Monday, July 31, 2017

La Ferte-sous-Jouarre to Thieux to Charles de Gaul Airport

Well today did not go as I was expecting…

I woke around 7am and did some work on the diary. There’s no rush today as breakfast doesn’t start until 8 and this is my last riding day and should be less than yesterday. So a pleasant lie in; the bed is very comfortable J

I went down for breakfast at 8:30 and I was the only one there; only one other table was made up for breakfast. The breakfast was fairly standard with a mini croissant, mini baguette, mini pain au raison, two other sweet bites. The one different bit was that I had a hot chocolate! All very nice J


I went and finished packing, backed up the photos and diary and then went and paid. I packed the bike and then rolled out at 10 am. All very relaxed. Thanks to last night’s slog up the hill I had a nice downhill into the town and I stopped at a patisserie and bought a Flan Apricot as emergency rations for later.

Not the best of days today L The wind of the last few days turned out to be a problem today. It had turned to the west and was exceedingly strong, sigh. On all of the exposed sections the side wind was making it hard to steer and occasionally it would be a full on head wind, also once or twice a great tail wind. There was also one really long awful section of new chip seal which combined with the wind made for some unpleasant riding. I was starting to get a sore left shoulder from trying to keep the bike on a straight line. (The wind was from my left.)

I had a stop in a park and ate the Flan I bought earlier; I would have liked to have it with a Coke or something cold but I hadn’t seen an open shop all day, it is Sunday after all. The planes were a continuous stream overhead so I knew I was getting close. Then in the town of Thieux there was a loud crack and my saddle fell off!

I stopped and picked it up and discovered that the bolt holding the saddle had sheared through. Bum L I tried riding for a few hundred metres bit without the saddle but it is too difficult with the wind and the panniers. I photographed a taxi sign and waited for someone to walk by but no one was about so in the end I banged on the door of a closed hotel and asked them to call for me. Half an hour later I was in a cab to the airport. Not exactly the way I expected to finish the tour L So close as well, only 9 Ks to go.


Quarter of an hour later I was at the hotel. I checked in, they wheeled the bike off to storage and I went and had a shower and rang home. Then feeling relaxed I had a nap!

After the nap I went for a walk to find out how to get to Terminal 2A and where to buy a bike box. It turns out I need to take an internal shuttle train, free, so I did. Then I walked down to the terminal which was a bloody long way (from 2D to 2C to 2A). Of course contrary to my theory Cathay Pacific does not have a flight at the same tonight, so I couldn’t ask them where to get a box. So I wandered back looking for info which I couldn’t find. Then right back where I got out of the shuttle train was Left Baggage. I walked in there and it turns out they also sell the bike boxes, 30 Euros.


I now have a fair idea that I know what to do tomorrow so I headed back to the hotel and then went and had dinner. I didn’t want to shame the hotel so I didn’t take any photos. It’s a simple buffet with salads, mains (meatballs, fish and shrimps, vegetarian wok) and dessert (fudge and Flan). I had a Coke with it and then headed back up to my room (which is the width of the bed).


Lewis was on so I did some work on the diary for today and then watched a Midsomer Murders, one I don’t recall. Bed close to midnight.

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