June 19, 2025
To Foix
Over dinner last night, Rich made two suggestions for today’s ride to Foix: a stop at the rupestral church in Vals, and a meet-up in Foix with fellow CycleBlazer Sanna Finney. Always one to follow the advice of locals, I sent an email off to Sanna and rerouted my track to Foix.
The new route to Foix was shorter and less climbing, both welcome in the continued spate of high temperatures. I enjoyed a nice bread-centered breakfast on shaded terrace of Clos des Oliviers – no protein but the croissant was one of the best I’ve had in France. By 10:15 I was on my way, cycling west through farmlands on the way to the small village of Vals.
My cycle tours in France have previously taken me into two monolithic, or subterranean, churches: Saint-Jean at Aubeterre-sur-Dronne and the Monolithic Church of Saint-Emilion. Both were memorable experiences and I was excited to visit Église Notre-Dame De Vals, a semi-rupestral church partly built into rock. As I was securing Vivien George to a railing at the base of the church, I noted a handful of people carrying large oil paintings up the hill to the rear of the church. I decided to follow their lead, but the road only led to a service door. I could hear voices from within, but as this was clearly not a public entrance I went round through the cemetery to the front door. And there I learned that the church was not open – closed for extensive repairs to the church’s interior. Perhaps another time when I’m in the area to visit Rich and Robin.
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Shortly after leaving Vals, I took a brief break from the sun outside the church in Les Pujols. There I met a group of school children, ages 7-9, on a field trip through town. They were eager to show off their English, and all gave me a big “Hello” as they followed their teacher down the hill.
The route turned south towards Foix wound through newly mowed and baled fields of hay. It brought back memories of a time spent hauling hay a on hot summer day in Amherst, MA in 1978 – a day that was probably key in my eventually entering graduate school. Like then, the day was uncomfortably hot so after arriving at my hotel in Foix I spent time next to the fan, awaiting my CycleBlaze meet-up.
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5 days ago
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Sanna and Chuck are enthusiastic cyclists who relocated to Foix from Bend, OR eight years ago. We met for drinks at a brew-pub on the river, finding a table that they knew would stay shaded in the late afternoon sun. It was a delightful time, talking of life in France, learning the language, and cycling tours past and yet to come. Sanna shared a wealth of information on cycling and lodging in the area and gave me a great recommendation for dinner, somewhere I could get some pasta. We were so engaged in conversation that I forgot to take a picture.
I met another wonderful Oregon couple at dinner, Jane and John, who were on a hiking trek across the Pyrenees. As with Sanna, Chuck and other CycleBlaze meet-ups, there is an instant bond among those who travel at a slower pace, propelled by their own energy. It’s not always easy, but the rewards most always surpass the effort.
Today's ride: 23 miles (37 km)
Total: 828 miles (1,333 km)
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Years ago, we had a pretty large bike group here in Portland that did a weeklong, supported bike ride known as the Oregon Bike Ride. At some point, Sanna wound up owning the company. I probably did two or three of the rides where she was the directress. I’m not sure she’d remember me specifically because I stopped doing those kinds of rides in the early teens and focused on tours.
PS: I was supposed to have dinner with Team Anderson tonight, but a cold has knocked me back a little bit so we’ve rescheduled for next week.
Jonathan
5 days ago
4 days ago