Mature Female Cyclist

80 miles approx & 2,400 calories 👍

This morning was interesting, I shot out of bed at 4.30/5 am by a loud bang, a thunderstorm hit incredibly loud, followed by some amazing flashes of lightening, fascinating to watch although at such an early hour I’m not sure it was appreciated.

This mornings ride was amazing , it was hot, humid & steamy, the scenery superb followed by an early lunch next to a lake with some of my fellow travellers.

Whilst we were having lunch, the thunder started followed by biblical downpours of rain, during a lull in proceedings we all got back on our bikes, more thunder & lightning, the wind was swirling around, I actually stopped cycling at one point, I couldn’t see where I was going 😱 scary stuff indeed 😰 I’m not sure the word wet quite covers it 🌪️⛈️⛈️🌬️💨 anyway we carried on, the sat nav gave up & I got lost! Finally got where we needed to be 😊 so all’s well that ends well! My cycle shoes are drying out on a heated towel radiator 😳

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Forward to Day 3

Well having put shoes & all other wet items on the heated towel rail, everything seems to be dry. Great news!

Today has been an “easy” day, 80 miles & 3000 ft of ascent. Cycling past fields of corn, wheat, barley & sunflowers scattered with wild poppies, absolutely beautiful, I think the sunflowers 🌻 will be flowering during the Tour de France.

We passed some beautiful Château and had a lovely lunch in a small cafe. To make sure we kept our heads down, we had rain 🌧️ again, fortunately not quite as bad as yesterday but certainly enough so we didn’t deviate off route to look at any more Château or the troglodytes dwellings, 🙁 We are now in a lovely hotel and about to go out for some supper. The weather forecast for tomorrow is more thunderstorms & rain, fingers crossed they have it wrong.

bon appétit

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On to Day 4

53 miles, 1500 ft of ascent

We met 2 lovely people in the restaurant last night with the most romantic & beautiful love story, they met at the age of 18 and then separated, both got married (not to each other) had children & both have recently lost their partners. They met up again after 55 years & are now a couple, so happy and in love ❤️they looked perfect together.

Today has been glorious, we set off in blue skies – yippee what a difference. The cycling was pretty flat, a bit like going across the fens in a head wind, so my ear and shoulders have got to know each other quite well (it’s not a good look) The views (obviously I spoilt this one) were simply wonderful. Sunflowers 🌻 blooming in the middle of a wheat field, lunch was roadside picnic. I cycled most of the day with Richard who is lovely & we had a nice bumble having a chat 😊

After lunch we pedalled into Argenton & the heavens opened, fortunately we managed to get to our hotel before getting too wet. The hotel is amazing, this is the view from my room window. What’s not to like 🥰If it stops raining I will go for a walk, if not I will simply sit and enjoy the view and have a cup of camomile tea 🫖. See you tomorrow xx

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Leaving the lovely hotel & town in Argenton is tough, such a great place. Today we are doing 76 (miles) miles with 5700 ft of ascent (approx) 😱🚴‍♀️👍 and going to Aubusson.

Today was a tough but a good day, cycling thru forests with some reasonable climbs followed by some big descents, apparently it was “undulating” 😳. I slowed quite a lot today because of the climbs & also to watch Wild Falcons, one swooped down picked some prey in its claws and flew off, we saw wild deer 🦌 go across the road, swarms of flies that we had to cycle thru (like going thru a cloud, yuk!!)

We had a late lunch, we criss-crossed the River Creuse a tributary of the mighty Loire, it’s very picturesque and winds it way thru the valley . More cycling thru forests, ascending & descending, swooping down watching the wildlife.

Because there has been so much rain, the forest smelled beautiful, there was steam rising from the ground in the heat of the day & small lizards scuttling across the road.

We are roughly in the middle of France, having cycled (approx) 376 so not to shabby in 5 days 😊🚴‍♀️.

I’m off for a shower & to clean up. À bientôt xx

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On to Day 6

I thought yesterday daytime that maybe the weather had been kind to us, however, there was a huge thunderstorm yesterday evening so we ate at the Hotel we were staying in, I’d like to say it was great however, the menu left a lot to be desired, for starter you could have Fish, fish or fish! The main course was Fish or Veal and desert was Cherry Clafoutis or Cherry Clafoutis, strangely I opted for fish, fish and the Cherry! The Street Party outside of our rooms was noisy ( as you would expect) so sleeping wasn’t really an option, which was a great shame as I feel exhausted 😴.

