Day 13 Thursday 9/12/13 Mende – Vallon Pont d’Arc 73 Miles / 120 Kms

We have traveled 713 miles in twelve days of riding.  Five more riding days to go.

Just the stats: 73 miles, 15.4 MPH average. Five hours of riding time. I stopped for a total of 68 minutes the whole day.  Sunny with high clouds all day, 43 to 58 degrees. Elevation 347 feet.  We climbed 3,586 feet and descended 5,829 feet.

Calories burned on the ride – 4,457. My average heart rate during this ride was 124 bpm. Maximum speed – 36.4 mph.

Today was a nice riding day.  It started as a chilly 43 degrees, but we warmed up pretty quickly with our 20 mile climb to the Col des Tribes.  That climb had some down hills but it was mostly a steady climb of 4% to 6% to 1,130 meters or 3,718 feet.  I can tell my fitness level has improved.  I am no longer panting and out of breath during these long climbs.  Now I just put my mind to it and grind it out.

As you may be able to tell by the way I am dressed - it is cold up here, about 45 degrees!

 

 

The descent from the Col des Tribes was a 19 mile downhill with curves and switch backs. Lots of fun. I try not to use my breaks on these descents.

 

After the fantastic descent we are treated to a picnic lunch with fresh French food, fruit, breads, cheeses vegtables. Every day we get this!!



Allison & Tom (me)

So this was one of our hillier days of the tour, but overall we descended more than we climbed so it was much more enjoyable ride overall.

During the last 30 miles of the ride we noticed a distinctive change in the landscape as we left behind the lush Cevenne and descend into its neighboring and equally beautiful national park; L’Ardeche. We rested up at Vallon Pont d’Arc, the gateway to the Gorges de l’Ardeche. (FYI - I copied this paragraph)

I am sharing a room with my friend Richard.  This is our daily laundry.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a view from our hotel room.

 

 

 

 

I still can’t get used to these French dinners – starting at 7 pm (if you are lucky) and getting done at 9:30 or later. A lot of sitting around and waiting for the next course.  The food is great, the pace just takes some getting used to.

 
Tomorrow is a short 44 mile day into the mountains.