All’s Well That Ends Well!
France Stage 01 – Paris to Corbeil-Essonnes 45 Km (Sat 9 June 2018)
Weather: 18⁰C min – 26⁰C max, mostly cloudy
“Everything will be alright in the end. If things are not alright it is not yet the end.” ~ from the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The first stage of my French tour had it all … a heavy blanket of smog hung around for the whole trip, my route followed the muddy Seine River through the unattractive (even ugly) side of Paris, the bicycle path was in a bad state of disrepair (at one stage being ripped up to make way for a pipeline), the battery on my Garmin GPS was almost completely discharged (even though I charged it last night), the rear shifter cable on my bike snapped (leaving me stuck in top gear), there were no coffee shops, the bridge across the river that I planned to take was closed for repairs (forcing me to ride on a busy, narrow road), and having to ride on a rocky, unsealed, path for a few hundred metres was not helping my bad back one little bit. Murphy’s Law was working well today!
Needless to say, the few photos I took are very ordinary … it was a struggle to find anything scenic enough to waste pixels on! Gone are the beautiful blue skies I enjoyed in Puglia and Sicily.
Fortunately I carry a battery power pack, so the Garmin problem was easily fixed.
My biggest worry was the broken cable. Riding in top gear was not much of a problem on today’s flat terrain, but I have nearly 1,000 Km left before I reach Roscoff in Brittany, with some hills along the way. I tried googling for nearby bike shops, but the nearest was 16 Km away and, being Saturday, closes at 12 noon. No shops will be open tomorrow (Sunday) so I was starting to panic by the time I reached my destination.
Everything turned around when I reached the picture perfect town of Corbeil-Essonnes where I am staying tonight. I couldn’t believe my luck when the only bike shop in town was open and the mechanic obligingly replaced my cable in about 15 minutes. After bidding him merci beaucoup several times, and rewarding him with a tip, I wheeled my bike outside to the welcome sight of patchy blue sky. The smog had lifted!
My mood really changed for the better when I was able to buy a large cappuccino at a Macdonalds near my hotel. Then to top it off my beloved Sydney Swans were doing a demolition job on Saint Kilda.
Happy days are here again!
Happy days indeed. After Paris, things can only get better.
So the day ended well – good to be positive Kevin – which you always are ! I’m sure the ride through some parts of the country side of France will prove to be amazing – hope you enjoy yourself !!
Keep up the good work !
Well my dear what a day you have had but, hi! it turned up trumps before the ended. Some times things happen for a reason which we may not know. some people have had worse days so your “stars” are good..
My day with the car still haunts me!! Anyway all good for you now so continue to ride safely and enjoy!!
“Better days are here again and better to com”.
Oh! the poor bike is telling you “I have had enough even if you the rider can still go another year or so”.
Town photo not bad but yes the rout photos well what can I say!!.
Buon giorno Kevin,
Bravo, che splendido viaggio colla tua biciletta attraverso l’Italia del Sud. Buona fortuna col tua viaggio nella Francia.
Nel Sydney, adesso, fa freddo, tira vento e piove. L’inverno e arrivato!
Cordiali saluti.
Ron
Thanks Ron. Yes I noticed last Wednesday’s ride was cancelled. The weather in Italy was just perfect, but not so good for my first two days of riding in France. Hopefully it will improve when I get a little further south along the Loire.
Well, your day sure was one of contrasts! I’m so glad to hear it ended up well. Gobble some gorgeous French food for me!
No gorgeous French food in Saint-Mammes last night though. Being Sunday the only place open in this tiny town was a takeaway pizza shop!
I was at that game (in Melbourne). As a life-long St Kilda supporter I still cannot get used to be trounced like that! At least I fared better in the bridge!
Poor saints! Congratulations on the bridge result. Which tournament did you win?