Day 25 - Rodes to Perpignan - 28Km in 1hr 8mins
It was a frosty morning outside in the small village of Rhodes. Sam and I had barely slept from the cold, dew, and ice that had formed on the outside and inside of the tent. Our sleeping bags were good down to zero degrees, but it was below that. Simon on the other hand was quite toasty in his Mt Everest-resistant sleeping bag and sleeping mat. Our water bottles on our bikes outside were still frozen, as was the Australian flag attached to Simon’s bike. We stood outside the tent waiting for the sun to come over the small mountain range to dry the tent, but the clouds prevented that from happening.
Trying to get warm we cycled towards Perpignan at good speed. Passing through village after village we were getting close to Perpignan when a car pulled over in front of us and waived his arm asking us to stop. He got out of the car and marched towards us to ask, “Is one of you Lachlan McKenna?”. In shock, it took me a little while to work out that it was Jean Marc Isaia, the father of an exchange student my family had hosted 13 years ago. Last night he had spoken to his daughter, Benedicte, who told him about our ride. It was only because he saw the half-frozen Australian flag on Simon’s bike that he stopped. 
He called his wife, Gisele, to direct us to their house who made us coffee, gave us lunch and all-round brilliant French hospitality.
In the afternoon Jean Marc drove us all over Perpignan and the surrounding areas to see the old village, wineries (including wine tasting), the local country-side, some bike stores, and Perpignan city - all in an afternoon! During this time Gisele was cooking an amazing feast at home which we dived into after we got back. A brilliant finish to a brilliant day. Thank you again Isaias!
Jour 25
C’Ă©tait un matin glacial dans le petit village de Rodes. Sam et moi avons Ă peine dormi Ă cause du froid, de la rosĂ©e et de la glace qui s’est formĂ© Ă l’extĂ©rieur et Ă l’intĂ©rieur de la tente. Nos duvet sont bons pour des tempĂ©ratures autour de zĂ©ro degrĂ©, mais il faisait plus froid que ça. Simon, lui, Ă©tait presque rĂ´ti dans ses sac et tapis de couchage spĂ©cial Mont Everest. Les bouteilles d’eau sur nos vĂ©los Ă©taient toujours gelĂ©es, comme le drapeau australien attachĂ© Ă celui de Simon. On Ă©tait Ă l’extĂ©rieur de la tente, Ă attendre que le soleil sorte de derrière la petite chaĂ®ne de montagnes pour la sĂ©cher, mais les nuages laissaient prĂ©sager ce qui allait arriver.
En essayant de nous rĂ©chauffer, nous roulions vers Perpignan Ă une bonne allure. Traversant village après village, nous nous approchions de la ville quand une voiture pila devant nous et le conducteur bougea les bras pour nous demander d’arrĂŞter. Il est sorti de sa voiture et a marchĂ© vers nous en demandant “Est-ce que l’un d’entre vous est Lachlan McKenna?”. Un peu choquĂ©, ça m’a pris un moment avant de reconnaĂ®tre Jean-Marc Isaia, le père d’une Ă©tudiante en Ă©change que ma famille avait accueillie il y a 13 ans. La nuit dernière, il avait parlĂ© Ă sa fille Benedicte, qui lui avait parlĂ© de notre tour. C’est juste parce qu’il a vu le drapeau australien Ă demi gelĂ© sur le vĂ©lo de Simon qu’il s’est arrĂŞtĂ©. Il a appelĂ© sa femme, Gisele et nous a emmenĂ© jusqu’Ă leur maison pour nous faire un cafĂ©, nous donner Ă manger et toute la gĂ©niale hospitalitĂ© française.
Dans l’après-midi, Jean-Marc nous a conduit Ă Perpignan et ses alentours, pour voir de vieux villages, des caves (dĂ©gustations de vins incluse), la campagne locale, quelques magasins de vĂ©lo et la ville de Perpignan; tout ça en une seule après-midi! Pendant ce temps, Gisèle nous prĂ©parait un festin Ă la maison dans lequel nous avons plongĂ© dès que nous sommes rentrĂ©s. La fin Ă©clatante d’une journĂ©e Ă©clatante. Merci encore aux Isaia!