PECH, PLEITEN AND PANNEN and yet a conciliatory finish. A day that came other than I thought …
Exactly, I thought, now all the mountains were behind me and we would now go to the flat by the sea, to Provence. That was already so, but you just do not come so flat out of the Alps. That is, the morning began as always, up and down and exactly so it went continuously there. But it was not bad and offered again and again magnificent views in this spectacular environment. Here are a few impressions:
So nach 150 km kamen wir dann schon merklich, in Temperatur, Landschaft und Siedlungsbau, an in der Provance. Hier ein Take für Nataile, ja der Lavendel ist auf den Feldern und man fährt da durch wie an den Weinreben bei uns.
Leider kommt das nicht so recht mit der Handy Kamera, in echt war das, sagen wir deutlich.
Soweit, etwa 170 km, so gut. Dann kam der erste Defekt. Nun es ist ja nichts Neues als Radfahrer an der Seite zu stehen und den Schlauch zu wechseln, Bei dieser Tour hatte ich insgesammt 4 dieser Ereignisse. Beim ersten Mal heute ist das ja auch Standard und dauert 10 min., also auf und weiter. Dann war ich auch noch so echt schlau und ließmir am Feed Stop einen Ersatzschlauch geben, für alle Fälle denkt man sich. 12 km später, nun am Hinterrad die gleichen Misere … 15 min später ab aufs Rad und weiter, logisch mit etwas Verspätung. Und da dachte ich mir schon, das wir jetzt nicht so ein Tag, wie gedacht, das wird irgendwie anders. Okay, und dann kam das Beste, ich querte irgendwas, so dass sich mein Reifen aufschlitzte, auf freier Strecke unmöglich zu reparieren, wenn man nicht einen Ersatzreifen ….
There I sat then felt 3 days, stopped 50 minutes, until someone was there. Repair did not work, so unscrew the pedals and climb on a spare wheel. In the real tour would have been there now immediately one with a new rear wheel, fix changed and on. About as in Formula 1, so in 15 sec, yes about something like that I thought.
As you are in such situations, you accept them and make the best of it. So off to the spare wheel and on to finish the stage. I finish my Tour de France. Well, since my day was already ruined and I will certainly not come so early to the hotel, so that I can finally eat something great, not English, I just made the best of it. To this one must know, with such stages I always think of the food….
With the, not so bad, spare wheel I then closed to the very bad stragglers and offered to bring them home. The were all 4 at discuss the car to call and be brought to the hotel. The one meant then still – I still think they meant the first – you have now painted your wheel yellow …
Well, I got this group then but reasonably safe and – above all – evenly through the stormy evening wind into the stage of Provence. What they all found great in the end, because this ride was once again also a very special area. Yes, would have been a pity to spend it in the car.
One can plan just what one wants, it comes then nevertheless somehow differently.
So today it was again 236 km (to the hotel) and 2,300 altitude meters. How many times in a row? I would never have thought that this is possible before …
