Well it seems like this trip is flying by now. The first 10 days to get to La Rochelle seemed like an eternity, but since then I’m clocking the miles and have whizzed through the rest of France.

Last night I literally had no sleep until about 4am maybe even later, It was the hottest room I think I had ever tried to get asleep in. I know this might make a few of you go eewwww, but I was actually sweating whilst just laying there. So didn’t have the best nights kip, thought id make up for it with a good breakfast and a chilled day in the saddle.

I had to set off and travel back a mile in the wrong direction as I was staying on a duel carriageway and cycling back in the opposite direction until there was no central reservation wasn’t really an option. Once I had spun round I wanted to ease into a nice steady ride. The weather had other ideas. I had a very very strong tail wind. Before I even knew it I was in Narbonne which was 32 miles away from where I started. I was averaging 18.8 mph for the first 32 miles, I was chuffed. It needs to be said that for the last couple of days the D6113 has been such an amazing road to cycle on, I was purring for most of this morning without pedaling that much. Great stuff.We all know though that it was never going to continue, today was definitely a day of 2 halves! That awesome tail wind that pushed me all the way to half way, then became one of the hardest winds that I have ever had to cycle into. It was coming right at me from my right hand side, and I was having to almost steer into the wind so that I didn’t get pushed over. At one point it came at me from the front, and I swear that if I had stopped pedaling then I would have been pushed backwards!

I then came across this hill that I know had the weather conditions been different I would have pushed my top speed record. But going down the hill I had my brakes on the whole way and was fighting to keep control of the handlebars!

With about the usual 8 miles to go I switched to using sat nav, and again it took me off the D road I was on and took me down some dirt track next to it, which ran parallel to the road I was just on for about 2 miles. Stupid I know. Then it decided to take me down a dead end where you used to be able to cross over the motorway. Anyway I managed to ride round the obstruction and it got me here safe and sound.

Its just strange how the sat nav will try to get me off a D road at the earliest point that I have just spent the last 65 miles on!For all the road kill followers out there, I didn’t think Id be updating this as quick as I am. I thought my collection was pretty big as it stands. I saw a snake today!

Not that far into my journey today, maybe around the 20 mile mark I had to stop. I was coming into a place called Legiznan, when all of a sudden I rode into a wasp! Now most of you don’t know but I hate wasps, and it decided to get stuck in my straps of my helmet, so yep I got a little sting as I flicked it off me. As I pulled over I cleaned my face up and was squeezing the whole side of my cheek, anywhere I thought the sting would be. People driving past must have thought I was a weirdo or something. I’m also thinking of maybe getting my saddle turned into a little seat for home, maybe guests can come round and try sitting on it for at least 4 or 5 hours a day, see how it feels!

I thought today was going to be more scenic, but I guess I’m not as close to the mountains as I first thought. I did take a pic of what was directly on my right for most of the journey, very high hills. This is what google directions originally wanted me to take to get to Perpignan. As you can see from the pic of the route today, I made sure that I went via Narbonne to avoid this hills. That’s why I’ve chosen to show you today’s route with a terrain view.Also had to take a photo of this Convoi Exceptional, it was like the width of 2 lanes! I sneaked past on the inside which gave me like a clear road for the next 2 miles, sweet!

Today’s journey was 73.77 miles, riding time of 4:40:15, max speed 29.8 mph, avg speed 15.79 mph, 4814 calories, 3.15 litres so far.

As the title says today was very up and down. I was working out my route last night on google maps and there was no way I could re jig the route to make me stick on the flats without having to wire down turn by turn on paper as it was getting complicated. So I decided to set off on the original route that would take me bit further into the countryside. It was soo hilly, and not massive hills like day 6, but 10-15 minute climbs followed by a quick downhill coast and then another 10-15 minute climb all over again! I think that I feel more tired today than I did yesterday riding near on 100 miles! The legs are in serious need of a sports massage!

The day started out pretty overcast and as I got further on into the countryside there was lots of cloud about, the sun soon made this disappear and I think it must have been the hottest day yet! As you can see from the photo with the nice background my top isn’t very dry! I actually think the Avis logo looks better in sweat!

As I got back down out of the countryside and hit the flats again, the roads all look very similar. Its the photo of the road lined with trees. These were next to the road on my way out of Agen and also on my way into Toulouse. They sort of remind me of that road in Bournemouth where all the expensive houses are. Cant remember the name of it, but maybe some of you will recognise what I’m talking about.I nearly added to the road kill today, I was speeding down this hill at about 30 mph, and as I went round the bend these 2 birds were just walking about the road, they took off and I narrowly missed one of them. Would have been an interesting add to the list, one of my own! Today though I did see a Lizard!

