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PBP Day 2: Villaines-la-Juhel --> Carhaix
Once the sun came up, my energy came back too. I also started seeing more SFR jersey around me, which was helpful for my mental sanity. There was a big group of us, but most people were in earlier waves.
Roadside stops like the one below were pretty common.
At this point riders were still pretty bunched up. I was able to run into groups easily, chat and draft for a bit. It made the time pass easier.
Riding through the small towns was always interesting. A few shops, a church, and people and kids cheering. People cheering were everywhere along the route. It was the best part of the experience.
At at around 4pm, I got really tired. I was close to Tinteniac, the third control, and I decided to take my break there instead of my planned Loudeac. Not sure if this was a good idea, but I was getting really slow. More worrying, I also started feeling saddle sores, which was a very bad sign. I had problems early in the year in the 600k, but I was worried that it was starting so early.
The stop in Tinteniac was great. Nobody chose it as a sleep stop, so I had an entire room for me. I slept for 2 hours and I woke up quite refreshed. My morale was ok again, and I could get back to a decent speed. My next stop was Loudeac, which was my psychological goal since the start.
Finally arriving in Loudeac was a big deal for me! In my head, now the goal was Brest. I wasn't even thinking of what was coming after that, just that I needed to get there now. Reaching this step, the whole ride sounded more doable at this point, even if I was feeling quite down. My saddle sore had gotten a lot worse, and it was painful to stay on the bike. I had some time in the bank, and I decided to spend it in Loudiac to fix my morale, my coldness, and my pains. I got dinner, got a shower to warm up, and changed in my spare clothes to fix my saddle sores. Spoiler alert: it didn't work.
Bike parking in Loudiac
I was still half-freezing after a lukewarm shower, and my saddle sore didn't get any better with the new pants. I decided that I couldn't waste any time, and I needed to move on and make it to Brest.
I knew from the route that after Loudéac the terrain was going to be more hilly. It didn't disappoint. The road got narrower, started going up and down in a forested area. During the day it must have been very pretty, but at night the trees blocked any light from the sky, and the twisted road would hide people in front of you. This was the first time that I felt alone on the road. This caused me some anxiety, as the route had failed to load on the Garmin and I was relying on arrows and other people to know where to go. It was dark, and I couldn't see neither. I was cold, alone, tired, and it was becoming really painful to sit and pedal. It was a low point for me in the ride, and I was getting demoralized.
The video is what I was seeing. Ok it was a little more bright, but I could really see only in front of me, and trees were blocking all other lights.
Getting out of that wooden area was a relief. I took and turn and returned back to the civilization of a small town. A unofficial food stand sat on a corner, serving coffee and food. It was amazing to get something warm to re-energize, and take a break from the pain.
The stop and coffee gave me the energy to make it to Carhaix, the next control, at 4am. I sat down again to get more food (dinner? breakfast? second dinner? who knows at this point). Taking a break from sitting on the saddle was amazing, but getting back on it was incredibly painful.
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