May 18: Day 21, Montélimar-Salaise-sur-Sanne
The back brake has been getting progressively worse. When fully on it isn't stopping strongly enough. This morning I'd tried adjusting the cable tensioner, and also moving the location where it grips the cable - in the past this has been all that's required to fix these problems, but it wasn't working now. So I thought the prudent thing would be to visit the bike shop, which was due to open in a few minutes.
Unfortunately it was still locked up when I arrived - probably it’s actually closed for Ascension Day. Plan B: try to fix it myself. I adjusted the brake pad spacing, which did fix the problem; it's quite likely that the pads were just getting worn. Finding a balance where the brakepads don't rub, but the brakes still respond promptly is not straightforward...
After that I got moving; it was about 10. And some light rain started. The forecast said a 17% chance of rain - I want to believe it'll ease up soon.
I had my jersey on so I didn't really mind. But it was slowly getting heavier ... so I stopped being optimistic and put on my raincoat, before my jersey got too wet.
Actually, the forecast has said 17% chance of rain for the last few days, and there've been rainy patches. Maybe it means there's a 17% chance at any given moment that you'll be rained on?
The weather was pretty grey and grim, and the route was keen to join the N7, a busy two-lane road. I was less happy. Online maps are handy for these things, it's easy to find alternatives! In this case there was a road through the suburbs which worked just fine and meant I avoided the N7 altogether.
From left to right: Cruas Nuclear Power Station, just outside Montelimar. Savasse. Another hydroelectric power plant, which looks like a copy & paste of the one seen on Tuesday. Cyclepath during a sunny, happy, rain-free time.
Today's route was going up the Rhône, and there's a cyclepath for that. There were also a whole lot of other people on it! So many bikepackers were going the other way that I progressively reduced my greeting wave from a full-arm salute to an open hand - and sometimes I didn't even take my hand off the handlebar.
Everyone was in wet-weather gear as well, and their expressions definitely had a bit of hope that the weather improves.
I'm wondering if all this rain, and low-teen temperatures are a taste of what's to come in Scandinavia ... maybe I should spend the rest of the trip taking a slow turn around France and heading back through Spain to Portugal? Better weather, better food, better prices. I have memories of being too hot. Fond memories. Hard to imagine it now, wearing a jersey as I grind through rain in 11 degree temperatures.
I was thinking of aiming for Valence for lunch, but with the delayed start that wasn't going to happen. At 1230 I rolled into La Voulte-sur-Rhône, saw a lot of bikes parked up and figured that was a sign. Google Maps said there was a boulangerie nearby, but there was a cafe/visitors center right by me so I thought I'd have a quick look in there first. It was not really ready for guests - maybe the proprieter was taking Ascension Day to do some cleaning? - but he offered to make me a sandwich and I couldn't really leave after that. It was good.
From left to right: Bridge across the Rhône to La Voulte-sur-Rhône. Another shot from on the bridge. Hilltop ruins.
I haven't mentioned the headwind yet: the forecast said 15km/h, so less than half of previous days. It was OK - not a struggle to make progress, and I was sometimes able to use some of the higher gears. But I do notice that today, every other bikepacker has been going South with the wind.
There were a few sections of state road, but most of the time has been on good cyclepaths. On a fine day this would be a great ride.
From left to right: warning signs that the road may be submerged. The bridge at Tournon-sur-Rhône. Flood control dam? Me, remembering Portugal. Refilling drinks.
There was a bit more light rain, and it was leaving small streams at the edge of the road. The temperature had improved so I had put away the raincoat and jersey, I was just in my cycling top, and I could feel the spray from the back wheel every time I went through water. The route was back on the road again, leaving a dilemma - cycle right at the edge, where the water was, and get showered? Or ride six inches closer to traffic? I opted to ride on the white line and get sprayed, the road was narrow and I didn't want to get into traffic. To add to the fun there were tree roots or something under the asphalt, breaking it up: I stayed doggedly on that line, not keen to go around the bumps as it meant getting into the road lane.
The final section was a few kilometers on a busy road to the hotel. I found some side roads that ran parallel, and was able to miss most of it fortunately.
A good day, except for the weather. It was 11-15 degrees today, the forecast suggests it’ll be warmer for the foreseeable future. Hope so!