September 18, 2021
Saint-Malo to Plurien
The rain came at 6am. It woke us up, and it was steady. It tapered off an hour later, and with the birds starting to chirp, we figured we were safe to make coffee and pack up. Of course, as we left the campground, the drops started again. I decided that there would be no half measures this time, and emptied my rain gear bag. It was just right for our expensive little ferry ride across the harbor, but once we climbed a hill or two, the rain pants were more of a hindrance than an asset.
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Speaking of which, our first "hill" was right at the ferry dock. We were so glad they had installed a runnel!
The rain finally did let up, but out of superstition, I kept all the gear on until well after it stopped.
Our scheme to shave a few kilometers off the route paid off, and it took us through the beautiful town center of Saint-Briac. We enjoyed real coffee and a pan aux raisins at the patisserie, while also stocking up on bread for later.
To be honest, other than that, the morning was pretty unmemorable. I was doing all I could to navigate and not think too much about the sweat accumulating under the not-so-breathable rain gear. Speaking of navigating in the rain, I need to figure out a solution. Raindrops that accumulate on the phone register as touches, and it gets all wonky. The best ideas I have so far are to wrap a clear plastic bag around it, or to put it in my handlebar bag and rely on voice navigation only. Actually, the best idea is simply not to ride in the rain. We tried that before, and, well, it didn't rain. It's Murphy's Law in action.
One thing I'll say for Brittany so far is that they love their picnic tables almost as much as I do. They're everywhere! It's paradise, and it's also a temptation to stop far more often than we need to. We did all right today, only stopping at one for lunch, but who knows what the future will bring. We may never leave this place.
The highlight of our ride came near the end of the day, when we reached Cap Fréhel. EV4 brought us through some doubletrack, and before we knew it, we were surrounded by bright red scrub. The lighthouse was a side trip, but we (really just I) decided that we would probably never be back here, so we should check it out. It's a lighthouse. Or more accurately, it's a lighthouse designed by an architect who really wanted to design a castle. The real treat was the magnificent views of cliffs, islands, and the Atlantic.
We stopped about 15km short of our goal for today. We had made this lighthouse side trip, and we were also pretty beat from dealing with the rain earlier. Not to mention that some of the climbs were pretty steep! Even so, due to the ferry shortcut, we are slightly ahead of our 6-day La Velomaritime schedule. The way things are going, I think we'll get to Morlaix on Wednesday evening, take a rest day there, and start traversing La Vélodyssée bright and early Friday. That being said, I also want to embrace the freedom afforded to us on this long holiday by taking things one day at a time. There's a happy medium there somewhere.
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Today's ride: 59 km (37 miles)
Total: 689 km (428 miles)
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