[muz]

Day 3: Loudéac to Rambouillet, 270 miles

Next town, I ride by a bakery that smells so inviting! I am still full, so I push on. I ride past an ambulance; there is a bike on the grass, but I can't quite make out what happened.

A velomobile passes me like I am standing still, and I catch and pass it on the next climb. I notice a rider who had passed me earlier, now he's pushing his bike up the hill, looking like his legs are cramping. I pass and get passed a lot in the next 20 miles; seems like I can't find anyone riding my pace.

I spot Sourav shortly before Tinténiac, sitting roadside. I stop to check, he is resting, we roll together. He has slept for an hour at Saint-Nicolas-du-Pélem, then showered in Loudéac. We get separated but arrive close together at the control, then stop to eat.

It's easy miles to the next control at Fougères. I see Roy in front of the restaurant, ask if he's leaving but can't make out the reply. I get my stamp, say hi to Bill working at the control, and come back to find the whole crew getting ready to leave, including the tandem. People look beat up in the heat. I go inside for a meal.

I leave town, noting that the route has changed, we are riding on the shoulder of a busier road. I spot Peter and his posse, but it takes a while to catch them. They have had a nice sleep stop in Loudéac and are looking much better.

Strangely, it's the tandem again, with the whole crew (Rob, Brian, Anson, Roy), and a bunch of other riders stringing along. I pass them on a climb, they pass me on the descent, I don't give a chase.

Soon I find them sitting at the famous crepe stand, where the owner asks riders for postcards when they're back home. I stop for a bite and leave with them, it's fun trying to hang on at the back as we descend. I know a longer hill is coming up before Villaines, so I leave them behind. Brian joins me, he's decided it's no fun trying to climb at the tandem's pace. I point out he may feel the same about my descending.

On the next climb, he and I observe something surreal: a rider has stopped on the road, fumbling with something. Another rider plows onto him and hits the deck. It's as if he never saw the guy; did not even attempt to brake. Fortunately this was not at speed; nobody looks badly injured. Clueless, meet oblivious!

Shadows are getting longer; Brian and I are looking forward to Villaines-la-Juhel. He asks me how far, relieved to hear "6 km" -- I'm just repeating what the spectators were yelling in French. Lots of people cheering us on, kids lined up for high-fives. Gavin B from PA catches us, we chat a little, then he bombs down the last hill, making me work hard to stay with him. Fun!

We are back in my favorite town, and the party is in full swing! Stacy is right ahead, I snap a picture. The band is playing, I barely make out someone yelling my name, but thinking maybe it's something French. Then I see Mark B waving at me, looking all happy. I tell him I had been following them on the tracker, but Deb's tag must not be working. He says it's working fine, but Deb has abandoned before the first control.

As I park my bike, I see Bill M walk by. His head is in a contraption with inner tubes, he has Shermer's neck and can't hold his head. He looks to be in a good mood considering; he says he should make it to finish with plenty of time.

We sit with a large group of American riders. Soon Rob, Anson and Roy join us. We are discussing plans for the rest of the ride. It's getting dark and we have a little over 200km to go. At this point, I am tempted to push on and sleep after finishing.

Again I leave first. After a little climb, there is a long descent where I am about to spin out. At the base, I hear a cheerful voice "that's too much excitement for me!". I look back, she seems to be riding a fixed gear, but tells me it's an internal gear hub. It's Lydia and Steve from Indiana; she tells me she hasn't had much sleep, but has had her first, second and third cups of coffee ever! They have about 14 hours to finish, I encourage them on. "Have you ever taken 14 hours to ride 200k?", aware that they are probably on the bubble (spoiler alert: they finished!).

Now the roads are full of cyclists, many of whom appear to be sleep deprived. Large groups standing on the side, some riders riding on the median, many times slowly and/or wobbly. I get nervous passing one of these; not sure if I should pass on the right or go into the oncoming lane to pass on the left. Do I warn them of my presence, or sneak my way through?

I see a group stopped on the road, on the left (oncoming) lane. I warn them to get off, not much later I see a car coming towards us.

Gavin comes by in a group. They are planning to stop for sleep at an AirBnB a little before Mortagne. There are cafes and bars open, lots of bikes and riders congregated.

I arrive at Mortagne-au-Perche, grabbing some pastries and a cup of coffee, then finding a seat across Leif B. We chat a little, again I leave first.

As I push my bike towards the exit, I hear "Do you think this was a good idea" in a Welsh accent. I look to find another fixed gear bike being pushed, our pedals rotating along. He is Bryn, and riding this for the first time, "and the last time!" he assures me. I bet him he will change his mind, just give it a couple weeks.

We seem to have a very similar pace, cutting through the crowds uphill and then spinning down. We talk about the usual stuff, places we ride, politics, Brexit, ... It's getting chilly, Bryn says he will stop to put on layers and I continue.

I see the left turn I missed the last time. I spot the bar we stopped for coffee while Theresa took a cat nap. Fun to reminisce.

I spot some SFR vests further up; it's Sean and John F. They seem to be having a good time, we ride together for a while, telling stories. As we get close to Dreux, the penultimate control, I get the urge to go faster. I pick up one, two, then three riders on my wheel. Couple of tricky turns at the end, and we are at the control. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. It's getting cold, feels nice to get in.

I remember spending way too long here last time. I wash my face with warm water, which feels nice but makes me wish I was at the finish, taking a warm shower. I get a pastry and a dessert, see Sandra and Tim M walking around. It's almost sunrise. I put on my jacket for the first time, I had carried it the whole ride so might as well.

It's an easy 27 miles to the finish. Unlike the last segment, I don't feel any urgency, ride slowly, taking in the scenery. Couple of groups ride by, passing slowly but I decide to ride solo. Towards the end, I am behind a recumbent and the rider appears to be having problems, taking his feet out and shaking. I approach and ask if he's OK. He says he's tilting to one side and can't figure out why; has never happened before. I recall seeing other riders sitting crooked with heavily tilted bikes, I had wondered about that.

The finish is a little anticlimactic. Descend cobblestones into the Bergery, ride the couple kms into the finish chute. Another stretch of cobblestones shakes my glasses so much I can barely see the spectators gathered around. And just like that, the ride is over. I remember to take a picture of my brevet card after the final stamp, then enjoy a meal at the finish tent, sitting with Greg M and Michael T.