Pont-en-Royons to Crest

July 5, 2017

A very hot day!

We knew it was forecast to get hot but the reality is always so much worse! Unlike hills that are rarely as bad as you're expecting.

We left Pont-en-Royans by way of Ste-Eulalie and St-Jean-en-Royans, the way we'd returned from Combe Laval. Then we continued over a small rise and then up the valley of the Lyonne. The road climbed the side of the valley and was exposed to the sun from the east. Together with a reflective white rock cliff on the uphill (west) side of the road, I was getting cooked! Thankfully the road entered a shady cleft that continued for several kilometres, almost all the way to Léoncel. Approaching Léoncel, we noticed the headwind, but at this point it was simply a cooling breeze.

There isn't much at Léoncel. There's an old abbey church and accommodation in what must once have been the cloisters, a building with "chambres disponibles," a restaurant (closed today), and, in a parking lot, a food truck and public WC. The food truck was doing good business, no competition and roadies arriving from the west over Col de Tourniol or from the east over Col de la Bataille. We, however, had been smart enough to pick up sandwiches in St-Jean and ate them at a shady table outside the church.

On into the headwind and with very little more climbing we topped Col de Bacchus, then descended down down down, through Plan-de-Baix, through Beaufort-sur-Gervanne, where we stopped for a cold drink, and on down to the Drôme. At this point the wind was such that we were pedalling downhill. We turned west, still into the wind, for the last few kilometres into Crest.

Not very high, but the temperatures made the climb a challenge.

Descending from Plan-de-Baix. We didn't expect this! And the shade was a bonus!

We are now set up in a very nice (3-star!) campground in Crest and will take a day off tomorrow.

I ordered a 12€ salad and got this. Tasty, but rather less than I was expecting.

Shade! Campgrounds are cooler than hotels (that usually aren't air-conditioned).

64 km, ascent 920 m, descent 942 m

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Today's ride: 64 km (40 miles)
Total: 580 km (360 miles)

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