Avions trains et automobiles

After being lulled into a false sense of security by Southern Trains getting me to Gatwick on time for my early morning flight, EasyJet managed to cause the first delay with the plane sitting on the runway for an hour.

Anyway, due to a cancelled train from Toulouse to Lourdes, I had a couple of hours in Toulouse. As luck would have it, there was a cool photography musee located in an old water tower which let me in with my bike bag.

I then arrived at the station to be told that there was a special bus service for the second half of the 150km journey to Lourdes. The train was packed due to the previously cancelled train but I assumed there would be plenty of space on the busses.

However, the above photo shows Roberto from Costa Rica being told 'non' by the bus driver about bringing bikes on the bus as there wasn't enough room.

The Columbians, a couple of Americans, a stoned Chilean and James a trainee architect from Cambridge on a tour of French architecture also couldn't get on the bus.

Sort of luckily, we were told there was a train in 3 hours time. The South American contingent decided to take a bus to their destination, the Americans got a taxi, the Chilean guy drifted off somewhere which left Roberto, James and I to swap anecdotes.

So I finally got to Lourdes 15 hours after setting off from Hove which put paid to any cycling. But tomorrow could be the deciding stage of Le Tour and a few climbs too.