More from the sunburned road

Hello! Hope you're all doing great. The last bit has been interesting. With just over a month left I am trying to allow myself enough time to get everywhere I want to... Which I still a long ways! Today I rolled over the 3000km mark on the trip and I haven't gotten sick of my bike yet. I think it's a good sign. Everyday has its challenges but I've been very blessed and lucky to have such a great trip so far. I look forward at what is coming and I can't help but be excited. Although sometimes I get a little jaded by the usual climbs, rolls and descents in the road, France and it's never ending surprises and diversity always snap me back within seconds. This truly is an amazing country... Now, the latest.

June 19, 2011

Today I got on the road by 10am. I used pieces of the route that the guide had planned for me and I chose some of my own roads to 'cut the fat' that was in their route. 
The day was very nice and my route was fairly quiet. I passed small towns and fields of lavender which smelt great. 
After 95km of biking I settled in the town of Apt for the evening and will complete the rest of the ride to avingnon tomorrow. Not much to say about today. 

June 20, 2011

The ride today was an average one, but it always feels good to be moving. I feel stronger everyday and the terrain is not to strenuous so I'm able to maintain good speeds. I started off by heading to the town of Roussillon which is where the Romans used the red earth for making pottery. The town was beautiful... But all in all, what you're really there for is the red ground haha. Very touristy spot but very beautiful. There's a couple walks a person could do to see some formations of the ground. But they didn't interest me too much and didn't feel like paying to see them. 

I spent the rest of my day heading towards Avignon which is the start of a 5 day ride through some remote areas of France. Should be pretty cool.

The day around 2pm became very hot so i was happy when I rolled into my site around 3. 

I'm starting to see lots more tourists and biking tourists. Also the campgrounds are becoming increasingly more busy... Mostly in the tourist areas though. 

Tomorrow i am going to the Pont du Gard which is a three-tiered Roman Aqueduct. It's supposed to be massive and pretty cool. From there I'll join up with the first day of another ride set out in my cycling France guide. 

June 21, 2011

Yesterday and today could probably be considered some of the hottest days I've had in France. Starting about noon, the sun is relentless till about 6ish. But with a decent start I can usually ward off most of the heat. 
I got on the road by 9, which is decent, but I had nearly 100km to cover today. The ride to the pont du Gard was easy and I was glad I went to see it. It's truly amazing the lengths the roman empire went to supply it's cities with water. It shows just how important it is!
After taking in the sights I set out in the hot sun with another 75km or so to cover. The first 20 weren't very interesting... But that was because I was simply catching up to the guides route. After that point I found myself on tiny service roads winding through vineyards. I love those kind of roads. Their condition can be poor, but being alone in the countryside is all the better. 

I had a couple climbs, but nothing overly notable. The day was scorching and everything was throwing heat at me! I ran out of water with about 20km to go but luckily came upon a little shop that had just opened for afternoon hours. Water has never tasted so good. The rest of my route let me to St. Martin d'Ardeche and i set up for the evening. Today was also a festival day for music all across France. I walked the short bit to centre ville that evening and listened to a band play some covers. I recognized some songs but the French accent makes some of the English songs almost unrecognizable. Beautiful evening though and the town setting made it all the better. 

June 22, 2011

The ride was another longish one at 96km. I got a good start and set off. The morning was highlighted by the Gorges de l'lardèche which in my opinion rivaled the gorges du Verdon. The ride went up and down and up down along the canyon but it wasn't too challenging. After leaving the canyon I pulled into Vallon-pont d'arc and grabbed a panini at a small shop. The valley in this area had a campground almost every 100m. I have never seen so many... The group also contained a couple 5 stars. I am interested to see what they're like! After letting it settle a bit I moved on to cover the last 60ish km. Today was cooler which was nice. 

The ride was easy up till km 58 where I had some climbing to do. I went from 200m to over 800m at the col du mas de l'air and then descended a couple hundred meters into Villefort. I made sure to grab some fruit from some fruit stands on the way up to keep me going.
The rest of the day involved the usual. 

June 23, 2011

I awoke to rain.

Since I had been cycling for over 7 days in a row I figured I might take a rest day. But by 9am it had stopped and i was forced to face the day. I walked into town to find food and to my delight, today was open air market day in Villefort. In most towns, 2 days a week there is a market. I gathered up my breakfast from the vendors (mostly fruit and bread) and chowed down back at camp. The pêche jaune (peaches) have been amazing here! Another interesting thing I've found in some markets and wine areas are  places or in this case a work van outfitted with many vin de table or 'cheap, run of the mill wines' for sale. The wine is pumped out of a vat into whatever jug, vase, or water bottle (if you wish) through literally what looks like a gas hose with the nozzle and all. Might have to try some of that stuff. 
I got on the road by 10:30 and was welcoming by climbing. For the first 25 km I climbed slowly up to col des tribes at 1130m. Just before the col there was road construction and lots of loose gravel... I had to push my bike a couple hundred meters (I did this 2 days ago as well when a crew was laying down fresh asphalt. I was the first one on the new road I think ;) )

From that col I dropped into the small town of Le bleymard and was quickly launched into another 10km climb. This was was much more challenging than my morning one. I climbed up to the Mont Lozère ski resort and then up to the barren Col de Finiels at 1541m. I had a great long descent from there backdropped by the unique landscape. The barren hills were covered in giant granite boulders of all shapes and sizes. It was great to look at as I zoomed alone along the mountainside. After I got to the town of pont de montvert i saw life again. Bikers were climbing and people were lounging at cafes. I climbed a couple km and then descended again to my destination of Florac which is where I am writing now.

This area is called the remote cévennes and is named so because it the least inhabited area of France. Everywhere is pretty busy these days now though. It used to be a hideout for those who didn't want to be found! Great little campsite and now it's time for dinner! 


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For those of you that have written me little messages and blurbs... Thanks so much. They are steady reminders of how lucky i am to be on a trip like this and to make sure I enjoy every minute. Cant wait to share stories when I'm back.