Garry McGivern’s Spanish bike ride Thursday 28th-April-2011 Chatou to Rouen. 85 miles. It was a cold and wet start to the day. But after an hour or two, the rain stopped, although you could still feel it in the air.
Every time I cycle out of Paris, I get lost and go a different way. Okay, I know that I’d cycled the bulk of it yesterday, but Chatou is still considered a suburb of Paris. So last night, I spent a bit of time working out my route for today. And as I cycled on this morning, I began to recognise different places, a sure sign that I was heading in the right direction. I even recognised a bench in a bus shelter. I remembered sheltering there from the rain last year.
Do Concentrate
As I cycled on, not paying any attention, I suddenly realised I was heading in the completely wrong direction! Don’t ask me how it happened. I was just in my, own little world! It took me a while before I could work out where I was. But once I had, I found my way to the main D14 to Rouen. So at least I was now going the right way. I thought I’d stay on the D14 for a few miles, then drop down to the Seine and find the route I usually take. The D14 isn’t exactly a pleasant road to cycle on. It’s a single carriageway full of lorries that thunder past with inches to spare.
It started to rain again, so I decided to stay on the main road. That way, I wouldn’t have to worry about looking at road signs and checking to ensure I was going the right way. I could just keep my head down and peddle. I didn’t even stop for a break! All I wanted to do was get to Rouen so I could stop.
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