18th July 2016
Day 17, La Chaise-Dieu to Le Beage

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- -
Garmin route for today - - Strava route for today

 

Start time: 08.13
Start location: xxxx
Start weather: xxxx
Total millage so far: 763.71

Stops: xxxx

Finish time: 00.00
Finish location: xxxx
Finish weather: xxxx
Miles today: 52.79 (Strava says - 53.7 = 826.4)
Total millage so far: 816.50
Today's top speed: 38.4mph (Strava says - 44.3mph)
Punctures: 00

Music played:
Cream anthems?
Duran Duran
Guns and Roses

Blog for the day:
Hot hot and hot, oh, and hilly too. Cold start when I got up at 6am but by the time I left the sun was high and it was getting hot. The main castle along the route was amazing, high up on a volcanic plume, it gave views all around the valley. Next was puy, churches high up on old volcanic plumes too. I had a cycle around the cobbled streets, getting lost easily. I ended up surrounded by nuns! Very scary. I thought I was going to be a raped, I certainly was by their eyes. I made a hasty retreat.

A lot more climbing up and down before the last big one of the day. I think it was another 15miles of climbing up several thousand feet up a Col. There was no sign up the top though, but it did show on my garmin :)

There was a small dip before another climb where I saw the sign for the Ardeche. Yes!! I had cracked the Massif Central!!! It had not beat me - yet. So the little climb commanded more amazing views. What a trip this is! Once at the top I could see our village across the valley :( got to check the garmin properly but I think we dropped a thousand feet very quick to the bottom of the valley, then had to climb a mile back up. Phew. I had done it. Nope! Arrggghh. Got to the edge of our village totally smashed and the last mile of road was being dug up. Nooooooo. I was unable to ride it so had to push the bike the last mile to the hotel. Nightmare. At least the hotel is nice and clean.

Tomorrow is over 80miles but mostly down hill, about 4,000feet in 20miles. Going to be hot so am thinking about getting a hotel now. Oh keep forgetting to say about the lovely fresh line smell as we go through the forests. .