The Wandering Idiot

Well…no sooner did I hit the road before it started raining…hilarious!

I stopped for lunch today in a pizzeria…in fact I was shocked to find a pizzeria/bar open along the canal.

I was wet, hungry, maybe a little grumpy…so rather than stand in the rain and try to force down a stale baguette, I decided to treat myself. Most of this trip I have ended up snacking during the day in all sorts of locations…my meal usually consists of a baguette, cheese, and saucisson…cheap and cheerful. I’ve eaten in bus shelters, parks, cemeteries, on the side of the highway and other comfortable places…but I haven’t actually stopped and had a meal in a restaurant since Raoul and I went to that creperie back on day 1 or 2 of the trip…it’s alway been a meal on the go somewhere.

Today I needed the rest, the warmth, the comfort food.

Pizza, a glass of red, and an espresso later, I was ready to get back on the bike path.

About 10km from my destination for the day, Agen, something fantastic happened…I rode by two bicycle tourers! I saw them coming my direction…you could tell they were carrying a lot of gear from miles off…and since I hadn’t seen any other cyclists all day I figured the only ones stupid enough to be out in the rain would be tourers. We approached each other, smiled, waved and then…that was it. They went there way and I went mine…I regretted immediately not stopping my bike…and forcing them to stop as well ‘where are you from? where are you going? how long have you been on the road?’ My head was filled with questions and regret. They were the very first cycle tourers I’d come across on my trip so far…on day 24. It would have been nice to know who they were and what they were up to.

They had a ‘Stop Climate Change’ sign strapped to the back of their bikes and both were riding recumbent…so perhaps a reader know two recumbent cyclists that were touring on the Garonne in the south of France on the 10th of November.

Anyway…it made my day. It really did.

This evening I am being hosted by Sofiane and Sandra in Agen. They are both mathematics teachers originally from Bordeaux….dinner was great (as you can see below) and packed full of carbs for my day tomorrow. The ride to Toulouse in 100+kms so should be a good day – even though it is forecast to rain…

Here are some pictures from the day:

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92km Bicycled Today

1459km to Date