Training Log Archive: Carbons Offset

A tour of a bunch of Luberon hill towns. Stopped for some photos in some lavender fields and also rode past entire fields of poppies. Also through Rousillon which was quite pretty with all of its ochre coloured buildings. Had a look at an area where they mine the ochre but it wasn’t currently open for tours. Apparently there are 40 km of underground mining tunnels. Stopped for snacks in Apt that included almond croissants (are they typically filled with a sweet paste?) and also tried some of the fruits confits (poir et cerises) - tres doux. Stopped in Oppède Vieux and hiked up the the old castle; the villagers moved downhill in 1910 to be closer to the fields, resulting in a ghost town. Stopped later for some nice photos of Gordes and the valley below, while others in the group kept riding rather than stopping in the sun and heat. A hot day, unfortunately the best cold fountain we found wasn’t until about 5 km from the end of our ride. Came home to our cool swimming pool and then remembered I have a wheel of reblechon in the fridge :)

C • Almond Croissants 6

Dentelles loop from Vaison. Was interested to explore in the other direction, but the tour around and up Mt Ventoux set the bar pretty high. Still an enjoyable ride with a couple of little climbs and some really nice descents with some good scenery and a few pretty villages. Checked the bike shops in Maulacene but they were all closed.
Made it to the grocery store in Vaison just before they closed to get some fresh things for lunch.

Mount Ventoux tour and climb.
Followed the longer route of the Grand Fondo tour. We had a GPS track from a previous year but the direction signs were already up for this year’s GF on Sunday so we just followed those. Nice to not even have to watch the GPS much. Also nice to have signs warning of the more dangerous turns (not very dangerous but nice to have advance warning that they were a little tighter).
The tour does a large circumnavigation of 3/4 of the mountain before doing the final climb. The tower on the summit never seems to get closer and you sometimes get farther from it. A really pretty medieval village at Montbrun leading to some nice climbs and cols including “Col de L’Homme Mort” ;) amongst some pretty vegetation and flowers. I enjoyed seeing poppies, they seem very European to me and carry lots of meaning, given their Remembrance significance. Remote, no cars or other riders. Then through a fantastic gorge and a long gradual downhill. At the bottom, stopped at a cafe for ice cream and cokes, and refilled water bottles. Several water fountains in towns along the way; I love that in Europe, it feels like it fits in so well with the cycling culture.
The climb from Bédoin was relentless. About 9 percent which wasn’t too bad but it never let up and it was stiflingly hot. The ride is through forest but the opening of the road gets almost no shade. Stopped at Chalet Reynard for another ice cream and Mars bar. The last 6 km to the summit are noticeably easier and I was able to increase the speed. A racer guy caught me and slowly went by; I was able to minimize the gap and then stopped at the Tom Simpson memorial, 1 km from the summit, to soak up more Tour history. Carbon passed me here so I got to chase her down but she waited for me before the final climb.
Still warm enough at the summit despite Ventoux’s windy and cold reputation. Carried lots of warm clothing but only used my arm warmers today. Could have put the jacket on for the descent but enjoyed finally feeling cold for a while.
On the way down, saw a cycling club that were doing a six-ascent day from all three directions for a total of 274 km and 8800 vm. Only about 200 people have done it. If the 17 year old in their group does it, he will be the youngest ever. He was heading up on his 4th ascent around 4:30 pm.
For the last 10 km back to town, the wind was ugly. I was still feeling okay so I pulled but it didn’t provide too much shelter to Carbon and the guy who tagged on because of the angle of the wind. This section drained me a little.
Got home and whipped up ravioli, gnocchi and duck confit cassoulet (from a can, just heat it up, the French bachelor meal). A big day but the big appetite hasn’t kicked in yet.

C • Ventoux 6

Along the coastal road, some really nice coastal scenery including St Jean Cap Ferrat where Leanimal went to school, poor thing, no wonder she is so tough ;)
BigFish and I dragged the girls through Monaco and Monte Carlo again so that we could see the casino. BigFish and I walked up to the entrance and the first security guy was almost going to let us in but the second guy clearly realized we weren’t dresssed appropriately (even though we made BigFish zip up his jersey). Then up to Castillano. A really nice climb, rode it at a comfortable touring pace. Pulled in for some lunch but absolutely everything in town was closed. Does France close on Wednesdays? It seemed like everything was closed in several places. Then over Col de Braus. Really enjoyed the feeling of being totally in our own, with some nice green surroundings and nice views off the back. Up and down a crazy series of stacked switchbacks. Hit a nice bakery in L’Escarene and then followed a nice route back to Nice that kept us off the bigger roads. Finished with gelato at Fenocchio, the best place in Nice :)