June 8, 2011

The Alps have disappeared behind a curtain of rain; it is really a miserable day.  We pack everything up, absolutely saturated, in the pouring rain, set off in the pouring rain and cycle all day in the pouring rain.  What can I say – we get wet. 

We follow a cycle route along the shoreline of Lake Geneva and across the city of Geneva itself, taking the usual extra hour or two to find our way through the bustling streets. 

At last the rain stops – things are looking up until I have a little misunderstanding with a kerb.  We have run into road-works and the cycle track, together with the road, just disappears into the middle of heaps of sand.  All that is left is a temporary road just wide enough for one vehicle.  With a lorry right on our tail, the driver revving the engine impatiently, I decide to pull to one side, but misjudge the height of the kerb and next minute I´m crashing to the ground.  When Ken got run off the road a couple of days ago, he got pushed onto the nice soft grass verge – but I get solid concrete.  I have two bashed knees and a searing pain in my right thumb and wrist.  After a few minutes recovery time, and a couple of paracetamol, we set off walking the bikes.  We are nowhere near anywhere to stay.  I know it will be nearly impossible to ride one-handed – clearly, I find it difficult enough to ride two-handed.  Eventually, we decide that we have to try to ride a few more kilometres to the next place.  I ride slowly with my right forearm resting on the handlebars – not able to change gear or use my back brake.  This could be the end of our tour.

The only hotel we find is completely booked up and the woman on the reception desk is particularly unhelpful, unable to suggest anywhere else we might try.   Once again we experience a complete contrast in attitude when a man on the street outside the hotel, seeing us looking a bit lost, asks if he can help.  He directs us to a camp-site and gives us his name and ´phone number in case we can´t find anywhere to stay.

We do eventually arrive at the camp-site, grateful, but worried about whether I´ll be able to ride the bike tomorrow.