October 21, 2010
Aiguillon to Fumel: up the Lot river valley
WEATHER: FIRST SUNNY AND COOL, THEN SUNNY AND WARM
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There was frost on the grass in the morning, but the weather warmed up quickly. We left Charlan and travelled on quiet roads along the west side of the Lot, through small towns and vineyards to a lunch stop in Villeneuve-sur-Lot.. The first hotel restaurant we came to said there would be a 20 minute wait. We were too hungry and went on to the centre of town where we found a busy brasserie under the arcades. Their menu du jour included coffee. We had an entree buffet, then chicken suprême with a light curry sauce and a surprisingly good risotto, and crème caramel for dessert.
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After lunch we rode by Penne-d'Agenais, a very scenic village but more uphill than we wanted to ride. A nice quiet road by the river was signed as a bike route, and we passed two large groups of road bike cyclists. Suddenly the road veered very steeply uphill (we had to walk our bikes) and then met a more major road on which we followed a roundabout, mostly downhill curving course toward Fumel. About 10 km before Fumel we turned down the signed cycle route on a tiny road past small farms, across the Lot river, and then steeply uphill to the Kyriad hotel behind the church. We were glad to get there, since the day's ride was longer than we had anticipated..
It was still warm and sunny, and after parking our bikes in the garage, we sat out on the hotel terrace drinking tea. We looked around town for restaurants, but preferred the menu at the hotel dining room, so we had a nice dinner there. Entree was a salad buffet, plat for Al was duck with cepes, Eva had rack of lamb and Al got a clafouti and raspberry cake at the dessert buffet. We had ½ bottle of Cahors red wine, more full-bodied than the Bordeaux wines because of the addition of malbec grapes which are grown in the Cahors area.
Today's ride: 76 km (47 miles)
Total: 311 km (193 miles)
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