We both slept well in the barrel. Our bed was firm and the rain had cooled things off. We set our alarm for 7, as that timing worked well for our hosts who were bringing us breakfast. We wanted to be able to say goodbye and thank them in person. They really made that stay wonderful.

We woke up to rain, and checking the forecast made it clear there was no point in trying to wait it out. And so we packed up, put on our rain gear, and hit the trail before 10. More than 6 hours later, we rolled into Besançon soaking wet and a bit chilled. It had rained the whole time. It isn’t the most pleasant situation to ride in, but perhaps better for me than extreme heat. It currently looks like we’ll have two good days of riding weather, and then rain during our Sunday break and Monday ride. I hope the rainy days are not all-day rain.

We are staying in an Airbnb in the heart of the city. It is about 5 floors up. It is modern and comfortable. It has hot water for showers and a roof to keep us dry. Today I am extremely grateful not to be camping.

Despite the rain, we seemed to see more bike packers today. Maybe between 50 and 80, no exaggeration. Almost nobody else was using the trail. Go figure.

Our route was mostly dedicated bike paths. There were a few sections where we shared the road with cars, but once again the cars were polite and gave us distance. At one point there was a lane with a separator for bicycles and a shared lane with stop lights on either end for cars, as there wasn’t enough room for cars to be traveling in both directions. It is so strange that they give bicycle traffic such a priority over vehicles.

We are both tired and hungry. We are getting a quick bite at a vegetarian fast food place and then we will buy some food for breakfast. It would be fun to explore the city more tonight, but it is still threatening rain and slightly drizzling. We are both ready to be dry for a while.