Having had a day off, we resolved to leave Dijon even though
the forecasted weather was inclement. We set ourselves a suitably low target,
with a view to making a little progress towards Troyes. Unfortunately we had
not fully grasped how bad weather can truly scupper even the most lowly of
designs.
We found our way out of Dijon quite easily, despite the constant rain and uphill inclination, and began along the Route de Troyes (D971). However after about 5 miles we were soaked through and I couldn’t feel my hands. The problem with constant freezing rain is it quickly showcases how little suitable gear you’ve brought from the Alps, and how uncomfortable life can be on a tandem ascending hills at marginal speeds. After nearly 10 miles, and some serious dithering in the cold trying to get some/any feeling into my hands I accidently caught my knee on the pedal. This caused it to bleed instantly, as my skin was so cold and wet. We then saw a sign for camping, so decided that’d probably be best.
It probably wasn’t. The campsite was grim. There was only
lukewarm water in the “shower” and the less said about the whole toilet block
the better. We erected the tent as hastily as possible (considering the near
complete lack of feeling in our hands) and dived into it to dry off and change
clothes. After a few hours we’d warmed sufficiently to adjust the tent so it
was sleep-worthy, and my knee had stopped bleeding. We soon figured out that
there was a whole family of lumpy objects living underneath the tent, which
were ill-concealed by our thin (but cheap and light) sleeping mats. We put on
all of our dry clothes and got into the sleeping bags. The rest of the day
passed trying to get warm, and thinking of ways of getting a bit further on.
However, the rain did not stop for a moment and so, after about 6 hours of
huddling together for warmth, we made our (thankfully) last toilet trip of the
day and settled down for sleep.
We actually cycled less than 10 miles all day, but it was by
far the hardest section we’d done. The rain soaked everything we were wearing,
which immediately ruled outsimple things like putting on my only pair of
trainers or wearing my cycle shorts the next day. In, necessarily, travelling
light, we are completely incapable of dealing with the rain, particularly if
it’s freezing cold. Add to that the frustration of having made very little
progress and ending up in a horrible campsite, it would be accurate to say I
hated it. Not a good day, not much fun at all. Also, it comes with the added
bonus of complicating the next few days’ travel. Oh, and did I mention we
didn’t have any food other than the flapjacks and one pain au chocolat? Well we
didn’t. Grim.
We found our way out of Dijon quite easily, despite the constant rain and uphill inclination, and began along the Route de Troyes (D971). However after about 5 miles we were soaked through and I couldn’t feel my hands. The problem with constant freezing rain is it quickly showcases how little suitable gear you’ve brought from the Alps, and how uncomfortable life can be on a tandem ascending hills at marginal speeds. After nearly 10 miles, and some serious dithering in the cold trying to get some/any feeling into my hands I accidently caught my knee on the pedal. This caused it to bleed instantly, as my skin was so cold and wet. We then saw a sign for camping, so decided that’d probably be best.
It probably wasn’t. The campsite was grim. There was only
lukewarm water in the “shower” and the less said about the whole toilet block
the better. We erected the tent as hastily as possible (considering the near
complete lack of feeling in our hands) and dived into it to dry off and change
clothes. After a few hours we’d warmed sufficiently to adjust the tent so it
was sleep-worthy, and my knee had stopped bleeding. We soon figured out that
there was a whole family of lumpy objects living underneath the tent, which
were ill-concealed by our thin (but cheap and light) sleeping mats. We put on
all of our dry clothes and got into the sleeping bags. The rest of the day
passed trying to get warm, and thinking of ways of getting a bit further on.
However, the rain did not stop for a moment and so, after about 6 hours of
huddling together for warmth, we made our (thankfully) last toilet trip of the
day and settled down for sleep.
We actually cycled less than 10 miles all day, but it was by
far the hardest section we’d done. The rain soaked everything we were wearing,
which immediately ruled outsimple things like putting on my only pair of
trainers or wearing my cycle shorts the next day. In, necessarily, travelling
light, we are completely incapable of dealing with the rain, particularly if
it’s freezing cold. Add to that the frustration of having made very little
progress and ending up in a horrible campsite, it would be accurate to say I
hated it. Not a good day, not much fun at all. Also, it comes with the added
bonus of complicating the next few days’ travel. Oh, and did I mention we
didn’t have any food other than the flapjacks and one pain au chocolat? Well we
didn’t. Grim.
T+7 - Dijon to Darlois - 9.85 miles
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