July 4, 2023
Vaunaveys-la-Rochette to Rochefort-Samson
We shared breakfast with Aurélie while Michele had his online English lesson then packed up our little sleep out and left not long after they went to work. They are incredibly generous hosts and it was so nice to stay with them.
The wind picked up at 10, about the time we hit the road, so again we faced a strong headwind. We had a short ride into Upie for groceries then cycled a wee bit further till we found a spot to enjoy another huge orange chocolate chip bread thing. From there we climbed away from the valley floor and towards the foothills. The gradient was never debilitating, but it was hot going. It was always surprising to look back and see how far we had climbed.
We lunched beside a field then proceeded to lose most of the elevation we'd gained before climbing incredibly steeply to get it back again. Luckily Tobias was asleep so I didn't have to sing my way through it. We climbed steadily throughout the midday until we reached châteaudouble at about 400m. Because we are in foothills nothing is really flat, but the ups and downs got a bit less extreme from this point.
We stopped for some fruit and a playground break close to the end of the day. Tobias is somehow even more obsessed with motorbikes after our stay with Aurélie and Michele, so he just sat on the springy motorbike making motorbike noises for half an hour. There were also some kids with a remote controlled car there and he was very impressed. They were sweet with him and drove it carefully up to him then said "bye bye" in self-conscious english when they left.
At a campground I will usually choose the most private, sheltered, away from everything spot possible. Today Tobias found the little car in the playground while I was checking in so we are in the spot closest to the entrance and beside the playground. The advantage was immediate and we got the tent up and even managed to sit down and enjoy a beer while he played. He's getting really good at climbing and when we aren't so close by he does it without asking for our help. He was so tired that he didn't even mind going to bed while other kids were playing on the trampoline, though I hope they stop soon because I want to go to bed.
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Today's ride: 38 km (24 miles)
Total: 2,083 km (1,294 miles)
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