May 2, 2023
To Bonnieux
The theme for today was wind, more specifically Le Mistral, one of the Provencal winds that blows down the Rhine Valley and into the Mediterranean, often reaching speeds of over 40 mph. Predictions for today were not quite so severe, 20-25 mph and gusting. We were headed east to Bonnieux, which suggested strong crosswinds for much of the day. After a nice French breakfast of croissants with homemade bread and jam, we packed up and prepared to meet Le Mistral, but not before we stopped at Paul to pick up sandwiches for later in the day.
Though there is a new bike path between Saint-Rémy and Cavaillon, we decided to stick to our intended route on small roads, thinking it might offer more protection from the wind. And that was true, to an extent – we were buffeted about, but the ill effects were lessened by curving, tree-lined roads and views of the Alpilles range to the south.
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Le Mistral would not be ignored, and we met her full force crossing the Durance River as we came into Cavaillon. Suzanne and Janos had passed me when I’d stopped briefly in Mollégès for some pictures. I caught up with Janos on a bike path just west of the Durance river, just as he was getting a high wind advisory from Suzanne, who was just ahead – Walk Your Bike! Even though a separated bike path took us across the bridge, the winds blowing down the river made it unsafe to ride. It was even difficult to walk.
We all made it safely across the bridge but got confused when directed through a large rotary, uncertain as to which artery to take. I decided we could take a short cut through a large parking lot and rode slowly through the rows of parked cars looking for an exit that would lead to our route. I reached the exit, but tumbled to the ground when I had to stop suddenly as a car approached – a "failure to unclip" fall. Most of the damage seemed to be in my knee, or at least that is what hurt the most. I lay there for a few minutes before gingerly flexing my leg and then let Janos and Suzanne help me up. Everything seemed to work well, I could walk and ride my bike, but not at the same time. We found a curb on a side street for first aid applications and lunch sandwiches, and then Janos led us safely through Cavaillon and back on our route.
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1 year ago
The ride changed completely after Cavaillon when the route took us along the foot of the Luberon range, protected from the now lessening winds. We followed the small lanes of the Luberon cycle route as it wound up, down and through the old villages of Taillades, Robion, Maubec, Oppède, and Ménerbes. The route was not without challenges - I had to walk the last bit up the steep climb to Robion - but there were magical stretches on small wooded lanes that suddenly revealed a small vineyard or quintessential Provencal country house. Although my knee seemed fine, I did balk at climbing up to the old village of Oppède, instead finding a longer, but less hilly detour that routed me down towards the lower town before rejoining the original track.
I’d left Suzanne and Janos to explore Taillades - they caught up with me just outside Ménerbes and soon left me behind on the climb to Bonnieux. We were booked at Hotel Panoramic Cesar, which was a hint as to its location in town. Up. And the RWGPS route directed us to the hotel on the steepest, most convoluted route possible, one that required us all to push the bikes, e-bikes included. We were pretty well spent by the time we’d arrived and so Suzanne booked dinner at the hotel restaurant. The food was actually quite good, and we enjoyed the panoramic view as the sun set on another fabulous day on the bike.
Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 873 miles (1,405 km)
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