I left Saint-Étienne early in the morning with one objective: reach Le Grau-du-Roi in a single day. No sightseeing, no real breaks, just riding nonstop. The hours blurred together between roads, bike paths, quick food stops, and the constant effort of pushing south.
As the sun disappeared, the ride became something else entirely. The paths were empty, the only sounds were my tires, the wind, and the river nearby. Fatigue hit harder with every kilometer, but stopping was no longer an option.
Once night fell, the ragondins stayed on the bike path, barely moving as I passed them in the dark with only my front light cutting through the night. It felt surreal just me, the silence, and these shadows appearing at the last second on the ViaRhôna.
I finally arrived in Le Grau-du-Roi around 2 a.m., exhausted, dirty, and barely able to think clearly. But one thing was certain: the equipment test was validated. After an entire day riding across southern France, everything held up exactly the way I needed it to.
by No_Criticism_2553