As I had done so little training I though I would start of with a few easy days to ease into the ride, probably having a rest day every 2 days. As with all my plans I completely ignored it as soon as I had started. The first day was quite tough and after nearly 2 weeks of overcast and slightly cool weather at my Grandad's, France picked my first day to give me full sunshine and nearly 30°C. This weather, the lack of training and the fact that some of the worst terrain of the whole route would be in the first 2 days meant that halfway through the second day I was starting to think I had bitten off far more than I could chew. The type of high rolling hills that I was on was becoming very disheartening with every crest giving a view of the next hill. I was beginning to wonder where the boring flat France of the long car journeys of my childhood had gone!
Luckily at the end of the second day I found a campsite in the garden of a pub right next to a lake in a typical small French town. Sitting with a beer as the sun set meant I didn't really care that I hadn't gone as far as the previous day. I also tried to remind myself that I hadn't planned to ride as far as I had done and that I had planned a rest day after one more day in the saddle.
On my third day everything seemed to be going well and the terrain had started to level out slightly. Obviously it was time for my first problems to strike. Just as I was looking for a place to get lunch, about 60km into the day, I had my first puncture. Luckily I had prepared for this and after unpacking all my bags on the side of the road I found one of my spare inner tubes. It was at this point that I discovered that the pump that my Grandad had kindly donated couldn't actually give me the pressure I needed for the tyre! I spent about 25 minutes in the midday heat desperately trying to get just enough air in the wheels to lift the rim off the road. Eventually I managed this and had to ride 20km on a still very flat tyre until I could find a place to buy a pump that worked.
The problems of the day weren't quite over though as at the end of the day when I was ready to stop the campsite in the town I had reached was closed. Using my terrible French I managed to ask some old ladies for the nearest one and was told it was either 5km back the way I had come or about 9 or 10km north. Going back didn't seem like an option so I pushed on. 9 or 10km later I reached a signpost for the town I was aiming for... it was another 10km away. Anyway I made it and collapsed into my tent cursing old French ladies and their lack of concept of distance.
Some stats for the first 3 days if anyone is interested...
Day 1 - La Concarde, Queyssel to Brantôme
Distance: 104.21km Time: 5:11 Average Speed: 20.04kmph
Day 2 - Brantôme to Montrollet
Distance: 99.93km Time: 5:14 Average Speed: 19.08kmph
Day 3 - Montrollet to Châtillon-sur-Indre
Distance: 135.35km Time: 6:07 Average Speed: 22.08kmph
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