Total km 5740

Up early again hoped to get going as

I knew it was going to rain, it was just a matter of time, I was cycling into it, however it was holding off for the first part of the morning

I was cycling along a canal and could see in the distance up in the sky the very distinctive arrow shape of geese, and I thought to myself there going on their holidays south, but unlike me they have a long way to go, I hope they’ve eaten loads..

My target for the day was Fontenebleue and I was traveling on the old original road from Paris to Geneva. I was thinking of all the people that must have traveled this road by horse over the centuries,

The wind was starting to turn not in my favor, and the legs were tight from yesterdays big Cycle, so had to delve into the chocolate as well as a healthy barnarna,

Then the big dark clouds started to form, you can see them from miles away as the horizons are huge here.

It was still early just as I was getting to my destination,, the other mark was on for keeping in the saddle and I thought I could keep going as well, so went into Fonteneblue to see what all the fuss was about… And left as the rain started, had 40k to do to get to Etampes, started grand just light rain but once I got to the next village it started to lash down big time, this village was on a hill and the rain water ran down the road in rivers… Luckily I found shelter under an old loading yard, and waited and waited, 3 big downpours later I thought to myself that other mark I’m going to kill him, turn back or go on? I said to myself, onwards and up wards so I battened down the hatches and got on with it, cycling through the rivers as I was soaked through but I wasn’t cold, it was warm rain! 20 km in I could feel that familiar feeling of running out of juice, pushed on until I was skaking and had to stop, no shelter, and up on top of a hill pelting down, I got out a lion bar, I couldn’t get it down quick enough, I then stuffed a toblerone in as well, there not easy to eat quickly, I then munched down on the inside of my gob….oh the pain… I roared at my self… Tasted blood and toblerone, hmm yummy, you know when that happens you can hear the bite before you can stop

Once I’d got over the shock of that, I went on and was turning a corner, this big truck full of timber, was barreling down and he could see me, he gave an encouraging loud honk on his air horn, made me feel good

it’s always the last km of the day that are the hardest, and seem to take forever but I eventually got to Etampes.