This Tuesday, June 18, the 9th stage took Charly Durand and Aurore Borel from Lyon to Valence. Initially planned for a distance of 130 km, it was shortened by twenty-one kilometers. To avoid reliving the difficulties of crossing Paris, the two young cyclists decided to take the TER, departing from Lyon Part Dieu station. They thus joined Givors and the ViaRhôna, the cycle path which leaves from the banks of Lake Geneva and runs along the Rhône to Marseille in the east or Montpellier in the west. It was more security and better control of the time at the start of the stage.
Intense heat and wind were present in Givors, big gusts of wind which required a lot of effort on the pedals. No matter, they set off valiantly for their first fifty kilometers before the lunch break. Then, they left for Tournon-sur-Rhône, where Christian and Colette, two Rotarians from the Valence club, were waiting for them. They made a well-deserved and above all welcome little stop there.
Finally, they got on their bikes again to join Valence and Thomas who was hosting them for the night. On the evening’s program, a meeting with the Valence Mistral rotary club. The next day, Charly Durand and Aurore Borel continued their descent towards Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, driving towards Orange, a town 124 km away.
Gabriel-Henri THEULOT
