Day 9 - demon descents

 

Mende made for a lovely evening stroll. Even here lazy Lundi was in full swing, but I managed to find a bar overlooking the (back of the) 14th century cathedral which I had first spotted a good few miles out of town; Mende sits in a hollow. Fortunately I’d booked in for dinner at the hotel so didn’t need to trawl the streets.

Dinner was awesome. I’d pushed the boat out a bit (what with it being my birthday and the likelihood that I’d be in a campsite for the next 2 nights) but it wasn’t unreasonably priced. Having polished off my snails, lamb and ice cream I crashed into bed. 

It’s not often you wake up with a blood sugar level of 1.8, but that’s what greeted me this morning. A handful of jelly babies and Lu biscuits later, I was back in the room, ready for my phone call home; 2 excited children wanted to wish Daddy a happy birthday.

Breakfast was a hearty affair and I enjoyed munching through a whole host of culinary delights. Soon enough I was on the road heading out of Mende and came across an old friend in the form of the River Lot although by now a much more skinny version of its former self. 

I set off at steady pace but again with a helpful tailwind for 30km up over the Col de la Tourette and then the Col des Tribes.

At the summit of the Col I really did say goodbye to the Lot as I was within a few hundred metres of its source. I also reached and passed the point at which rainfall drains to the Atlantic. From now on everything was headed for the Med.

What then followed was nothing short of incredible. 

“What did you do got your 47th birthday Daddy?”

“Ah, well I climbed a mountain pass and then rode downhill through a twisting and stunning gorge for 25km. When I got to the bottom I had a burger and a coke in a fantastic little brasserie”

The descent really was superb. At roughly 3% it was easy to ride through the sweeping bends but steep enough not to need to pedal. At all. For 25km. Well worth the day and a half I’d spent climbing to earn the reward!

Burger duly despatched I made my way towards the next climb of the day, the Col de Mas de l’Ayre. After a cheeky 10% start, the climb settled down and I found a good rhythm as I caught up to a fellow Brit who had ridden from Newport. We passed the climb chatting however he suggested I went on for the downhill as he suffered from vertigo and would likely stop a few times. 

The descent was amazing. Quicker than the previous one, this time I dtopped 700m in just under 20km, the road twisting left and tight through a forest. The road surface was excellent and speed was easy to find. The views between the gaos in the trees were formidable. 

The descent seemed to go on forever until finally I got spat out in the village of Les Vans. 

If I had the energy I would have ridden back up for another go but I didn’t. Apart from anything else, I had arrived in the Ardeche and the temperature had just risen by a few degrees as a result. It was hot. 

I had 40km remaining of relative flat. First of all I followed an amazing g single track road through a huge tock garden forest. The shade was welcomed however was short lived. Soon enough I was on the flat plains of the Ardeche under a burning sun. 

Slowly I edged my way to Pont d’Arc, my stage end. The Ardeche River finally came into sight and for a few km I followed its course - downstream!

Quickly my campsite appeared and I duly turned in to find a pitch in the shade overlooking the river. Sadly the bar was closed however through the piers of persuasion and sheer perseverance I managed to get a cold beer. 

My plan is to rest here for a day, and continue the ride on Thursday. Im looking forward to a day of relaxing, sunbathing and canoeing tomorrow. 

Cheers!