June 16, 2025
To Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet
Hills, Heat, Wind – All the makings for a wonderful day on the bike. Not!
I set off this morning with some trepidation – the forecast was sunny, hot and winds from the NW at greater than 17 mph. The sun and hills didn’t frighten me but strong headwinds did. I girded myself for a tough day in the saddle and set off from Perpignan just past 9 am, on the early side for me.
The route out of town took through the Perpignan sprawl on a dedicated cycle path – not pretty but quite safe. It was a bit confusing navigating the round-abouts across the A9 autoroute, but I avoided exiting onto the expressway and was soon making my way past the airport and onto the Vélosud cycle route.
La Vélosud, aka V81, is a 658 km cycle route between Biarritz in the west and Le Barcarès in the east, from the Atlantic to the Mediterrean. Traversing through the foothills of the Pyrenees on dedicated cycle paths and small roads, it is rated easy to medium and purported to be suitable for families. My plan was follow Vélosud from Perpignan west until Foix or Sainte-Girons and then assess my overall fitness vis-à-vis a more challenging route. Today’s route to Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet was my first test.
I joined La Vélosud just past the Perpignan airport and in no time at all came to a Route Barrée. I kept riding until I encountered a crew working on a large trench that ran down the center of the road. They were installing new pipe lines – the forward crew would dig the trench and the lagging crew would lay the pipe. At some point, a gravel crew would come by to cover up the trench. The forward crew indicated it was okay to continue, and on the side. My thought was that I could squeeze past the big machinery, but the lagging crew had other ideas as they directed me into the vineyard alongside the road. They were very insistent so I hoisted VG over the berm and onto a tractor lane, avoiding the farmer who had come along in his tractor to ask the workers a question.
The trek through the vineyards was not long, only a few hundred yards until I came to a section of the road where the trench had been filled in. From there, the road was essentially a paved double-track with a mound of gravel, not grass, in the middle. The gravel double-track continued for much of a small climb but smooth pavement had returned for the descent to Cases-de-Pène along the Agly River.
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1 week ago
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There was a short climb off the river getting out of Cases-de-Pène and then a longer climb over a ridge and around Torre del Far. The grades were fine but headwinds were nasty - both on the way up and on the descent. In fact they made things so uncomfortable on the way down that my downhill speed was not much more than my uphill speed! The route wound along a balcony road overlooking an open landscape dotted with vineyards before snaking down and around Torre del Far to the lovely town of Tautavel. There were a few groups of bike tourers who’d stopped for lunch in Tautavel but I found a small bakery to get a sandwich or something sweet for a short break. The bakery was very short on supplies – no sandwiches or even croissants! I bought a lemon tart and found a bench in the shade for an elevenses break.
The next ten miles were brutal. The wind had picked up considerably and I was heading straight into it, a steady 18-20 mph with gusts at least to 30 mph, probably more. The road surface had deteriorated to a bumpy, sandy chip seal with plenty of holes I rolled up and down through vineyards slowly making my way up to Murray where I collapsed onto a shady bench and considered by options.
My planned route for the final 7.5 miles to Saint-Paul included a 2 mile climb averaging over 6% before gradually dropping to Saint-Paul. The alternative was 5 miles along the D117 highway. I chose the highway – no matter how much traffic there might be, I couldn’t face more climbing in a strong headwind.
It turned out to be an excellent decision - there was a wide shoulder and traffic was light. But it was still an uphill slog. The winds were so fierce that I felt compelled to walk a stretch lest I lose control of the bike and be pitched into traffic or the four foot drainage ditch to my rights. It was a great relief when I finally arrived at my lodging and collapsed on the bed.
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1 week ago
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Dinner choices in Saint-Paul were limited – a nice French restaurant or pizza. I chose Papa Pizza, a take-out place on the town square. I sat in the square, now enjoying the breeze and watching small town life roll/walk past. The bistro on the square was all shuttered, with chairs piled around empty tables. When my pizza was ready, I asked if it would be okay to use the bistro seating and eat on the terrace. Out came the “sur place” menu with slightly higher pizza prices that were fine by me. Then, a folded table and chair were moved to a spot on the terrace reserved for Papa Pizza. It was a great pizza and a wonderful outdoor dining experience that erased the day’s trauma. I would be ready for tomorrow!
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Today's ride: 31 miles (50 km)
Total: 750 miles (1,207 km)
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