May 24, 2023
Malaucene to Sault
We are still riding high this morning after our summit of Mount Ventoux yesterday; and not feeling too sore, especially after a real bed and a hot shower to limber up this morning. And the sun is out!
Our plan now is to circumnavigate Ventoux over the next three days. Today’s leg is the Toulourenc Valley which will give us views of the north face of Ventoux.
There’s still some climbing involved with 800m over 50km but we are feeling that with most of the climbing in the first 17km, it will be an easy finish.
So indeed the first hour and a half was a steady climb that brought us to the top of the Toulourenc Gorge. We sat at a view point to enjoy yogurts, while admiring the steep drop into the gorge with Ventoux rising straight up the other side. We caught glimpses of the top of the mountain between the clouds.
Then it was a coast to the valley bottom. By the time we arrived at the first village Saint Léger, we were starting to think about lunch. A conversation with an elderly gentleman sitting in the sun confirmed that there were no restaurants or cafes here, nor in the next village, Brantes. Disappointed we filled our water bottles at the square’s fountain and continued on. Heeding the information, we didn’t bother making the detour to Brantes but stayed on the lower road and continued on to Savoillan which surprise, surprise, advertised a bakery in the village. Unfortunately, it’s not open on Wednesdays. All was not lost as we found a bench offering a perfect view of the top of Ventoux for a second round of nuts and dates .
From Savoillon we were halfway up the moderate climb to Aurel. The views continued to be stunning of the rugged ridges of the Ventoux National Park with just a couple of isolated villages perched on hilltops to add to the breathtaking scene.
From Aurel, the last 10 kms to Sault were along a flat ridge road with expansive views of vineyards, olive groves, orchards and small farms in the valley below.
We arrived in Sault by 3, a town with particularly winding and unidentified alleyways that took us an extra 10 minutes to circle around and find our small Gite. Still, we had enough time for a shower and snooze before our anticipated meet up with fellow CBs, Rich and Robin Frasier.
What a delightful evening. We started with an aperitif at a central cafe/ bar then moved over to Le Provençal restaurant which had been recommended by our landlady. The food was delicious, but best of all was meeting Rich and Robin. Having read their blog for more than a year we knew a bit about them and had some insight into their characters, which made us particularly look forward to meeting them in person. They did not disappoint; conversation flowed easily as we shared cycling adventures, how to’s, interests shared and divergent, and life stories with each other. So many similarities and overlapping stories. It is a wonderful additional benefit of this community to connect on the road.
Rich and Robin live in Limoux, France and ride a tandem to tour. We couldn’t help but feel a little envious that they are actually living in fabulous cycling country and are easily able to tour about in Europe. Here is the link to their blog of their present trip as well as other forays.
https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/circlingventoux/
We look forward to future meetings on the road or perhaps in Limoux or Montreal. In all the animated conversation, we forgot the photo op! Until next time……
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1 year ago
Today's ride: 48 km (30 miles)
Total: 1,293 km (803 miles)
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