October 3, 1993
To Valgorge
Another wonderfully beautiful ride. The first 50k were primarily up the Ardeche Gorge, which in my mind rivals the Grand Canyon of the Verdun for beauty and splendor. The river tortures its way through a series of intense meanders, bound by lovely grey limestone cliffs. The road follows a similarly contorted path, both vertically and horizontally, making this a strenuous but quite spectacular ride. As along the Verdun, each bend in the road seems to present another breathtaking view. In addition to the natural wonders, the morning gained interest by the sight of two baying hounds pursuing a fox on the distant hill across the gorge, their howls echoing off the cliffs. As we biked along, we played tag with a German couple travelling by van, running into each other at about eight successive turnouts.
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At the upper end of the gorge, the river amazingly passes through a large natural bridge - a striking punctuation to a great stretch of road. On beyond the gorge, the route gradually climbs - firs through another lovely but more peaceful gorge following the Ligne, a tributary of the Ardeche - and then, as we move more deeply into the highlands, it ascends more strenuously along narrow, lovely streambeds. The country is very pretty here - mixed chestnut, oak and fir forests accented by gracefully arched stone bridges. By the end of the day we are up near 600 meters, facing another 700 meter climb to a summit tomorrow morning.
Today's ride: 95 km (59 miles)
Total: 1,986 km (1,233 miles)
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