Breakfast was a challenge Tea – Non, Eggs & toast – Non, cereal -Non, plain yogurt & fruit – possible, croissant 🥐 & coffee – Oui 👍

Well after 3 hrs sleep 😴 & very little to eat, we faced 60 miles and our first real climb 😢🚴‍♀️👍 Col de Guery

Of course it wouldn’t be right without the rain lashing down, it duly obliged & it was torrential, I was slow going up in such bad conditions & very nervous on the decent with so much surface water, but I’m proud to say I did it 😊.

Digging deep today springs to mind with all this rain and so far only 1 day of sunshine. France in June, weather is beautiful, yes course it is, pull the other one 🌧️😊🚴‍♀️👍 so I’ve really had to focus on the end target. We all have bad days mentally and getting thru them makes you stronger. 👊 although at the time it can seem endless.

I’m now off for a sports massage, I need trial separation between my ears & shoulders – they’ve been together for days, so I’m not sure how they will get along 🤣🤣🚴‍♀️

a bientôt xx

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Onward to Day 7

Warning long blog alert – just saying 😱

Yesterday evening (Thursday, I think) after my massage, I had supper with some lovely people. Rob, Jo (a lovely couple both very Smiley 😊) Richard & Hazell – at a small traditional French restaurant in the ski resort we are staying in. The meal was lovely, but the onion soup was to die for, the best onion soup I have ever had!! 🫕. Having got so cold & wet on the ride we all wanted some good solid food & this meal was perfect.

Today I am changing my identity & going forward I will identify as a Duck 🦆. I have been pedalling like some demented person & been covered head to foot 🦶 in water so it seems like a sensible option 🚴‍♀️😊 🦆

Big decision day today, as it’s been so wet & not to warm, no washing has been done as it’s not possible to dry them, so my clothes are either wet or dirty. I’ve opted for dirty and dry as wet cycle shorts are ooooh -let’s say painful 🙈😳

ALERT – NO RAIN TODAY

I felt very apprehensive this morning at breakfast as we had a 4 mile climb immediately out of Le Mont Doré, the total climb wasn’t to bad but apparently it had 1km at 14% which made me quite nervous, once I had relaxed a bit, slowly but surely I made my way to the top and was so pleased having reached the summit 😊. There may have been a tad of cursing and even the odd profanity of the way up 🤬🤣

We climbed a lot today and apparently it was one of the toughest days on the tour, 60 miles (ish) and 6100 ft of climbing (approx) so an average of 1000 ft every 10 miles

The sun stayed out and we climbed and descended all day, across the Massif Central, for me the day will be remembered for Cows with bells, Falcons, Red Kites, Vast plains and wild flower meadows, absolutely beautiful

Tonight I am spending the night in a monastery, so I need to behave and put on something clean and dry (that might be a challenge) more fun tomorrow

The end of Day 7, so 7 more days to go 1/2 way thru.

à bientôt x

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Onwards to Day 8

At the end of today, we will have covered approx 530 miles at the 1/2 way stage in terms of time, we have climbed approx 35,000 fyi Everest is approx 29,000 ft We have approx 330 miles left to go.

The monastery we stayed at last night was perfect, high on a hill in a perfect setting, quiet, with a fab view, this is view from my bedroom window.

It’s an interesting place, there is a staircase straight out of Harry Potter, you go all the way down and come to a brick wall! There is also a central staircase that just stops, earlier I saw a light come on in the corridor, heard footsteps but didn’t see anyone which was a bit creepy 😳 tonight some strange noises have kept a few people awake 👻 and oddly all around the 4.30/5 am time 😱

On a positive note our meal last night was superb & the cheese board exceptional. At a guess I would say 90% were local cheeses 🧀

This morning our starting temperature was 15 degrees compared with only 7 yesterday, the sun has shone brightly all day, it seems we have gone from a Northern Europe Climate to a Mediterranean Climate in less than 24 hrs.

Mende is a beautiful town and is where we are spending tonight, no room with a view tonight, but I have managed to do some washing which will make sure the suitcase smells a little better when it’s opened.

Anyway back to Mende:- It has an incredible Cathedral and although most people in the group have gone out tonight, I’m having a rest and quiet nite in writing my blog. I bought a picnic ate that in the sunshine and resting my weary body before the next onslaught tomorrow. So good night – Bonne Nuit 💤😴

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Onwards to Day 9

Mende has been lovely and the descent on the bike into the town was 6 miles and fabulous, however, as Mende is at the base of what seems to be a mountain there is only one way out! Upwards!! 🚴‍♀️😱

Whilst in Mende I went shopping 🛍️, well it would be a shame not to 😊 Most of my clothes could do with a good wash, as a result of being put into & taken out of a suitcase every day, they look as if they have never been ironed, let alone washed. So I bought a new top 👚and a couple of pairs of socks 🧦 👍

The info on the ride for tomorrow says “From now to the end of the tour, we will be using roads that do not always have a barrier to stop you careering , so please stay nice and controlled “ 😱 that certainly makes you sit up and think 🧐 yikes 😳 !!

