Day 14: St. Gêniez d’Olt to Mende

September 14, 2022

We went to bed last night expecting thunderstorms all night and well into the morning. It definitely rained overnight, but the sky was bright blue this morning. Looks like a great day for a bike ride. Today is on the short side, but the backend is loaded with steep climbs.

As we were leaving town the Garmin said to go right, but there was a V86 bike route sign pointing left. Once again we reviewed the maps and decided to go left following the bike route. It was a good choice.

The first 5 kilometers were flat traveling alongside the Lot River. Traffic was almost nonexistent, too.

Bridge crossing before the first climb of the day

Then we crossed this bridge and the first climb began.

We were way down there just a little while ago

After climbing for some time, we were able to get a glimpse of the Lot below. By the way, we were very happy with our decision to follow this route before joining back onto the original track.

Chuck was amused with this scene.

Our first official stop during today’s ride was at Le Monestier where we refilled water bottles and explore the church. The Église Saint Sauveur used to be a monastery.

The stairway led to this crossing and access to the bell tower

An unusual stone lectern (or pulpit or ambo) - most are ornately carved wood

Our next stop was to check out Centre Ville in Marvejols. It was a bit dilapidated and felt somewhat depressing. So we continued onward in search of a lunch spot before the big climbs to come.

The best we could do was this rock wall at a carrefour (intersection). It was comfy and traffic wasn’t bad at all. It was also at the base of the first climb.

Second climb of the day, but it’s the big one with a col at the top

A col sign! This is the first one of this trip! These climbs are part of the annual Le Tour De Gévaudan, which is a bicycle race of local teams and the second strings of teams like Cofidis and Credit Agricole.

Looking back I saw the road sign - 3k at 10%

And we’re here to tell you the descent was steep.

We finished both climbs and then descended into Mende to stay at another favorite hotel of ours, Hotel de France. We discovered it in January on our way home from a ski trip in the Jura. If you’re ever in Mende, this is a beautiful hotel with an exceptional restaurant.

But first a stroll through town and shopping at a pharmacy for more sunscreen.

Then- the dinner fit for a king!

Oops, we ate our main courses without taking photos - sorry! Chuck had a chicken dish and I had a lamb dish.

As we went to bed this activity was happening outside. We had a beautiful light show for about 20 minutes followed by a heavy downpour for 10 minutes and then silence and dark skies.

Stats: 69.5 kilometers 1,160 meters elevation

Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 1,321 km (820 miles)

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