Day 16. 61mi through the volcano, past Puy Mary and over Col du Pas de Peyrol. A truly, staggering, beautiful day of riding.
Day 15. Started the morning at camp next to Chateau Lafayette. Poking around early, the gardener let us in hours before opening to explore the gardens in silence. After that it was 52mi to meet up with La Grande Traversée du Volcan with its volcanic cliffs, hill top villages and fast switchbacks. Tomorrow we climb Puy Mary.
Day 14. 50mi and into Auvergne, and this sweet 4 rider quad tandem. Lots of climbing today, over 100ft/mi the whole day.
Day 13. Lyon to Bas-en-Basset. 64mi. A morning of stop-and-go city riding gave way to tunnels of trees and sweeping mountain views. Some steep climbs to get up here though, including a short 25%+ grade.
Day 11. Julienas to Lyon. Goodbye Beaujolais and hello again rivers. The Voir Bleue must be the worst cycling surface I’ve ever seen. Clay over cobbles, oof. Detoured into the hills and working out a route into the mountains earlier than planned.
All we did was sit by the pool on day 9, so this is day 10. Julienas-Fleurie-Julienas. 21mi. A day of (relatively) unloaded riding through the vineyards of Beaujolais. A third of the distance, but as much climbing as any other day. We’ll head to Lyon for a day tomorrow, and then into the mountains of Auvergne.
Day 8. Montcharin to Julienas. 62mi. Coming Into southern Burgundy brought a day of surprise delights. Steep hills, thick forests, fast switchbacks, tunnels, bridges, castles and abbeys. Staying put for a couple days to enjoy the wine.
Day 7. Diou to Montchanin. 62mi. Ran into a bit of rain and took shelter in a park ramada. While we ate lunch, these guys called their support car, which arrived with lunch, a table, and an abundance of generously shared wine (drank from paper cups), strawberries and cherries.
Day 6. Nevers to Diou. 63mi. Change of plans. We traded castles for cattle and started heading southeast. Adventure-touring, or bike-packing, or whatever, is great and all, but I’m doing whole-cold-bottle-of-rosé touring. Also, this cyclist rest in Charrin is amazing. Running water, tools, indoor bike parking, toilets, showers, a clothes line, camp spots and a grocery store and bar across the street. Nice work Charrin. 5 stars. Nailed it.
Day 5. 70mi. Châtilon-sur-Loire to Nevers with a spin up to Sancerre for lunch. Hot and windy, but the wine was cold and dry. Nice to get in some climbing.
