August 11, 2015
Over the hills and far away: Egliseneuve d'Entraigues to Clermont Ferrand
It was early when a few of us dragged ourselves down from the dorm to the kitchen. The first order of busines was coffee, and in generous quantities. Coffee is the reason I always carry cooking kit. I occasionally cook real food, but with restaurants so readily available in France, and with the institution that is the worker's lunch so reasonably priced, I mostly rely on eating out. Coffee, on the other hand is a vital part of the morning, and I prefer to have it ingested before I have to meet anyone. After the first cup, I went to the bakery in the village to get a chausson aux pommes, and apple pastery which went well with the second cup. Only then did I feel up to joining the converstion which was mostly about lack of sleep, and the rudeness of latecomers. A grumpy lot were we.
The gite was on the slope leading out of town, and so with no warmup I was into the climb. it wasn't too difficult, but it was steady for about 11 kilometers.
The road splits at the top, one way to the ski station of Superbesse, the other to Besse St. Anastase, AKA Besse en Chandenesse. I went to the later and stopped for coffee in a small cafe/bar. Besse is a sort-of medieval town, and pretty, but the center is very small, and the periphery is chock full of chalets and apartments for the skiers that can't find room at Superbesse.
After Besse, I continued in the general direction of Mont Dore. Then, on a newly paved, debris-free route ka-BLAM! The rear tire blew out. The tire had completely worn through in one spot, although the tread looked good on most of the surface. I don't usually carry a spare tire, and this time was no exception, so what to do? I couldn't simply replace the tube, because that would blow out too, and I was fresh out of tire patches. So I sacrificed the old tube by cutting a section of it out and using that to cover the hole from the inside. With the new tube in place, the tire held air, and I was off. But I decided not to go to Mont Dore, and insted turned off to go to Orcival. Orcival is in the bottom of steep-sided valley, and the way down was all descent. I got lunch in a bar, a Cantal cheese sandwich, that being the only thing left to eat as the hour had grown late (well, late for lunch). From Orcival I rode up. And up. And up, until finally, after getting off and pushing at one point I got to:
And from the Col de la Moreno to Clermont Ferrand it was literally all down hill. I got to the railway station at 3:30 in the afternoon, and after checking schedules for trains to Dijon, I realized that I would have to wait for the next day. So I went across the street, and got a room at a hotel. And just like that the tour was over.
Today's ride: 85 km (53 miles)
Total: 1,235 km (767 miles)
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