Day 22: Espana!!!

So, after the previous day of fixing a broken spoke, I had been mulling over the fact that I had yet to have a puncture on the trip. Lucy had just 2, and 4 of my spokes had given way at various points, but no puncture. I put this down to the clean roads in France, and the fact that you don´t find yourself cycling through glass as I so often did on the Pacific coast of the US.

Day 21: Getting there

I awoke early to see Igor packing his tent and heading off. For some reason we don´t think it will be the last time we see him, although we hope it is.. not being mean, but he´s a proper nut job!

Day 20: Crash bang wallop, and another visit from Igor

We left Arcachon fairly early and headed down the coast, looking to get a good days cycle in and at least make it to Mimizan. The cycling was going fairly well and we followed bike routes for most of the way. In fact we were making great progress through the beach villages, and the weather was still fairly good apart from being a little colder.

Day 19: Rest day, but a proper one

We decided that a day in Arcachon would be a good idea as the glorious weather was about to change, and cycling everyday in the searing heat was starting to seem silly. Best make the most of it for one day and then head on refreshed and ready for the final push.

Day 18: Rack off

After a nice night of listening to the waves crashing in and the smell of pine, we headed off as a threesome for another day of cycling through pine forests just by the coast. Lucy's tent peg/cable tie/electric tape combo appeared to have done the job with her pannier rack and all was well and good.

Day 17. A new recruit!

So after a sort of rest day we headed out of Royan via the ferry across the bay of biscay, another lovely sunny day in the 30's and a day of cycling through pine forests ahead of us.

Day 16: Rest day, sort of

We had a rest day in Royan, sort of... we thought it was bound to have a cybercafe, which it did, but it was closed, so while Lucy went and sat on the beach for a couple of hours I cycled 8 miles back in the direction of La Palmyre as I knew it had a cybercafe, and I was eager to get some of the last week blogged.

When I came out of the cybercafe low and behold the 3 muskamigos passed me, looking burnt, tired and like they were about to die. They got lost again, still hadn't invested in a map, and I told them it should only take them about 40 minutes to get to Royan... realistically, I reckon the pace they were going it would probably have taken about an hour and a half.

Not much else to say, other than by the end of it we were both well rested, although I had cycled about 20 miles on a rest day, without making any progess!

Lucy question of the day "Does a beached whale bask or does it only bask when it is in the sea?"