Perouges to Morestel 26 miles
They had an incredibly lucky break to-day. They stopped at the tourist Office to ask the best route avoiding any steep cols or tunnels. They were furnished with the information and set off in good spirits. Although the route was slightly longer than the original plan it was very smooth going and they made their destination in excellent time. The weather was very hot which is better than rain but requires an awful lot of re hydration.
The only drawback was when they arrived, the hostelry was firmly shut and they had to spend a long while searching for the owner to let them in. However by the time I spoke to them they were ensconced and ready to go and eat.
Morestel to Chambery 52 miles
A day of high drama. Before setting off they were told a cyclone was on the way which worried Edith a great deal. The result was that although Gerard manged to eat a gargantuan meal Edith's appetite was cut and she was hardly able to eat. They later had a lucky escape from a lunatic driver who cut in too early which meant the bike was crushed against the kerb. The pedal caught on Gerard's leg and he has slightly hurt it. When quizzed by me about the exact nature of the injury all he will say is that it is 'a bit bloody but he will be fine'.
About 15 kilometres short of Chambery Edith suddenly felt totally drained and exhausted and felt she had to stop. Sadly when you are in the middle of nowhere it's difficult to know what to do. However they saw a furniture van and asked if they could catch a lift. The man was very apologetic and said that the van was full so he couldn't help. A little further on, he stopped and suggested that if his son rode on the back of the Tandem Edith could sit in the van. This was agreed and they all set off. The driver was a doctor with his student son who were moving his recently deceased mother's furniture from her home. Gerard reports that the student was a quite good peddler but when not used to how a tandem works it's rather scary. He also waved to all his passing girlfriend's chatting away with them asking what he was doing. They arrived at the man's house where upon because of the doctor's kindness they helped unload an entire van load of goods including fridges and large tables. I wonder what the difference is between energy expended on cycling and on furniture removal? Finally, having helped, the doctor drove them into Chambery.
The countryside is beautiful in this area and they saw waterfalls, a dam and they rode through canyons and tunnels. The going was not bad but a lot of ups and downs not surprising as it's the Alps. They both sounded well and they still managed to ride 52 miles and only 6 in the van. Let's hope tomorrow is a little less dramatic!
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