I had to take a picture of the warning sign by the roadside, I’ve seen quite a few of these throughout my French ride, this one looked a little different. Is there a new species of Flying Deer down in these parts!? Apparently able to jump 3km high!If you click on the link below it will bring up the route I did today on google maps. I’ve got it set to show the terrain so you can see just how hilly it really was. There’s also a pic below of one of the down and ups I had to do, its so hard to motivate yourself when you’ve just reached the top of one climb and you look across the landscape and see your next one.

Fortunately tomorrow shouldn’t be like today as my route keeps me within the flats, with it just being 63 miles, I’m looking to get there as early as possible and rest up.

Today’s journey was 71.29 miles, riding time of 5:35:09, max speed 33.1 mph, avg speed 12.76 mph, 4460 calories, 3.15 litres so far.

Howdy people, I’ve had a really good day today, well up until the last 3 miles, but we will get to that later. Said good bye to the 4 young English lads this morning, they were riding back up to Saint Malo to catch a ferry home. One of them ironically asked if I suffered from numb hands or pins and needles and what I do to make it go away! I laughed at first, but then showed him my hand which hadn’t changed much from the picture you all saw last night. He then had the cheek to tell me that he had his but its gone now! Great, thanks for that, make me feel a bit better about it all hey!

I set off this morning at just gone 9, did my normal easy going first few miles just to warm the legs up, then got cracking. I used the google maps print out for navigation most of the way as it didn’t seem to be too much a tricky route. I only had one stop today aswell. Its quite strange because you set out to stop a couple of times to eat, but then when your only 15 or 20 miles from the destination, sometimes its easier to just throw a few more jelly beans in the gob and knuckle down and push hard.

Went past a lovely field full of sunflowers at one point, but it was downhill and I was going to fast to want to stop and take a picture, you’ll just have to believe me.

Had to stop and take a picture when I got to D69, not because I just wanted to be rude, but it made me laugh just thinking that how Borat would pronounce it and what sort of conversation he would have with a local if they directed him down this road. As you can see, I’m even able to make something that’s not even funny amuse me for at least a few miles. I feel like by the time this bike ride is over or at least by the time I hit the Spanish border, I would have at least gone through most of the D roads that France has to offer! It can be so easy to get confused as to which one your looking out for.

Now as I mentioned earlier that everything was running to plan and I was having a good day. Well that was until I got to the point that the directions I had printed out didn’t match up to where I needed to go. basically google said turn left, yet I knew I had to turn right. So I told sat nav to direct me for the last 3 miles. As I’m fiddling about with sat nav, some Frenchman pushes my bike from behind, he had a face only a mother could love. He had the hump that I had stopped at the end of the road and was covering half of the cross over section! Now this road wasn’t busy at all and he could have walked round me, so a few words where shared, that’s when I don’t mind not being able to talk the language! But in the mist of everything I had forgotten that I was still in a high gear. So sat nav then said for me to take the right at the street I was on, I clicked my right foot into the pedal and pushed down, my left foot seem to click in way to quickly and easy for my liking. And yes as you can imagine, I didn’t have enough energy in the tank to go quick enough! TIMBER!!! I fell over and landed on 3 parts of my body, firstly my elbow, which is fine. Second my knee, yes the one that has already given me a little pain. And the hand! Which in a way was actually a good thing as I didn’t even feel the pain! A nice man asked me if I was ok, he was setting up the tables outside his restaurant, I said yes and road on with the hump at this stupid Frenchman for causing all this to happen. Then about 5 minutes later I get honked at by some old woman for not cycling in the bike lane, it wasn’t a lane I was taking my bike down, it was all gravel and stones. But this was my first time I’ve been honked at in a few days now, ever since the 1st day in France when a man thought I was about to take the slip road onto the motorway.

Anyway, off for the same routine now, get supplies from the local supermarket, and then source somewhere for dinner later.

Oh I forgot to mention, added to the road kill list today will be a Field Mouse, and also a Beaver, which I did have to stop and turn around just to make sure that it was infact a Beaver, don’t worry I wasn’t going to take a photo of it! But I think this was probably the first beaver I’ve ever seen.

Today’s journey was 75.5 miles, riding time of 5:33:25, max speed 33.6 mph, avg speed 13.59 mph, 4312 calories, 3.15 litres so far.