Ambialet Out and Back

October 14, 2019

In my mind, today’s ride up the Tarn River to Ambialet would go through the Tarn Gorge – a misconception I realized after having ridden the route as well as doing some google investigation. The actual gorge is much further upriver, between Ispagnac and Le Rozier. So, no gorges today. However, the section of the Tarn River Vélo Route that extends past Albi differs quite markedly from the route I had traveled the past few days – winding up a steeper, narrower part of the valley through lush forests that were mostly green but splashed with the colors of fall.

The day began bright and windy, with winds increasing throughout the day. Rain showers were predicted for later in the day, so I got an earlier start than normal. I headed towards Saint-Juéry where I navigated through some road construction and eventually crossed the Tarn River. The route initially followed D70, which hugs the right bank of the river. After about 5.5 miles, OSM Cycle shows the Tarn Valley Vélo Route veering off to the right onto a smaller road, D700, that follows the river all the way to Ambialet. It was a fairly steep climb up to the junction, and when I stopped to rest I noticed a post with several vélo-route markers. Curiously, they all pointed in the direction of D70; one even had a yellow arrow painted over the original sign that redirected the cyclist to D70. I was somewhat at a loss as to what to do, wondering if the smaller D700 route was closed/damaged. Reluctantly, I opted for D70, which continued its steep climb up and away from the river. After about 500 yards fighting strong winds and gusts, I said the heck with this and backtracked down to the junction. Heading downhill on the smaller would at least give me a nice ride along the river for as far as the road would take me. And it took me all the way to Ambialet.

The day started with blue skies and wispy clouds, and the sun piercing through the trees

When you come to fork in the road, take it.

The route followed closely on the right bank of the river, winding north and south through the narrow valley. Bright sunlight filtered through the trees, and the scent of sun-baked pines filled the air. A bushy-tailed fox ran across the road and onto the uphill embankment – I pushed back the unreasonable fear that he was following me and actually stopped a short distance ahead to take some photos – of the river, the fox was long gone by then. The valley opened up a bit a few miles before Ambialet and I passed several small little homesteads where folks were busy harvesting corn and stacking firewood. Until then, I was largely protected from the brunt force of the winds but I was pretty battered by the time I crossed the river into Ambialet. I settled down in a spot out of the wind to enjoy my croissant, and began talking with a couple of passers-by – Rich and Judy, from England. They had come to the area eight years ago to establish a church and were now getting ready to return to England, not quite sure of what they would face. I was so engaged in our conversation that I didn’t notice the clouds that had moved in. Not wanting to be caught in the rain, I quickly packed up, said my good-byes, and left Ambialet without even a real how-do-you-do.

There were a few openings in the trees as the route worked its way down to the river

The air was pungent with the smell of pine as sunlight hit this grove of conifers. The bright sunshine also played havoc with my picture taking, as most all shots were directly into the sun

Looking back from whence I came, and where I shall return

The valley is beginning to open up a bit

Working hard to get in the corn and firewood

A brief glimpse of Ambialet - which was all I ended up taking. Next time.....

I’d briefly considered returning to Albi on the road along the left bank, D172. However, I really like the smaller, very low traffic roads and so opted to return on the same small road that I rode in on. The ride back to Albi was short and sweet. Swept along by a tailwind, it seemed as if I was flying uphill - like Pegasus, if I can extend the implied horse metaphor. It was so much fun I never even stopped for pictures.

Although it wasn’t the Gorge, the ride up and down the valley was quite enjoyable. Now, I just have to return someday soon and ride through the actual Tarn Gorge!

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Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 1,050 miles (1,690 km)

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