14 August 2011 #22 Macon

Life is a beach

Food - more chocolate, this time in the form of cake, it was to get me home, see parting thought of the day, oh the anticipation! 

Weather - the run of perfect riding weather came to a bit of a halt today, the weather man called for rain and it did. Tomorrow they are calling for a bit more rain. A perfect excuse to take a day off and rest the legs up a bit before two more days on the bike then rest up before Haute Route 2011! The rain is coming down now - great to be inside.

Mode of Transport - there are many of these little buzz boxes around here, when they are coming up behind you on think it is a tractor, then it goes past and all I can do is have a little laugh to myself. Usually driving is a large(ish) man and his smoking wife, well I did see this twice today, so that means the majority of these owners are such, nothing like making a blanket statement, a little like the one about the Dutch which is below. 

Conversation - the other day while riding in the country side near Macon, not to self, water is scarce out in the country, no natural springs like in the Alps and Pyrenees, a BROAD English accent was being carried through the air. Even though she was obviously English I asked her for some water please “un peu d'eau s'il vous plaît” - she picked my poor accent, laughed and was pleased to give me all the water I wanted. She even offered to have me in any time I was passing by to fill my bottle, ah people in the country can be so friendly.

Animal - the hills are alive with the faces of cows and goats, needless to say the cows (vaches) take the cake!

What else of note: The 'beach' was entertaining, well not really a beach, more of a car-van park on the lake, it is officially called ‘le Grand Lac’ in Montrevel-en-Bresse. Not that I have anything again Dutchmen/women, my best made is Orange, but there were LOTS of dutchies making themselves at home. I’m not usually one for stereotypes but feeding right into one particular one about Dutchies, they are tight. People at the Lac were mentioning that supermarkets send down trucks with ‘their own kind’ of foods for the campers. The locals are obviously not fans as they come and don’t spend any money ... I’m not here to judge, just passing along what I was told.

At the beach, needless to say the water was refreshingly cold and the only waves were from the speed boats that were throwing people off the inflatable discs like ragdolls, needless to say very entertaining! 

Parting thought of the day/blog: The legs are still holding up, today was day 8 in the saddle. On the ride this morning, they were calling for thunderstorms and rain, I got the rain but not the thunder! I was at the furthest point of the ride when the rain came down, it wasn't too hard but still riding in the rain isn't much chop. I ended up riding a longer way home, staying out of the hills, trying to find the ‘less wet’ areas down along the river Saone, success. Then again, just as I was getting close to home, it rained again. It was my own fault, I shouldn't have stopped for that piece of chocolate cake. 

Col de Gertet - at 610m it is a little far off Col du Galibier at 2645m - Hmm still time to train!