Biert to Aucazein

June 2, 2024

Another day of unsettled weather but we got to our destination without getting rained on.

We had two routes to choose from: a fairly direct one via St-Girons or a longer one over Col de la Core and down the Vallée de Bethmale. Both were highlighted in green on the Michelin map but we decided on the more challenging route because check-in at our accommodation wasn’t until 5. Unfortunately, the blue sky we had started under disappeared behind clouds and it was a cool ride through green forests until the top of the climb. Then it was a chilly descent down a valley that would have been spectacular (we think) had the peaks not been hiding up there somewhere.

I never did get my camera out today, not feeling particularly inspired, but my phone photos didn’t turn out as well as yesterday’s.

View from our little balcony. We have the top floor, under the rafters.

Passing through Biert. The camping cars are there for the transhumance; the four non-cyclists at our accommodation were here for the event.

Typical view for the first part of our ride. Unfortunately the blue sky disappeared.

At the intersection where we needed to make our route decision—another memorial to those who escaped to Spain during WWII and those who assisted them. We only saw this because we originally took the wrong exit from the roundabout.

On the correct road, quiet D32. This little tunnel was the only one we saw all day.

We stopped in Seix to pick up a few items for a light lunch: bread and cheese and a couple of mandarins. Being Sunday, we were happy to get anything.

The climbing started as soon as we left Seix. Unfortunately, no distracting views today and not many flowers on the roadsides. Just green, green, green.

Quick! Take the commemorative summit photo and get some layers on for the descent. We really should have added all our riding layers at this point. I was still sweaty so I didn’t. Al had waited for me about 500 m before the summit so hadn’t been there long enough to get cold.

Another “chemin de la liberté” marker at the col.

Part way down, at one of the hairpins, we turned off to have our picnic snack at Étang de Bethmale, a “very special lake” according to our host who had told us about it. It seemed a popular place for a Sunday outing; too bad we were so cold! We put on the layers we should have added at the summit, ate our bread and cheese, took photos of the lake, and got back on our bikes.

Étang de Bethmale. It was an ethereal shade of bluish-green.

And another. These tiny flowers are hard to capture with a phone camera that doesn’t have an appropriate lens.

I messaged our host once we had cell service asking whether we could arrive early. Then I stopped periodically to check for a response.

I stopped to warm up a bit, check messages, and look at the church.

We heard back that our host would be home to receive us around 3:45. At the same time, we found an open café-bar and stepped in for hot tea and to kill half an hour. For the first time on this trip, the show on the screen was cycling, a stage of the Dauphiné.

Finally warmed up, we rode the last few km to Aucazein.

The door to our very nice room looks our on this lovely garden.

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Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 1,420 km (882 miles)

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