November 14, 2018
Day ride: Mont Sainte-Victoire
I’m surprised to realize that I wasn’t aware of Mont Sainte-Victoire before yesterday, when we caught sight of it as we crossed the final ridges south of Aix. But then, there are so many exceptional sights in France - I think we could come here every year and just keep finding new wonders to amaze and thrill us both.
In reading up a bit on Mont Sainte-Victoire, I came across a listing that was new to me: the Grand Sites of France, a designation of 33 sites in France that are recognized for their exceptional natural character. Of these, only six have been granted the highest designation, in recognition of their development in harmony with the local environment. Mont Saint-Victoire is one of these honored six.
So that’s reason enough for looking more closely rather than just taking an admiring glance from a distant ridge. Also, there’s this:
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Paul Cezanne lived and died in Aix-en-Provence, and many of his paintings were of his favorite subjects near his home. The painting of the bridge we crossed entering town yesterday is one example. The painting above is another: it is one of over thirty paintings of Mont Sainte-Victoire he created, and one of the last - he worked at it for the last four years of his life.
And then, there’s a third reason: the circuit of the mountain is one of the finest day rides I know of. I didn’t know of this ride before we came here - I was just looking for a good ride on our layover day, and picked this more or less by chance - but it really is exceptional. We left our hotel at 9:30, thinking we would loop the mountain, be back in early afternoon, and then spend a few hours touring the city. Instead, we took all day at it - it is fabulous the entire way. So, another two day stop without actually seeing the place we stayed in.
There’s not too much need for narrative about the ride itself - ride, stop, tape; ride, stop, gape; ride, stop, gape - that’s about it. Except for lunch. We didn’t bring any food with us, and had some difficulty finding a meal. We tried first in tiny Puyloubier but came up dry. There were signs to a cafe, but it looks like it no longer exists - and the lone bar in town didn’t look that exciting. Biking another mile, we came to somewhat larger Pourrieres, and found: a lone bar that didn’t serve food. We concluded that our best plan was to change our ride plan and bike five miles south to Trets, which is larger and has several restaurants and a supermarket. Setting out though, we oddly enough had trouble finding our way out of Pourriere, with one lane ending in stairs and the next at a dead end. Finally we found the right road, and two blocks later found: a restaurant. A wonderful little restaurant, with a delicious chicken plat de jour.
Somehow it seems fitting that possibly the best day ride of the tour came with the best lunch stop of the tour. And, it seems fitting that the weather was fine all day, but started raining in the early evening.
I hope you enjoy the photos, and I hope you get a chance to take this magical ride yourself someday. If you come to Aix, it’s not to be missed. For a change, let’s lead with the video:
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Ride stats today: 42 miles, 3,700’
Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 2,454 miles (3,949 km)
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Kathleen
5 years ago
Keep warm and dry,
Scott
5 years ago
5 years ago
Thanks
5 years ago
5 years ago