Today has been amazing, we cycled 66 miles with approx 3800 ft climbing to a summit. Col des Tribes.

On one side of the summit, all the rivers flow into the Atlantic, on the other All the rivers flow into the Mediterranean. Within a few miles the landscape changes from green & lush, to fairly barren with vineyards, poppy fields & sunflowers. Gone are the wheat, barley & cows with bells

Amazing how it changes so quickly. The temperature has also changed dramatically, we had a high of 16 degrees Friday (approx) 😰and today my Garmin said 39 degrees 🥵so a big change in 2 days.

Absolutely stunning views and vistas, it’s impossible to capture them and describe just how lovely it is.

My Garmin has also told me that I have now acclimatised to higher altitudes 😳, apparently that means I am over 800 m above sea level, I presume- please someone tell me if I wrong – that the air is thinner 🧐🤷‍♀️ so more effort is required to achieve the same thing.

Tonight we are dining in a Chateau, well it would be rude not to really, so I will let you know how it goes.

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Onwards to Day 10

So the place we stayed in last night, Sunday I think 🤔 (I’m loosing track of the days, must be an age thing) was a Gite some of the group stayed in the Château next door, simply stunning. We are quite literally in the middle of nowhere 😊. I know a lovely lady or two who would relish this place, no people, no hassle, some fabulous riding, beautiful walks & decent wine!

We had a meal as a very large group last night, I was moaned at for not looking at the camera

This morning was glorious, I woke up to the sound of birds and the smell of fresh croissants 🥐 being baked!

We cycled almost 70 tough miles today with some 4500 ft of elevation, given what we have done this week, I thought I would be ok, some of the climbs had gradients of 12% average – for 600/700 metres (Cold Ashby is around 4 or 5% average with 9% at its steepest point ). The sound and volume of the cricket’s was truly astounding.

At the top 🔝 of the first climb, I met a couple from Hampshire who are poodling around for a couple of weeks on their bikes. There was also a French man who asking me if I had cycled up the mountain ( given the hot 🥵 sweaty mess in front of him, I’m not sure he needed an answer) then he told he had climbed Ventoux 3 times in 1 day!

The ride was actually superb, the uniformity of the vineyards I find strangely comforting 😊🤷‍♀️, we passed fields of lavender that smelt beautiful, fields of sunflowers 🌻 all turning their heads to the sun as it rose, fig trees, apple & pear trees and lots of goats 🐐

We stopped 4 miles before the hotel & had an ice-cream, delicious 😋. I have drunk the equivalent of 4 litres of water 💦 today!

So although I thought it was the toughest day so far, in terms of gradients and because my body is exhausted the sites, sounds and smells make it all worthwhile. There are so many more things I could mention, like Le Mistral, the Ardèche, the gorges, crossing the mighty Rhone but my blog would go on for ages

Now I’m off for a shower and some rest before a tough day tomorrow. À bientôt 👋

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Onwards to Day 11

Yesterday we did the 37 mile trip from Vaison La Romain to Sault, not far in the grand Scheme of things, we all met up to celebrate our achievements, one of the guys Stephen did 2 ascents of Ventoux, once was more than enough for me, so to do 2 in one day is epic. Ventoux is 21 km and every km along the route is marked with the next km % gradient 😱

Today we have up make up for the shorter distance and are doing 80 miles (approx) Sault to La Salles de Verdon.

The morning ride was superb we didn’t really do any climbing it was a fast gentle rolling morning. We went past lots of lavender fields, the smell was amazing, I wish I could describe how the wind blows it around. The naked hiker emerging from the forest got a bit of shock with lots of cyclists going past, I say naked, he had hiking boots on and sun cream on his nose – ooh la la 😎

The lavender fields gave way to soft fruits, strawberries (I think) along with an array of what appeared to be raspberries. More lavender fields buzzing with bees, simply stunning. The start of the rows the lavender bushes look like big hedgehogs 🦔 with purple spikes.

We had a wonderful day & then the rain struck & boy did it rain, I was totally unprepared for it so now I’m soaking wet & wondering if my shoes will dry for tomorrow. On the bright side, this is the view from my bedroom window & I have a choice of pizzas 🍕 for supper 😋

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Onwards to Day 13