Northern Europe is having a heat wave and is breaking temperature records. This would be ok, I’m use to biking in the heat but hotels without air conditioning are something else. It was really hard to get any sleep last night. I kept waking up totally drenched. I opened the windows but the air outside wasn’t any cooler. I was going to buy a fan today but discovered that there was one in my room that I had not found. It should make tonight much more bearable.
We are down to just two injured bikers who are riding the van. Chris who broke his clavicle is still not supposed to ride yet and poor Joan who is on crutches after her last fall. Hopefully, everyone can get through our final three days of riding with no more injuries. Both Geoff, who cut his arm, and Grant who had stiches in his leg were back on their bikes the last several rides.
It is just too hot to do much of anything today. The riders I spoke with at breakfast were all talking about looking for a cool spot that they could sit and read. I walked around this morning, first over to the cathedral and then along the shopping area and then down by the river. At noon I stopped at a outdoor table at a restaurant and had some lunch and then came back to the room, aimed the fan directly at me and took a nap.
Tomorrow begins our last three day stretch. Tomorrow is the longest going 75 miles to Wesel but it is mostly downhill and should be fairly fast. In any case everyone is ready to get to Amsterdam and headed home. Richard told me at breakfast that at the end of two months everyone is typically tired of the ride and ready to go home but that if you keep going you get a second wind and get reenergized for the trip. He said the guides had mentioned that when he did the Tour de Afrique and it was exactly what everyone went through. I’ll take his word for it but two months is enough for me right now.
