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Day 1 - Tonnerre - Clamecy

A 06:30 start saw all of the riders excited, prepping their equipment before riding into Tonnerre Town Centre to meet with the Mayor for a Civic Breakfast. Before riders even set off for the 80 km ride to Clamecy, we experienced our first puncture - poor Caroline! This didn't prevent the rest of the group getting the days riding underway and an hour later, following a trip to the local bicycle repair shop, Caroline and Matt L were on the road. The climb out of Tonnerre was pretty tough.

The Support Team got off to a tricky start with the van being unable to move from thid gear - well done to Dave Jones, Mallory Eon and Lucy Ferguson for becoming fast-track mechanics!

Stopping points were kept to a minimum due to the weather being somewhat hotter than we anticipated at circa 30 degrees. Following check-in at the hotel, the Support Team found Rob Valentine sunning himself in Clamecy, with Matt Statham, Michael Ryan and Rob Haynes not far behind!

Circa halfway, Mark Van Zandt imcurred the second puncture of the day/trip. Helped by Craig Ashcroft in the main to repair this, his was soon on his way to getting lost and thankfully findng his own way to Clamecy.

Caroline and Matt L done well to come in circa 40 minutes behind this first group, given that they had lost an hour due to puncture number 1, reaffirming the hare and the tortoise story!

A few dodgy tan lines were noted once back at the hotel, earning Craig the nickname Badger Head!

Members of the Support Team ventured to a local supemarket to stock up on essentials (i.e. travel wash, sunscreen and chocolate) for the remainder of the weekend. Late afternoon we congregated by the river in Clamecy for a well earned rest and a lot of carbs, sharing the days events and individuals experiences, followed by a lovely evening meal and an early night.

Punctures - 2
Falls - 0
Saddle Sore Reported - 0
Laxatives consumed - 0
Sunstroke - 1
Misc injuries - 12 (all)