The Wandering Idiot

Rain…
rain…
rain…

Unbelievable…usually when I have rain – it starts and then lasts for a bit and then quits…or it’s a bit patchy and comes and goes…but today was the wettest it’s been. So wet in fact that I couldn’t really get my camera out…so pictures…well…don’t really have any for today.

It rained absolutely non stop from door to door for over 8 hours.

This morning was nice and leisurely, I packed my bags slowly, had breakfast, and a quick chat for Sandra and Sofiane…they were busy preparing a lunch for their family. It is a holiday in France today…this would only become a problem for my later in the afternoon.

I checked the weather…a light drizzle, nothing serious. Thought, I’d bettter get some waterproofs on anyway…and then i just dreaded the thought of having to go through another day with wet, cold hands…so my first stop was to GO Sport to buy a new pair of gloves…I did it, it bit into my budget, but I bought a pair of waterproof Gore-Tex ski gloves…and boy was I glad I did…they worked a treat and seriously improved my quality of life. The Dhb gloves have been seriously disappointing – they were sold as ‘waterproof winter gloves’ yet all they did was absorb water…worthless.

Dhb = Bad Gore-Tex = Good

I set off along the canals again…but it was already 11:30am… I knew I had at least 100km to go so I was prepared to push it a bit to get to Toulouse before dark…but then the rain picked up, and I got a headwind…and then it just got worse and worse.

I stopped in a small village – wolfed down a small sandwich that I had, and then set about looking for some more food…anything…a snickers bar…anything. But everything was shut.

Every town I passed I looked for food – nothing was open. So I pushed on and on, my blood sugar dropping more and more… I was just starting to go nuts.

With all the starting and stopping in my search for a meal, the time drifted and soon it was 5pm and I still had the best part of 50km to go (the canal paths are much longer that you’d imagine and it gets dark at 6 so I was a bit concerned!).

It was getting bad…after 7 hours in the rain water had made it’s way into my shoes (no thanks to the Dhb waterproof overshoes), I was wet with sweat, cold, and very very hungry. I was now negotiating the canal paths in the dark and making my way into a city I’d never been, but I knew that I would be able to finish and there would be a warm house waiting for me.

Halfway through the day – the back of my mind was considering a hotel/B&B, anything to get out of the rain…but I had committed myself to getting to Toulouse tonight and I wanted to make it. I had a couchsurfing host waiting, a warm meal, and a bed and I was determined to get there. So I just pushed on, raised the cadence, put my head down and got through it. The 100km I had anticipated was in fact 134km…but that was ok…I got through it.

Definitely a day I have no need to repeat, but I did it. It was tough…and at the end, I spent the evening with another couchsurfer, our hosts, fresh lasagne, red wine and good conversation…within 10 minutes I’d forgotten all about my day…

134km Bicycled Today

1593km to Date