14 April Pau to a place beside a busy road

April 14, 2023

https://www.strava.com/activities/8889815355

After the previous two days of rain (did I mention it rained?) it seemed a bit brighter today which was a good sign given Pau to Clarac was to be my longest ride to date at 104km.

The first 80km was simply a mix of overcast, drizzle, light rain, wind and sun. I stopped several times to put on or take off my waterproof. I couldn't find a happy medium. I was either going to get wet from rain or from excess sweat wearing a waterproof. Temperature became the deciding point at which to change clothing.

The scenery was a bit flat or rolling which makes it hard to get decent photos from the roadside. The countryside was very pretty and at one point I was speaking to Laura when I commented that where I was looked very much like a climb in East Lothian (Garvald to Whiteadder) with steep road and trees.

I stopped to take some photos at a park adjacent to an impounding reservoir but other than that photos are limited.

The route was lumpy with some smaller climbs resulting in an overall climb of 1100m. As I climbed the last big lump I crested the top to be met with a most amazing scene of 8 Red Kites swooping and hovering over a field right next to the road. The field had recently been ploughed and they were stopping to eat in the ploughed area. At the closest point I was probably only 20m away. It was a most amazing experience and I spent 10 minutes watching them. Their flight in the buffeting wind was wonderful to watch. I checked on Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_kite) and the website confirmed that earthworms are an important part of their diet in Spring.

I did stop to get a photo looking towards the Pyrenees which are still holding snow and are cloud capped. This view confirmed my decision to pass the mountains on the westward side rather than going up and over.

At around 80km I was getting weary and needing a coffee so I pulled into Lannemezan to see if I could find a cafe. I struck gold with an Ice Cream Shop where in enjoyed a lovely strawberry ice cream and a rich hot chocolate.

From Lannemezan I had about 20km to go, mostly downhill. I headed off into worsening conditions to be met with a strong and buffeting wind, heavy rain, hailstones and a lot of traffic. The wind made progress a bit shaky and at one point I was under an avenue of trees which were shedding branches left, right and centre. I was dodging these in the air on the road and from passing vans throwing them into the air. Panniers don't give you much mercy in a crosswind.

I made it safely to the accommodation for the night where a long shower was well received.

Today's ride: 167 km (104 miles)
Total: 812 km (504 miles)

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