15 April Place beside a busy road to Foix

April 15, 2023

https://www.strava.com/activities/8895568872

Today was the hardest yet with a planned 98km tgurning into 104km of pretty shitty weather.

The start was chilly with drizzly rain which regularly turned to proper rain. It wasn't too bad other than the stopping to take off or out on my waterproof. Not sure it was doing much as a waterproof but it did keep me warm when the temperature was low. The resulting boil in the bag humidity was almost as bad as the drizzly stuff.

I came across a road embankment which seemed to have been converted into some sort of grandstand for watching something but what. There was a road and motorbike statue thing sticking out of the wall at the top. The village (Saint Gaudens) was a Tour de France village in 2021. Google Maps shows this at the location of the "grandstand"

Musée Circuit Automobile du Comminges

+33 5 61 79 34 25

https://maps.app.goo.gl/MY8SK3W1az9zicNG6

Very strange!

I stopped in a nondescript town for a coffee around lunchtime. They were setting up for a lunch which seemed to be a buffet and plat du jour. I was tempted but I had some cheese and crackers and fruit and planned to stop somewhere suitable for lunch. The forecast said it was to dry up.

As I jumped back on the bike the heavens opened. Immediately I stopped for the waterproof then had to stop a few minutes later to turn on the bright rear flashing light. By this time it was tipping it down and I was getting wet.

It continued to rain like that for the next 15km by which time my feet Nd legs were soaked. I could see from road signs and my bike computer I was approaching St. Lizier which seemed to be a decent size. Maybe it was time to find a cafe and have some warmth and hot food. As I got closer I passed through a large industrial/commercial park. At the last roundabout there was a McDonald's. It looked tempting but I said to myself "don't stop at the first place, the better places will be further on" so I confused and turned into the town. St. Lizier is built on the side of a very,very steep hill so immediately I turned off the main road it was onto a steep narrow road with cars on both sides. I pressed on until the next junction where I pulled over to use Google Maps to find somewhere to eat. It threw up a restaurant further uphill so I continued,this time pushing the bike as it was too steep to start riding. Eventually I ended up in the grounds of the Chateau and sure enough found the restaurant. Dripping wet, looking like a drowned rate and smelling faintly of (fresh) sweat and popped my headin the door. Starched linen table clothes, bottles of wine everywhere and all the customers dressed to the nines. Maybe not!

So back downhill to the next Google Maps target. It was closed (despite Google Maps' reassurances). So I decided to cycle through the town centre and just find somewhere. 20 minutes later I still hadn't found the town centre. The place was a rabbit warren of tiny,cobbled streets all at funny angles to each other and all so steep there was no chance of cycling anywhere.

I turned tail and headed back to McDonald's where I had a Big Mac and Fries and warmed in the heat of the busy restaurant. At least I got access to a loo.

This was semi-rural France on a Saturday lunchtime and I couldn't find somewhere decent to get some warm food. Seems so bizarre and wrong, just wrong. I did check later and the nice restaurant fixed menu was 69€, my MaccyDs cost about 11€.

Suitably watered and fed I started off again with about half the ride still to do. The remainder of the ride was rather mundane, I was tired, my head was down and the weather was still iffy. There was little or no scenery to look at until as I approached my final destination I rounded a bend, the sun came out and this vista appeared. It helped spy me on.

Ill sleep well tonight. Only 80km tomorrow taking me to Carcassonne where I have a day off to have a look round.

Today's ride: 167 km (104 miles)
Total: 979 km (608 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	0
Comment on this entry	Comment	0