Braking Too Hard

Ulricehamn – Smalandsstenar      78.4kms    240’ ascent

This morning the outside temperatures were well into the 20’s before eight o’clock and by the time we had loaded the trailers and hauled them up the steep steps, we were already not nice to know. Our railway line of the previous day did not disappoint and we sailed alongside the lake under the shade of the trees for several kilometres. We even went through a little tunnel! And like yesterday, at about 20 kilometres we discovered another jewel at a small village named Manstad. A large, well-manicured area of grass (lawn really), picnic tables, a water feature and a small enclosed hut had been made available for use by any passing traveller. Most astounding of all were the facilities for toilets and showers. They looked like they had been lifted from a top notch hotel. We were so overcome that we forget to take any photos!  After 30 kilometres and ONE FOOT of climbing we reached the end of the easy ride. It had been very tranquil but now we needed our adrenaline rush. And guess what – we got it! (For a short while anyway. ) We found ourselves, unavoidably, on one of those roads with the wire barriers, but fortunately, the weight of traffic was not great and, in general, seemed a lot more sympathetic to cyclists than had been our previous experience. Even better, from my point of view, there was no nostril wind, or at least none to speak of, so I was up at least two gear cogs. However, in my enthusiasm for my excessive speed, I yanked on my brakes as we arrived at our campsite and bust the cable. My man has now replaced it with a new one! He is a marvel!  Tomorrow is forecast to be a little cooler but, I suspect, also with a wind blowing up the nostrils. Can’t have everything.