A Day on the Road: Morning

I wake to the sound of birds singing in the trees and daylight lighting up the inside of the tent. After a quick scurry to the toilet, I come back to wake Anthony. It’s the beginning of another day on the road. We get dressed and I start packing up sleeping bags, mats and clothes as Anthony gets out to make breakfast. By the time I’ve packed away the last sleeping mat, Anthony calls me for breakfast. Almost every morning, breakfast is oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon, sugar and sometimes fresh fruit and coffee. Although it’s a simple breakfast, we linger over it, enjoying the warmth and how it sticks to our ribs. A full day of cycling calls for a filling breakfast.

Most mornings the fly is wet from condensation and/or rain, so if it’s remotely sunny we try drying it as much as possible before taking down the tent. In the meantime we divide tasks, one of us does dishes, the other continues packing. Once the fly is dry, the tent is taken down and folded up. After brushing our teeth and filling up our water bottles, we unlock our bikes and start loading the bikes with panniers. Sunscreen is applied, bike gloves and helmets are pulled on, and then we’re off for another day on the road.