Monday dawns. I'm up bright and early as I have things to do. First thing I notice is that the profile of the tent has changed. At the apex of the bend of the main support stay there is a point where no point should be and it is poking a hole through the flysheet. Investigation reveals the stay has broken at a join. Needs urgent repair. Now my list is:
- Do laundry
- Clean and maintain bike
- Find something to repair stay
- Swim in Lake Geneva
- Enjoy the rest of the day
Laundry is easy, the campsite has great facilities. While the wash cycle is going on I tackle my bike. I give it a good clean, lubricate the chain, inspect and find two broken spokes. No problem, I carry extra spokes. Fit one. Problem, I can't fit the other as it requires the gear set to be removed or some trick of the trade I do not know.
Add to list; find bicycle shop.
Check tent. It's not good. Possibly a job for duct tape.
Add to list; find duct tape.
Move laundry to tumble drier, now I have an hour. Head for beach. Nap for 30 mins in the nice warm sun, swim in the Lake, surprisingly not cold. About 20 deg, which is warmer than Muizenberg on most days.
Yay clean dry laundry. How little things like that really make one's day when on a pilgrimage like this.
So off to town, find a bicycle shop which can replace the spoke using the one I provided. The job will take 90 mins. Find a Co-op (the local Shoprite) that sells duct tape. Nothing else to do but wander around the city. Lausanne is built on the slopes of a mountain so everywhere you go is uphill or downhill. This is tiring. Find a pub with decent beer and sip two to pass the time. Bike fixed, back to camp to do a McGyver on the tent. It holds up so can sleep the night. So the rest day ends with supper and a glass of wine. Clearly the rest day was very necessary especially as far as the bike was concerned. More broken spokes would be a big problem.
A big, big thank you to @PnPFreshFm - they are offering the chance to win a R1 000 Pick n Pay gift voucher AND 50,000 Smart Shopper Points worth R500! Awesome! Support Elred's trip for FTH:K by depositing R20 or more into FTH:K's account, reference Elred and your name and contact number and stand the chance to win! See bank details here: http://cyclingtorome.blogspot.com/
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