Durfort - Castres - The Grand Tour - 2023

May 13, 2023

Durfort - Castres

It started raining the minute we got in our car in Arles last Tuesday for the ride to Durfort and it rained heavily and was cold all the days we were there. It was a stroke of luck that we had no plans for cycling on those days but could just hole up and visit friends as planned. We didn't get on our bikes once. Did I say it was cold? In the mornings it was 8 C. We were freezing in our room. Just yesterday evening, our last day, we discovered how to turn on the heating! What dummies we are.

The weather forecast for today isn't too promising either, but a bit warmer and not rain all day, just now and then. It's too late too cancel the next hotel bookings and make new plans, so we pack the rain gear where it is easily accessible and face the music. First we want to bring our car to our friend's house where we can leave it while we ride the ten-day loop we have planned.

The day looks grey from our window this morning.

Last view of the Moulin de l'Abbé where we stayed.

This is Nese, cook and yoga teacher among other things. She grew up in Germany, is of Turkish parentage, and moved to France when she was around 20, I think. She kindly suggested we could leave our car on her property.

At least it's not raining when we leave Nese's, a good start. We ride through Revel and Sorèze without stopping for pictures although they are picturesque villages. We want to get on the road. The countryside here is lovely, and very green. It's farming country with fields of wheat, barley and some corn. We ride up and down short hills, some fairly steep, and the Montaigne Noire is visible to the left. We don't need blue skies, we are loving the views and pedaling again.

We stop for a quick look in Viviers les Montagnes, take a picture or two and continue. I am hoping those drops of rain don't amount to anything.

At first I think, no, don't need my rain legs, don't need booties, I'll be okay with my rain jacket. But in the next town, Saïx, we are all of a sudden in desperate need of shelter. We cower under a shallow archway and wait. The rain lets up but before we go I decide it's time for the full rain gear. A smart move.

I make a quick dash to the shelter of a tree with my camera under my rain jacket for this shot.

I think it has stopped, we can continue.

We have now covered more than half of our short ride when it starts to rain again, and then it pours. We take the turn-off on our planned route and it looks kind of iffy. Should we stay on the road with no shoulder for the next kilometers? Fortunately we follow the path as it takes us under a railway bridge. We are saved for the time being.

Should we take this path? I prevail and we take it.

Thank goodness for the bridge, and look at that rain!

It lets up again, but doesn't stop raining completely, and we make a dash for it, only six more kilometers. We are pretty wet when we arrive at our hotel, needless to say. We even stop for a few pictures on our way into town.

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Today's ride: 31 km (19 miles)
Total: 431 km (268 miles)

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Scott AndersonUgh. Courage!
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11 months ago

Rachael AndersonI’m so sorry you had such a miserable day!
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11 months ago

Suzanne GibsonTo Rachael AndersonWell, we really enjoyed the first half of theday. And I wasn't really soaked because l have good rain gear. It was tiring, though.
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11 months ago

Kirsten KaarsooGood job for persevering! Thank goodness for excellent rain gear. We had to break out all of ours the other day also.
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11 months ago