Down in the valley, with a bump!: Marvejols to St. Rome du Tarn
I may never have slept so well on a tour,. I woke feeling great, and I got my act together early, so I was out the door by nine. The route followed the valley of the river Lot, and it was a beauty to behold.
Every touring cyclist's dream. Wide, empty, freshly paved road with only a slight grade. I'm not alone as you can see (there's another cyclist coming at me in the distance). I probably passed more cyclists than cars in the first hour.
Across the Causse, and down the six hairpin bends to les Vignes. At eleven percent, I'm glad I didn't have to ride up! In les Vignes I got home-made sausages, fries and salade for lunch.
The rest of the ride was in the beautiful Gorges of the Tarn, along a great road (except for the bit through Millau) to St. Rome du Tarn, where I ducked out of the rain and into a little hotel, which had the added attraction of a lovely young Russian lady serving as hostess.
To the right, the way I came down. To the left, the way down the valley of the Tarn, through the spectacular Gorges.
The high bridge at Millau. The Eiffel Tower would fit underneath it , with plenty of room to spare. It was built to relieve the traffic in Millau, but has become such a curiosity that people go to Millau to look at it!
