Needless to say after a very small numbers of hours sleep, nobody took up the opportunity to explore the local market before setting off on Day 2.Gary had drawn the short straw on the room-sharing front and ended up in the only room which involved five people sharing. The real problem was one of his roommates whose snoring was clearly wired directly to the light switch in the room. Gary had no sleep whatsoever and was somewhat lacking in energy and enthusiasm.
The sun was out and in contrast with the Wye Downs the roads were flat, the tarmac was good ans spirits were high. Gary and Zack killed time playing name that animal in French. We're pretty sure that Danny didn't do French at all at school and beyond chat and chien all of his other attempts seemed to involve making the noise the animal made but with a Allo-Allo French accent.
Zack started to pay the price for ignoring all advice given ahead of the trip. The soreness of yesterday started to magnify and he started to scrounge and form of cream or painkillers that he could get his hands on. At one point he announced "If the sores heal over in an unfortunate way I may well end up without an anus". The rest of the team offered appropriate support.
Meanwhile our second casualty was Beth. Rather strangely Beth has lost most of the feeling in her right and her little finger had a mind of it's own. Endless fun was had at lunch while we watched her try to cut up her food. We could have helped her out, but honestly, she insisted she could manage all on her own.
Once the team settled into a rhythm the inevitable element of competition started to set in.
Here is the end of a race over a particularly steep climb where Rod is pipped to the line by the Danny (King of the Mountains) while somewhat prematurely celebrating victory. Perhaps he was just pleased to get to the top!?
...and here's another of Rod this time losing by such an extent to Jon that he had time to park up and take a photo with a smug look on his face. This one was particularly sweet given Rod had scared the living daylights out of Jon on a descent earlier in the stage by charging past him at 45mph, screaming "CAVENDISH" down his ear as he roared past. (For those who don't know - Mark Cavendish is a famous cyclist know for his sprinting skills).
Indeed this particular game took on more and more appeal to Rod as it soon became apparent that going at insane speeds downhill was about the only time he could catch and pass anyone.
Rod explaining how the next climb is his for the taking
Finally it is worth reflecting on the French and their appreciation for the finer points of the art of cycling. On many occasions during the trip the better cyclists and best bikes drew appreciative nods of approval. Motorists would travel behind us for miles until there was a safe place to pass. Horns would be tooted as we battled to the top of a tough climb. Which brings us to Gary and his hat.
As you can see from the photograph Gary had the most ridiculous hat possible. We were convinced that he had originally bought it in 1980 when doing a spot of gorge jumping and decided it would meet the requirements of a 300km bike ride just perfectly. Repeatedly throughout the trip Gary drew various insults from the roadside as he passed by. Oddly most of these were from old, french women. Gary, not even having an elementary grasp of French, would smile impishly and greet with them with a firm, enthusiastic and overly loud "Bonjour". Ignoring that they were challenging his very right to ride with such ridiculous headware in la terre du cycle. Water of a duck's back for the cheeky chap.
The day ended in Gournay en Bray. Gary got some sleep. Anything could happen tomorrow....
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