Much of today’s ride was flat with the countryside and especially the villages (e.g. Ruffeey) being very beautiful. All the roads were excellent with the exception of the two “red” roads we had to be on for a short time at the start and end of our ride. In this new area, we saw some beautiful fields of sunflowers and also noted a difference in the architecture of churches. Many had steeples with geometric designs.<br /><br />Background:<br /> <br />My wife and I have been doing self-supported tours in Western Europe (a majority in France) since 1993. This series of rides covers our 2009 4.5 month route through parts of France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and then back to France. Our beginning and ending point is near Chadurie (south of Angouleme) where our friends have a farm with Gites and Chambres d'Hotes.<br /><br />We rode our Dawes touring bicycles purchased in 1993 heavily loaded with 700Cx32 tires. All of our riding was on paved roads, mostly with very little traffic. Pretty much the only unpaved sections were some bicycle paths in Germany and Austria. Sadly, that wasn't so great as Helen fell a number of times on the unpaved paths. Fortunately, though, no serious injury.<br /><br />If any questions, feel free to email me at jeffkadet@netdiving.com<br /><br />Jeff