Stéphanie and Francis’ cycling trip, a family united

Stéphanie learnt to cycle with her father. He was into his sports. However, in 2017, following a heart transplant operation, he had a stroke. There followed many months of physiotherapy to learn to walk and move again. After many intense months, with painful periods being bed-ridden, then in a wheelchair, then walking on crutches, Stéphanie’s father felt ready to take on a cycling challenge. So, in 2024, they decided to tackle La Flow Vélo together, covering 250km. The aim – to renew their bond and to celebrate the joy of spending time together, doing something physical and spiritually uplifting, as well as fun, but above all spreading the word about organ donation. On which, huge thanks to all organ doners. 

Why did you choose La Flow Vélo?

It was my father who chose this cycle route. There were several reasons behind his choice, in part practical, but in part also less about rational motivations, more about memories we share. 
I live close to Limoges. It was easy to go by car from Limoges to Angoulême, the latter our starting point along La Flow Vélo.

Doing our research ahead of the trip, we realized that La Flow Vélo through the Charentes offers a flat cycle route that’s described as easy. And I can confirm that it lives up to its promise! In terms of our challenge, it seemed to suit us the best, embarking on a cycle trip without the added pressure of significant shifts in altitude.

Also, and this definitely had a major impact on our decision, my father lived close to Saintes when I was a child. For me, it was a case of Proust’s madeleine, coming back to the places where I spent time with him as a little girl. I often went on holiday in the area and I said to myself ‘this really is the perfect opportunity to rediscover landscapes that we all too often rush past by car. There are bound to be gems to unearth along the way!’ 

How did your cycling trip go?

Fantastically. Fantastically. Really fantastically! We loved it! I’ll try to summarize, otherwise I could go on for ages. I really could speak about it for hours! We started from Angoulême and we cycled as far as Fouras.

The cycle route is very easy and accessible to every level of cyclist, plus it’s well signposted. It was a joy, watching the landscapes roll by, gently changing, from vineyards to fields, from characterful homes to locks and, above all, with the great river [Charente] as the guiding thread. As you set your own pace pedalling along, that allows you to appreciate it all the more. The landscapes are varied and, a fact not to be dismissed given rising summer temperatures, the cycle route provides plenty of shade. 

Did you try out any additional activities along the cycle route?

We headed off on our cycling adventure in May, after a very rainy autumn… followed by a spring that was just as bad! Unfortunately, that meant we had to give up on several activities, notably at Chaniers, where we weren’t able to make use of the chain ferry because of flooding. 

Our overriding aim was to stick to La Flow, going with the flow ourselves! To begin with, our first rule was that we weren’t going to rush anything. As part of that, we opted for short stages. We wanted to feel embraced by nature and to take the time to observe it closely, even if that meant stopping every ten minutes to take photos! We really enjoyed meandering along, exploring the little towns we crossed, such as: Saint-Simeux with its fishing installations; Châteauneuf-sur-Charente and its Ile de la Fuie, a group of islands; Cognac; Saintes and the Germanicus Arch; and Rochefort, with its Jardins de l’Hermione. At Trois-Palis, after Angoulême, we visited the Chocolaterie Letuffe and tasted their delicious chocolates.

Any particular favourites to mention?

We loved the whole cycle route. It’s impossible to choose a small selection. I felt like I was returning to my childhood. When my father lived in the region, he took me to see the locks and we went bathing in the Charente at Port-d’Envaux. I used to imagine that I’d be opening up the locks to let the boats pass. Being able to ride out together this time gave us a rare opportunity and I’m so grateful to have rediscovered landscapes that have brought back such very happy memories of times gone by. 

How did you organize your cycling trip?

• Types of accommodation:
  I chose to reserve all our accommodation in advance. I did my research on La Flow Vélo’s website, going for accommodation it listed. We very much enjoyed our night at the Abbaye aux Dames; it was a unique experience that I can recommend wholeheartedly.
• Types of bike used: 
  My father had an electric bike while I used a mountain bike. 
• GPS and directions:
  I downloaded apps – Alltrails and Geovelo. As it turned out, we didn’t need to make use of them to find our way, as the signposting was sufficient. They did allow us to look at the number of kilometres we had cycled. 
• Equipment:
  Simple and efficient: a luggage holder with panniers, plus a little basket on the front.  
• Stages:
  We cycled between 40km and 50km a day, on a six-day journey overall. Physically, we could have managed more, but we wanted to make the most of everything and take our time.

What advice would you give?  

Go for it!  

You do need to be well prepared. Don’t take too much, just the essentials, so that, depending on the weather, you have suitable clothes. As to equipment for the bike, a repair kit, a Swiss Army knife, a pump and a spare inner tyre are indispensable. We had our own elastic straps too. For showery weather, we used plastic rain ponchos. The elastic straps proved very practical, helping us avoid having to endlessly put these rain jackets back in our panniers.

Ultimately, it’s important to remember to listen to each other. Don’t just do more and more kilometres for the sake of it; it isn’t about eating up the stages. Just go with the flow! We would regularly get out our binoculars, another indispensable item, to watch storks and other animals, and to listen to their song. After six days of cycling I’d already taken over 1,000 photos!

A final thought?

Next year, we’re going to tackle another cycle route! 
And infinite thanks to all organ doners! 
WHAT A LIFE-AFFIRMING ADVENTURE this has been!