June 19, 2018
Grisolles to Castelnaudary
Today, blue skies and sunshine returned to Southern France!!
We were tempted by a giant pink flamingo to start the day with a dip in the pool, but opted for a hearty breakfast and a quick farewell and thank you to Anna. We had a somewhat long ride to Castelnaudary, and I had heard that some sections of the Canal du Midi were a bit dodgy, especially in this unusually rainy year. We kept a good pace, but after about eight miles Carolyn was hit with the gear shift goblin! Her rear derailleur did not shift - and it was stuck on the smallest ring. Time for a quad burning ride to Toulouse!
We arrived at the outskirts of Toulouse about ten and navigated our way though small byways of the city to Cyclable, a bike shop chosen a bit randomly. It turned out to be an excellent choice. The shop was too busy to work on Carolyn's bike but Paul, who had a small shop nearby, was standing just outside chatting me up and checking out Vivien George. Paul is an affable, can-do sort and said he would gladly help us out. We followed him to his shop, MécaniCycle, which was located in a garage behind an apartment building. The shop was full of an amazing assortment of contemporary and vintage bikes that had Carolyn swooning. Carolyn's bike was soon on the rack, the broken cable head removed, and the new cable threaded. Smiles and good cheer all around! While we may have just had extraordinarily great bike shop luck, I suspect that vélo-loving France is full of kind, generous, capable bike mechanics who are always willing to help out a fellow cyclist, no matter the challenge.
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Even though our visit in Toulouse was unexpected and short, the city charmed me and left me wanting more. I will definitely return. We grabbed a quick coffee/tea and some sandwiches to go and were soon on the Canal du Midi. It was lunchtime, and the route was filled with walkers, joggers, cyclists, picnickers - all enjoying this magnificent waterway on a glorious day. The sun played off the plane trees and canal was their reflecting pool. I was transported along - legs pumping but heart singing. I'd seen pictures of the Canal du Midi, and we'd ridden along the plane tree-lined route of Canal de Garonne, but this ride on this day was exceptional.
One of the places I really wanted to visit along the canal was the Riquet Obelisk, which is dedicated to Pierre-Paul Riquet, the engineer who created and constructed the Canal du Midi. The obelisk is located at the highest point on the canal, identified by Riquet as the watershed point from which water from the western side of this point flows to the Atlantic Ocean and water from the eastern side flows to the Mediterranean Sea. We exited the canal route at a lock house just east of the town of Avignonet-Lauragais, looking for signage/information on the obelisk. There was a small rock with "OBELISK" and an arrow pointing in the general direction of my routing. We cycled under a long promenade of plane trees, past a chain barrier, and up a poorly maintained dirt and sand path to the obelisk, which rose high above the surrounding countryside. A large wall encircled the obelisk, with a locked iron gate preventing entry. Apparently, access to the monument is too dangerous to allow visitors inside the wall. A plaque on the outer wall designated the site an "International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark" - acknowledged by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the French Society of Engineers and Scientists. Carolyn and I were both amazed at how neglected the whole monument was. It was clear that the extraordinary engineering achievement of Pierre-Paul Riquet was not currently celebrated at this site along the Canal du Midi.
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Returning from our trip to the obelisk, we experienced a completely different cycle path on our way to Castelnaudary. The path narrowed and was no longer paved, but was dirt and/or crushed rock. Due to the heavy rainfall this spring, there were large sections of muddy track as well as ruts left by previous cyclists. Also, large rocks and tree roots. In many places, it was more like a single-track path running alongside the canal. I had read of other cyclists who encountered tough going on the route, and when we passed through the small town of Le Ségala, we asked a local man about alternate routes. He said the only option was a very busy highway, so we carried on another five miles until we reached Castelnaudary - a welcome sight.
Castelnaudary is famous for cassoulet, a slow cooked casserole of meat and white beans. As an avid sampler of local cuisine, I enjoyed a quite tasty duck and pork cassoulet for dinner. After dinner, we strolled down and around the quai. The calm waters of the canal reflected the town in the evening glow, providing a serene ending to a day full of natural beauty and unexpected adventures.
Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 763 miles (1,228 km)
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6 years ago
6 years ago
Thanks for the insight and info on the Canal du Midi. I had read your journal entries about the conditions of the trail - I can't believe what it must have been like when it was all mud!
We did decide to take the train from Carcassonne to Beziers to avoid part of the Canal track and make up some time.
I also took your advice on taking trains in and out of Lyon
I'm slowly catching up with the journal - only a week behind. Not sure how you do it, but I enjoy your entries.
6 years ago