51. Recovery

ILE DE RÉ - FRANCE

After the big push yesterday, and it being Saturday the children were determined to re-oxygenate and ensure that there was no chance of altitude sickness.  They gamed the time system on the laptops where they each played Minecraft, for their half hour login with the other three watching.  This done on three laptops equals six hours of gaming.  They have been hoist by their own petard as I have deleted their logins on multiple computers and they can each log in for only half an hour.  On discovery of my harsh treatment tomorrow, should things go mutinous I am hoping Ile-de-Ré will prove more hospitable than Pitcarn Island.

Takes three ties then the bag is full.
Phone mount on handlebars

I must make mention a few things that make day cycling more fun. 

1. The folding bike which is very like the old Raleigh twenty of the 1970s.  The cycling position is very upright which is wonderful for rubber-necking and shouting at the kids
2. A basket on the carrier.  Chuck my toilet bag and towel in and go for a shower every morning. Water bottles for the kids on bike rides. I even do water runs for the toilet flush with the bike.  
3. Releasable cable ties.  Lets me attach anything to the carrier and remove easily including
1. Rooks shopping bag on the back, doubling the carrying capacity
2. Cycling tool set
3. Baguettes 
4. Water bottles
5. Shopping bags on the sides.
4. Ram phone mount. A year ago I purchased a bike bracket for the Ram mount that I use in the car and plane. It is brilliant being able to run GPS constantly, in sight. Imagine how I laugh when I see others stopped, peering at their phone - hah!
5. Cheap booster battery for when you run the GPS constantly.  I strap the battery to the steering stem with a releasable cable tie. 
6. Kick stand on the rear axle.  All our bikes have them and they are superior to centre stands.

Tomorrow we head for Bordeaux, a couple of hundred kilometres to the south.  Jacqueline leaves NZ tomorrow for LHR and will join us sometime next week.