Days 10, 11 and 12 - when you're a Jett...

Three for one is: a great deal, a 3 musketeers rally cry and what you get with this blog today

Day 10 - 120km

I can hardly remember that far back.  We rode from Chanas to Montlimar, we rode hard, we thrilled others, and we impressed ourselves. It was our furthest planned ride of the trip.

PS. You may not have gotten the full 3 for 1 benefit out of that first entry.

Day 11 - 115km

This has been my best day.  I awoke early with a mission: ride to Avignon to meet my son Jett at the train station.  The station is 101 km away, and Jett’s train arrives at 11:15 am.  A line at the breakfast counter and some minor mechanical fixes compel a departure of 7:30,  a little later than intended.  We have time to make up,  compounded by the relative difficulty of riding through town [NOTE: it is perhaps no surprise that two adjacent roundabouts form a symbol for “infinity”, precisely the perceived duration to cross them.]

John agrees to ride with me, and we endeavour to go our fastest.  Our time is aided considerably by a stiff tailwind.  [Note: I ask several friends if using a tailwind is cheating, to which most say “no”. I followup with the question: “what if you only go out when there is a tail wind?”, to which most say “maybe”. What do you think?]   Despite the heavy traffic leaving and entering town, we still make good time, and arrive almost simultaneously with the train.  My son has been away at school and I haven’t seen him for 5 months, and it is cathartic to lay eyes on him. We spend the day walking through the streets of Avignon, viewing the Pope’s Palace [ Pope? Yes!], and lunching at a street cafe.  As usual, he educates me about how the world really works, and I reciprocate.  Today, there is no right or wrong - only the sweet sound of his words.  This is a great day.

It is a joy to introduce my son to each team member, but night comes too quickly, then morning, then goodbyes.  Sigh.

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Day 12 - 115

Preparing to leave for the day we catch sight of John’s wheel that had been noisy the day prior and see the problem - evey spoke had wriggled loose and the hub was virtually free floating like string art. Some astoundingly quick repairs get us going again.  We still have our stiff headwind and crosswind [Cheating?].  We take full advantage and, again, post some great speeds.  We also stay with the team and remember why we are here.  And as we are riding the landscape begins to change.  We see trees that look like Dr. Seus creations, rare Carmague horse sightings, lots and lots of other cyclists, and then, incredibly, the Mediteranian Ocean.

This is more than a vacation; more than an adventure.  We are on a pilgrimage to a conference to meet people and talk about issues that are of profound importance to us and our future lives. 

And we are getting close.