To minimise costs we've decided to twin-share where possible. David and I were to share a room this first night. To set the scene, David and I are newly-minted friends, meeting a few times on the Eurovelo 15 last year. We checked in and I headed off to the shower with around 30 hours of travel grime to wash off. As I re-entered the main room I saw something that one can't unsee ... David was completing stretches after his journey from Paris. For a guy over 70 years of age, I have to admit that he is very flexible ... I just wish he wasn't doing the exercises in his underwear! It could have been worse ... thankfully he was facing away from me.
I'm not sure if the twin share arrangements were getting off to a great start in room number two either. Brett had a shower, dried himself off with a towel, and then proceeded to use the remaining towel to wrap around his waist and trundle back into the main room to get changed. Cue Col going for his turn in the shower only to find a wet towel hung up for his use. Choice ... does Col use the wet towel that Brett used to dry every nook and cranny of his body or call out for a dryish towel wrapped around Brett's nether regions! Go the dry face washer Col!
After a fitful start to sleep, it was a 3am wake-up as my body was struggling to shake off the time difference between home and Mulhouse. As David was still asleep I tried to be a respectful roomie and keep quiet. Unfortunately, that lasted about 30 minutes before checking emails, going to the bathroom, and making huffing noises in the hope that he'd wake up and decide to pack alongside me. He didn't, so I went down to the garage of the hotel to begin preparing my bike for the trip, adding a few personal adornments such as my bike seat, my Karoo GPS holder, and my handlebar bag. By this stage, David was awake and joined Brett, Col and me in fitting and adjusting the bikes.
After check-out, we rode to the old part of town, found a boulangerie and had breakfast ... chocolate croissants and coffee ... breakfast of champions. After getting a random person to take the obligatory group photo, we did a brief tour of Mulhouse looking for its renowned street art.
We then headed off for our first stop, the Musee Nationale de l'Automobile ... a glorified car show with a history of motorised vehicles on display. The guys went in for an hour of touring while I worked on my 'already' cantankerous bike which was having gear change issues. The team returned noting that the museum was the best they'd ever seen, a life-changing moment, "you'll regret not going until your dying day", blah, blah, blah. Cars are just not my thing ... I'm actually unsure of the make and model of my own car.
After the museum, we started on a 60 km ride to Montbeliard. Most of the ride was to be along a very good bike path, with only a few car-laden streets to ride on as we left Mulhouse. Once again I found French drivers very courteous (at least to cyclists). We had one lorry driver stop to give us the right of way when he clearly didn't need to.
Today's ride primarily follows the Canal du Rhone au Rhin. The canal finished construction in 1833 and connected the Rhone and Rhine rivers to open a major route from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. Today it's mainly used for pleasure craft and as a view for Eurovelo cyclists! Much of the canal is gun-barrel straight as is the bike path, and it's very flat other than for a short gradual climb around the 27 km mark, just near the village of Vadieu-Lutran. The ride isn't difficult but it does take you well above the canal, with a view down the valley. The scene of the deciduous trees changing to their autumn colours was amazing ... a mix of reds, yellows, browns and greens.
I've recounted the best part of the ride so far today. Rewind 10 km and we had our first puncture of the day. Me. Last year I rode around 1300 km with not one flat tire, and here I have one after about 20 km! Fortunately, Brett, a masterful mechanic, was on hand and he would beat some F1 pit crews with his time to change a tire ... impressive.
Fortunately, while Brett was trialling out for the Red Bull team, Col and David had found a great little cafe for a late lunch. When Brett and I caught up, we were given a menu of 100 pasta dishes to choose from ... overload. The restaurant is aptly named Aux 100 pates (100 pastas) - Relaias du Port. It sits right adjacent to the bike path so you can't miss it, and serves cyclists on the EV 6, and the boaties who store their holiday boats on the nearby canal (as one does).
It's always daunting getting people, who don't know each other, together. That's this group. As I watch the interactions, it's so far, so good. David is quickly learning the quirks of Australians. Given that Col, Brett and I are ex-RAAF, David understands that we ride in formation doing Roulette manoeuvres (think Blue Angels or Red Arrows). He is quite savvy, just riding slightly ahead or slightly behind us, not wanting to get involved in the carnage of a mid-path collision. My gear-changing issues return just as we have some very light rain (which had been forecast to be around all day) finally hit us around 10 km from today's destination of Montbeliard.
The ride today isn't perhaps the most exciting or beautiful, and may be regarded by some as mildly boring however, as a first-day ride of a three-week tour, we loved every kilometre.
Tonight we stayed at the Le Parc Du Magnolia run by a woman named France. Go figure! She recommended having dinner at Le Marco Polo restaurant which was excellent. We took in a lot of carbs for our 90 km ride to Besancon tomorrow. Until then, au revoir!
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