September 24, 2024
Carcassonne to Cucugnan
Today's ride plan is to head south-ish to Cucugnan. That'll get me into the vicinity of Château de Quéribus, Château de Peyrepetuse, and Gorges de Galamus, and I can decide tomorrow what I want to see.
My legs start out feeling very tired, and as I get into the hills, I realize it's just the heat. I'm in my easiest gear, just trying to warm my legs up when a cyclist noiselessly pedals past me.
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I pass him on the descent, and he catches me as I roll into town for lunch. He pulls up beside me and starts in French but I switch to English when I realize he's not a native speaker either. He's German. He's been in Carcassonne for three weeks, doing day rides. We're heading the same direction.
Many of the road signs are flipped upside down. In the last few years, farmers have been squeezed by agricultural distributors who are forcing down wholesale prices while making money hand over fist at the grocery store. To express their discontent, farmers all over the country are flipping road signs.
After lunch, as I'm rolling through nice tarmac, a group of teenage cyclists pass me. Their chaperone, a middle-aged man, said they were a high school team, and he was taking them on a three day tour to Toulouse. We chat for a bit, before I turn off to the right. The boys all wave goodbye as I pass. I stop at what looks like a small farm store. There's bread, cheese, honey, blackcurrant juice, and textiles. I pick up a blackcurrant juice, and as I'm heading to check out, I notice an American couple struggling to communicate. They wanted to buy bread (sliced, please) and cheese to take away. For the first time, I get to be helpful! I also translate instructions for how to keep the cheese and the clerk's pairing recommendations. The couple is from Boston, and they're on a nine day road trip to Bordeaux. They insist on paying for my juice and watch curiously as I roll off to continue my ride.
Cucugnan is cute. There's a boulangerie with some incredible views. The baker has lots of different breads -- corn flour, chestnut flour, acorn flour. I ask for one slice of each. I take a bite out of each one, then order four more slices of the chestnut flour bread. The baker looks amused and impressed. I also get a pâté, and eat my snack at the tables outside.
Today's ride: 76 km (47 miles)
Total: 863 km (536 miles)
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