And That’s (Almost) A Wrap (Sept. 4)

Today marks the official beginning of the end. If all goes well, I’ll be at a hotel near the airport in Lyon by day’s end. From there I’m a couple of flights away from being back on Canadian soil. Hard to believe.

Unlike yesterday morning, I did not forego breakfast. Of course, that’s because the continental breakfast at the Ibis Styles hotel was very nice. And not just because it included an adequate supply of chocolate pastries. But that didn’t hurt. Neither did the orange juicer. I’m not going to lie, I’d like to have one of those but I’ll probably need a place of my own first.

The day’s ride began under somewhat overcast skies. Certainly not gloomy but it wasn’t the full blue sky that has been the norm recently. The temperature was cool (by my definition) but the forecast called for temperatures to be near 30 again. So nice.

I began the day with the (dangerous) assumption that I’d loaded a route onto my Garmin. When left to figure things out for itself, the Garmin doesn’t alway make the most efficient choices. In keeping with that trend, it wanted to make today’s ride 92 km. As opposed to the custom route that appears to be about 75 km.

There was no urgency to get on the road this morning partially because the ride was so short and partially because I don’t think I can check in at the next hotel until 17:00. Well, according to my confirmation e-mail I will be able to use an automated check in system if I arrive before that but I’m not entirely optimistic that will be the case. That said, I hoped that would be true as it would give me more time to get some work done. And maybe even get caught up on these updates. What a concept.

The aforementioned route which I managed to transfer from Google Maps to my Garmin didn’t end up being as successful as I had hoped. Shocking. In fact, Google’s route ended up being more than a little unreliable (that’s the nice way of putting it). Google’s route started off very well before it led me to a dirt path through the woods and across a field. After consulting Maps.Me I discovered that the dirt path in question was only about 2 km and reconnected to a real road so I continued on. I wasn’t as forgiving at the next gravel road.

Garmin’s route was still ridiculously long (relatively speaking) so I opted to follow a route from Maps.Me to allow my Garmin time to figure out a more acceptable route. It did. Or so I thought. It would seem Garmin and Google have similar views as to what constitutes a cycling route. As such, it was back to Maps.Me. I wouldn’t mind using Maps.Me more regularly if I had a handlebar mount for my phone. But I don’t. As a result, following a mildly complex route becomes a bit of nuisance. But it was a nuisance I could live with as Maps.Me was the only guide that hadn’t truly led me astray. Until today.

Perhaps “astray” might be a bit strong but Maps.Me clearly decided to follow Google’s and Garmin’s example regarding off-road cycling. Fortunately, by the time that happened I was well within range of my goal for the day. When navigating to a hotel next to the airport all one really has to do is follow the planes and you know you’ll be close!

In the end, it was truly a collaborative effort that guided my way today. Sure, it was a bit frustrating at times but it was a pretty easy ride. Maybe all of my devices were conspiring together to get me to stay on the road longer. It really wouldn’t take much to convince me. That said, my flight is already booked and I really need to do some work to pay for the past few months. Ah, the joys of reality.

I arrived at the Premiere Classe Lyon Est hotel around 15:00. As expected, reception was closed until 17:00. However, the automated check-in process worked very well. Very well indeed.

My hope that there was a Lidl grocery store across the street from the hotel were dashed when I discovered it wasn’t an actual grocery store but rather a supply warehouse for the grocery store chain. Bummer. In a way that’s worse. I mean, I know there is a whole bunch of food in there but I can’t buy any of it. Looks like I’m going to have to stock up at the all you can eat breakfast tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, the plan is just to work all day. I know, I know. Not the most exciting way to spend my final full day in France (and Europe for that matter). That said, it’s been a great adventure with more than a few surprises along the way. And yes, I’m already thinking, “What’s next?” I won’t lie, I have some ideas – general ideas. But I’ll save those for another day. For now, here are a few totals from this year’s crisis:

Distance travelled: 3,566.03 km
Ride time: 192:40:04
Average speed: 18.51 km/h
Maximum speed: 74.73 km/h
Countries: 6
Photos: A lot.
Warm Showers hosts: 14
Warm Showers nights: 17
Camping nights: 38
Bikes: 2
Flat tires: 1
Distillery tours: 9
Subways: 0