Etape 13 La Tranche-sur-Mer to Les Sables d’Olonne

We left La Tranche with the Bastille Day cordite still lingering in the morning heat. It was Sunday so the locals and the visitors were going through their usual sunny Sunday activities, going to the beach, having picnics in the forest, fishing in the canals, back garden bbqs etc. But there was a palpable air of World Cup fever mixing with the cordite in the air this Sunday. It was ‘le jour du grand match de football’.

Cars paraded flags, all age groups were going round with ‘rouge blanc bleu’ stripes painted on their cheeks and houses were draped in banners and bunting – some to extremes:

Last night Bastille Day, today WC champions. France is a country on a high of football, fireworks and the Marseillaise.

Most people seem to know the full version of this national anthem and have been giving it full licks now for 2 days. We arrived in Sables d’Olonne in time to watch the match and, between you and me, I think they were a bit lucky (not that I said that to anybody!).

After the final whistle the place erupted and spilled out onto the streets – toddlers to grannies, honed youths to pot-bellied gendarmes, groups in cars with horns blazing and passengers with trumpets hanging out of the windows, motorbikes revving, cyclists wearing berets and with strings of onions round their necks (well perhaps not onions). The Promenade George’s Clemenceau in Sables d’Olonne is about 2 miles long and it was absolutely rammed with people in a state of joyful delirium.

At one point an old couple came out onto their first floor balcony holding a very large but cooked lobster and used it’s not inconsiderably large claws to conduct a full-throated version of La Marseillaise belted out by a group of people on the street below.

Planes flew low over the bay dragging banners stating Champions du Monde’. On the beach a massive party had erupted and people of all ages were drinking beer and falling about in the sea. Probably some of them are still there hopefully not floating face down.

It was a great night for the French. The highlight for me was seeing Presidents Putin and Macron getting soaked in the final presentation ceremony and the Croatian President just happy to be there hugging everybody that came her way !!

Ah well, back to normal. Another 36 cycling miles lie ahead in the unbroken sun to get to St Jean de Monts.