Crest to Mirmande

May 17, 2019

A Surprisingly Tough Day

Today was an another totally unexpected day. I am going to start calling this the unexpected tour! We knew arriving in Crest that it was coming up to the time to give our legs a bit of a break. We loved our Chambre d’hôte, Clos des Secrets, and the woman who ran it was lovely. Crest was an interesting place and it seemed like a perfect stop, so we asked about another night. Fully booked. We forgot it was the weekend, and she only has four rooms. Keith did some research and Mirmande is one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France, both Tourist Information and our host assured us it was fantastic, and it was just over 20 km away. We got good advice from Nicole’s husband about the quietest D roads and we had a plan. Perfect! A rest day with a wee bit of cycling. How hard can it be?

We left our panniers at Clos des Secrets for the morning and explored Crest (which is pronounced more like Cray...not like the toothpaste). It is a lovely city and the tower, its famous landmark, can be seen for many km. The city calls itself the gateway to the Vercors.

Note the stairs, and that is just the beginning.

Looking up at the tower. We aren’t there yet, and spent some time in the maze like streets figuring out how to get there.

We climbed up to the keep, which is the highest in France. This involved lots of stairs, both up and down. Not thinking, I had put my cycling shoes on this morning and found the walking treacherous. Keith was much smarter and had his walking shoes on. It certainly didn’t do my cleats any good either. I held Keith’s hand for safety and we looked very romantic.

Later in the day I was wondering if warming the quads up with all these stairs was really necessary.

The age of the infrastructure always amazes me. The stairs are worn from years of people walking on them.

A quick trip to the grocery store for picnic fixings was next. Then it was back to pick up the bikes and bags and we were on our way. Our weather was cloudy but not raining and remained that way most of the ride. We were sprinkled on for a bit, but not enough to inspire us to dig out shoe covers or rainpants. It was very pleasant riding conditions.

Leaving Crest. Our route was closed so we rode the sidewalk across the bridge. No one minded.

At one point on the ride Keith had stopped to take a picture and I was relaxing waiting for him. We had just gone under an underpass although neither of us had particularly noticed. I was listening to the birds, contemplating how quiet and peaceful it was and our good fortune when suddenly there was the most frightening traffic noise you can possibly imagine...totally scary. It was the TGV going over that wee underpass at probably 250 km an hour behind us. Once I realized I wasn’t going to die it was quite something to see. We have ridden on them, but never had one thunder by us.

Caruso here wasn’t fussed by the TGV at all. He has seen it all before.

We could see Chabrillan, a hilltop town ahead. Of course we went up to check it out. It was a beautiful place and we stopped for lunch in the park at the very top. We might not have been so cavalier about the climb had we known what was coming.

Coming around the corner and seeing Chabrillan. Wow.

It is amazing to round a corner and see this.

The poppies against the old wall are beautiful.

Keith found a bargain in the Carrefour this morning to supplement our lunch.

The ride was up and down, but the thing is, the ups were at bizarre grades. When Keith has to push, you know it is bad, and it happened twice. Once he came down and rescued me as I was so slow staggering up the hill with my bike. We figure many of the grades were at the 15% level. I can be pretty stubborn about being independent but for this push I was glad for the help. Honestly, we find it easier to ride when it is steep, but if the hill is long enough there comes a time when the pedals won’t turn. We kept saying we must be done with the climbing only to go around a corner, and nope, not done. So much for the easy 24 km. We had some good laughs at this point, particularly when we both saw a yield sign and thought we were there, and then realized it was a sign saying we would have to yield 150 m of 15% grade from there. Sheesh.

We saw fellow cyclists as we pedalled along. They were brightly decked out and we thought perhaps a tour group. Nope, it was kids on a school outing. So great to see. There were also the usual trailside companions to encourage us.

Some future Tour de France participants here we are sure.

These goats were interested in posing for Keith.

The downhill finally arrived and we swooped into the village. When we arrived in Mirmande we were both tired and astonished at how beautiful it is. It is easy to see why it has earned the designation of one of France’s most beautiful villages. Of course we were at the bottom and it is a hilltop village. We had to push the bikes the last 50 m to our Chambre d’hôte. Steep, steep, steep. We both laughed to see how pizza delivery is done...on foot...the only way to get anything up here for sure. Cars can’t make it (too narrow) and I am not sure an ebike could keep the front wheel on the ground. We love our spot.

This is such a gorgeous village a decision was made easily over a glass of wine in the café...we are staying another night and having a true rest day. We have to change rooms as our Chambre d’hôte is booked but we are only moving about 30 m. If you ever find yourself in Mirmande, La Maison Jules Goux is fabulous with the loveliest people you can imagine. The Chambre is named after Jules Goux, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1913. Our new hotel has a Michelin starred restaurant and we are going to take full advantage tomorrow. And so to bed! Pictures of Mirmande must wait until tomorrow. Both wifi and data are slow.

It all looks so easy on the Relive:

https://www.relive.cc/view/2374808733

Today's ride: 24 km (15 miles)
Total: 922 km (573 miles)

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Rachael AndersonDon’t you just love those surprise steep climbs especially when you think you have an easy day! And it must have been especially fun with legs that are already tired from several very strenuous days.
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5 years ago

Keith ClassenYes its those unexpected short steep ones that catch your attention...especially when you turn the corner and it keeps going.
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5 years ago