Velo Gypsies: Chambly Equestrian to Forges Les Eaux

So like I said, the next day we had to hustle because we had a very long day against us. But I should probably slow my roll and mention something that happened while we stayed here. The equestrian center offered us our first taste of decent WiFi in a very long time. We were able to connect with family and properly plan the upcoming ride into Amsterdam. While determining the route to the Netherlands, about 6 days of solid riding, we discovered rain was in the forecast. Every day. Rain. Now, I know I've mentioned previously on this blog, probably multiple times, that we hit a lot of rain on this trip. It was later discovered that, in part, was due to a lower than usual jet stream. Thus giving the European continent a much wetter and colder climate than it is use to. We kept an eye on the UK, which was seeing record rain fall and flooding throughout the region.

So, let's recap:

1. Loads of rain already on our trip

2. Just rained on us every day in Paris

3. Another 6 days of rainy riding in our future

4. And the possibility of dealing with a very soaked UK in the last 3 weeks of our trip

5. Breaking point, met

We decided to contact our airlines and inquire to the cost of leaving early. Turns out leaving a day before the Olympics in London, along with all the other London natives, was going to be surprisingly cheap. So we had a heart to heart, said 'fuck it' and booked it. Four months of our almost five month trip and we were throwing the towel in, 3 weeks shy. Basically we were leaving before the Olympics instead after the Olympics, as previously planned.

So, we now had a couple days to ride to the coast of France to catch a ferry into the southern tip of England. Onward we rode with a lighter feeling in our hearts to enjoy the rest of France, and a promise to plan another trip in the future to visit the Netherlands and ride the UK from top to bottom.

That window, up top, that was our room. The last door on the left, that was my fuzzy boyfriend's stall

The ride started rough with me feeling a bit under the weather and riding into head winds, so it made for a slow start. Not so great, considering we were looking at a 90+Km day. For the most part we hit decent weather, saw some more disgustingly beautiful sites, and made it to our campground for the night with some light to spare. The rain was even kind enough to wait until almost the end of the day to give us a quick shower before letting up.