flowing west under a clear sky, seen from the Pont George V in Orléans

The Loire from the Pont George V

Sainte-Croix cathedral in Orléans seen across the Loire and its sandbanks from the south bank

Sainte-Croix across the Loire

The road west along the south bank of the Loire, lined with plane trees and parked cars.

Heading west out of Orléans

The levée path heading west into the low afternoon sun.

Onto the levée

Bright green fields and poplars beside the levée path west of Orléans.

Green fields beside the levée

A stone cross beside the cycle path on the Loire levée west of Orléans, with the sun low ahead

A stone cross on the levée

Richard’s shadow on his bike stretched along the levée path

Chasing my shadow west

The levée path running west beyond Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Mesmin in late sunshine.

The levée beyond Saint-Hilaire

An electricity pylon striding across the fields beside the levée path.

Pylons over the levée

The low sun over the fields beside the levée path near Mareau-aux-Prés

Low sun on the levée

Bare trees full of mistletoe beside the Loire levée near Mareau-aux-Prés

Mistletoe near Mareau-aux-Prés

The Dry village sign and a no-entry sign beside green fields at sunset

Into Dry

The Gothic Basilica of Notre-Dame at Cléry-Saint-André against a blue sky

The basilica at Cléry-Saint-André

The Loire and its sandbanks at dusk from the levée between Mareau-aux-Prés and Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Mesmin

The Loire at dusk

The levée path heading east under a pink dusk sky

Dusk on the levée

The Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Mesmin village sign under street lights at dusk

Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Mesmin after sunset

The lit arch of the Pont de l’Europe in Orléans with car headlights crossing it

Traffic on the Pont de l’Europe

Rue Royale in Orléans after dark, with tram lines and a painted cycle lane

Back up Rue Royale after dark