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.

Back to the start

Onwards to Day 10