Day 4: Wet wet wet

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 Headline: we got wet. 

The breakfast bell tolled once again at 7am with granola, scrambled egg & another half gallon of coffee. 

The peloton looked slightly depleted, with a couple choosing to sit the day out and everyone else knowing full well that we were going to get wet. 

We made a decent enough start, rolling off at 8:30 and enjoying a beautiful 15km climb up another stunning gorge. 

Ventoux was sat to our left, and the further we went on, the less and less visible it became, until eventually it was covered in cloud. Rain was coming.


We managed to get half way up the next climb before the heavens unequivocally opened. Fortunately it left off in time for the descent into the village of saint saturnin-les-apt. 

I was by this stage getting moderately concerned that “French Monday” would be in full swing with nothing except hairdressers being open. It was then with some considerable relief that we found a cafe and got stuck into some well deserved caffeine. 

By this time, 2 of our group had opted for a tactical shortcut home, and another 3 them opted for a not-quite-so-shortcut, leaving 4 of us to do battle with an 11km 7% climb, and more rain. 

Finally arriving in Sault, we found - miracle on miracle - another business open on a Monday, and tucked to croque monsieur and another coffee. 

It was at this point that the rain really started. Quickly consulting a map, we found a more direct route home and rode in torrential rain the 25km home. 

Not the best way to prepare for 6 times up Ventoux: the attempt starts 8 hours from now. Time for a cheeky afternoon nap. 


Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 28, 2024 at 5:10 PM

    Wow, it seems as though you're having worse weather than us in Wadswick. Good luck with the rest of your journey x

    ReplyDelete

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