September 10, 2023
Day 6 - Florac to Meyrueis
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Another short day, due to lack of accommodations/restaurants and the fact that it was Sunday. This day had some work in the 34km, though.
We left the Tarn river yesterday as we rode into Florac. Today’s ride followed the Tarnenon, a tributary of the Tarn. The route then climbed over the Col de Perjuret into the watershed of the La Jonte. The Col, at just over 1000m, would be the highest point in this trip. It’s also the turnaround point as we’re now head back toward Albi.
The climb up the Col is modest: 5km at an average of 6.5%. But we’re below-modest cyclists, so some strategy was involved. We (gasp) set an alarm for 0700 to get an early start. There didn’t look like we’d have a lot of tree cover on the climb, so we wanted to get over it before the day heated up.
After our usual breakfast in the room, we retrieved the bike, loaded up, and were rolling at 0840. Very impressive, for us.
Only problem was: It was COLD!! Even in the sun! We stopped to add layers and told ourselves that we’d appreciate the coolness later.
We worked our way up the valley through a series of shorter climbs interspersed with flat sections. We stopped to snack on some tiny blackberries that were growing along the road.
We passed through sleepy Vébrun on a beautiful, quiet road and took a long break in even sleepier Fraissinet-de-Fourques at the base of the col.
Things got serious before we even left the village, with a couple of hundred meters of 10%+ just to show us who was in charge. We huffed and puffed up the switchbacks at the edge of town and thankfully the grade backed off to between 5 and 8. Occasionally it would throw a bit of 8 and 9 at us just to keep us awake.
We took 2 breaks on the way up. The first after about 2km, the second at about 3.5km.
Luckily as we approached the top it got a bit flatter. And the views were great, which helped to distract us a bit. We also got a “Bravo!” From a descending roadie, which also helped with our energy.
And then, we were there!
| Heart | 7 | Comment | 4 | Link |
Bonne Route! Michael
8 months ago
I use power meter pedals but Robin doesn’t, so I can’t tell you how our power input compares. But I doubt the energy input is equal. I’m just a lot bigger and stronger than Robin is. What the tandem does is more like averaging our power.
But all of that is secondary to us. We see riding a tandem as an exercise in teamwork. And it’s that teamwork that appeals to us.
After all the years of riding together, we feel like a single unit pushing against the resistance of a hill or the wind. We keep getting better at it, too, which just increases the enjoyment. There’s no sense of “you vs me” to us.
And one of the big pluses is that we both get to the top of the hill at the same time!
Looking forward to your next adventure!!
8 months ago
7 months ago
After celebratory pictures, we headed down the other side. A beautiful ride, punctuated by a meeting with another tandem couple on their way up! It’s always fun to meet and chat with fellow tandem crazies. We compared notes and gave each other recommendations for the road ahead.
With the early start, we arrived in Meyrueis about 15 minutes too early for lunch. But no problem - the friendly staff at Le Sully got us seated and we were all set.
Meyrueis is a third the size of Florac, but what a difference! On this Sunday lunchtime it was rocking. Lots of people, open restaurants, and some stores open to catch the almighty tourist euro. If you have a choice between the two towns, stay in Meyrueis.
After lunch we were still too early for our 1400 checkin, so we wandered around for a bit and then chilled on a park bench until it was time.
Our hotel, the “Hotel Family” is just up the street from all the restaurants. It’s an older building but the rooms are new and very comfortable. It’s associated with the Logis de France group, which we find to be good hotels for our travels. (When we’re not staying in castles LOL)
Since it’s Sunday night and we’re in a town of 800 people, we’ve booked dinner in the hotel.
Now for an afternoon of laundry and rest.
Today's ride: 34 km (21 miles)
Total: 274 km (170 miles)
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8 months ago
8 months ago