The Rabbits

Cycling the first days:

We have just completed the first three days of  cycling. Each day we have been on the bikes for about 3.5 hours and have traveled on average 30 miles. The breaks are well planned and and we are generally back at the barge by 5 pm. Meals are home cooked, tasty and certainly varied. Wine is just fine and we are happy not to be paying Paris prices!

Each group, like a sports team has a character as a group and then there are individual role players.

The Rabbits:

Early on the Butlers established themselves as the rabbits. They are both well conditioned runners with well recognized amateur careers. Peter still has the second fastest marathon time ever in Canada.

From day one they have led the group and in order to get an adequate work out , have often been ahead of the guide. This of course led to the Butler bet, devised by Maclachlan ; he ,Mcguire and I wagered as to when Peter would get lost.( we all knew it would only be a matter of time). Agreement on definitions and timing took the good part of an afternoon to negotiate! The stakes, 5 Euro.

I had chosen day 3 as the projected time of their disappearance. Day one and two passed without them being lost, although there were a few close calls. Our tour guide knew of the bet and in fact discussed with him a “controlled loss”, where we would guide them off the route and find them ( of course that would be day 3). He did confide in me that he could be fired if he lost anyone in the group, thus I sensed some reluctance for him to cooperate in the end.

We had just finished lunch and were on a 25 km ride to finish the afternoon. The Butlers as usual were well out in front, today they had company, as Craig, a very avid and fit cyclist was competing with Peter. They were covering distances very quickly but waiting at the appointed rendez-vous spots.

The afternoon brought some  calamity, Glenda lost a pedal and Mcguire had experienced sustained tachycardia. I took up the rear to be with Brian to ensure his heart rate stayed low. Juan took Glenda’s bike and when we had the whole group together the problems were to be solved. Martin( the boat captain) was called and would drive to our location to repair the bike, Brian and I would cycle 7 km to the barge, the rest of the group would take a circuitous rout back to the barge at Beaulieu. It was easy to see Peter was ready to go, the wait had been too long. Once the plan was devised, he and the lead group was to cycle to the next town, Brian and I were to take the short cut.

It is necessary to reflect on the first day.There had been mischief with Craig’s wife, Jan.  She had bypassed our town and required a search party to find her. In the confusion her husband Craig had in fact taken off in the wrong direction to find her. The calamity was eventually successfully concluded although Jan was very embarrassed by the ordeal. Craig, a quiet chap hid his dismay admirably.

Brian and I were first back to the boat. Jan had taken the day off as had Maureen Maclachlan. We were greeted with a warm hello and Jan was particularly pleased to report that her husband Craig, along with Butler was officially lost! They had just phoned from an adjacent town 20 km away! In her mind the score between she and her husband was now tied at one.

 I was elated as I would be collecting the 5 Euro from Mcguire and Maclaclan. Both part with money very reluctantly!