A big loop, a big climb, no big deal.

August 12, 2019

The weather around here has been weird. First, it was very hot, far above average, and now it’s very cool, far below average. Yeah, I get it that the two cancel each other out to give “average”, but it’s still weird. This morning I set out early, without baggage because I was doing a loop ride to Bort-les-Orgues. I got on the road before eight, which for me is really early.

Fog was sitting in the low-lying areas as I left the hotel.

My shoes, hat, and gloves were still damp from the rain the day before, so I was getting a bit cold by the time I got to Meymac, where I stopped for coffee to warm up.

The old abbey in Meymac was just across the street from the bar where I stopped.

Feeling warmer, but apparently not yet fully functional, I got lost on the way out of Meymac. Nothing serious, but I did have to push my bike up a particularly nasty hill before I could get myself on the right road. From St.Angel, I got on the main highway, a road mapped in red by Mr. Michelin, something I try to avoid. But today it worked for me because traffic was fairly light, and a lot of the ride to Bort was downhill.

Bort is on the banks of the Dordogne river, and just below a very large hydroelectric dam. The last kilometers into the city are at eight percent, and judging by the 1.2 km of the drop, that makes the dam about 100 meters high, give or take. That’s a lot of power, but unfortunately not enough even for the region and there a couple of other dams on other rivers in the region.

I went into a bar for more coffee and an orange juice before tackling the climb back out of the city.

See those cliffs up there? I went all the way to the top, and a little bit more.

I didn’t take the main road out of Bort. My idea of fun is not creeping up a steep climb while motor traffic thunders past my elbow. I took the road to the Puy-de-Bort, which regained all the elevation I had lost going down, and a little bit more.

The views on the climb were stunning. Several extinct volcanoes, or “puys” as they are know here can be seen on the horizon.

There were more small climbs and descents on my route, but nothing very significant. I stopped in a bistro in Liginiac for lunch, homemade terrine and noodles with cheese and ham and apricot clafoutis for dessert.

For those of you who haven’t had the chance to visit one, a bistro, in the generic sense of therm, is a small restaurant that serves lunch, often with a menu that changes daily. The food is usually copious, and the price moderate. Often, as at the place l stopped today, there is no choice to be had. It’s take-it-or-leave-it. I am not a fussy eater when it comes to most dishes (black pudding, liver, etc.) so I usually am satisfied with the food on offer. Sensitive palates should obtain.

The owner of the restaurant took an interest in my bike. I explained the machinations of having it made and fitted out. He wondered at the cost, but really, I told him, it’s less than a super-bling carbon fiber racing machine, and it fits me perfectly. He lamented that he no longer cycled, having fallen victim to tobacco. A shame, really.

Leaving lunch behind (well, not really. Most of it went with me) I had thirty more kilometers of short climbs, short descents until one last climb brought me back to my hotel. By now I have gotten into a routine; shower, nap, blog. For supper, the noodles were still with me, so I had a salad with giblets and sliced duck breast. Finish the journal entry, and an early bedtime.

Today's ride: 109 km (68 miles)
Total: 840 km (522 miles)

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Steve Miller/GrampiesA shoe drying trick Dodie learned from her Mom is to stuff the shoes with crumpled newspaper, or paper towels etc, to sop up the excess moisture. Next walk around for a bit in a pair of DRY socks. After this treatment the shoes should be nearly dry come morning. Socks will usually dry reasonably well overnight in a hotel room, especially if wrung out really well. We use a towel twisted around and around to get most moisture out.
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