Carpentras to Sault

September 19, 2024

I suppose I need to consider how and when I'll return home. I have my eye on a repositioning cruise. It's about the same price as three plane tickets, but I'll be able to return over twelve nights. Long-haul flights really do a number on me, and though I've never been on a cruise, I can't imagine it would be worse. It leaves November 13 out of Lisbon and heads to Fort Lauderdale, where I'll be able to fly to San Francisco to see friends for American Thanksgiving before heading back to Vancouver. Choices, choices.

Today, I'm going to head to Sault for the easier approach. Komoot spits out a route for me. As I head out of Carpentras, I see Ventoux off in the distance, not a single cloud in the sky. I ride past the small town of Mazan, which is being roiled by an ongoing court case. A husband has been drugging his wife for the last decade, and inviting other men to have sex with her while unconscious. So, rape. The trial is in nearby Avignon. The victim Gisèle Pélicot waived her right to a private trial. It's really easy to condemn sexual violence when it's in the abstract, but when a scandal hits a small town, and the accused are people you could know and consider respectable -- your landscaper, your butcher, your mailman, the journalist that writes for the local paper, everything changes. How do you reconcile the person you know, who could be pleasant and even funny in all your interactions, as being somebody who committed a crime against someone else? As I ride past this graffiti that says "un viol est un viol," I feel perturbed and saddened for what Gisèle Pélicot went through. Thank goodness that there was evidence, in the form of all the labelled videos her husband made.

After a right turn, I'm on the start of Gorges de la Nesque. 100% of my gorge rides have been... gorgeous, so I'm feeling good. It's a beautiful snaking road, not a single pothole or uneven groove in sight. With such a gentle incline, I could do this all day. Each time I round a bend, a more beautiful view comes into sight. There are barely any cars, just some motorcycles who pass with excellent lines. This road is practically a balcony. Two vintage convertibles come rolling through the sunny day. I didn't recognize the models, but one was British racing green which is my dream car colour.

Before long, I'm enjoying a lazy descent into Sault past fields of (already harvested) lavender. At a roadside farm stand, I buy some sun-warmed cherry tomatoes. The clerk is scooping lavender into sachets.

I roll through downtown, which is chock full of cyclists. The cafes here have bike racks out front. I beeline to a hotel, asking if they had an available room for the night. They do, and I'm shown to the room. There's a Vietnamese restaurant right next door. It's only 2:30pm, so there's plenty of daylight ahead. My plan is to clean up, wash my bibs, then explore Sault.

Walking two minutes down to the main square, I first get an ice cream. I choose the calisson flavour. By 5pm, all the bikes have disappeared from the streets. I suppose everyone has checked into their hotels, and is getting ready for apéro. In a quiet part of town, I see a monument dedicated to those that perished during La Résistance. I saw some surnames listed five times. Perhaps that was all the men of the family. Three large wreaths that looked fresh lay at the monument. The sun is setting now, and it's rather striking with overcast skies and rainbow in the distance.

Walking through town, I notice the Presbytarian church minister has the last name Nguyen. That French-Vietnamese colonial connection is strong. I decide on that Vietnamese restaurant for dinner. It was interesting seeing the menu, which felt perfectly fusion to me. Lemongrass (very Vietnamese) frog legs (very French) and it worked!

After dinner, I go to the store and pick up a bottle of coke. I fill one of bottles with it and add an extra packet of sugar for luck. The very unsexy but real room situation before turning in for the night. I hope my socks are dry by the morning.

Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 669 km (415 miles)

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