Meanwhile there was cycling in France, 225 km, 1900 meters of altitude and 10:30 hours I was on the road. But that expresses only the facts. The “alternative” facts are called rain, storm, wind force 6. That was a tough test today, that was really exhausting.

Well, it actually started quite easily, everyone was aware that it would eventually get a little wet, so we were all dressed accordingly and prepared. Until the first stop, after 40 km, everything was still right. But then …

… the sky opened its doors and came with considerable wind. Rain is okay, you just get wet and that’s it, but a wind in storm format is less edifying. Especially when it blows constantly against you.

Somehow, however, this does not tug at the morale of the participants, not even that we were on the road for more than 100km on an overland highway with trucks and real traffic. Once you’re wet, it’s not really about the weather conditions, you just accept it and keep going.

Then, however, and finally it went away from the country road, in a magical rural environment, forest, small road, sometimes there a small river, a village … can be understood as a reward. Then it went to the Champagne, great area, very beautiful scenery. Of course, jokes ran to stop and taste the delicacies, but somehow they do not then. I bet the Pyrenean squad wouldn’t have missed it … okay, we’re on the Tour de France after all. And, yes, things are different here …

What comes to you when you’re there so alone on the road, all sorts of things, would like to have a marker that holds all thoughts and I can have back later. At some point this is meditation …

Photos I have today not so meaningful, you just do not see the reality.

At the end there was 30 km before the finish, so after 195km in the saddle, still a plateau to bewätligen in which I frankly came to limits and really had to control me psychologically. Hey, that was so hard, up there a wind blew against me, felt hurricane level and I of course all alone, because the teabaggers have rules for everything possible, but in the end but not on the other schaun. Phew, so when I drive down a 5% falling mountain with 17 km/h is really what’s going on. That, 20 km before the finish, was intense.

At the end I arrived again. And then there was the frog …

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Yes, THE THING WITH THE FROG. So I had some time to think of something, so I thought, I’ll pack the tea bags as they are. After the big dinner it was my turn … an art break (to make sure everyone was listening … not 20sec and the room of 100 people was quiet) and the intro was about:

i had such great conversations with some of you about politics, economy, etc.
wonder why you guys are so hung up on rules.
hey, you all stop at red lights,
nobody in Italy, Spain does that, red is just a kind of suggestion there
you also always line up behind all cars (you Q)
etc. (a few more examples)
-> Hey, if you are so addicted (dependent) on rules, why do you want to leave the EU, the mother institution of rule makers???
The next one to get the frog was an Englishman, who pushed himself forward at the massage, in front of Chris, who drove the 225 hard km with me, by the way, the other 6 days before as well. Said Englishman shot the bird, because he as a Tour Taster (German Reinschmecker) has just arrived and times tomorrow a stage mitradeln would like. Do I have to say anything else? He is the frog. Everyone at Lake Constance would say he is the frog.
Incredibly, but really everyone congratulated me in the elevator, at the buffet, at the bar and everywhere to my speech, after I had asked yesterday for postponement.

A brief video of the gang from this morning in the Ardennes

There remain now the 40 Lifers, who drive the whole tour and in addition daily others, who want to try it out – to let themselves be massaged -.

Then there are Englishmen who have not yet ridden 120 km at a stretch and certainly not several times a week. The Lifers then give signs, funny …

They drive then with the car to the end.

Unfortunately, we have of the Lifers now also first failures and I thank Christoph again heartily to have sensitized me to the real dangers off. Your words and the momentum are with me.

Hey, but there are already a few really cool people, some have also only cycling in the brain and greet you constantly with hey you, how you’re doing. Others are then suddenly conversation partners, tell from their world if one, just alone, has found somewhere together, nice.

The next weeks will be interesting.

Can you then finally eat up, so that there is finally good weather, man …

Although that was a really exhausting day, this overland tour really no one needs, I want to highlight the positive findings:

we have now covered over 1000 km in a few days
I have no bruises, nothing pinches, everything as always
I get the feeling that my endurance performance is improving, I can ride faster for longer with a low pulse (34 km/h alone in the wind).
in the meantime I don’t care what comes, I just ride it …
In this sense …