A Wet, Windy, and Wild Ride

Day 27 – Montélimar to Avignon, France — 61 miles

We definitely made the right choice to take the day off yesterday. The storm turned into a major downpour, with thunder, lightning, strong winds, rain, and flooding. It rained all day and through the night, but this morning it seemed like it was starting to ease up.

Rather than take an additional day off—which would put us behind schedule—we decided to push through to Avignon. The following day, we would be dealing with gale-force winds, which would be a bit problematic while riding loaded bicycles. So instead of taking another day off in Montélimar, we’ve chosen to ride out the rest of the storm on our bikes and move on to Avignon, where we’ll take a “wind day” off from riding.

The ride to Avignon was wet, but we were gifted with a powerful Mistral wind, which let us reach Avignon almost effortlessly. Unfortunately, I did get a pretty bad flat, and it seems I’m out of sealant. I was able to pump up the tire using my awesome Christmas gift from Molly—a battery-powered electric pump. I love this thing, and yes, it’s worth the extra weight.

Even though the ride was rainy, gray, and gusty—with intermittent stops to pump the tire—it was still enjoyable, especially with such a strong tailwind at our backs.

Looking forward to the day off tomorrow and to Avignon. It looks like a beautiful city, and we’re excited to explore it.