May 31, 2011

We awake to the sound of beating rain on the tent after a night of thunderstorms.  We wait for a while to see if it will stop – it doesn´t.  So we cram all our stuff in the bags in the rain.  This is the first time we have actually started a day in the rain in the whole of the 8 weeks we have been on tour so far.  It is impossible to keep anything dry.  As well as the rain, it is cold – the lady in the café where we get coffee tells us it is 14 degrees.  So only 24 hours after suffering from sweat rash and trying to avoid dehydration, we are now wearing three layers, waterproof jackets and socks and I have blue legs due to the cold. 

There is a good side though – the wind has dropped and suddenly the cycling is easy again – even up the hills.  The strength and direction of the wind really make a huge difference on performance (and morale) – unless we have become fit overnight in our sleep.

Although we made a late start, the kilometres fly by.  Ken spends his day alternating between developing theories on what is causing his clicking noise and the meaning of life – very similar really.

We decide to stay in a hotel so we can try to dry out the things.  We see the weather forecast on the TV – tomorrow will be sunny again (hurray!) but the following 2 or 3 days will be wet.  Looks like our luck with the weather may be about to run out.