Wednesday April 11, 2007, 149 km (93 miles) – Total so far: 604 km (376 miles)

After a bit of a cloudy start, we enjoyed another sunny day as we followed the river Schelde south to Roubaix. Much of the ride was spent on the cycle routes on the rivers banks, we were averaging around 30kph at times with a mean tail wind helping proceedings.

We dropped in on the old city of Ghent for lunch (it’s spelt Gand in French), I enjoyed a freshly roasted chicken with some famous Belgian fries.

We got to France fairly late in the day arriving in Roubaix after 7:30. Our hotel for the night is the two-star Hotel de France in the Grand Place, €€50 buys us the room with two beds, breakfast and secure accommodation for the bikes. Hotels in France are very good value and this one is no exception, it’s basic but clean and reasonably comfortable, there’s even a TV in the room.

Another satisfyingly long day in the saddle, with great weather again, I spotted a roadside thermometer boasting a balmy 21 degrees as late as 7pm.

The banks of the river Durme in Lokeren

Houses in Ghent

A true medieval castle in the middle of the city. No idea what the spider’s web was for

The tree lined cycle route to Roubaix