Mon04Jul16: Peterhof - Kingisepp (118.6km, 151.3km YTD)

Chris was tired so we shut things down at 9pm last night, and I slept okay until 4:15am.  Dozing doesn't come easy, but we both decided to crawl out of bed at 5:45am.  Chris says "You snored", I reply "Probably, because my wife knows, TDA knows" (because months ago I sent TDA an e-mail asking for an understanding roommate.)

Rain showers last night so the bikes are all wet, and the heavy clouds overhead suggest that the precipitation isn't over yet.  Bags down to the van at 6:45am, breakfast at 7:00am (coffee & juice & choice for 5 cooked dishes), a Choco Pie (similar to a small Wagon Wheel cookie) for the road.  When pulling out of the parking lot, found that I'd forgotten to lower the bike seat after Peter's check-up, however, after a little vertical adjustment, the delay made me the last onto the highway to everyone's bemusement.

Heading west out of town in another long convoy for the first 12km until we passed the freeway interchange, then it's every rider for her/himself.  As usual I was stopping often for photos, but eventually settled into a group of 8 riders who seemed to be matching my speed.
Just before 9am I realised that Kathy was probably sitting in the lobby of the Andersen Hotel, waiting for the Uber driver to arrive and take her to Pulkovo Airport for the flight to Brussels.  Bon voyage! 





The rain started as a little drizzle but gradually increased to a "light" rain by the time we reached the lunch stop at 66km.  My roommate, Chris Wille was there ahead of us, and apparently this is no surprise to the others who have ridden with him before - apparently he cycled the Cairo-Capetown as a race (came in 3rd) and South America as a race (came in 1st).





When Chris leaves the lunch stop, I go with him just to see what sort of pace that requires.  The rain has now increased to "medium" intensity and there's a 20kph northwest wind blowing in our faces.  Keeping up with Chris is a real chore, and I note that my heart beat is registering as 168-173bpm, well above my comfort level and definitely not something that I can maintain all day.  At the 89km turn toward Kingisepp I drop back, watch Chris's lime green jersey gradually pull ahead, and settle into whatever speed matches my usual 145-150bpm rhythm.
The rain has picked up to the "heavy" category by this stage so at 107km I pull over and cower in a bus shelter for a few minutes, eat a couple of Choco Pies, and then head out with slightly more energy. 

There's a busy round-about at 117.5km but I do all the usual hand signals and head south toward the Hotel Mega.  This dingy grey building looks like a meat packing plant (Gergo's words, not mine!), and Chris's bike is propped up near the front doorway.  TDA vans in the back confirm that this is out official stop, staff inside the lobby confirm that the rooms won't be ready for 1-1/2 hours due to "cleaning".  Sure, we're the only guests in this place, and they knew we were coming several months ago, but NO rooms are ready for us until the official 2pm check-in time.




Kathy's flight leaves at 1:45pm, so she's in a nice warm airport waiting room while I'm sitting - soaking wet and shivering - on a hard vinyl chair in the so-called 'lobby' of this dump.

Short story?  The bike is locked to a hot water radiator in a storage garage, the room is spacious but has been painted pink & purple, the shower is hot (even though there was very little water pressure), my daily laundry is hung up to drip and dry, and there's still a couple of hours to work on photos and blog before the 5:45pm rider meeting.