May 4, 2023
Roussillon - Sault
Did I tell you about the superb meal last night. Lamb and glazed baby carrots etc, dessert lemon sorbet with meringue. All to die for, and also to suffer for during the night. I've been overindulging and this heavy meal in the evening was a bit too much. I didn't get a very good night's sleep.
Again a brilliant sunny day. I look at the profile and after ten kilometers it's one big climb. I'm thinking how bad can that be, I've got low gears and a strong motor. As it turns out, a positive but unrealistic attitude.
After a good breakfast at our Hotel des Ocres, a really nice place, we are off down the hill with more views to the ochre and red cliffs.
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The first ten km we backtrack in the direction of Apt before our way veers off to the north and up over the Monts de Vaucluse. The climb is on one of the stages of the tour de france, we see the writing on the road as we approach the summit. Finally a col picture for me. It was a slog, though. Usually you feel frustrated when there are dips in a climb and you lose some of the altitude you had just gained, but now I know you should be thankful for the short respites. It's an unrelenting climb, but my bike makes up for what I am lacking and I make it to the top and feel great. It is more of a challenge than I had expected and I should have started out much slower. We stop at the top and take pictures. Susan powered by muscles tempered in Marocco and Spain, comes in only a bit after us.
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We are now looking forward to the descent which is never too steep, a fine rewarding descent.
We get into Sault too early for check-in so while Janos whiles his time in the shade in front of the hotel, not willing to pedal another meter, Susan and I ride down the street for cold beverages.
We check in, get cleaned up, I try to sort my pictures, and look forward to a special meal, a CycleBlazer meal. Since I am writing this with considerable time lag, most readers will already know all about it. Kirsten and Lyle adapted their route to make it possible that we could all meet for dinner. They also stay at the same hotel, which gives us the opportunity to sit together again at breakfast. It is so enjoyable meeting fellow CB's. Reading their journals I think, oh, nice people, but meeting them and seeing them come alive from their pages adds another element. They are always even nicer than in their journals.
Lyle and Kirsten choose the restaurant, a friendly and lively place with a good selection of entrées and mains. Janos orders cervelles d'agneau as a starter and the server looks at him questioningly. Do you know what cervelles is? Yes, brains. I took a bite from Janos's plate and it was really very good. And I slept better on this meal than last night's, probably not because of the brains but because I ate less.
Today's ride: 34 km (21 miles)
Total: 146 km (91 miles)
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