70,6km – 9H37′
Bad day today?
I spent my day at the swimming pool, under a parasol sipping iced mojitos, while sprayed water cooled the air. The alarm rings and I realize it is 6 am and still dark. I don’t have time to ask, but I do just the same: did you sleep well? Yes, we slept like babies in Gainesville, at our hotel next to Route 175.
Now that you know how we spend our mornings, I will go to the next phase, the race. The mist disappears quickly and a burning sun takes it place and will accompany us on this new day. The temperature climbs to 41°C at the beginning of the afternoon. It goes without saying that Serge finally put on his hat, and as usual he has applied a spray sun block twice and a thick layer of anti-chaffing cream at km 45
Comfortably seated in my air conditioned car, in the shade of a line of trees (what a blessing these trees are), I follow him for 5 km. Serge advances with his head down and a face which says “I don’t have good vibes and I’d like to end this day.” He confirms this to me at km 60; no need for a long conversation because we have been a twosome for so long.
Yes, Route 41 is not unpleasant and there is only one change of direction, which Serge did not appreciate, at km 30 at High Springs (a pretty town). He is limp in the morning and we don’t understand why because he is rested and has eaten well. There is improvement and then Serge tells me that he has no “legs,” then he has a headache… he just does not feel well. It doesn’t worry us because everyone has the right to have a bad day.
Tomorrow we will spend the day in Florida and on Thursday we will cross into Georgia. Neither of us knows that state but everyone knows its capital: Atlanta, where the Olympic Games took place in 1996. It is also the home of Coca Cola. It is where Thomas and René will join us, in just one week.
A Hello to Nico, who seems to think there are signs of spring in Chicago. Sunday he watched a film and I let you guess the name: Forrest Gump. There are two things that the fabulous Tom Hanks says in the film: “Mama says I’m special” and “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get” (those of you who are following Serge have seen a video on You Tube where he gives those quotes….)
See you