July 9, 2023
Porte-de-Savoie to Aix-les-baines
When we surfaced from our tent this morning all the other cycle tourists were 90% packed and they were off before our coffee was brewed. It makes sense, it was due to be hot again and being done before the heat of the day is ideal. We on the other hand didn't leave until our usual time of 10ish.
We picked up our familiar route 63 and headed towards Chambery. Being a Sunday morning the route was full of people cycling on all manner of bikes. The route was easy going and pretty scenic, though it followed a highway which was quite noisy, even if you couldn't always see it. We weren't in a hurry today so we stopped for a snack at a picnic spot before Chambery, a bike ride around the elephant fountain and then finally for lunch at a playground.
After Chambery the route mostly followed the river all the way to Lake du Bourget. It was quite shaded for the most part but the bits in the sun were gruelling. We made good time, having more down than up, hardly any wind, and a good path for most of the day. Along the shores of the lake people were crammed into every available space along the rocky shore. There was hardly any shade and it must have been so hot there in the sun.
We made it to Aix-les-Baines just as Tobias woke up and to our campground not long after. While I was checking in James ran into the Australian pair we met last night. They'd arrived much earlier but couldn't get a spot until later because there was a music festival on last night. We ended up right down the back in a dedicated space for cycle tourists. They are smaller pitches because we don't have a car, but big enough for us. We met Jason, a South African cyclist who is headed towards Switzerland on his Brompton. He went out for cold beers which was excellent.
Towards 6pm it was still super hot and Tobias was feeling even hotter than the rest of us so we biked around the lake a bit for a swim. He's been really excited about riding his bike with us at the moment so we let him ride through the campground and he was so stoked. The lake was pretty warm, but thankfully colder than the air temperature. We cooked dinner with Jason and I think even Tobias enjoyed having some new company.
It was still 30 degrees by the time we got Tobias off to bed, even though we delayed to try and let it cool down a bit. He said "boob milk outside" which I thought was fair enough since we were all melting in there so we just did bedtime outside the tent and plopped him in his bed at the last minute. He thankfully falls asleep with the front open now so we have maximum airflow. It should cool down somewhat, but it's meant to be 23 degrees at 6am. We have an uphill day tomorrow, so that should be fun.
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Today's ride: 35 km (22 miles)
Total: 2,255 km (1,400 miles)
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