August 24, 2009
Reims: Mechanical problems and we discover Deacathalon
Tricia
We left Laon after an excellent breakfast and had a lovely cool trip through forests with some uphill. Eventually we stopped for cake and I sent a very upbeat TXT to Jane. After that everything turned to custard. The hills got worse, the shade disappeared and the temperature rose to 33 degrees. Eventually we made a wonderful descent into Hermonville and I said there was no way I wasn’t going to stay here so I took off to hunt accommodation while Ken guarded the bikes – no luck everything was ‘complete’ however a nice man at the bar told me of a place about 5km down the road towards Reims. By now it was around 1pm so before we set off we sat on a shady seat in the park and had our usual lunch of bread, cheese and fruit.
With high hopes we set off but about 2 or 3km down the road something horrible happened to Ken’s bike – at times he couldn’t pedal at all and at other times it made horrible noises. We unloaded but couldn’t find the problem and he managed to continue on as long as he stayed in the same gear. It seemed best that we headed to Reims, about 18km away, where we could get help. We had to go on a very busy road but it was OK and we reached the outskirts of Reims. Ken rode over a bump and then his bike wouldn’t go at all. Desperate for a bike shop I saw a man in a car yard and asked him. He gave us directions to Decathalon about 3km away (amazingly at that stage neither of us had ever heard of Decathalon). We would have to walk it so we set off. When things got confusing I flagged down a man on a bike and he kindly rode with me. Ken continuing to walk – I was scared we would completely lose each other. Eventually we came to an enormous Decathalon and our problems were over. There was a wonderful man there who unloaded the bike and immediately spotted the problem. A screw had dislodged itself from the rear rack and one of the arms was catching in the chain and rear sprocket. He hunted around for a minute found a replacement and fitted it –no charge! Reading this now makes me realize how much we have learnt about bikes and cycle touring in the last 6 years!
I programmed Reims into the GPS and we set off for the Centre Ville. I left Ken and the bikes on a corner with some very dodgy people and off I set hunting down somewhere to stay. At first I rejected the Kyriad as being too expensive but then after three quarters of an hour of futile searching I was happy to settle for it and Ken was very pleased to see me on my return. The Kyriad was very comfortable and after our usual post ride activities we set of to explore the beautiful centre of Reims. The Cathedral is magnificent high with wonderful carvings – we were lucky to catch a service. Then we found a lovely place for a delicious meal accompanied by a very nice Rose.
Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 577 km (358 miles)
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