August 3, 2016
Soissons to Reims
Well, for a day without rain, we got awfully muddy.
Actually, it had rained all night, which was part of the problem. And it was still coming down when we woke and during most of breakfast, a decent buffet in the hotel's restaurant. So we delayed our start as Mark assured me that by 11:00 AM or so the prediction for rain was nigh 0%! That sounded good to me. We were only doing 40 miles to reach Reims, so even a start at 11:00 would have us in by 3:00.
Well, we didn't actually start till closer to 11:30! Oh well. We should make it by 3:30!
So off we went. Unfortunately, we did not pass any markets as we left town, so the only resources I had were an apple and my reserved breakfast bars (Nature Valley).
The day started with a rather stiff climb out of town. It was long too, maybe 2-1/2 miles total with 1-1/2 miles on a 5% plus grade range. Not worse than Peaks of Otter, but I hadn't warmed up yet! But we knocked it out at 6-7 mph and arrived on the plateau, where we stayed for about another 10 miles, all rain-free. But not mud-free.
We had a turn at about MP 6 that took us off the main highway (D6) onto a quiet, but paved, farm road. And that was fine for about 1/2 mile, and then we hit dirt, as in a dirt road. We had limited options since we still had not purchased a SIM card. Finding an alternate route would be difficult with no guarantee we wouldn't have the same issue elsewhere. Mark had a detour plan, but I guess I was being stubborn. Or too proud. At that moment, these two Brits, also touring, came up behind us, stopped momentarily, mumbled something about how "we were following you," and pushed through.
Well, it didn't look so bad.
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A few puddles but what looked like firm ground . . . wrong! It was at the start, but we were soon in a motocross mud pit, and it clung to the bike and gears like glue. What a horrible mess. All total, it lasted maybe 3/4 mile. And when the four of us got to the far side and hard pavement, it took probably 30-45 minutes to clean it off. But with what? I finally decided to sacrifice a water bottle (I have three) and refilled it from pooled water from the side of the road. That and a spare latex glove did the trick. But what a mess. Mark reminded me only once about the easy detour. Somehow his bike survived in much better condition than mine!
On we traipsed. And we were doing fine, riding through beautiful countryside, even with overcast skies.
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That was until we hit dirt again at MP 11 or so. This was not quite as bad as the prior stretch but went on longer, for about 1-1/2 miles. I was more careful this time but still collected a decent amount of mud, almost like a magnet. Another cleaning operation! But now I had experience!
We had another big climb at MP 16 that went as far as MP 19, Mont Saint-Martin, and then easy rolling until our last real climb at MP 30 that was about an 8% grade.
All good training for the coming Alps! After that, we descended into Reims, following the river for the last six miles. Reims is a very nice town. Eventually we picked up a bike trail along the river and followed it to the town center.
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After checking in, job number one was to wash the bikes. Fortunately, the hotel either overlooked our mess or it simply didn't matter, but we were allowed to take our bikes to the room.
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Good thing! They had roll-in showers! The bike fit easily, and the hand shower extended to the rear wheel. Excellent, if not muddy!
Then a tour of the cathedral's exterior (which, unfortunately, was under renovation) followed by a dinner in Reims' vibrant downtown. Delicious!
Today's ride: 41 miles (66 km)
Total: 145 miles (233 km)
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