June 2, 2025
Day 1 - Nîmes to Saint-Remy-de-Provence
Driving from Limoux to Nîmes, then cycling through the drips and drops
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After several days of worrying about temperatures being too hot to tour, the weather suddenly changed and we were confronted with predictions of rain for our first day of riding.
Our scan of the weather with the Windy app showed our best chances for the late afternoon, and with a 1700h checkin at our destination there was no need to hurry. After our normal morning routine, we packed up the car, locked down the house, and hit the road around 1100h.
The drive to Nîmes was uneventful, but there were a surprising number of vehicles on the road. It seems like the vacation season has arrived, even though it’s only the beginning of June.
After a stop for gas, Robin navigated us to the Q-Park Jean Jaurès in Nîmes, where we had reserved a spot for the car for the 2 weeks of the trip. We found a spot in the underground garage with an empty spot next to it where we set up the bike. We rolled up the car exit ramp into the clammy warm afternoon and pushed off onto the bike path. We had started our tour!
The bike infrastructure we found in Nîmes seemed like the kind of bike paths that non-cyclists would design. Lots of intersections with bike yield signs, no good distinction between sidewalks and the cycle lane, and a shared bike/bus lane that cuts straight through roundabouts with minimal signal protection for cyclists. We were pretty stressed by the time we hit the edge of town and turned off the main road into Caissargues.
After traversing the small town, a new challenge awaited in the form of a section of gravel road. The surface of the road was sometimes gravel, but also sometimes dirt and sometimes boulders the size of a fist. Some mountain biking occurred on a loaded touring tandem. It was a challenging climb up to the paved canal-side path at the top of the hill.
From here we sailed east, pushed by friendly tailwinds and feeling the occasional raindrop, which actually felt refreshing on this hot, humid day. All the way to Beaucaire, we followed small farm roads, canal-side paths and railroad-side paths. We made a couple of stops to put on rain gear and hide from the worst showers that went over.
We crossed the Rhône at Beaucaire/Tarascon, crossing the route we took on the Via Rhona a few years ago. Today’s route wound through Tarascon and then followed what appeared to be a converted rail line eastward toward St Remy de Provence.
We had intended to stop along the way and explore some of the small towns, but with the rain getting worse we decided to hustle to tonight’s lodging. We stopped in St Étienne du Grès and hid under a tree when the rain got too strong, but otherwise pushed along. Finally as we approached St Remy, the rain lifted and the last few kilometers were dry. The drying time allowed us to arrive undripping at the Mas des Tourterelles. We were still significantly damp, however.
The kind reception lady pretended not to notice our humid condition, and led us to our enormous room, complete with a separate living room and kitchen area. Rich doesn’t remember specifying such luxury when he booked the room, but we’ll take it. Schnooks is parked securely on the covered balcony (we’re upstairs), and we’ve spread everything damp out to start the drying process. So the space is super useful.
After cleaning up, we walked into town for dinner at “Toute une Epoque”. The rain seemed to have moved on, so we were able to enjoy our Caesar Salad (Rich) and Blanquette de Lotte (Robin) outside under the umbrellas.
We followed dinner with a prowl around town. We were here 30 years ago but remember very little. All the shops were closed tonight, but St Remy looks like a vibrant and prosperous place. The real estate prices seem to reflect that! :)
We have a short day tomorrow, so we’ll check it out a bit more in the morning.
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1 week ago
First days are always challenging for us. But we got through the rain and nerves, arriving at our destination. It’s good to be back out on the road!
Today's ride: 51 km (32 miles)
Total: 51 km (32 miles)
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