We were concerned that rain was forecasted at our destination today by 2pm, so we wanted an early start. For us that is 09:30! We were packed and ready before our delicious breakfast at La Vie en Roses that we enjoyed with a couple from Toulouse. French toast was served as well as a great selection of local cheese and fruit. A great start to our day.
La Vie en Roses was the Grand Hotel at one time in Renne les Bains with 35 rooms. Today it is slowly being renovated by the owners who offer only a few rooms for the night and it is a good place to stay.
The first part of our ride today was a partly sunny but cool 10KM downhill. The road was fast and again with very few vehicles. Most drivers are very good about following the 1.5 metres space rule and wait for an opportunity to pass in the on coming lane. We were very aware of our weather deadline today so we were focused but we always take time to quickly visit some towns along the way. Our route had a 300 metre climb that was a very easy going grade and in the cool weather it was quite pleasant. When sun did come out, we both had to remove some layers!
The river Sals just outside Rennes les Bains. The water is full of silt at the moment likely due to the very heavy rain two nights ago.
We could hear some instruments being played and some singing. It was a group of locals celebrating the Whit Sunday festival in Espéraza. Some were already getting started on their refreshments! The white tops, black bowlers and one mascaraed shiner on the eye are all a mystery to us.
Just off our route is the village of Fa and must win the award for the shortest name in France. We did not venture too far but from the sidelines it looks pretty nice. Love the shadow of the bell tower on the blank wall too.
At the top and the temperature is rising. But with a 10KM down hill it is time to put the jacket back on. I just noticed the direction sign and fellow CBer Rich Frasier (who is off in Puglia at the moment) lives in Limoux - only 25 KM from this corner. Bet this is one of his riding haunts.
After reaching the top there is a 10KM downhill run to the town of Chalabre. The rock base road was not really smooth and in places had loose pea gravel on the surface. We both showed a lot of prudence and Scott never could just "let'r go".
We had been on the road for more than two hours when we reached Chalabre. A break to eat the remnants of our pizza from the night before was absolutely necessary. We also had our daily coffee stop in the warm sun. It was now past noon and we could see the clouds thickening on the horizon. We had a choice: 1) ride directly to Léran which was about 14KM away or 2) take a more circular route of 21KM that would allow us to see the village of Camon. It is a "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France". After lengthy discussion debating the alternatives and recognizing how much we really hate getting wet, we took a gamble and decided on the longer route which, in the end, turned out to be a great choice.
We left Chalabre on the D16 determined not to waste any time. There were few cars and with a slight down hill pitch the 8KM flew by. We knew we must be close to Camon when we saw many many cars parked along both sides of the road. People were walking along the road with their arms full of various plants and rose bushes. Being on bikes was the perfect way to enter this busy area. When we reached the front gate of the village a sign above the gate made it all clear - Camon was celebrating Fete de Roses. The place was a buzz with people and the amazing rose displays in full display. Today was a special day here and we just sort of lucked into it!
We left Camon on a different road from than the one we arrived on. Again, cars were parked on both sides of this road for at least 1KM away. This was a very popular event. We had just over 10KM to go to get to our destination of Léran and you could feel it in the air that it would start raining soon. We rode into Leran and their main street was just beginning to pack up a street celebration that they were having. We grabbed a couple of beers from an artesian brewer kiosk and almost as soon as we sat down at a nearby bench the rain began. Fortunately our chambre d`hote was just around the corner and our host John was waiting for us at the front door. We survived the day without getting wet.
