| Day # | 37 | State of Legs | :-) |
| Distance (miles) | Distance (km) | Ascent (feet) | Ascent (metres) | Punctures | |
| Today | 0 miles | km | 0 feet | metres | 0 |
| Trip Totals | 1702 miles | km | 64670 feet | metres | 0 |
| Today's Route |
| No cycling today |
| Route So Far |
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Travelogue
Having just cycled for seven days in a row without a break, taking a day off here in Perpignan is definitely welcome!
If you've read previous blog posts about my rest days, you'll know the general routine as well as I do. And I seem to have got everything done that I need to as I write this post so the remainder of the day (it's 2 pm now) is mine for pure relaxation. So what have I done so far?
Planned the next few days
I've reviewed my route for the next 4 days as it heads west across France and identified the 4 places I hope to stop along the way, each at 50 - 60 mile intervals. I've established places to camp for the next two days and have identified somewhere for the third day. I'll contact them tomorrow or the day after.
The fourth day is special in that it should take me to Laruns. This is "officially" the start of the climb over the Pyrenees I intend to cycle, up through Col du Pourtalet and seems a logical place to stop and have one or two rest days to get ready. It's a long climb but I don't think it's too steep from what I've read.
Optimised the route
On reviewing the route, which I plotted a long time ago, I spotted an issue which has been staring me in the face all along. I've changed my route to address the issue. See if you can spot the difference.
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| The original route |
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| The revised route |
You can doubtless see the issue addressed by my revision. In my original route, just before the final climb up through Col du Pourtalet there was another equally if not more gruelling climb and then descent! I'd plotted the route so that a fairly direct line was taken to Laruns without paying enough attention to the profile. And that more direct route would have required me to climb over a mountain and then descend to the other side! No thank you. I have enough climbing in the Pyrenees to do as it is. So the new route goes a less direct way, following a valley west and then turning south into another valley in which Laruns is located. And you can see from the new profile that this eliminates the unnecessary climb I had in the original. I'm glad I spotted this!
Cleaned the bike
The Mule was completely caked in dirt from all the off-road trails I've ridden since Draguignan. Zoom in on the next photo to see the layers of accumulated dirt!
Updated the ride stats
I've been tracking daily distance and ascent and the cumulative distance and ascent figures over consecutive blocks of 3, 4 and 5 days respectively. The maximum distance and ascent figures have not changed since I last updated these stats. I don't see me doing a ride longer than the record holding 92 miles I did one day in Italy. As for ascent figures, well anything is possible. The Pyrenees and Spain are getting closer.
Socialised with the AirBnB hosts
The couple who own the apartment I am staying in live upstairs. They are really nice and after chatting with me (in French) as I cleaned the bike, invited me up to their apartment for a drink and to show them my route.
I sat with them for an hour, enjoying a nice cold drink and having a surprisingly wide ranging conversation, very much aided by technology like Google Translate. It was a very enjoyable interlude from Trip Admin. I didn't want to outstay my welcome, so after an hour left them in peace and came back downstairs to my apartment. People continue to surprise me in a positive way on this trip.
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