A successful start to phase three, heading north, 75 French miles pedalled with a pesky wind hindering progress. We are in big city Le Mans but more typically we have been in the countryside. We have cycled through scores of French villages, mostly they are impressive, clean, beautifully presented and deathly quiet. A road usually bypasses the village and we follow centre ville signs for our R&R stops. Villages often have impressive public spaces and buildings with the inevitable butchers and bread/cake shops that shut for hours at midday, minutes before we arrive. We bonjour our way through these villages, smiling at the typically friendly locals. Just having beer and food in a major square in Le Mans, it's a hard life. AB

The B team did well today. Lots of cake stops and the beer is flowing well now. Jon's trunks are a distant memory and my appetite has returned. Mrs Jon has thankfully verified my concerns and there is a strong chance that a small fire in a Preston suburb will ensure that they never more will see the light of day. The sun has returned today and we creep ever closer to England. Hopefully QPR will be top of the league when we land in Portsmouth. APL

Today has been like the tale of the hare and the tortoise ... I will leave it to your imagination to deduce which 2 are which in this scenario, but nevertheless we have all made good the 75 miles north, and hopefully broken the back of our journey to Caen. Tonight sees us in an ibis in Le Mans which at £20 per person is fantastic VFM. Le Mans however, is an uninspiring industrial city though the prospect of a carnival tonight may liven things up ... or just keep us awake!! Tomorrow our target is Argentan, a step closer to Caen, and a warm, sunny day beckons ... JS

Nothing more to add to the above except we crossed over the route of this years Tour de France near Tour. DH