Burgundy Bike Tour, day 2: Chardonnay, classic bicycles, and the Abbey of Tournus

[expedition_retirement]

 The second day  of the bike tour was our first day of serious riding. After breakfast, we set off south along the Saône river before we headed into the vineyards of southern Burgundy. Along the way, we passed through the tiny town of Chardonnay (which lent its name to the variety of grapes and the corresponding wine made from them), near the end of our morning ride.

We stopped for lunch at a funky restaurant in Uchizy, which was decorated with vintage records and had a large collection of vinyl albums for sale. We were the first to have arrived, so we took a walk through the town while we waited for the others to arrive. The town center was compact,.and centered around the Church of St. Peter, another example of Romanesque architecture.

After lunch, we opted for the longer route back, which took us back through Chardonnay before looping out into the countryside on our way back to Tournus. As we arrived back in Tournus, we made a slight detour to visit the Musée du Vélo Michel Grezaud, a museum dedicated to the history of bicycles and cycling. The museum has an impressively large collection of bicycles that demonstrate the evolution of the vehicle over time, and the many innovations that have been attempted, both successful and not. The bicycle that was used in an unsuccessful attempt to break the world speed record in 1980, as well as examples of spring-based tires from World Wars I & II, when rubber was scarce. One of our tour guides was a big fan, and helped interpret signs and described some of his favorite items in the exhibits. After exploring the museum, we actually got a chance to ride some novelty bikes in the museum courtyard, which provided ample entertainment for the staff.

After returning to our hotel, we walked over the the nearby Abbey of St. Philibert. The abbey church is the main surviving building of the abbey and is yet another Romanesque structure dating back almost a thousand years. Behind the altar are mosaics that were discovered during renovations in 2002. Dating from the 12th century, these mosaics depict the signs of the zodiac and the labors of the months. A metal walkway has been installed above the mosaics so that they can be preserved in place while still being viewable.

Later, our tour guides took us to a local wine shop where we were treated to a tasting of about a half dozen local wines, both white and red, and we began to learn more about the wines of Burgundy. All white Burgundy wine is made with chardonnay grapes, while all red Burgundy wine is made from pinot noir. Burgundy wines are not blends, like those found in other regions, such as Bordeaux.