Seyssel is a lovely town beside the river Rhone, with a peaceful campsite. Last night we had a good meal on a hotel terrace right by the river, watching the sun set. The longer we stayed the more we liked Seyssel. This is what holidays are for!

After breakfast by the river we set off again, first down a good bike track beside the Rhone (part of the Lac Leman a la Mer route that we had been following yesterday).

Then we turned off towards Annecy, up the spectacular limestone Gorge du Fier. There were tunnels and big drops – a taste of things to come in a few days time!

By coffee time the valley had opened out, Helen had relaxed again, and the temperature had hit 30C for the first time this holiday. There were superb views, including of snow-covered giants in the distance. We seem to be heading straight for them!

We had been following roads used on the Dauphine this year – and, on the run in to Poisy (a stage finish just outside Annecy) we passed the very pothole where Chris Froome first crashed when in yellow. The first of many, as it turned out. So will his forthcoming recovery be a case of form regained, or simply regression to the mean? Discuss.

The cycling ended at noon with another Plat du Jour, this time in Annecy. Since then we have managed to blag our way into the municipal campsite (the sign said COMPLET) in a spare corner of grass that isn’t an official pitch – and all the nicer for it. We are planning a day off the bike in Annecy tomorrow.

Helen’s track of the day:
Keep On Pushing by The Black Seeds
Steadily uphill in the heat, but did it without too much anguish.
(Andy has just finished a Maths book for goodness sake, which may account for his odd remarks about the mean. Sometimes he is the only one who knows what he is on about).